Pikestones

Pikestones stands on Anglezarke moor in Lancashire, a flat stretch of wild land high above the plain. The remains form a long stone mound about forty-five metres long and eighteen metres wide, built by Neolithic people nearly five thousand years ago. A burial chamber once lay under the northern end, made of five large gritstone slabs capped by two lintels. A double wall curved inward to create an entrance in front of the chamber. The builders placed the mound on a ridge just over 275 metres above sea level so it could be seen from far away. The site is worth the journey because it is the earliest man-made structure in the area and one of very few chambered tombs in Lancashire. Excavations show the bones were not buried straight away but left outside for scavengers to clean before being placed inside. This suggests elaborate ceremonies took place before the remains entered the chamber. The builders must have worked for many months to gather and raise the stones on such a high ridge. Its position would have marked the builders’ control over the land below. Visitors today see five upright slabs standing among the robbed-out mound. The entrance forecourt can still be traced where the double wall once curved inward. From the ridge there are wide views across the Lancashire plain, the same vistas the Neolithic people chose. The moorland around is quiet and open, with only the wind and occasional walkers to disturb the scene. The stones themselves are plain and heavy, yet they carry the weight of ancient ritual and labour.