Bleasedale Timber Circle

The Bleasdale Timber Circle near Preston has been dated to around 1700BC in the Bronze Age. The outer circle is 150 feet in diameter. There is an inner circle surrounded by a barrow or ditch.

The original inner circle timber was replaced by concrete markers and the timber taken to the Harris Museum in Preston.

It was used as a burial place for one person who was found with 2 urns, but it is not known if this corresponded with its original purpose. It is also not known if the two circles were built in the same period of time.

Access to the circle is via a permissive path and it is said to be through a muddy field into a wooded area.

A leaflet is available from local organisations;

http://www.forestofbowland.com/publications/leaflets/BleasdaleCircleLeaflet.pdf

Website with photos:

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1683/bleasedale_circle.html

The circle is close to St Eadmer's church which can be traced to 1577 although the current building is dated 1835. It is the only church in England dedicated to St Eadmer who was a monk whose vision led to the placing of the body of St Cuthbert on a site that is now Durham Cathedral.