The circle was planned and built (with a team of people) by John Lamb, who is Senior Wildlife Officer for Lancashire Wildlife Trust. There are fifteen stones in the circle in total including one in the centre and two on either side of the entrance. All the stones have come from Lancashire and represent the geology from the area. They include a purple limestone from Back Lane Quarry, limestone pavement, pink sandstone from Waddington Fell, sandstone from Pendle and Haslingden Flag. Each of the stones is aligned in accord with the solar and lunar cycles; sunrise and sunset at the solstices, autumn and spring equinoxes and moon rise and moon set. John noted that the moon will only rise and set in these places every 18.6 years. The purple limestone marks Polaris (north). Alignments in the landscape include Fairy Holes, Winter Hill and The Barn (the LWT headquarters in Cuerden Valley).
Earlier in the day, the last stone, which aligns with the winter solstice sunset, was rolled and levered into place by John Lamb and a team of volunteers. As with each of the stones, offerings were made in its place beforehand.
It felt like a real privilege to witness the completion of this stone circle. Hopefully it will be the place of many future visits and gatherings in my lifetime and perhaps for thousands of years afterward.
Many thanks to John Lamb and all the volunteers who have made it possible.
Blog post by Lorna Smithers