Wet Withens facts for kids
Chair Stone
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| Location | Eyam Moor near Grindleford |
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| Region | Derbyshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°18′27″N 1°39′47″W / 53.30750°N 1.66306°W |
| Type | Henge monument |
| Official name | Embanked stone circle known as Wet Withens, and adjacent cairn |
| Designated | 9 October 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1018480 |
Wet Withens is a very old stone circle from the Bronze Age, a time long, long ago! It's located on Eyam Moor in the beautiful Peak District, England. This special circle of ten upright stones is a protected historical site. It's sometimes called Wet Withers, which means "the wet land where willow trees grew."
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What is Wet Withens?
Wet Withens is a type of ancient monument called a henge. A henge is usually a circular area of land surrounded by a ditch and a bank. Wet Withens has a large earthen bank that is over 30 meters (about 100 feet) wide. This makes it the biggest stone circle with a bank in Derbyshire.
Exploring the Stone Circle
The stone circle at Wet Withens has ten large, upright stones. These stones are called orthostats. Seven of these stones are still standing, but some are leaning a bit. Many of the stones are hidden among the tall heather and reeds that grow there.
The tallest and most famous stone is called the 'Chair Stone'. It's about 70 centimeters (27 inches) high. It has a special ledge cut into its side, making it look like a seat! Experts think there might have been as many as 18 stones in the circle when it was first built.
Location and Views
Wet Withens is located on gritstone moorland, which is a type of rocky, open land. It sits high up, over 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) above sea level. From this spot, you can see amazing views of the River Derwent valley and a famous rock formation called Higger Tor.
Even though it's not right next to public walking paths, you can still visit Wet Withens. It's on "Open Access" land, thanks to a law passed in 2000. This law allows people to explore certain areas of open countryside.
The Mysterious Cairn
About 10 meters (33 feet) north of the stone circle, there's a large pile of stones called a cairn. This cairn is also known as Eyam Moor Barrow. It's about 27 meters (88 feet) long and 1 meter (3 feet) high.
Over many centuries, parts of this cairn have been damaged. This might be from people digging for stones or trying to explore it. In the middle of the cairn, there's a unique stone with special cup-shaped marks carved into it. The shape of the cairn suggests it was likely a prehistoric burial mound, where people were buried long ago.
Other Ancient Sites Nearby
Wet Withens is also known as Eyam Moor 1. This is because there are two smaller stone circles located about 650 meters (about 2,100 feet) to the east. These are called Eyam Moor 2 and Eyam Moor 3, and they are also protected historical sites.
Derbyshire is home to several other ancient henges and stone circles. Some of these include:
- Arbor Low
- The Bull Ring
- Doll Tor
- Hordron Edge
- Nine Stone Close
- Twyford Henge
