West Woods 02, Calverley, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference –SE 1956 3734

Getting Here

Old photo of lost carving
Old photo of lost carving

Although now seemingly lost, it’s location is damn close to this: Along the A657 between Greengates and Bradford, where the New Line meets Carr Road, the dirt-track takes you into Calverley Woods, down Eleanor Drive. About 250 yards along (just before you get to the field on the left), take the footpath down the embankment towards the stream where it bends to the left and where the land levels out (don’t cross the stream). It’s somewhere round there!

Archaeology & History

This was one of two previously unrecognised carvings we came across sometime in 1985 (see West Woods 1 stone), when we were seeking out another missing carving in the same woods.  It was clear and well-defined as the faded photo here shows; but having been back to try find it twice in the last two years in the hope of getting better photos, I’ve been unable to locate it.  The carving was described in an article I did in an old earth mysteries magazine.  It comprises simply of a large ring surrounding and enclosing two deep cups, which were linked to each other by a connecting carved line.  Parts of the stone had been chipped in parts—including a section of the large ring— due to some industrial workings that had happened here in the past. Thankfully I managed to find the old photo and hopefully, perhaps, some local explorer could try and seek out where it’s hiding beneath the trees and other vegetation.

References:

  1. Bennett, Paul, “The Undiscovered Old Stones of Calverley Woods,” in Earth no.2, 1986.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


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5 thoughts on “West Woods 02, Calverley, Leeds, West Yorkshire”

  1. That thought had crossed min mind Steve. And although it wasn’t that big, it would have needed a few people to uproot it and carry it out of the woods. More effort than it’s worth I think……. but I really don’t know.

  2. Also add to the list a panel discovered by Lisa Volichenko some time back
    Panel is located NGR SE 20370 37925 (+/- 10m) in middle of an ephemeral E-W footpath and approx 23m S of Thornhill Drive
    Panel is carved on W sloping face of a sub-triangular earthfast coarse-grained sandstone boulder 0.81m X 0.50m X 0.38m, the longest axis lying almost exactly N-S. Carving consists of 3 cups, the most N of which is elliptical approx 65mm X 55mm; the central cup is elliptical approx 50mm X 40mm and the most S is circular diameter approx 40mm. On the N edge of the W face is a shallow elliptical depression thought to be of natural origin. There is an area of damage along the ‘crest’ of the boulder close to its S end.
    Carved rock is the most E of five rocks, measuring between 0.70m and 1.15m in length, in very close proximity forming an arc, 3 of which are in the footpath and one of which is resting on a large slab of rock almost completely covered by soil and vegetation.

  3. Nice one Mike! Huge thanks. I’ll give the site its own profile in the next day or 2. Any chance of a sketch of image of the design? I’ll give all due credits as usual if you have – and any links if you’ve got them. If you could email it to me at megalithix@gmail.com twouldst be great! I note that its pretty close to Sid Jackson’s missing carving – http://megalithix.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/calverley-woods-cr12/

    Many thanks again – and keep up the good work.

  4. We live on the edge of Calverley Woods and we’re fascinated by all the interesting things (especially rocky things!) to be found. We thought all the manmade things would be a couple of hundred years old, max — so thanks for showing us otherwise!

    As we dogwalk in the woods every day, I think we’ll have to visit all the known locations – and will have a poke around for this one too. There has been quite a lot of rock/vegetation movement around there in the four years we’ve been here (let alone since 1985) so I’m not confident we’ll find it but we might as well give it a go.

    -louisa 🙂

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