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Long Tom (Fyfield)Standing Stone / Menhir
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Trotted along to take a look at Long Tom today. A pleasant enough walk from Avebury, up to the Ridgeway, down across Fyfield Down along the old London-Bath road and up the other side. Just before the reservoir, there's a notice on the right denoting a private racehorse training field. Nicely cut grass, and about 100 yards into the field can be seen Long Tom, with a much smaller partner on the other side of the 'racetrack'. Very much a 'finishing post'. As to the stone iteself, it's very angular and clean cut. Very little evidence of the lichen that covers all other stones in the area. All in all, it looks too 'new' to be that ancient, even if it's thought to be Iron Age rather than neolithic. It looks very similar in condition to a small modern rubbing post I spotted in an adjacent field. Overall, I'm not convinced. |
Posted by ocifant3rd January 2005ce Edited 4th January 2005ce |
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Details of site on Pastscape SU 14397128 "Long Tom". A finely-dressed sarsen monolith, 8 ft 3 in high with squared sides about one foot across, on the parish boundary. (1) SU 14407127. The stone, in common with other boundary and standing stones in the neighbourhood, bears the marks of the steel wedges used to split it from a larger block, suggesting that it is of recent date. (2) Scheduled, National Number 33951. (3) |
Posted by Chance31st October 2012ce |
Fyfield4. On the bank marking the Fyfield-Preshute parish boundary, immediately north of its junction with track (F.4) is a finely dressed sarsen monolith, 8ft. 3in. high with squared sides c.1ft. across. Known locally as ' Long Tom '. 14397128. Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 58, page 109 |
Posted by Chance 4th April 2011ce |
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Long Tom is an 8ft standing stone between the Mother's Jam and the (ex) Manton Round Barrow. As Julian Cope mentions in his book, only round here where there are so many archaeological sites could such a stone go largely unnoticed. To be honest, its shape is a bit tall and thin compared to the other stones around here. It's been suggested by Terence Meaden that it replaced an older stone (hm). Celia Haddon (see link) pins its antiquity on the way it stands out above the skyline as you look from the next hill. Celia says it's also known as 'Fred Archer's Winning Post' - because it's so close to the gallops on the Down. |
Posted by Rhiannon26th September 2003ce Edited 26th September 2003ce |
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Celia HaddonCelia's site contains many descriptions and photos of standing stones - this page shows a picture of Long Tom amongst others. |
Posted by Rhiannon 26th September 2003ce Edited 4th April 2007ce |
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