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MYSTICAL AND SACRED SITES IN THE BRITISH ISLES
Arbor Low, England
It was once a collapsed Neolithic burial mound. Later a henge was added which itself has a burial mound built into it; it is likely that this happened sometime around 2500 BCE. A stone circle was probably added sometime around 1700 to 1500 BCE. Over fifty leys are said to pass through the circle.
Avebury, England
Avebury was, at its peak of importance, a Sun Temple and a spiritual centre. It is known to have been in use between 2600 and1600 BCE, thus predating the Druids, and is older than Stonehenge.
Aylesford Priory, England
This place of pilgrimage & spiritual retreat is the home of the Carmetite Friars. The Priory was confiscated by Henry VIII in 1938, resulting in the Carmelites virtually disappearing from England, however, they returned in recent times and, in 1048, re-established Aylesford, which is to this day a place of pilgrimage.
Badbury Rings, England
Badbury Rings is a hillfort dating from the Iron Age, however it also thought to have been used for ceremonial purposes probably used by the Dorset tribe (the Durotriges) but fell to the invading Roman armies in around 43 CE.
Bevis Marks Synagogue, England
Bevis Marks Synagogue (London) was opened in 1701 and is today the oldest synagogue still in use in Britain.
Bryn Celli Ddu, Wales
Bryn Celli Ddu, ‘the mound in the dark grove’, is held by many to be the best passage grave in Wales. It was first a Neolithic henge with a stone circle but sometime later this was destroyed & a passage grave was constructed inside the ditch.
Cadbury Castle, England
This huge Iron Age hillfort is speculated by some to be the site of King Arthur’s Camelot.
Cairnpapple Burial Mound, Scotland
This ancient burial mound & henge is thought to be some four & a half thousand years old. Evidence shows that is was still in use until around 1500 BCE. One fact that makes Cairnpapple unique is that the site has, over time, been used by all religions pertaining to the indigenous people and it features in an ancient Celtic legend which describes it as an extremely important and holy site.
Callanish Stone Circle, Scotland
This circle is believed to have been erected during the late Neolithic era, around 1975 BCE, and, as with other stone circles, is assumed that the stone alignments are of astronomical significance.
Canterbury Cathedral, England
The location of this cathedral, which was a Christian pilgrimage during the Middle Ages, was a sacred pagan site before the Roman invasion. A Celtic church was built there during Roman occupation but was abandoned when the Romans left in the 5th century and the site reverted to pagan worship.
Caslerigg Stone Circle, England
This is believed to be one of the first stone circle in Europe, probably dating from as early as 3200 BCE. The tallest stone is in line with the Samhain sunrise.
Cerne Abbas Giant, England
A chalk-carved figure possibly 3 thousand years old. It has been a place of fertility rituals since early times. Above the head is an enclosure where maypoles were erected.
Clava Cairns, Scotland
Believed to have been built between 2000 & 1500 BCE they consist of 3 cairns, 2 are passage burial cairns and the third is a ring-type cairn. On midwinter’s day the rays of the setting sun are directed down the passage of one of the passage cairns.
Dwarfie Stane, Scotland
This site is the only example of a rock-cut tomb in Britain and dates from around 3000 BCE.
Gallarus Oratory, Eire
Is considered to be one if the finest examples of an early Christian Church in Ireland.
Glastonbury, England
Glastonbury has been described as the centre of pagan worship in Britain as well as the first Christian settlement in Britain. It is held by many to be Avalon and the final resting place of King Arthur. Glastonbury stands on the Great Ley which runs from St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, through Glastonbury and Avebury and on to the Suffolk coast. It is also claimed to be the Glastonbury Zodiac a representation of the Arthurian legend.
Glendalough, Eire
Glendalough is a monastic site founded by St Kevin in the 6th century which consist of the ruins of the great church, a cathedral, the round tower, ‘St Kevin’s Kitchen’ and the Church of the blessed Virgin. Nearby there is a stone walled circular enclosure next to a simple cross which over looks the upper lake, mountains and woods which contain crosses, temples and St Kevin’s cave.
Holy Island (Lindisfarne), England
Holy Island is just off the coast of Northumberland and, at low tide, is connected to the mainland by a causeway. There was St Aidan monastery from around 635 CE till it was destroyed by Vikings in 793 CE but in 1081 the Normans re-created a priory there.
lona, Scotland
This is where the Irish St Columbia and twelve companions landed in 563 CE and established a Christian monastery which brought Christianity to Scotland. The island became a sacred place of burial for kings of Scotland, Ireland & Norway. The most famous being MacBeth. The monastery was destroyed after Columbia’s death in 597 CE but was rebuilt in 1951.
Knock, Eire
Since the late 1800’s this has been the site of numerous apparitions of the Virgin Mary as well as a place of healing.
Knowth, Eire
The passages at Knowth are aligned to the rising & setting sun of the equinoxes in March & September (though a modern building now cuts off the light at certain times of the day). There is evidence of a Beaker People (from the Bronze Age) burial at Knowth, the only known site of a Beaker burial in Ireland.
Melrose Abbey, Scotland
The abbey was burned down in 1544 by the army of Henry VIII and some restoration was carried out in 1822 though the site is not only considered sacred by Scots. because of its religious associations but because it is also the burial place of the heart of Robert the Bruce.
Old Sarum, England
This old fortress was clearly an Iron Age settlement which lies on the convergence of four Roman roads, which often followed leys, and is on the famous Stonehenge to Clearbury ley.
Pentre Ifan, Wales
This is a megalithic site dating from at least 4000 BCE. Local lore says that sometimes fairies are seen here.
Rock of Cashel, Eire
Folklore says that the rock mound was formed when the devil bit a chunk of limestone from nearby mountains and spat it out on the plain.
Rollright Stones, England
The site is made up of a stone circle known as The King’s Men, a single stone known as The King Stone, and a group of standing and fallen stones which are the remains of a once turf-clad megalithic tomb known as The Whispering Knoghts. These stones are believed to be older than Stonehenge.
Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland
The elaborate carvings found on this church have many mystical interests, apart from the obvious Christian ones, such as Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, Norse mythology, Hermeticism as well as pagan beliefs. There is a particularly close connection to this site by the Templar & Freemasons.
Royston Cave, England
This is a bell shaped chamber cut out of the chalk below Melbourn Street in the town of Royston and is part of the ancient Icknield Way. It is thought to have been used by the Knights Templar when they were forced to go into hiding.
St Michael's Mount, England
Is essentially a huge granite rock rising from the eater of Mount’s Bay, topped by a striking and beautiful castle which was originally a Benedictine Priory built in the 12th century.
Seahenge, England
During the winter storms of 1987-8, an egg-shaped ‘circle’ of timber posts was exposed within the intertidal zone off the coast of the Wash near Holm-next-the-Sea. The structure stands at the boundary of earth, sky & sea and the prehistoric Bronze Age people it probably represented a channel to the Gods of the underworld and heavens. It has been suggested that Seahenge was a kind of mortuary constructed by the pre-Celtic Beaker people.
Silbury Hill, England
Silbury Hill is the largest man-made prehistoric mound in Europe. The purpose of the hill has never been successfully determined, though it is known to have been abandoned around 1000 BCE. It has been suggested that it is a symbolic effigy of the ancient Mother Goddess and was associated with fertility rituals.
Stanton Drew, England
There is a tradition that the stones at Stanton Drew cannot be counted and that death or illness are rewarded to those who try. The Great Circle is approximately 112 metres in diameter with a stone avenue entering the circle which is the approximate position of the Summer Solstice sunrise.
Stonehenge, England
Stones and earth have been carbon dated to determine the age of this site, the oldest reading being 1500 & 1100 BCE. It has been suggested that Stonehenge was constructed by the e druids but dating significantly pre-dates the druids arrival in England. While its function is not completely known, most will agree that the site was used for rituals for which its astronomical qualities were a tool rather than a main purpose. None however will dispute the natural power of Stonehenge which is built on important leys.
Temple Church, England
Temple Church was built during the 12th century by the Knights Templar and was at the hub of Templar activity in London.
Traprain Law, Scotland
This is the largest hillfort in Scotland and a cairn there is thought to be the remains of a Bronze Age burial. Loth Stone, thought to mark the grave of the mythical King Loth, is nearby and the site is also famous for UFO sightings.
Uffmgton White Horse, England
This hillside carving has been dated to at least the iron Age (appox. 500 BCE) but may be older. Many purposes have been suggested for this site including a representation of the Celtic God Epona.
Walsingham, England
In 1061 CE Lady Richeldis de Faverches received visions of the Virgin Mary at Walsingham manor. Mary showed her a vision of the house in Nazareth. A replica of the house in the vision was built and later a church was built around the house.
West Kennet Long Barrow, England
Is one of the longest chambered barrows in Britain and was originally a mound some 110 metres long.
Wilmington Long Man, England
This chalk carving is one of the largest images of a human on earth (second only to the 120 metre Giant of Atacama in Chile). The age and purpose of this site has been much debated. It has been suggested that the Long Man represented a magical protector of the Neolithic sites around it or that it is a fertility symbol, thought has also been suggested that, as the figure is situated on leys, it was a Dodman, a person who laid out the original leys.
Sourced from “The Encyclopaedia of the World’s Mystical and Sacred Sites” by John and Anne Spencer; Headline Book Publishing. 2002. |
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