Anyone who has read this blog in the past will know that I have a bit of a passion for finding sarsens dotted around in the various parks and open spaces of Swindon. The Lawns has its fair share of sarsens which have almost certainly been imported from Marlborough Downs. However, in the copse just above the lakes lies a cluster of hidden stones (about a dozen). I do not know how they came to be there, perhaps surplus to requirements when the other stones were being positioned. The one above is the largest of the cluster and is in fact quite a massive stone - it seems a shame that they remain hidden or, if noticed at all by the casual observer, just look like ivy covered tree stumps. In summer they are completely obscured from view.Addendum:
Thanks for the two comments: Pete Glastonbury (local expert on Avebury and Stonehenge) had previously explained that polishing marks are smooth areas where Neolithic man sharpened axe heads. I did go back to look yesterday and as I pulled the ivy away I noticed the stone is actually split it several places and was quite crumbly in comparison to sarsen which is one of the hardest stones. I now think that this cluster of stones is local sandstone.
