STONE BOTHERING

Hidden among the hills of Worcestershire, Bredon Hill is a place where stories settle into the land. It rises gently above the Vale of Evesham, carrying with it an atmosphere that feels both peaceful and ancient. On its southern slopes stand the King and Queen Stones, a pair of tall weathered pillars that seem as though they have been waiting there forever. These stones are not famous in the way that Avebury or Stanton Drew are, yet there is something about them that lingers in the imagination. They are quiet. They are dramatic. And they are steeped in centuries of human memory. To understand the King and Queen Stones, you first need to understand the landscape that shapes them. Bredon Hill is an outlier of the Cotswold escarpment, made of the same ancient Jurassic limestone. It stands alone, separate from the main line of the Cotswolds, which gives it a sense of solitude and presence. The King and Queen Stones sit partway down the slope, tucked between a cluster of trees that frame ...

Minchinhampton Common holds many stories, but none stand out quite like the Longstone, a single prehistoric pillar that refuses to be forgotten. Visitors often pass it on a stroll across the common without realising that this solitary pillar of oolitic limestone has seen more than four thousand years of human history drift by. It has inspired curiosity, superstition, and storytelling for generations and continues to do so today. Rising about seven and a half feet above the ground, the Longstone is made of the warm honey coloured limestone that characterises much of the Cotswolds. Unlike some standing stones that were carefully shaped by human hands, the Longstone shows more of nature’s influence. The holes in its surface were formed by erosion over thousands of years, leaving it with an appearance that is both unusual and instantly memorable. These holes are at the heart of many of the stories that surround the Longstone. They give it a personality, a sense of being more than just a bl...

England’s landscape is soaked in memory. Every hill and hollow hums with stories. The air over the moors feels thick with unseen presence, as though the land itself still remembers what happened long ago. Across this green country stand silent watchers of time: the stones. They rise from the earth like thoughts turned to matter, shaped by weather and reverence, and they have always been more than simple rocks. For generations people have believed that certain stones could heal the sick, ease the weary, and mend the spirit. It is a belief that may sound old-fashioned, but when you walk among them it does not feel strange at all. The stillness, the hum of the ground beneath your boots, the way the light clings to their surfaces as if reluctant to leave all feel alive. England’s healing stones remind us that once upon a time people trusted the land to hold their pain and to give something gentle back in return. Stonehenge Stonehenge stands at the heart of this story. Rising out of the fla...