During a visit to the Shropshire Hills I came upon Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle, which at first look is a modest, ancient stone circle albeit with truly stunning surroundings.
The more you look into it though the more mystery and intrigue you find plus how it is just a part of a busy ancient history of the area.
Origin
Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle’s exact origins are unknown, as with many stone circles in Britain. We know it was built over 3000 years ago during the early Bronze Age.
Today you can see that the stones are much smaller than they once would have been plus less in number. Much of the damage made to the stones is said to be ancient too.
There are today 15 stones in quite a broad circle with one larger one. It is believed that originally there would have been double the number of stones, around 30, and that the larger one would have been part of a pair, forming a grand entrance.
Maybe it had a stone across them at the top like Stonehenge?
3000 years is a long time and so much time has passed that all manner of vandalism would have taken place to it and obscured its true layout. Even as recently as 1995 it is said that a farmer dug up some of the stones and then some replanted. Where they put back correctly? It reminds me of the neglect of the 12 Apostles on Ilkley Moor.
The stone itself was from the very local Stapeley Hill. Not far but you can imagine the work that went into it. This would have been a very important place in the Bronze Age.
What Was It Built For?
The reason the stone circle was built? Nobody really knows. Funerals? Some kind of ancient religious meeting place? We are still in wonder about this.
The taller stone does line up with the southern moonrise. Is this by design or coincidence? We would need to have seen it in its full glory really to have seen if it was anything to do with the equinoxes.
We do know that this area was really important to people from the Bronze Age. Mitchell’s Fold is one of many ancient sites in the vicinity.
Just over the border they have found the remnants of Cwm Mawr, a Bronze Age axe making factory that supplied axe hammers used throughout the country. That places the area on an important trading route.
There are other small stone circles very close too, or the remnants of at least. For instance Hoarstones and Whetstones. But either these have been lost in time or disappeared for only archeologists to examine. Under one particular stone in the 1800s they found burnt wood and bones.
Legend and Folklore
Of course you cannot have an ancient stone circle like this without a mythical story.
A story goes that during a time of famine, a good witch provided a cow with a never ending supply of milk, on the hill.
A bad witch then came along and milked and milked the cow through a sieve and thus wasting the milk and running the cow dry.
The cow realised the trick, kicked her and ran away. (Over time this has become a precurser too for the Dun Cow stories across England}. The bad witch was then turned to stone and surrounded by other stones to prevent escape.
There is a carving of the story engraved into a pillar at the local Stapeley Church.
The Name
Just as mysterious as the circle itself is how the name Mitchell’s Fold came about.
The nearest thing that can be found is perhaps locally it was known as ‘Big’. In Old English that would have been ‘Micel’. And then passage of time made it what we call it today.
Visiting Mitchell’s Fold
Finding Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle is not the easiest thing. There is no fanfare of big signs from major roads etc. Neither is it in any real specific postcode.
It is situated quite literally on the border of England and Wales. As you approach the parking you are in Wales and when you park up and take the little walk to the Stone Circle you are in Shropshire, England.
The nearest postcode is SY15 6DE. Near the quaint border village of White Grit. But for more precise parking location use what3words, sleeper.lyricism.printer
As you turn into the lane you will see people parked straight away. The actual car park is a few hundred metres further on and nearer to the landmark, but only you can decide if your suspension can take it, the track is full of massive potholes.
From the car park it is a few hundred metres along a grassy path to the stone circle. A little walk with great views. One way into the Welsh hills and mountains. The other way to the Shropshire hills with Stiperstones across the way.
It is a very underestimated location and you can close your eyes and think back to the ancient people and understand why this area was so special to them.
White Grit
When visiting Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle it is worth a mini stop at the little village of White Grit nearby.
White Grit literally straddles the border, part English, part Welsh. There is a remarkable looking yet simple landmark in the village that caught my eye, The corrugated Iron Church (Tin Chapel at The Marsh).
The area was once huge for mining and in the Victorian era there was a demand across the country for cheap prefab churches. The church looks as temporary as it was when built over 100 years ago, corrugated iron but looking as much a church as intended.
Conclusion
Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle is not just a historical landmark; it is a place that invites contemplation, reflection, and connection to both the past and the natural world. If you are ever in the Shropshire Hills and interested in ancient history then take the time to discover this place full of mystery and great views.
Other stone circles to explore:
Explore The Mystical Castlerigg Stone Circle: An Ancient Site In The Lake District
Long Meg and Her Daughters Stone Circle, An Ancient Wonder
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