{"id":270,"date":"2022-06-04T16:52:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T16:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triskelepublishing.com\/weirdstonewalk\/?page_id=270"},"modified":"2023-02-12T17:40:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-12T17:40:17","slug":"armada-beacon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/triskelepublishing.com\/weirdstonewalk\/armada-beacon\/","title":{"rendered":"Armada Beacon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Approximate Location<\/strong>
OS Grid Reference: SJ 858 777
Latitude: 53.29.63N Longitude: 2.21.39W<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known simply as the Beacon in the books, this site features as a significant location in The Moon of Gomrath<\/a><\/em>. Firstly, Colin discovered that it was a waymarker of the old straight track that eventually led him to the mothan flower on Shining Tor (Gomrath, Chapter 7: Old Magic; Chapter 8: Shining Tor<\/em>). Secondly, when Susan wanted to see where the track ran, the children returned to the Beacon and lit a fire to keep warm. The wendfire, kindled on the Eve of Gomrath, then summoned the Horsemen of Donn and the Einheriar (Gomrath, Chapter 9: The Horsemen of Donn<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This landmark has something of a chequered history. It measures about 3m in height and is 25m in diameter at its base. and is widely thought to have originally been created as a Bronze Age burial mound<\/a> (although this has never been tested archaeologically). During the early modern period it was used as a warning beacon, hence the Armada connection, and a stone tower was constructed on its summit to carry the fire basket. The tower was restored in 1799 but was it was blown down during a gale in 1931. Only the foundations and a memorial stone now survive of the building, although the structure can be seen in several early photographs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site is now enclosed with trees and no longer offers wide views over the landscape. However, in The Voice That Thunders<\/em> (1997, 72), Alan Garner<\/a> notes that it used to present a panorama which varied from 8 to 70 miles in distance. He considers the Beacon in an essay entitled Oral History and Applied Archaeology in East Cheshire<\/em>. Garner concluded that the mound was part of a system of astronomical landmarks which also included Shining Tor<\/a>, Goldenstone<\/a> and a mound in Mobberley churchyard that were connected to prehistoric astronomical observations. I’m not eternally certain that his argument would stand up to rigorous archaeological criticism, but the article does contain many useful observations about prehistoric sites across the Edge and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Locations<\/a><\/blockquote>