The Rollright Stones actually include two different sets of standings stones and a stone circle each from a different time in ancient Britain.
Just on the edge of the Cotswold hills five miles from the town of Chipping Norton and some twenty miles west of Oxford, the Rollright stones stand amidst quiet fields as they have done for thousands of years. Although usually mentioned together, the stones are really three separate ancient monuments each constructed at a different time and for a different purpose.
The Whispering Knights: Should you choose to take the long walk down the quiet back roads from Chipping Norton, your first encounter with the Rollright Stones will likely be the five or six tumbling monoliths that make up the The Whispering Knights. These stones were erected between 4,000 and 3,500 BC and originally formed the structure of a Neolithic burial chamber, called a “Portal Dolem”. The variety of skeletons unearthed at the site show that it was used as dumping ground for the dead for hundreds if not thousands of years.
The Kingsmen: a few hundred meters on from the Knights is 30-meter diameter stone circle. This ring of standing stones was constructed between 2,500-2,000 BC and probably served as a meeting place. Most of the stones in the circle are three or four feet high, though a few stand higher. It has been theorized that when the ring was first constructed it was actually a solid wall. It is said that the number of stones that compose the circle are uncountable, and the official number is put at seventy-something.
The Kingstone: The final stone in the collection is located just over the road from The Kingsmen. The Kingstone is a solitary, eight-foot-tall standing stone with a shape similar to a lightning bolt. It was thought to have been put up between 1,800-1,500 BC to mark a bronze-age cemetery.
The Legend: The various pieces of the Rollright Stones were given their names based upon a legend that the stones were actually a king and his army who were turned to stone by an evil witch. Although petrified in place, the legend goes on to say that sometimes, when the church bells are ringing into the new year, some of the stones like to wander down to the pub for a drink.
Visiting the Stones: There are two ways to organize a trip to the stones. You can walk from the town of Chipping Norton. This is about a 10-mile round trip and takes approximately 3 hours. Most of the walk follows quiet, little-used country roads and affords some good views of the surrounding countryside, including a view down onto the tiny village of Little Rollright with its small, picturesque Norman Church. Otherwise, the stones make a nice stopping point to or from somewhere else. There is a small parking area right near the stones and all the stones are easily accessible. Entry to see the stones is 50 pence.
