Historic stones restored to original position

Archaeologists, landowners and volunteers worked together to re-stand the stones

Two stones on a monument on Dartmoor have been restored to their original upright position, national park bosses have said.

Archaeologists, landowners and volunteers worked together to re-stand the stones forming part of a double stone row at Piles Hill, Dartmoor National Park Authority said.

Extending 850m (0.53 miles) across Ugborough and Harford moors, the avenue of stones, described as one of the moor's "most enigmatic monuments", is thought to date back to the Neolithic or early Bronze Age - about 4,000 years ago.

The stones were restored to an upright position during the summer solstice on 20 June, park bosses said.

The work was part of a three-year £3m initiative - Our Upland Commons - which was being undertaken to better understand the history of the moors, bosses said.

Team members said many stones which were flat on the ground had been deliberately laid that way after their initial erection, or had fallen over and become hidden by vegetation.

They said excavations last year "confirmed the stones were once upright".

Ugborough Moor landowner Dr Leonard Hurrell said: "When this very long double stone row was erected, it must have been a truly dramatic feature in the landscape... and must have been of great significance to the inhabitants of the area.

"We are delighted to see that the uprighting of two large stones has been possible, giving visitors to the area a glimpse into the distant past."

National park archaeologist and excavation director Andy Crabb said it was "wonderful to see the two stones replaced back into their positions within the row".

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Related internet links

• Dartmoor National Park Authority