Brilliant! What a fantastic site, which I hadn't heard of, and spectacularly presented in your inimitable style. The way you flit effortlessly from serious and academic one minute to moody and atmospheric the next minute to wonderfully silly the next. I of course particularly enjoyed the singing segment, what an amazing breadth of styles you're able to cover! You alluded to one stone being out of alignment and a potentially missing stone - I think stones in stone avenues often come in pairs don't they? I hope this video does well, it's a cracker.
Thank you, Tweedy! I hadn't previously thought of myself as multi-talented, but I suppose you're right! That's an interesting idea about the stones possibly having been in pairs, which I hadn't considered. It's frustrating to know that one was removed just 400 years ago as it would have possibly helped us to understand that better. I'm pretty sure these were acting as markers leading to the Thornborough Henges and can imagine people travelling from miles away for gatherings and the like. Such effort went into hauling them there - I wish we'd take better care of them. The farmer just ploughs round the middle one. Seems wrong to me!
What do you mean, mate? A 'simpler' video! This is magnificent! I had never heard about the Devil's Arrows and what an amazing site it is! Once again, smooth narration and good storytelling, blended with lots of video-editing fun. It must be horrendous, churning those out once a week - Don't get burned out! Although, our generation knows that it's better than fading away, of course...
Thanks Matthias and you’re absolutely right - it didn’t turn out to be simple once I started putting it together! I hadn’t expected to end up going into the studio to record that song, for instance! Is this the story of Johnny Rotten - Neil Young?
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I was referring - much more mainstream - to the Highlander movie, where the bad guy announces in the church that he has 'something to say!'...It impressed the 18-year-old me quite profoundly, way, way, way back then.
Lovely stuff. We should be all with Adam. A really thought provoking topic, one that should clearly receive a little more attention, perhaps now it will after your coverage.
Cheers Paul. It strikes me that it would be relatively simple to improve the setting by turning that half of the field over to pasture. I’m looking forward to covering the wider prehistoric landscape there. It really is as important as Avebury, but nowhere near as well known.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd thats the thing isn't it. So many places lost and the information and potential archaeology that is lost with them. You are doing stirling work Sir.
I very much enjoyed this week's instalment and completely agree the site needs protecting and respecting far more than it has been in the past. I also think you should feed your car more often, it must've been hungry.
Hungry car made me laugh, Phil! Yes, 100 years ago these stones were in a rural haven, but not now. It wouldn't take much to improve their situation. Just turning that field over to permanent pasture would make a huge difference.
I’ve past up the A1 for the last 25 years every weekend. Followed many diversions to pass roadworks on the Boroughbridge turnoff and never knew about them…. Thanks. Will be stopping off to look at them this weekend😁
Hi Jane. I was deeply affected by the way they're being "managed". Something awful about the farmer ploughing round the middle one. It wouldn't take much to address. Just turning the field over to permanent pasture would make all the difference and an annual fair there would be great.
Hello Mr WC(21)UKProd…. I am aghast that these impressive standing stones should be so neglected and ignored. I have driven past them on the A1(M), in blissful ignorance, countless times. Compare that to Stonehenge where traffic crawls to a standstill as everyone cranes their necks for a glimpse of the lesser stones. Thank you sir for drawing our attention to these impressive stones. 👏👏👍😀
Cheers Andrew and that feedback means a lot. If this channel achieves one thing, I hope it’s that our prehistoric past is represented by more than Stonehenge and Avebury.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd You are achieving so much by featuring these hidden gems (or in this case, bloody massive gems) which give no revenue to NT or EH and therefore are not promoted, and more importantly, are largely unprotected. Heaven forbid that development is allowed to creep ever closer and the middle stone stands in the middle of a suburban roundabout! 😱
Great video, will definitely add this location to the list of places to visit while still in England. One minor point though; not convinced that nylon a rucksack goes with tweed. Check out the small canvas 1930s/1940s style Boy Scout 2 or 3 pocket rucksacks. Very easy to source, ideally look for an example with a small lightweight frame. And another "thumbs-up" for the Half Man Half Biscuit reference; met them some years back when they played a gig at Dudley campus on my birthday...
Thank you @MooreLeather - glad you enjoyed the video and I really do hope you get to visit the Arrows, they're fantastic. I do love those rucksacks and will maybe put one on my Christmas list! The bag that appears in this video is actually a camera bag. I suffer it because I frequently have to walk some distance - often over difficult terrain - to make these videos and it keeps all the kit secure. That's the trade off. I don't like it, though. Cheers.
I just discovered you and your videos. They are very interesting and you are such a character, the videos are both intriguing and funny too! Love your hat .. and your eyes… I will be watching all your previous videos and really look forward to them. Best wishes from a Brit in Mexico!
Thank you and welcome. Glad you’re enjoying them. We have a number of Brits living abroad who follow the channel, but I think you might be the first in Mexico. Cheers.
Thanks! The stones are impressive. Interesting such large objects would be transported 10 miles to that spot and not be aligned, although time may have played a part in alignment. Always enjoy🎉
Thank you! Yes it’s mind boggling they went to so much trouble. Must have been very important to them. One of the. Now missing stones was allegedly next to the central one, so I did wonder if that one preserved the alignment. Fascinating questions, as usual!
I saw Ultravox at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in the mid 80's. They only had a thin sheet of ply on the ice, and my feet are still cold to this very day. Consequently, I share your opinion of Midge Ure. The only thing this video needed was more of your amazing singing. Beautiful.
Only ever read about these stones (notably in Julian Copes "The Modern Antiquarian" before which i was completely unaware of them) so it was great to join you for a wander around them! Excellent Sunday Morning Entertainment once again...well done Darren!
Thank you for bringing these fascinating monoliths to our attention, Mr. WC21! It would be nice if their importance, also in the larger context, was highlighted more, but in the current state, with barely any touristic infrastructure, they actually retain their aura of mystery and bizarreness better. It is also interesting to see how weather influences carved the stone in a way that looks like it was manmade.
Thank you and I get you. I wouldn't want to see them ruthlessly monetised as we see elsewhere, but I think the setting could be simply improved by turning that field over to pasture. I hated seeing the way the farmer ploughs round the middle stone. But you are right - they did feel bizarre and mysterious. My wife thought I'd used AI to make the top of the stones look that way! But that's the effect of 5,000 years of rain.
Well, that blew my theory out of the water after you said there were more than three. I was leaning towards Orion's Belt as the alignment. Another great video Darren. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers Chris. I do wonder if there were more than the recorded 5 back in the late Neolithic. Incredible how they align with Thornborough Henges - which must be a good 15 miles north west of them. I'm sure they had many functions and a solstice alignment is one, but I'm pretty sure they were signposts on the way to the henges for meetings/ceremonies that happened there at set times of the year.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtdI’ve done that closing shot trick (unintentionally) more than once with three successive Honda CR-V’s; the experience just never gets old (antiquated.) Oooof!😬
Came for some cool stones, did not expect to also get funky editing, random humour a rap! Brilliant work and I'll put these stones on my list of places to forget to visit.
Thank you and glad you weren’t disappointed! You pretty much summed the channel up there! If you can try not to forget, I do recommend checking the arrows out - pretty awe inspiring.
A great video and you make a great point about some of these ancient sites. Glad this video was less heavy duty for you (the quantity and quality of your content never ceases to amaze me) but it was as fascinating and interesting as ever 👍
@@gilesbinyon thanks Giles! As it turned out, the video may have been easier in the sense the location was simple, but the edit ending up being complex! Especially when it became clear I needed to record a song!
Your productions are getting better and better. The last clip with the car boot was hilarious. I can imagine that happening. Seriously, I have never heard of these stones before so thank you so much for sharing. You could always use trigonometry to calculate the height of each stone, using the distance from the base and the angle of elevation. You are right to be concerned about English Heritage. They are there to primarily make money and then to preserve. If you try to alter a listed building or build near one, you will be stopped because it is out of keeping with the structure or locality. However, there is no problem building an eyesore visitor centre next door to Stonehenge, completely ruining the mystic nature of the site.
Thanks Ron - that’s great feedback! In a way, English Heritage are emblematic of what’s gone wrong in the west. The Ministry of Works - set up to preserve our historic sites and make them available to the nation - becomes a ruthless exercise in monetisation. I hope my videos play a part in showing people there’s more to our prehistoric past than Stonehenge. The town should own that half of the field and be able to enjoy it as an amenity! I’ll get off my high horse now.
Great video and good to see that these stones are getting some coverage that they deserve. You may be interested to know that there are a couple of other henges, just off your map, slightly further south in Yorkshire potentially comprising part of this same landscape (Newton Kyme by the River Wharfe and Knottingley by the River Aire). The possibility of a further henge at Kirk Hammerton by the River Nidd is also being investigated.
Thank you. I did pick up on there being some henges further south when I was researching this - I knew nothing about them previously. I’m going to do more on this landscape and will look into those. I think this area is as important as Avebury/Wessex personally.
Yes indeed and a lot cheaper! I don’t want to sound down on Stonehenge - it’s incredible - but the entrance fee and the awful visitor centre are shocking!
Not forgotten by me... whenever I drive up the A1 I take a detour to the right, by Boroughbridge, and, if time allows, a detour to the left to go to Thornborough.... love it!
I feel a Christmas No. 1 is on the cards Darren...unless Phil's mate Cliff beats you to it 😉 But seriously, how have I managed to get into my late 50's and lived less than an hour away from these and never knew they existed!?! Thank you for your ongoing (complex/simple/serious/humorous) efforts in educating and entertaining us 👍
Thank you and my pleasure. I knew these impressive stones were little known and that’s been confirmed in the comments. If you get the chance, I’d highly recommend a visit - they’re quite awe inspiring!
@WC21UKProductionsLtd Finally, pulled my finger out and shared this across Facebook, Twitter and Bluesky. Got my first ever like on Bluesky as a result. Clearly Bluesky must be the future ... of the past 👊👍
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd No one has, but it's the currently, at least, slightly less toxic version of Twitter, founded by one of the original founders of Twitter
Sadly no trace remains of the wonderful John Boddy's Timber yard which was at the end of the lane which runs by the field, it is now a housing estate. I stopped to see the stones every time I bought timber there, perhaps I'll visit them again in their own right after seeing this - lovely, thank you
I used to go past these all the time when I lived in Ripon but never went. Fascinating! What is the tallest standing stone btw? Re Midge Ure; when Hazel O' Connor split up with him she famously said, 'Now I know why they call him 'Midge' ...
Ha - love that Midge Ure line! Can’t stand him and I don’t know why. The tallest is the Rudston monolith - also in Yorkshire - but beware the old survivor bias, I guess. I’ll do a video on it someday - again, the wider prehistoric landscape there is also fascinating!
Another great video and fast becoming something I look forward to on a Sunday. 🙂I didn't even know these stones existed because we never got taught about things like that in school. Thanks.
Its a real shame history was and is not properly protected. Never heard of these. I may venture up there for a look. My job means i pass Stone henge and Avebury standing stones every week. Amazing places. Bloody rip of prices just to look the henge though.
@@Richnineteenseventyone totally agree and I don't think we're any better today than in the past. In the last 60 years they've allowed the construction of two major trunk roads right by those stones and a new housing development in the last 5. I think it would be simple to protect these stones and provide a local amenity at the same time. I've wanted to take a dig at the ruthless monetisation of Stonehenge for a while. The prices are outrageous and the visitor centre is the worst of modern vanity projects.
It makes your tribe look hard as nails. Imagine a rival tribe showing up and seeing that. And I imagine these stones were much taller before they started eroding.
Cheers @jointgib. I was trying to imagine them in the Neolithic landscape. Yes, what a statement they would have made. I wonder how the tops were originally finished?
What a brilliant channel! Another super video which was both informative and highly entertaining. I especially liked the drone bit and that spooky robot music! More please!!!😀😀😀
Thank you so much, @benholmes1608 - I'm currently struggling to get this week's video sorted and this sort of comment spurs me on! Plus lots of coffee!
I've watched a few of your videos. I like your enthusiasm. This should be a bigger channel. I have no strong feelings either way about Midge Ure, but I've subscribed due to the interesting content and the HMHB reference.
@@skasteve6528 thank you and welcome! The HMHB reference this week seems to have generated a lot of positive comments. You never know how many of your viewers have had the good fortune to discover them!
Great video, loved the alignment and that they they could be a site on a leyline (Four sites in an exact sraight line required, although they can be of any length). I found the fact they have the second tallest stone in Britain (To Rudstone near Bridlington) very interesting.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it - they are very special. Going by what Camden and Leland reported in the 16th century, there were at least 5. They do apparently align with the henge entrances at Thornborough too. Will be covering that and Rudston at some stage.
thank you again Darren for another very Entertaining and interesting video, erm don't give up the day job , omg that rap lmao, well done and thank you 😊
Yes - a nifty little thing and perfect for quickly getting elevated shots of antiquities. Something I bet they never anticipated when they launched it!
I imagine they come as a bit of a shock if you don’t expect them. I really enjoyed filming at the Roman town of Aldborough earlier in the year - it’s great there too.
As an expert amateur anti aquarium what you need is a 'baldrick' to scurry along behind you with your mahogany and brass measuring paraphenalia. I recommend you select a diminutive servile type to enhance the impression of your stentorian authority.
I like Adam's videos. I keep up with the best people, don't you know. He does have a "Patrick Stewart" quality to his delivery. He's a good sport about it. About these Arrows/Darts/Sisters/Hounds- it occurred to me that if things remain as they are, those grits will eventually be rained out of first place. They'll be fluted down to Sub-Stonehenge heights won't they? Can't beat the old sarsens in the end, ooh arr.
Hi Jim, yes Adam’s channel is great. He’s published two really good books too. His measurements are slightly shorter than Historic England’s, which I suspect come from the 1800s, so you’re right and one day Stonehenge will be taller. That’ll provide English Heritage with an excuse to ramp the entrance fees up even higher!
Hi John, yes that’s on my list - incredible monument, but like the Devil’s Arrows, the prehistoric landscape it is located in is equally fascinating. Stay tuned!
Good video and I learned a lot. Boroughbridge is also home to a cute Roman mosaic, which English Heritage seem to keep low profile. The River Ure pronunciation can be Yore, but it seems to vary from Upper Wensleydale down to the Ouse. Good to hear you name check Adam Ibbotson whose videos are also very good.
Thank you Sean. Very interested in this secret Roman mosaic in Boroughbridge! I know there’s one under someone’s floor in Aldborough and it used to be marked on the maps!
Cheers @billykershaw2781 - that's interesting and I was wondering what the tops were like when newly installed. Just flat, I guess? My wife was a bit freaked out by what they look like from above!
Thanks @gordonmculloch4904 - I think there're plenty of videos on RUclips about Stonehenge and Avebury, whilst places like this don't get a look in. I'm on a mission to change that!
Thanks @andrewlamb8055 - very nice to receive that feedback - I really like the idea that the channel provides a link back to the home country for those living abroad. Cheers. Are you ready for the Christmas single?!
Is not the Rudston monolith the tallest ? Having said that I remember looking out for these when I used to be driving back to RAF Catterick on the old A1
Hi, yes that’s the tallest and the 6.9m arrow is the second tallest. Interesting that they’re both in Yorkshire, but that might just be a survivor bias thing again. I’d recommend a visit to the Devil’s Arrows on your journey - very special stones. Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I was first taken to see them in the 1950`s and have been many times since having lived in Ripon a few years ago ,you are correct about the encroaching buildings will try to visit new carpark
Oh no, is this the end? has Darren survived?, is this definitive evidence of mumbo jumbo? - We just don't know!! This is why I like your channel. These stones are amazing and I've never heard of them before. Thanks very much for taking us along. Very interesting to see the grooves on the tops of the stones, they almost look like splines formed for some purpose rather than natural weathering. I can never fathom out why they erected all of these stones, not just these ones, it seems hard to imagine their purpose and the effort involved too. Your Poppy looked fine to me, I expect I've worn mine upside down too. These days I live too far away from anyone selling them but when I lived nearer the coast I would always buy one. Great video, all the best!!
Thanks David - that's a heartwarming endorsement because putting these little known sites out there is very much a key objective for me. Prior to this, there were no comprehensive videos about the Devil's Arrows on RUclips - just a couple of sketchy, hand held visits! The effort that went into putting them there is mind boggling really and I was impressed with the alignment to the Thornborough Henges - which must be about 15 miles northwest. I'm sure one of the functions was to guide travelers there at certain times of the year for meetings/ceremonies and the like. Mrs. WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd was convinced my footage of the tops of the stones had been generated by AI when I showed her - so unusual is the weathering!
excellent show. you mention midge ure and i think of astradyne. 11:18, it may be possible to ascertain where the missing stones were by use of a dowser. well i think so, anyway. one of my all-time favourite docos is called "romancing the stones' from about 35 years ago. a dowser ascertains the location of missing stones. at least in my opinion. ive got a story for you. about 50 years ago a mate's sister (from australia) was working in a hotel in deepest darkest scotland. she was suspicious about a group of individuals staying at the hotel while picking strawberries. she thought they were too intelligent to be picking strawberries and after much prodding she gained their confidence and they took her out with them on days off. they were stone hunters. she said they had really old books with illustrations and she told me how the stones were exactly how they were drawn in the books centuries ago. the group were from oxford uni and they thought it was very important to not let the locals know what they were up to.
Thank you and what a fascinating story. I wish I could make a video about that - sounds amazing. I know nothing about dowsing, but I do know some people swear by it. I think that’s given me another idea for a video. Thank you!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd , ive had an interest in dowsing but kept it to myself. i used 2 steel rods bent to a right angle in my back yard and the rods always moved at the same location. one day an old friend dropped in and i didnt get a chance to hide the rods. he saw them and immediately wanted to try them in the back yard. the rods moved at the same place as they did for me. so get some coat hangers and give it a go. kevin macleod of grand designs can dowse. it was on one of his shows. just because there can be no scientific reason for it doesnt mean it doesnt work.
Thank you - yes I like the Compendium theme music, I think it makes me quite cool! Glad you appreciated the Devil’s Arrows - they’re really impressive.
W-vid again there amazing id never heard of these stones, when it comes to height, has any geo-phys been done below ground to determine full length of stone, I've seen them grooves on many stones including giza, i feel there too uniform to be weathered .The sacrificial stones was a thought by many over the years including placing body on top and letting the blood run, also where they sword sharpening grooves? As gritstone was previously used for that purpose. I believe the truth of these stones are still to be found...Thank you for enlightenment of these amazing stones
Cheers - they’re amazing monoliths, aren’t they?! I could find no modern reports in terms of geo-phys - the below ground measurements of 1.5 and 1.8m come from digs in the 1800s, I believe. The grooves are interesting aren’t they and I’m know some think they were channels for sacrificial blood. It’s a hideous thought! Agree. Stones like these have secrets and we’re guessing as to the true purpose.
Interesting as always. Have driven past on A1M but didn’t realise they were there. Don’t worry about the poppy : I’m sure we’ve all done that by accident.
Thank you for your understanding re the poppy - it’s a new type with a paper stem and I clearly didn’t fasten it correctly. Didn’t spot it until I played the footage back. So many people saying they drive past and didn’t know about the Devil’s Arrows. Cheers Thomas.
There are many gateposts around Boroughbridge and Aldborough made from the same stone-the old square centrepiece stone in Aldborough is also gritstone. I’m off the opinion that there were many more stones that were taken for building etc It’s very possible the romans at Aldborough nicked some of them.
Cheers and yes, I’m sure there were more. It seems to have been a really important landscape 5,000 years ago. I was wondering what the Romans made of it too!
@ they would have known about the other sites too, and were used to dealing with all sorts of cultures and beliefs -and incorporating them. Shame I hadn’t known about your channel before, I could’ve shown you the appropriated stones around and about the place.
Thanks for that. Only visited these once on a misty morn decades ago, but was impressed by the scale of these monsters. It figures that there were more than three when originally erected. Imagine traversing the land in the Bronze Age when nearly all the megalithic monuments were intact? If you've a video on the Rudstone monster I'll look at that next. BTW, did you work in this field or are you just a passionate hobbyist? P.S. You've come a long way from Tracy's Veggie Curry three years ago!
@@PaIaeoCIive1684 thank you and glad it brought back memories. Always good to hear that. I will do one on Rudston at some stage. Funnily enough, I’ve just done a video on the Rudston Venus mosaic, if that’s of any interest. It’s called Rubbish Roman Mosaics. I am a 100% amateur antiquarian. Just like all the Victorian ones! Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Yes, I enjoyed your entertaining newest video too (I was infesting the comments!) but have a particular interest in the enigmatic megalithic monuments and have seen many of them, but not all. I wondered that since the distance between the similar Boroughbridge stones and Rudstone menhir isn't that far (two day's walk in prehistoric times) the same community erected both? Although of different rock types, even if erected at different times in the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age one must have influenced the other. If you think about it, all the archaeologists before the 20th century were keen amateurs. Thanks again.
@ cheers - I recognise your handle now. I think they call it a handle. Yes, with Rudston as with the Arrows, I think their place in a wider prehistoric landscape is as interesting as the megaliths themselves.
Wow!! They are beauties. ‘My bad’ but I have never heard of them! When I next drive down the A1 I intend to stop and take a look. Very interesting. Regarding the Poppy; useful clarification I instantly concluded that you hated Britain and was about to call the daily mail.
Thank you so much for not reporting me to The Daily Mail! Yes, they’re magnificent aren’t they and I do hope you get to take a look. Pretty awe inspiring. Cheers.
Great addition (as per usual ) WC21 . Never heard of these. What’s the amazing little front you use in the video? Just returned from a trip to the blue stone quarries in West Wales, you should do them at some point. Bravo.
Thank you Nelly! Glad you enjoyed seeing the arrows - surprising they’re so unknown, isn’t it? Did you mean “font”? The black and yellow is just called small font and the italic font is Lucida. Is that what you meant - sorry if I’m being dense! Did you enjoy the quarries? I absolutely do need to go there!
@ hi WC, sorry, it was my Typo….i meant Drone ! The mini drone you used to view the central stone. What exactly is it? As I would love one. The whole area of the quarries is inspiring as there is so much ‘stuff’ there. But one thing which struck me is that the Rhos Y Felin quarry (MPP excavated) is literally about 100 years from a river which can be as deep as 6 feet which leads directly your the Celtic/Irish sea, which no one seems to mention, making me totally believe that is was the sea route they used to transport the stones to Choir Gaur / Stone henge. Anyway, thanks and keep up the great work, let me know on the drone. N
@ no worries Nelly - I thought you had a keen interest in fonts for a moment there! The flying camera is the Hover Air X1. Really handy little thing with a series of auto flight modes where you don’t need a controller. Here, I was using it on manual and controlling it via the app on my phone. It’s very small and quick to get going. The height is sufficient for the things I need to get an elevated view on. They’ve just released a new version, which I’m considering, but this one is still available too. I’ve had it for a year now and have no complaints. I think we possibly underestimate how important rivers were for travel in prehistory. I suspect that travel round the coast was also commonplace.
@@ziggurat-builder8755 100 years ago they were in a peaceful rural setting. Not now! It’s a shame, because they’re really impressive and important. Thank you for watching!
Have you done a video of Thornborough Henge about 10 miles north of this location? Its incredible, and using your stonehenge reference, you could fit about 4 stonehenges inside each of the 3 henges. You can only appreciate them from a satellite image.
Hi Terry, not yet - they’re on the list. I think this landscape is as significant as Avebury and Stonehenge and I’ll be working my way through it. Cheers.
It’s a good question. They’ve definitely been weathered, but we don’t know if there was some sort of carving originally. There are some who think they were channels for sacrificial blood. Personally, I doubt that. They are really fascinating. Cheers.
Thank you and really useful to get that feedback on the title and thumbnail! Hope you enjoyed the video - I get irritated myself by thumbnails that promise something not delivered by the content. Thanks for watching and hope to see you again soon. Cheers.
there are standing stones here in Wales way bigger than Stonehenge, and not one single intrigued mind comes to see them, which I love. it's like having a personal Carnac.
Yes, that is so much better than the commercialised nightmare of Stonehenge. I just can’t imagine myself ever going through all that to see them! Cheers.
I can honestly say that I have never heard of these monolithic marvels … and I will have driven right past them on numerous occasions over my (now not inconsiderable) lifetime. Outstanding! Another gorgeous nugget of ancient stuff. I do wonder if the current vertical angle of dangle offset is attributable to the investigations of past antiquarians as they dug the supporting material away from one side to determine how deeply they were buried. To discover the bottom of the pit, they must have dug below the depth of the supporting “cobbles”. Some years later, a modicum of subsidence induced lean to such a mighty erection becomes inevitable. I certainly wouldn’t want to sit beside one of those stones whilst someone dug the supporting materials out to measure it 😱 … but perhaps the antiquarian H&S manual was at an earlier issue status at the time??!! I will also confess my ignorance at the shear number of so many clearly significant henge and avenue features in the region. I am aware of a few in Derbyshire, with special reference to Arbor Low (a site of significance and majesty and also a bit awkward to access over private land … but not the ones that you identified in this video.
Thank you and I hadn’t considered that the early antiquarians might have caused the lean. Seems quite likely now you’ve mentioned it! It was clearly a very important region. Bit of a shame most of the henges have been ploughed out, but at least Thornborough henges have finally been saved from the encroaching quarries. I’ll be taking a look at these at some stage.
@WC21UKProductionsLtd i think what makes them even more amazing and mysterious is that they are so unknown. I hope there is never any more development around them as they will get advertised more to tourists. Your level of information is just enough to give people those few who do discover them a good understanding of the history
It’s astonishing that the northern henge has only been protected from quarrying in relatively recent times. That quarrying has wiped out some of the cursus on which the henges were built and that can be seen in aerial photos from the 50s. I think some of the henges I showed in the video, that are now crop marks, would have been visible on the ground just 100 years ago.
Incredible feat of work to cut them out and drag them from Plumpton with no roads, no wheels and only stone/ bronze tools. Must have been driven by a strong belief system!
That’s exactly why I do this. We underestimate them, I think. As you say, whatever the reason for all this effort - it was clearly important to them. Cheers.
That's right Ian. These are the second tallest. We'll be taking a look at Rudston at some stage - like this site, the wider prehistoric landscape there is really significant.
Great new site to visit on my bucket list thanks. Just on the Druids, I confess absolute ignorance, were they a rabid sacrificing bunch/cult to be avoided and circumvented at all costs at risk of being "kebabbed" or a peaceful hippy type to embrace and sit around the fire singing "kumbaya"? What do you think or know ? I am so conditioned I always think of Gandalf and he was a bloody fictional Wizard. I'll get my coat ! Taxi !
Cheers Joe and do visit them - you won’t regret it. On Druids, both the scenarios you present have their supporters! Personally, I think the evidence for sacrifice is slight at that time - the Iron Age. The Romans dealt with them when they took over!
The Rudston Monument looks like these, is similar gritstone, is about 8 metres high. In Rudstone churchyard just beside the road to Bridlington in the Great Wolds Valley, an ancient monument-rich landscape
Yes and I'm going to cover that at some stage. Totally agree that, like the Arrows, the prehistoric landscape it sits in is really significant. Cheers.
It had never crossed my mind to consider what was the tallest standing stone in Britain, until I saw this vlog. The new poppies are fine and I understand why they're just made of paper but mine fell apart on the second outing ... 🤷♂
It’s very typical of me that I did the second tallest! I will be doing the tallest at some stage, though. Like these Devil’s Arrows, Rudston is as much about the wider prehistoric landscape in which it sits. I’ll get the hang of the new poppies next year!
Hi Andy - yes I have some ideas for a video on that. Again, the story there is as much about the wider prehistoric landscape. That really was a destination!
Interesting place on my bucket list. But the ritle is misleasing the tallest stone still standing at stonehenge is 7.3 metres tall. Also it would have had a lintel on top too making it almost 9 metres tall
Cheers - do check the arrows out, you won’t be disappointed. I got the measurements from multiple sources and the tallest stone here is quoted as the second tallest in the country by many experts. The comparison is to Stone 56 at Stonehenge - above ground measurement and as it is now, minus lintel.
10,000 years ago, Britain's glaciers were slowly retreating, leaving large boulders all over the place. The people who resettled what we now call Britain maybe saw some sort of spiritual sign in those big stones and started to use them to build there spiritual places with them. And as always the more important tribes wanted to show of with even bigger stones in their holy places to let the rest of the tribes know how strong they were.
Cheers - that’s an interesting and evocative idea. I was trying to imagine the stones in the landscape when they were erected - without all the noise of today. Must have been pretty awe inspiring.
Yes I think they must have been. We’re looking at 5,000 years of erosion and I wonder what the tops looked like when they were first erected? I saw an eye too!
well, I know what I'm asking The Pre-History Guys who made the film "Standing Stones" and currently working on "Gobekli Tepe to Stonehenge". What they think about them, and maybe one of their Archaeologists guests may have a bit more info. or not. For a country roughly the size of Alabama, USA. I'm shocked I've not hear of them, nor many others it seems. There's gotta be some info about them somewhere. If not, it'll make for a good topic of conversation. Thanks for introducing this Native American to something new! Impressed I am. I thought the vid was fine. "Simpler vid"?. This was fine, to short even, but then if you don't know much abou them, it's a tad difficult to make a longer vid. I understand.
Thank you and it is surprising they’re so little known. Most of the information I provided on them comes from investigations in the 1700s and 1800s. That’s not uncommon with these lesser known places in Britain. No money, I guess. But it does allow us to have fun speculating about their origins and function!
Brilliant! What a fantastic site, which I hadn't heard of, and spectacularly presented in your inimitable style. The way you flit effortlessly from serious and academic one minute to moody and atmospheric the next minute to wonderfully silly the next. I of course particularly enjoyed the singing segment, what an amazing breadth of styles you're able to cover!
You alluded to one stone being out of alignment and a potentially missing stone - I think stones in stone avenues often come in pairs don't they?
I hope this video does well, it's a cracker.
Thank you, Tweedy! I hadn't previously thought of myself as multi-talented, but I suppose you're right!
That's an interesting idea about the stones possibly having been in pairs, which I hadn't considered. It's frustrating to know that one was removed just 400 years ago as it would have possibly helped us to understand that better. I'm pretty sure these were acting as markers leading to the Thornborough Henges and can imagine people travelling from miles away for gatherings and the like.
Such effort went into hauling them there - I wish we'd take better care of them. The farmer just ploughs round the middle one. Seems wrong to me!
What do you mean, mate? A 'simpler' video! This is magnificent! I had never heard about the Devil's Arrows and what an amazing site it is! Once again, smooth narration and good storytelling, blended with lots of video-editing fun. It must be horrendous, churning those out once a week - Don't get burned out! Although, our generation knows that it's better than fading away, of course...
Thanks Matthias and you’re absolutely right - it didn’t turn out to be simple once I started putting it together! I hadn’t expected to end up going into the studio to record that song, for instance!
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten - Neil Young?
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I was referring - much more mainstream - to the Highlander movie, where the bad guy announces in the church that he has 'something to say!'...It impressed the 18-year-old me quite profoundly, way, way, way back then.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd It struck me as far more Sid Viscous inspired. 🤣
Lovely stuff. We should be all with Adam. A really thought provoking topic, one that should clearly receive a little more attention, perhaps now it will after your coverage.
Cheers Paul. It strikes me that it would be relatively simple to improve the setting by turning that half of the field over to pasture. I’m looking forward to covering the wider prehistoric landscape there. It really is as important as Avebury, but nowhere near as well known.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd thats the thing isn't it. So many places lost and the information and potential archaeology that is lost with them. You are doing stirling work Sir.
Ashamed to say I hadn't heard of this site. Thanks for educating me.
No worries Chris - I very much enjoy raising awareness of these overlooked sites. Cheers.
I very much enjoyed this week's instalment and completely agree the site needs protecting and respecting far more than it has been in the past. I also think you should feed your car more often, it must've been hungry.
Hungry car made me laugh, Phil!
Yes, 100 years ago these stones were in a rural haven, but not now. It wouldn't take much to improve their situation. Just turning that field over to permanent pasture would make a huge difference.
I’ve past up the A1 for the last 25 years every weekend. Followed many diversions to pass roadworks on the Boroughbridge turnoff and never knew about them…. Thanks. Will be stopping off to look at them this weekend😁
That's great, Paul. You won't be disappointed, they are fantastic!
I like the idea of a St Barnabas solstice fair. These stones are criminally neglected and overlooked. It’s a terrible shame really.
Hi Jane. I was deeply affected by the way they're being "managed". Something awful about the farmer ploughing round the middle one. It wouldn't take much to address. Just turning the field over to permanent pasture would make all the difference and an annual fair there would be great.
I utterly agree. It’s a pity the village can’t purchase the field from the farmer.
Yes count me in for Solstice action. Must’ve been fun
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd could be worse - they chopped up two of em. and they buried the one in cumbria after knocking it over.
@@davidcollishaw2771 they love burying prehistoric stones in Cumbria. I might do a video on that one day!
Hello Mr WC(21)UKProd…. I am aghast that these impressive standing stones should be so neglected and ignored. I have driven past them on the A1(M), in blissful ignorance, countless times. Compare that to Stonehenge where traffic crawls to a standstill as everyone cranes their necks for a glimpse of the lesser stones. Thank you sir for drawing our attention to these impressive stones. 👏👏👍😀
Cheers Andrew and that feedback means a lot. If this channel achieves one thing, I hope it’s that our prehistoric past is represented by more than Stonehenge and Avebury.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd You are achieving so much by featuring these hidden gems (or in this case, bloody massive gems) which give no revenue to NT or EH and therefore are not promoted, and more importantly, are largely unprotected. Heaven forbid that development is allowed to creep ever closer and the middle stone stands in the middle of a suburban roundabout! 😱
@@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian it’s easy to imagine it ending up in a park - surrounded by houses on all sides. Sadly.
I read the thumbnail and thought Darren was making purple manhood jokes ... AGAIN!
@@AndyJarman I did think that when I’d put it together, but decided to run with it anyway!
Very interesting as well as entertaining video, Darren. Thank you!
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks
Thank you Phil!
Facianting as ever with the touch of humour we all need, and Half Man Half Biscuit reference too!
Thank you @jonpenryn3783 - I do slip the occasional HMHB reference in - never sure how many people will recognise them!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd makes me wonder about your mispent 80s youf.
@@davidcollishaw2771 that’s something I wonder about myself, David. HMHB are the only ones from those times who haven’t let me down, though!
@@davidcollishaw2771 that’s something I wonder about myself, David. HMHB are the only ones from those times who haven’t let me down, though!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd is Griff Pilchard still singing about his hammer? he kept it real.
Great video, will definitely add this location to the list of places to visit while still in England.
One minor point though; not convinced that nylon a rucksack goes with tweed. Check out the small canvas 1930s/1940s style Boy Scout 2 or 3 pocket rucksacks. Very easy to source, ideally look for an example with a small lightweight frame.
And another "thumbs-up" for the Half Man Half Biscuit reference; met them some years back when they played a gig at Dudley campus on my birthday...
Thank you @MooreLeather - glad you enjoyed the video and I really do hope you get to visit the Arrows, they're fantastic.
I do love those rucksacks and will maybe put one on my Christmas list! The bag that appears in this video is actually a camera bag. I suffer it because I frequently have to walk some distance - often over difficult terrain - to make these videos and it keeps all the kit secure. That's the trade off. I don't like it, though. Cheers.
I just discovered you and your videos. They are very interesting and you are such a character, the videos are both intriguing and funny too! Love your hat .. and your eyes… I will be watching all your previous videos and really look forward to them. Best wishes from a Brit in Mexico!
Thank you and welcome. Glad you’re enjoying them. We have a number of Brits living abroad who follow the channel, but I think you might be the first in Mexico. Cheers.
Thanks! The stones are impressive. Interesting such large objects would be transported 10 miles to that spot and not be aligned, although time may have played a part in alignment. Always enjoy🎉
Thank you! Yes it’s mind boggling they went to so much trouble. Must have been very important to them. One of the. Now missing stones was allegedly next to the central one, so I did wonder if that one preserved the alignment. Fascinating questions, as usual!
I saw Ultravox at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in the mid 80's. They only had a thin sheet of ply on the ice, and my feet are still cold to this very day. Consequently, I share your opinion of Midge Ure. The only thing this video needed was more of your amazing singing. Beautiful.
Thanks David - I reckon I could give Midge a run for his money on the singing front, don’t you?!
@WC21UKProductionsLtd Too right. You and Harry Conick Jr should duet.
Excellent. Me too .never heard of them x thank you for doing that video x
Cheers Christopher! Satisfying feedback - I enjoy raising awareness of these forgotten wonders.
I love this kind of stuff Chris x
Only ever read about these stones (notably in Julian Copes "The Modern Antiquarian" before which i was completely unaware of them) so it was great to join you for a wander around them! Excellent Sunday Morning Entertainment once again...well done Darren!
Thanks @gibjamie - really good to hear that - I was surprised to find no comprehensive site visits on RUclips - yet again. Such an overlooked site.
Thank you for bringing these fascinating monoliths to our attention, Mr. WC21! It would be nice if their importance, also in the larger context, was highlighted more, but in the current state, with barely any touristic infrastructure, they actually retain their aura of mystery and bizarreness better. It is also interesting to see how weather influences carved the stone in a way that looks like it was manmade.
Thank you and I get you. I wouldn't want to see them ruthlessly monetised as we see elsewhere, but I think the setting could be simply improved by turning that field over to pasture. I hated seeing the way the farmer ploughs round the middle stone. But you are right - they did feel bizarre and mysterious. My wife thought I'd used AI to make the top of the stones look that way! But that's the effect of 5,000 years of rain.
Great insight into the past. I've never heard of these stones before, so thank you.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it. Cheers.
Amazing.
Thank you for your research and presentation Mr. WC 21 👌
Thank you Christine and glad you enjoyed it!
This is the first video of you guys ive saw, really loved it. The presenter has great comedic timing!
Thank you @chrisbibb - very nice of you to say and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Well, that blew my theory out of the water after you said there were more than three. I was leaning towards Orion's Belt as the alignment. Another great video Darren. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers Chris. I do wonder if there were more than the recorded 5 back in the late Neolithic. Incredible how they align with Thornborough Henges - which must be a good 15 miles north west of them. I'm sure they had many functions and a solstice alignment is one, but I'm pretty sure they were signposts on the way to the henges for meetings/ceremonies that happened there at set times of the year.
Brilliant...slightly simpler, just like me. loved the ending
Thanks Steve! That ending took 3 takes - my back’s done in!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtdI’ve done that closing shot trick (unintentionally) more than once with three successive Honda CR-V’s; the experience just never gets old (antiquated.) Oooof!😬
Came for some cool stones, did not expect to also get funky editing, random humour a rap! Brilliant work and I'll put these stones on my list of places to forget to visit.
Thank you and glad you weren’t disappointed! You pretty much summed the channel up there! If you can try not to forget, I do recommend checking the arrows out - pretty awe inspiring.
A great video and you make a great point about some of these ancient sites. Glad this video was less heavy duty for you (the quantity and quality of your content never ceases to amaze me) but it was as fascinating and interesting as ever 👍
@@gilesbinyon thanks Giles! As it turned out, the video may have been easier in the sense the location was simple, but the edit ending up being complex! Especially when it became clear I needed to record a song!
Your productions are getting better and better. The last clip with the car boot was hilarious. I can imagine that happening. Seriously, I have never heard of these stones before so thank you so much for sharing. You could always use trigonometry to calculate the height of each stone, using the distance from the base and the angle of elevation. You are right to be concerned about English Heritage. They are there to primarily make money and then to preserve. If you try to alter a listed building or build near one, you will be stopped because it is out of keeping with the structure or locality. However, there is no problem building an eyesore visitor centre next door to Stonehenge, completely ruining the mystic nature of the site.
Thanks Ron - that’s great feedback!
In a way, English Heritage are emblematic of what’s gone wrong in the west. The Ministry of Works - set up to preserve our historic sites and make them available to the nation - becomes a ruthless exercise in monetisation.
I hope my videos play a part in showing people there’s more to our prehistoric past than Stonehenge. The town should own that half of the field and be able to enjoy it as an amenity! I’ll get off my high horse now.
Great video and good to see that these stones are getting some coverage that they deserve. You may be interested to know that there are a couple of other henges, just off your map, slightly further south in Yorkshire potentially comprising part of this same landscape (Newton Kyme by the River Wharfe and Knottingley by the River Aire). The possibility of a further henge at Kirk Hammerton by the River Nidd is also being investigated.
Thank you.
I did pick up on there being some henges further south when I was researching this - I knew nothing about them previously. I’m going to do more on this landscape and will look into those.
I think this area is as important as Avebury/Wessex personally.
Loved this! Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure and thank you.
Great alternative to Stonehenge to add to the bucket list
Yes indeed and a lot cheaper! I don’t want to sound down on Stonehenge - it’s incredible - but the entrance fee and the awful visitor centre are shocking!
Not forgotten by me... whenever I drive up the A1 I take a detour to the right, by Boroughbridge, and, if time allows, a detour to the left to go to Thornborough.... love it!
That’s great Andy - not many have recognised them. Astonishing they’re so little known. They surpassed my expectations!
Very informative, i had no idea of these stones. Thanks for the enlightenment..
Thank you. You’re not alone - I knew they weren’t well known, but have been surprised that hardly anyone in the comments has recognised them.
I feel a Christmas No. 1 is on the cards Darren...unless Phil's mate Cliff beats you to it 😉
But seriously, how have I managed to get into my late 50's and lived less than an hour away from these and never knew they existed!?!
Thank you for your ongoing (complex/simple/serious/humorous) efforts in educating and entertaining us 👍
Thank you and my pleasure. I knew these impressive stones were little known and that’s been confirmed in the comments. If you get the chance, I’d highly recommend a visit - they’re quite awe inspiring!
Thanks for sharing this us all,sir...must check this site when next up there..E...
No worries Eamon - hope you do get to see it - fabulous!
How very interesting. I must have a look next time I head south.
Cheers. I would recommend a stop off to take a look - they are magnificent!
And I must have a look next time I head North!
Another brilliant video. Have to say, have never come across these before. Thank you so much for bringing them to attention
Thank you very much Peter - glad you enjoyed it. Astonishing place.
@WC21UKProductionsLtd Finally, pulled my finger out and shared this across Facebook, Twitter and Bluesky. Got my first ever like on Bluesky as a result. Clearly Bluesky must be the future ... of the past 👊👍
But absolutely fascinating had never even heard of this monument before
@@peterbradburn9115 thanks for the shares - much appreciated. I have to admit, I’ve not heard of Bluesky!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd No one has, but it's the currently, at least, slightly less toxic version of Twitter, founded by one of the original founders of Twitter
Sadly no trace remains of the wonderful John Boddy's Timber yard which was at the end of the lane which runs by the field, it is now a housing estate. I stopped to see the stones every time I bought timber there, perhaps I'll visit them again in their own right after seeing this - lovely, thank you
Thank you - I spotted the saw mill on the old maps whilst putting this together. Thank you for sharing your memories - always nice when that happens.
I used to go past these all the time when I lived in Ripon but never went. Fascinating! What is the tallest standing stone btw? Re Midge Ure; when Hazel O' Connor split up with him she famously said, 'Now I know why they call him 'Midge' ...
Ha - love that Midge Ure line! Can’t stand him and I don’t know why.
The tallest is the Rudston monolith - also in Yorkshire - but beware the old survivor bias, I guess. I’ll do a video on it someday - again, the wider prehistoric landscape there is also fascinating!
Another great video and fast becoming something I look forward to on a Sunday. 🙂I didn't even know these stones existed because we never got taught about things like that in school. Thanks.
Cheers for the encouraging feedback Oonagh! It’s weird these monoliths are so little known - hopefully I’m doing my bit to raise their profile!
Great vid! Struggle to comprehend how these stones have been allowed to be so unprotected.
Thank you! Yes it is a bit shocking. I felt it would be a step forward to stop ploughing round the central stone.
Amazing. Thanks for sharing.
No problem and thank you!
Its a real shame history was and is not properly protected. Never heard of these. I may venture up there for a look. My job means i pass Stone henge and Avebury standing stones every week. Amazing places. Bloody rip of prices just to look the henge though.
@@Richnineteenseventyone totally agree and I don't think we're any better today than in the past. In the last 60 years they've allowed the construction of two major trunk roads right by those stones and a new housing development in the last 5.
I think it would be simple to protect these stones and provide a local amenity at the same time.
I've wanted to take a dig at the ruthless monetisation of Stonehenge for a while. The prices are outrageous and the visitor centre is the worst of modern vanity projects.
It makes your tribe look hard as nails. Imagine a rival tribe showing up and seeing that.
And I imagine these stones were much taller before they started eroding.
Cheers @jointgib. I was trying to imagine them in the Neolithic landscape. Yes, what a statement they would have made. I wonder how the tops were originally finished?
What a brilliant channel! Another super video which was both informative and highly entertaining. I especially liked the drone bit and that spooky robot music!
More please!!!😀😀😀
Thank you so much, @benholmes1608 - I'm currently struggling to get this week's video sorted and this sort of comment spurs me on! Plus lots of coffee!
I've watched a few of your videos. I like your enthusiasm. This should be a bigger channel.
I have no strong feelings either way about Midge Ure, but I've subscribed due to the interesting content and the HMHB reference.
@@skasteve6528 thank you and welcome! The HMHB reference this week seems to have generated a lot of positive comments. You never know how many of your viewers have had the good fortune to discover them!
Great video, loved the alignment and that they they could be a site on a leyline (Four sites in an exact sraight line required, although they can be of any length). I found the fact they have the second tallest stone in Britain (To Rudstone near Bridlington) very interesting.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it - they are very special. Going by what Camden and Leland reported in the 16th century, there were at least 5. They do apparently align with the henge entrances at Thornborough too. Will be covering that and Rudston at some stage.
thank you again Darren for another very Entertaining and interesting video, erm don't give up the day job , omg that rap lmao, well done and thank you 😊
Thanks Davie - glad you enjoyed this visit to a little known, but really important prehistoric site. Gearing up for the Xmas single!!
This is a fantastic site to visit.
Yes it is fabulous! Quite a few viewers have said they’re going to have a look!
That’s a neat drone.
Yes - a nifty little thing and perfect for quickly getting elevated shots of antiquities. Something I bet they never anticipated when they launched it!
Came across these on the way from Cumbria to visit the Roman fort at Aldborough in Yorkshire. We had to look them up.
I imagine they come as a bit of a shock if you don’t expect them. I really enjoyed filming at the Roman town of Aldborough earlier in the year - it’s great there too.
As an expert amateur anti aquarium what you need is a 'baldrick' to scurry along behind you with your mahogany and brass measuring paraphenalia.
I recommend you select a diminutive servile type to enhance the impression of your stentorian authority.
I REALLY like the sound of that! I’m going to get one!
I like Adam's videos. I keep up with the best people, don't you know. He does have a "Patrick Stewart" quality to his delivery. He's a good sport about it.
About these Arrows/Darts/Sisters/Hounds- it occurred to me that if things remain as they are, those grits will eventually be rained out of first place. They'll be fluted down to Sub-Stonehenge heights won't they? Can't beat the old sarsens in the end, ooh arr.
Hi Jim, yes Adam’s channel is great. He’s published two really good books too.
His measurements are slightly shorter than Historic England’s, which I suspect come from the 1800s, so you’re right and one day Stonehenge will be taller. That’ll provide English Heritage with an excuse to ramp the entrance fees up even higher!
The Rudstone monolith in east Yorkshire is taller and well worth a visit if your ever out that way...near Bridlington
Hi John, yes that’s on my list - incredible monument, but like the Devil’s Arrows, the prehistoric landscape it is located in is equally fascinating. Stay tuned!
Fascinating! Thanks!
Thank you very much!
What a gift of the gab you have
I’ll take that - thank you!
Like "Crackerjack!....(Crackerjack ! ) you could have a big number at the end of every episode.
"She's got Dickie Davis eyes" perhaps ?
Cheers @andymcgeechan8318 - I'm very tempted to. My rendition of Trumpton Riots has to be heard to be believed!
Thank you Darren very interesting
My pleasure and glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
Good video and I learned a lot. Boroughbridge is also home to a cute Roman mosaic, which English Heritage seem to keep low profile. The River Ure pronunciation can be Yore, but it seems to vary from Upper Wensleydale down to the Ouse. Good to hear you name check Adam Ibbotson whose videos are also very good.
Thank you Sean. Very interested in this secret Roman mosaic in Boroughbridge! I know there’s one under someone’s floor in Aldborough and it used to be marked on the maps!
I'm sure I've read or heard the suggestion that they may have been capped way back in the day...nice one matey!
Cheers @billykershaw2781 - that's interesting and I was wondering what the tops were like when newly installed. Just flat, I guess? My wife was a bit freaked out by what they look like from above!
@WC21UKProductionsLtd I reckon your wife freaking out is a regular occurrence!😆
@ 😂
I’ve never heard of these stones. Quite interesting as well as amazing. 👍
Thanks @gordonmculloch4904 - I think there're plenty of videos on RUclips about Stonehenge and Avebury, whilst places like this don't get a look in. I'm on a mission to change that!
Thank you for the reply. Will look forward to your upcoming videos. Cheers 👍
Thank you! Excellent ⭐️⭐️⭐️👏👏👏👍 as a Yorkshireman now living in Western Australia … I appreciated this ( the singing? 😂)
Thanks @andrewlamb8055 - very nice to receive that feedback - I really like the idea that the channel provides a link back to the home country for those living abroad. Cheers. Are you ready for the Christmas single?!
@ absolutely not 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
Michael Buble always wins the Xmas sales over here!! ⭐️👏⚔️
@@andrewlamb8055 I recognise that I can't compete with him!
@ Don’t we all!!! 🤣🤣⭐️⚔️ keep going my friend, your site and episodes are very interesting and very different … ⭐️
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd....Noddy Holder has been spotted in the club shop at Accrington Stanley...maybe a Christmas duet....???...😅😅😅
Is not the Rudston monolith the tallest ? Having said that I remember looking out for these when I used to be driving back to RAF Catterick on the old A1
Hi, yes that’s the tallest and the 6.9m arrow is the second tallest. Interesting that they’re both in Yorkshire, but that might just be a survivor bias thing again.
I’d recommend a visit to the Devil’s Arrows on your journey - very special stones. Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I was first taken to see them in the 1950`s and have been many times since having lived in Ripon a few years ago ,you are correct about the encroaching buildings will try to visit new carpark
Always informative & entertaining. Kudos & Thanks!
Many thanks - glad you enjoyed it!
Oh no, is this the end? has Darren survived?, is this definitive evidence of mumbo jumbo? - We just don't know!!
This is why I like your channel. These stones are amazing and I've never heard of them before. Thanks very much for taking us along.
Very interesting to see the grooves on the tops of the stones, they almost look like splines formed for some purpose rather than natural weathering.
I can never fathom out why they erected all of these stones, not just these ones, it seems hard to imagine their purpose and the effort involved too.
Your Poppy looked fine to me, I expect I've worn mine upside down too. These days I live too far away from anyone selling them but when I lived nearer the coast I would always buy one.
Great video, all the best!!
Thanks David - that's a heartwarming endorsement because putting these little known sites out there is very much a key objective for me. Prior to this, there were no comprehensive videos about the Devil's Arrows on RUclips - just a couple of sketchy, hand held visits!
The effort that went into putting them there is mind boggling really and I was impressed with the alignment to the Thornborough Henges - which must be about 15 miles northwest. I'm sure one of the functions was to guide travelers there at certain times of the year for meetings/ceremonies and the like.
Mrs. WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd was convinced my footage of the tops of the stones had been generated by AI when I showed her - so unusual is the weathering!
excellent show. you mention midge ure and i think of astradyne. 11:18, it may be possible to ascertain where the missing stones were by use of a dowser. well i think so, anyway. one of my all-time favourite docos is called "romancing the stones' from about 35 years ago. a dowser ascertains the location of missing stones. at least in my opinion. ive got a story for you. about 50 years ago a mate's sister (from australia) was working in a hotel in deepest darkest scotland. she was suspicious about a group of individuals staying at the hotel while picking strawberries. she thought they were too intelligent to be picking strawberries and after much prodding she gained their confidence and they took her out with them on days off. they were stone hunters. she said they had really old books with illustrations and she told me how the stones were exactly how they were drawn in the books centuries ago. the group were from oxford uni and they thought it was very important to not let the locals know what they were up to.
Thank you and what a fascinating story. I wish I could make a video about that - sounds amazing.
I know nothing about dowsing, but I do know some people swear by it. I think that’s given me another idea for a video. Thank you!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd , ive had an interest in dowsing but kept it to myself. i used 2 steel rods bent to a right angle in my back yard and the rods always moved at the same location. one day an old friend dropped in and i didnt get a chance to hide the rods. he saw them and immediately wanted to try them in the back yard. the rods moved at the same place as they did for me. so get some coat hangers and give it a go. kevin macleod of grand designs can dowse. it was on one of his shows. just because there can be no scientific reason for it doesnt mean it doesnt work.
@@vsvnrg3263 that is a fascinating story! Thanks for sharing.
As a young girl, my missus encountered Midge Ure pissing in a lift in Newcastle - so I reckon you've read him right.
Oh gawd - that’s awful! I just knew he was no good!
Fluting used to lay trees against to create a wig-wham like temporary dwelling?
That is pure genius! I reckon it would work!
I’m also with Adam
I thought you would be. Are the Historic England measurements based on Victorian numbers, do you know?
@@WC21UKProductionsLtdYou should attach a tape measure, or a piece of string, to the fake drone. 🤔😉
@@PhilMBarrett I will try that next time!
Default thumbs up for anyone mentioning HMHB
Cheers! I’m really pleased about how many people have supported the HMHB reference in this. They deserve so much recognition.
This video fills me with pride and envy in equal measure. I continue to enjoy this opening tune best. sPoOky ❤
Thank you - yes I like the Compendium theme music, I think it makes me quite cool! Glad you appreciated the Devil’s Arrows - they’re really impressive.
W-vid again there amazing id never heard of these stones, when it comes to height, has any geo-phys been done below ground to determine full length of stone, I've seen them grooves on many stones including giza, i feel there too uniform to be weathered .The sacrificial stones was a thought by many over the years including placing body on top and letting the blood run, also where they sword sharpening grooves? As gritstone was previously used for that purpose. I believe the truth of these stones are still to be found...Thank you for enlightenment of these amazing stones
Cheers - they’re amazing monoliths, aren’t they?!
I could find no modern reports in terms of geo-phys - the below ground measurements of 1.5 and 1.8m come from digs in the 1800s, I believe.
The grooves are interesting aren’t they and I’m know some think they were channels for sacrificial blood. It’s a hideous thought!
Agree. Stones like these have secrets and we’re guessing as to the true purpose.
Top notch!
Thank you very much!
Interesting as always. Have driven past on A1M but didn’t realise they were there. Don’t worry about the poppy : I’m sure we’ve all done that by accident.
Thank you for your understanding re the poppy - it’s a new type with a paper stem and I clearly didn’t fasten it correctly. Didn’t spot it until I played the footage back.
So many people saying they drive past and didn’t know about the Devil’s Arrows.
Cheers Thomas.
@ thanks for reply, Thomas is my son , I’m Eric. Dunno why it comes out that way.
@@Eric_L456 Hi Eric - sorry I forgot you were Thomas on here!
@ thanks again, I’ll ask my son Thomas , how I can change it to Eric.
Wonderful episode, I will have to tell my rugrats about it.
Cheers @hainanbob6144 - yes, do send them along - well worth a visit. Impressive and sadly neglected, remnants of life in our country 5,000 years ago!
Loved the video, grinned at the half man half biciuit referece
Thank you! I slip the odd HMHB reference in for those fortunate enough to know.
There are many gateposts around Boroughbridge and Aldborough made from the same stone-the old square centrepiece stone in Aldborough is also gritstone. I’m off the opinion that there were many more stones that were taken for building etc
It’s very possible the romans at Aldborough nicked some of them.
Cheers and yes, I’m sure there were more. It seems to have been a really important landscape 5,000 years ago. I was wondering what the Romans made of it too!
@ they would have known about the other sites too, and were used to dealing with all sorts of cultures and beliefs -and incorporating them.
Shame I hadn’t known about your channel before, I could’ve shown you the appropriated stones around and about the place.
Thanks for that. Only visited these once on a misty morn decades ago, but was impressed by the scale of these monsters. It figures that there were more than three when originally erected. Imagine traversing the land in the Bronze Age when nearly all the megalithic monuments were intact? If you've a video on the Rudstone monster I'll look at that next. BTW, did you work in this field or are you just a passionate hobbyist? P.S. You've come a long way from Tracy's Veggie Curry three years ago!
@@PaIaeoCIive1684 thank you and glad it brought back memories. Always good to hear that.
I will do one on Rudston at some stage. Funnily enough, I’ve just done a video on the Rudston Venus mosaic, if that’s of any interest. It’s called Rubbish Roman Mosaics.
I am a 100% amateur antiquarian. Just like all the Victorian ones!
Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Yes, I enjoyed your entertaining newest video too (I was infesting the comments!) but have a particular interest in the enigmatic megalithic monuments and have seen many of them, but not all. I wondered that since the distance between the similar Boroughbridge stones and Rudstone menhir isn't that far (two day's walk in prehistoric times) the same community erected both? Although of different rock types, even if erected at different times in the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age one must have influenced the other. If you think about it, all the archaeologists before the 20th century were keen amateurs. Thanks again.
@ cheers - I recognise your handle now. I think they call it a handle.
Yes, with Rudston as with the Arrows, I think their place in a wider prehistoric landscape is as interesting as the megaliths themselves.
Wow!! They are beauties. ‘My bad’ but I have never heard of them!
When I next drive down the A1 I intend to stop and take a look.
Very interesting.
Regarding the Poppy; useful clarification I instantly concluded that you hated Britain and was about to call the daily mail.
Thank you so much for not reporting me to The Daily Mail!
Yes, they’re magnificent aren’t they and I do hope you get to take a look. Pretty awe inspiring. Cheers.
Great addition (as per usual ) WC21 . Never heard of these. What’s the amazing little front you use in the video? Just returned from a trip to the blue stone quarries in West Wales, you should do them at some point. Bravo.
Thank you Nelly! Glad you enjoyed seeing the arrows - surprising they’re so unknown, isn’t it?
Did you mean “font”? The black and yellow is just called small font and the italic font is Lucida. Is that what you meant - sorry if I’m being dense!
Did you enjoy the quarries? I absolutely do need to go there!
@ hi WC, sorry, it was my Typo….i meant Drone ! The mini drone you used to view the central stone. What exactly is it? As I would love one. The whole area of the quarries is inspiring as there is so much ‘stuff’ there. But one thing which struck me is that the Rhos Y Felin quarry (MPP excavated) is literally about 100 years from a river which can be as deep as 6 feet which leads directly your the Celtic/Irish sea, which no one seems to mention, making me totally believe that is was the sea route they used to transport the stones to Choir Gaur / Stone henge. Anyway, thanks and keep up the great work, let me know on the drone. N
@ no worries Nelly - I thought you had a keen interest in fonts for a moment there!
The flying camera is the Hover Air X1. Really handy little thing with a series of auto flight modes where you don’t need a controller. Here, I was using it on manual and controlling it via the app on my phone.
It’s very small and quick to get going. The height is sufficient for the things I need to get an elevated view on.
They’ve just released a new version, which I’m considering, but this one is still available too. I’ve had it for a year now and have no complaints.
I think we possibly underestimate how important rivers were for travel in prehistory. I suspect that travel round the coast was also commonplace.
Been there many times. The A1 kills atmosphere!! Boroughbridge is a very nice village though.
@@ziggurat-builder8755 100 years ago they were in a peaceful rural setting. Not now! It’s a shame, because they’re really impressive and important. Thank you for watching!
Have you done a video of Thornborough Henge about 10 miles north of this location? Its incredible, and using your stonehenge reference, you could fit about 4 stonehenges inside each of the 3 henges. You can only appreciate them from a satellite image.
Hi Terry, not yet - they’re on the list. I think this landscape is as significant as Avebury and Stonehenge and I’ll be working my way through it. Cheers.
Are the groves carved or just the natural style of weathering for these grit stones ? Interesting features certainly.
It’s a good question. They’ve definitely been weathered, but we don’t know if there was some sort of carving originally. There are some who think they were channels for sacrificial blood. Personally, I doubt that. They are really fascinating. Cheers.
Great title and thumbnail, got me to click after not watching your channel for a while ( no hate, love the content of course, life is just too busy! )
Thank you and really useful to get that feedback on the title and thumbnail! Hope you enjoyed the video - I get irritated myself by thumbnails that promise something not delivered by the content. Thanks for watching and hope to see you again soon. Cheers.
there are standing stones here in Wales way bigger than Stonehenge, and not one single intrigued mind comes to see them, which I love. it's like having a personal Carnac.
Yes, that is so much better than the commercialised nightmare of Stonehenge. I just can’t imagine myself ever going through all that to see them! Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtdi used to go Stonehenge in my younger days for the solstice...much prefer my own peacful stones.
I can honestly say that I have never heard of these monolithic marvels … and I will have driven right past them on numerous occasions over my (now not inconsiderable) lifetime. Outstanding! Another gorgeous nugget of ancient stuff.
I do wonder if the current vertical angle of dangle offset is attributable to the investigations of past antiquarians as they dug the supporting material away from one side to determine how deeply they were buried. To discover the bottom of the pit, they must have dug below the depth of the supporting “cobbles”. Some years later, a modicum of subsidence induced lean to such a mighty erection becomes inevitable. I certainly wouldn’t want to sit beside one of those stones whilst someone dug the supporting materials out to measure it 😱 … but perhaps the antiquarian H&S manual was at an earlier issue status at the time??!!
I will also confess my ignorance at the shear number of so many clearly significant henge and avenue features in the region. I am aware of a few in Derbyshire, with special reference to Arbor Low (a site of significance and majesty and also a bit awkward to access over private land … but not the ones that you identified in this video.
Thank you and I hadn’t considered that the early antiquarians might have caused the lean. Seems quite likely now you’ve mentioned it!
It was clearly a very important region. Bit of a shame most of the henges have been ploughed out, but at least Thornborough henges have finally been saved from the encroaching quarries. I’ll be taking a look at these at some stage.
Check out Thornborough Henges just up the road nr Ripon too. It's massive and even more intriguing
Cheers and yes I’ll be covering them at some stage. The region was obviously really important.
@WC21UKProductionsLtd i think what makes them even more amazing and mysterious is that they are so unknown. I hope there is never any more development around them as they will get advertised more to tourists. Your level of information is just enough to give people those few who do discover them a good understanding of the history
It’s astonishing that the northern henge has only been protected from quarrying in relatively recent times. That quarrying has wiped out some of the cursus on which the henges were built and that can be seen in aerial photos from the 50s. I think some of the henges I showed in the video, that are now crop marks, would have been visible on the ground just 100 years ago.
Incredible feat of work to cut them out and drag them from Plumpton with no roads, no wheels and only stone/ bronze tools. Must have been driven by a strong belief system!
That’s exactly why I do this. We underestimate them, I think. As you say, whatever the reason for all this effort - it was clearly important to them. Cheers.
Blimey! How on earth have these escaped me - and apparently many others? Now that's embarrassing! Thank you for redressing the Ignorance. 🎉
Thank you and it’s my pleasure. If you get the chance, they’re well worth a visit!
The Rudston monolith is the tallest prehistoric standing stone in Britain, measuring almost 8 metres
That's right Ian. These are the second tallest. We'll be taking a look at Rudston at some stage - like this site, the wider prehistoric landscape there is really significant.
Great new site to visit on my bucket list thanks. Just on the Druids, I confess absolute ignorance, were they a rabid sacrificing bunch/cult to be avoided and circumvented at all costs at risk of being "kebabbed" or a peaceful hippy type to embrace and sit around the fire singing "kumbaya"? What do you think or know ? I am so conditioned I always think of Gandalf and he was a bloody fictional Wizard. I'll get my coat ! Taxi !
Cheers Joe and do visit them - you won’t regret it.
On Druids, both the scenarios you present have their supporters! Personally, I think the evidence for sacrifice is slight at that time - the Iron Age. The Romans dealt with them when they took over!
The Rudston Monument looks like these, is similar gritstone, is about 8 metres high. In Rudstone churchyard just beside the road to Bridlington in the Great Wolds Valley, an ancient monument-rich landscape
Yes and I'm going to cover that at some stage. Totally agree that, like the Arrows, the prehistoric landscape it sits in is really significant. Cheers.
For the first few seconds I thought that the gent was on holiday in outback Oz and had mistaken the termite mounds for ancient artifacts! 😜🧐
I need to make a video in Oz now you’ve said that!
It had never crossed my mind to consider what was the tallest standing stone in Britain, until I saw this vlog.
The new poppies are fine and I understand why they're just made of paper but mine fell apart on the second outing ... 🤷♂
It’s very typical of me that I did the second tallest! I will be doing the tallest at some stage, though. Like these Devil’s Arrows, Rudston is as much about the wider prehistoric landscape in which it sits.
I’ll get the hang of the new poppies next year!
These are older than we record.
The world has many many misconceptions regarding our amazing history.
Cheers. How old do you think they are?
Trip to Rudston next?
Hi Andy - yes I have some ideas for a video on that. Again, the story there is as much about the wider prehistoric landscape. That really was a destination!
Interesting place on my bucket list. But the ritle is misleasing the tallest stone still standing at stonehenge is 7.3 metres tall. Also it would have had a lintel on top too making it almost 9 metres tall
Cheers - do check the arrows out, you won’t be disappointed.
I got the measurements from multiple sources and the tallest stone here is quoted as the second tallest in the country by many experts. The comparison is to Stone 56 at Stonehenge - above ground measurement and as it is now, minus lintel.
Stone north may be shorter and squatter...but it could never cut a dash in tweed shorts like you can during UK 'summer' 🤣...rock on!
That is so very kind, Phil. Thank you. I think?!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd 🤣It was a compliment ..I think.
@ great - I’ve banked it!
10,000 years ago, Britain's glaciers were slowly retreating, leaving large boulders all over the place. The people who resettled what we now call Britain maybe saw some sort of spiritual sign in those big stones and started to use them to build there spiritual places with them. And as always the more important tribes wanted to show of with even bigger stones in their holy places to let the rest of the tribes know how strong they were.
Cheers - that’s an interesting and evocative idea. I was trying to imagine the stones in the landscape when they were erected - without all the noise of today. Must have been pretty awe inspiring.
Most voice overs that sound like this are voiced by AI. Fair play to you ,Sir!
I’ve tried the AI voiceovers and they’re awful. At least this way it’s my own awfulness! Cheers.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I always get the impression that English sounding AI voiceovers are done by Americans with an inferiority complex
I would suggest that they were taller, There seems to be breaks/erosion on the top of them, But I could have sworn I saw carved eyes in one
Yes I think they must have been. We’re looking at 5,000 years of erosion and I wonder what the tops looked like when they were first erected? I saw an eye too!
Excellent! And really good use of the fake drone.
Thanks Phil! Cheers for the LiDAR too. Will have a good look at that when I get time to sit down at the computer.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtdThe wider area shows some really interesting (alas, Non-Roman) Archaeology. It's a cracking area.
@@PhilMBarrett Yes it does. Romano British settlement on a little hill near me and that fort. Will come back to you once I've had a good look at it.
well, I know what I'm asking The Pre-History Guys who made the film "Standing Stones" and currently working on "Gobekli Tepe to Stonehenge". What they think about them, and maybe one of their Archaeologists guests may have a bit more info. or not. For a country roughly the size of Alabama, USA. I'm shocked I've not hear of them, nor many others it seems. There's gotta be some info about them somewhere. If not, it'll make for a good topic of conversation.
Thanks for introducing this Native American to something new!
Impressed I am. I thought the vid was fine. "Simpler vid"?. This was fine, to short even, but then if you don't know much abou them, it's a tad difficult to make a longer vid. I understand.
Thank you and it is surprising they’re so little known. Most of the information I provided on them comes from investigations in the 1700s and 1800s. That’s not uncommon with these lesser known places in Britain. No money, I guess. But it does allow us to have fun speculating about their origins and function!