THE CALDERSTONES - INDEX PAGE
There is good evidence that the Calderstones are the remains of a prehistoric tomb which, until the 18th century, stood within an earth mound at a crossroads in Allerton, Liverpool. The mound was subsequently destroyed by farmers, and the stones were moved and scattered. Some of the surviving stones now stand in a circle in a locked glasshouse in Calderstones Park, Liverpool. The stones bear many carved designs, some of which are clearly modern, and some of which are prehistoric. The prehistoric carvings include spirals, cup, or cup-and-ring, markings, and representations of human feet.
The stones are associated, both in the style of carvings and supposed tomb architecture, with the Boyne Valley tombs in Ireland, and two surviving tombs on Anglesey, Bryn Celli Ddu, and Barclodiad Y Gawres.
One of the stones is very similar, both in shape and in spiral carving, to Long Meg in Cumbria.
A note regarding the photographs - The stones are weathered, and the parts which were above ground in the 19th and 20th century are blackened by modern pollution. They have suffered the deliberately destructive attentions of vandals, and the inadvertently destructive acts of past custodians. Many of the carvings are, therefore, not at all obvious in natural light. To bring the carvings into sharp relief, in some of the pictures I used a very strong side slave-flash at an acute angle. This makes some of the pictures look a bit peculiar. I apologise to purists, but at least you can see the carvings.
Click on the thumbnails to download larger pictures
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