Kentmere
Kentmere possesses a number of unspoilt archaeological landscapes. There are a number of Late Iron Age settlements in the valley. However Park Beck and Tongue House also show architectural features from a much earlier age. So the suspicion is that the Late Iron Age occupation came later. Park Beck is on private land, so permission is needed to visit. Fortunately Bryant's Gill Viking era site and fields have remained relatively untouched. Perhaps due to the grazing being on Common land. We also have an extensive landscape of Norman / Medieval Longhouses. Again surviving best on inbye Common land. We start with a survey of an undateable field system near Skeggles Water
Neolithic / Bronze Age
Potter Fell Stone Circle (SD 5035 9879, ellipse approx. 28ft x 25.5ft) was last accurately recorded by R.G.Plint, CWAAS 1960. There are reported to be 20 stones in this neglected circle, most of which are buried in bracken. After some weeding, the photo shows 8 of these which are slightly raised above the surrounding ground. The nearby natural? highest point gives a continuous long distance panorama of over 180°, covering a lot of the Howgills in the East (seen in the distance on the right-hand side), Arnside to the South, ending with the Langdales in the West.
At this remote site South of Skeggles Water (NY 482 027), only the footings of the Wall lines are now visible. The concave side of the walls represents the interior of the field and the convex side, the exterior. This field system was extended organically over a period of time, with new fields being added to the existing fields. Enclosures 1 and 2 have low rough walls and are almost identical in size and structure. They occupy sheltered positions. Enclosure 1 has no easily discernible internal structures. Internally, Enclosure 1 measures 8.9m x 6.2m. Enclosure 2 measures 9.2m x 5.4m. Cairn 1 occupies a prominent open position on a minor rise, with a panoramic view of the Kentmere and Longsleddale fells. Cairn 2 is not so large and is less prominent. The Platform site given its small size, is probably just the base of another cairn. This site may be an early survival.
Cumbrian Henge Ellipses
Park Beck (NY 449 025, ellipse 63.4m x 47.9m) has an avenue leading from the centre towards the North East. This proved to be in alignment with the Summer Solstice sunrise (05:23:30 BST), suggesting a Late Neolithic / Bronze Age origin for the site. When a Best Fit ellipse was calculated, there was a surprisingly accurate alignment of the short axis with the avenue and the entrance to the NE. Like at Druid Stones, the interior street furniture is Late Iron Age Curvilinear.
Millriggs (NY 461 025, ellipse 35.6m x 27.0m) has multiple layers of occupation. The Iron Age layer was still occupied in the Roman Period. This might explain the non-circular building and the 2nd C Armlet found there. The SW side of the site may have been damaged by the new field system encroaching on the site. It is interesting that the Ellipticity of MillRiggs is identical to that at Park Beck. They are exactly the same sort of Ellipse, although on a different scale.
Like Park Beck, Tongue House (NY 452 069, ellipse 44.4m x 31.7m) has a main entrance with an avenue aligned on the western short axis of the ellipse. The ellipticity is also similar to Park Beck. Similarly the enclosure has been extended from an ellipse to include what shows signs of being a man-made tumulus to the SE. I am not confident that there is any significant alignment, unless it is an awkward NS / EW alignment. You do get a magnificent view down the valley from the top of the tumulus. The interior of these early structures were probably originally bare and later occupied in the Late Iron Age.
The fourth henge in this class is Druid Stones (NY 398 117, ellipse 83.0m x 56.5m) in Patterdale. This is a short distance away if you take the direct route over the fells. It has a fairly good NS/EW alignment. All 3 henges have been modified on the Eastern short axis and have features of interest to the East. For Druid Stones, this takes the form of a large stone cairn, partially robbed out. There is a marked similarity with Tongue House in this respect. This site has been modifed extensively in the Late Iron Age. This is detailed in the Mayburgh section. Note this image was constructed from Lidar images by using Joe Ridley's Gradient software, but not the usual hillshade type.
A neighbouring Patterdale site is Deepdale Beck (NY 399 142, ellipse 72.2m x 65.3m). There is a fine stone bank at the southern end of the site. The interior is occupied by a modern barn and is generally difficult to interpret. It is not entirely clear that this is an elliptical site. While the purported ellipse is not perfectly aligned North / South, the northern extension is better aligned on that orientation. This site might be Iron Age.
There may be another example of this class of henge at Sadgill Stone Circle (NY 482 055) in Longsleddale, but unfortunately this has not been surveyed. The latest Lidar image shows a roughly elliptical enclosure.
Typical Troutbeck Unenclosed Scooped Platform. Kentmere has a number of these platforms on the eastern side of Upper Kentmere and on the western side of Lower Kentmere. For a detailed look at the provenance of these Platforms, look at the Platform section.