View from east (Scale 1m).
A single stone row measuring 32.5m long, including at least 11 mainly medium-sized stones and a few small-sized stones situated on a south facing slope. The row is orientated WNW to ESE, unusually follows the contour and is situated close to the junction of two later reaves. Nearby are two further stone rows, cairns and several prehistoric settlements.
Location
| England Devon Dartmoor SX 59947 62546 Lat 50.445996 Long -3.9739025 |
Map showing the location of Penn Beacon, South
Plan of Penn Beacon, South stone alignment. Recumbent stones shown green (After Butler, J., 1994, 191).
Map showing the position of Penn Beacon South, other stone rows and sites.
Characteristics
| Type: Single | Length: 32.5m |
| No. of stones: 11 | Size of stones: Small and medium |
| Orientation: 107° | Altitude: 370m |
| Upper end: – | Lower end: – |
| Straight (Yes or No) : No | Sea View: Yes |
| Context: Reave | |
| Notes: | |
Other Information
| Public Access: Yes |
| Land Status: National Park |
| Scheduled Ancient Monument: No |
Identification
Category: Plausible. No doubts have been expressed regarding the prehistoric interpretation of this row.
Typology
This stone row is of Type S10. Information on this form of stone row and other rows of this type is available here.
Photographs
View from north east (Scale 1m). The Lee Moor china clay workings are visible beyond.
View from the north west (Scale 1m). The bank beyond the row is a prehistoric field boundary known as a reave.
Looking southeast along the row (Scale 1m).
Landscape Comment
From Penn Beacon, South stone row a number of pertinent visual links are worth consideration. Cairns on Butterdon and Piles Hill appear on the skyline whilst to the south west a number of promontories, Plymouth Sound and the southern Cornish coastline are visible. The row itself is aligned on a cairn situated next to the once spectacular Piles Hill stone row. Indeed it is possible that the row was aligned on this row rather than the cairn.
From the row several cairns on Butterdon Hill are visible.
From this distance the tors on Ugborough Beacon look like cairns.
The row is aligned on the right hand side cairn on Piles Hill. This cairn is at SX 65324 61009 and stands next to the Piles Hill stone row.
As well as the prominent Dodman Point the Lizard Peninsula will be visible on a clear day. Large numbers of rows have visual links with distant promontories and it is perhaps no coincidence that promontories would have been used at the time for coastal navigation.
Plymouth Sound and Penlee Point are also clearly visible from this row. It is very likely that these places were of particular significance to the row builders.
Access Information
Car parking is available at SX 57055 63069. From here take the track leading north east which follows the northern edge of the Whitehill Yeo china clay pit. Follow this track to SX 59215 62584 then head east for about 700m. The row at Penn Beacon SW may be visited en-route.
Online Resources
Megalithic Portal PastScape Historic Environment Record
Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks
Other References
Burl, A., 1993, From Carnac to Callanish – The prehistoric rows and avenues of Britain, Ireland and Brittany, Yale University Press, New York and London, pg. 215.
Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities – Vol. 3 – The South-West, Devon Books Exeter, pgs. 190-193.
Timeline
VISITED:- 7th July 2013 and 31st August 2019
FIRST PUBLISHED:- 24th January 2016
LAST UPDATED:- 22nd November 2020
The Stone Rows of Great Britain 