Western stone. View from south west (Scale 1m).
A probable single stone row measuring 293m long, said to include at least 11 small and medium-sized stones situated on a gentle north facing slope with a sea view and an extensive view of South Wales. The row is orientated west to east. In 2018 only three stones were found, the remainder have probably been removed or are now below the ground surface.
Location
| England | Somerset | Exmoor | SS 84349 46032 |
| Lat 51.20173196 Long -3.656844731 | |||
Map showing location of Porlock Common NE stone row
Plan of Porlock Common stone row (Source: GPS survey by Sandy Gerrard and Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record).
Characteristics
| Type: Single | Length: 264m |
| No. of stones: 11 | Size of stones: Small and medium |
| Orientation: 92° | Altitude: 414m |
| Upper end: – | Lower end: – |
| Straight (Yes or No) : | Sea View: Yes |
| Context: Cairn | |
| Notes: Pair of closed sea triangles. This row was originally described as including 11 stones by R. McDonnell in 1973 but only three are now visible. The others may have been removed or buried. Vegetation at the time of the visit was low and it is unlikely that they are simply hidden. | |
Other Information
| Public Access: Yes |
| Land Status: National Park |
| Scheduled Ancient Monument: No |
Interpretation
Category: Possible. No detailed description or full plan of this row exists and the site now survives as three recumbent stones in a line. The possibility of the site representing the remains of a field boundary or boundary stones cannot be wholly discounted and therefore its identification as a stone row must be treated with caution. Future work may resolve the situation.
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
Only three stones were visible at the time of the field visit. They are the three western ones shown in the plan above.
View from east of the western stone (Scale 1m). This stone measures 1m long by 0.46m wide and is up to 0.28m above the ground surface.
View from the south of the middle stone (Scale 1m). This stone measures 0.49m long by 0.38m wide, stands 0.12m above the ground and is orientated at 95°.
View from the south of the eastern stone (Scale 1m). This stone measures 0.90m long by 0.28m wide, stands 0.13m above the ground and is orientated at 155°.
Access Information
Parking is available at SS 84541 46153. From here it is a short walk south west to the row.
Online Resources
Megalithic Portal PastScape Historic Environment Record
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. 216.
Timeline
VISITED:- 19th April 2018
FIRST PUBLISHED:- 12th February 2016
LAST UPDATED:- 25th March 2019
The Stone Rows of Great Britain 