Oddendale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oddendale |
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 Oddendale hamlet |
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 Oddendale
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| OS grid reference | NY593133 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENRITH |
| Postcode district | CA10 |
| Dialling code | 01931 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Oddendale is a tiny village, called a hamlet, located in Cumbria, England. It is found close to the larger village of Shap. Getting there is easy, as it's near the M6 motorway and the A6 road.
History of Oddendale
Oddendale might be small today, but it has a very long and interesting history. People have lived in or visited this area for thousands of years!
The Ancient Stone Circle
Near Oddendale, there is an amazing ancient stone circle. This circle is part of a bigger group of old monuments. These include stone piles called cairns and tall standing stones. They are all connected to the famous 'Shap Stone Avenue' of monuments.
What Was Found?
Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, dug up the Oddendale stone circle in 1997. They found out a lot about its past. The site was built in different stages over many years.
- First, around 2,872 to 2,350 BC, during the Stone Age (Neolithic period), there were two circles made of oak wooden posts.
- Later, these wooden posts were taken out. In their place, people put stone caps made of pink granite.
- Then, in the Early Bronze Age, a special type of stone circle called a ring cairn was built. This was placed over the inner circle. It was made with blue-gray stones and flat yellow-white limestone pieces.
- Inside this ring cairn, archaeologists found interesting items. They discovered cremated bone, which is bone that was burned. They also found pottery and other small, special items. These were likely placed there as offerings or grave goods.
- Finally, a platform of pink granite was added to the side of the cairn. This platform had a border of red stones around it.
Why Were the Stones Colored?
The different colors of the stones used in the monument might have been very important. Ancient people often used colors for special meanings or rituals.
The change from wooden circles to stone ones is also interesting. This change happened at other ancient sites too. It might mean that people's beliefs changed over time. Perhaps they shifted from focusing on the living and the sun to honoring the dead and the moon or sunset.
