The Longstone, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

The Longstone is a megalithic monument near the village of Mottistone, close to the south west coast of the Isle of Wight. It is the only megalithic monument on the Island.

The Longstone consists of two pieces of local greensand sandstone probably from a vein 100 metres away. The larger stands at 3.9 metres and the smaller lies at its foot. They are on the edge of a wood in small fenced enclosure just off Strawberry Lane, near Mottistone. The name Mottistone (the Speaker's or pleader's stone) almost certainly derives from the Longstone. The stones and the surrounding land are in the care of the National Trust and are open to the public.

Until the mid nineteenth century the smaller stone was further south but in 1856 a local landowner, Lord Dillon, had it turned over to discover if it had a mortise hole (it did not). Its present position has led to fanciful tales of its being a sacrificial altar stone and so, in common with many other megalithic monuments, modern pagan meetings and rituals are associated with it.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Pete Logic (5 months ago)
One of our favourite walks in the island with so many nearby trails. Lovely bit of history behind the Longstone to boot!

Richard Olive (14 months ago)
To be honest it us just another standing stone, but it is part of Mottistone Gardens which a wortha visit. The 'history ' of the stone is interesting

Lia Batson (15 months ago)
Spent a lot of time here last year and went back for a stroll last month. It's amazing to appreciate the views and gather your thoughts. Sunny weather advised! ?

Alan Amesbury (2 years ago)
This stone is reached from NT Mottistone Gardens and the climb can be confusing depending on the route you take, from the house or car park. Many paths and that are not well marked but worth it in the end. Warning if using Google map, there is a perfectly good road from the Military road A3055 to the house and car park but Google map will take you down miles of single track roads with no pull overs so be warned.

Simon Porter (3 years ago)
It's a stone, in the middle of a slightly windy hillside, there is no information about it and if it wasn't marked on the map you wouldn't know what it was - apart from a slightly unusual stone in the middle of nowhere. Some people we met on the way up to the stone said you should walk around it and make a wish - so we did... we'll wait and see what happens :-)

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright serbosca

Historic Site of the week

Manarola

Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.

Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.

Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.

The Longstone

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Manarola