1. After Thaw; 2. The Witch Stone; 3. Dolerite Dark: the Witch Stone; 3. Louring from Stapeley Hill
AFTER THAW
photo | 8" x 10" | 2006
#LE13 print run 25 A4
THE WITCH STONE
photo | 7" x 10" | 2006
#LE14 print run 25 A4
MITCHELL'S FOLD, SALOP
With magnificent views from its perch on high heathland, this bronze age circle in Shropshire once featured around 30 standing stones. Only 16 now remain, of which 10 are upright, the tallest about 6'. The site was vandalised in the 1994 but is now back to its naturally derelict state. The stones are local dolerite and are in fact arranged in an ellipse of roughly 70' to 90'. A nearby circle was destroyed in the mid C19th whilst another one, The Hoarstones, is a mile or so to the north. A manufacturing site of neolithic & bronze age stone axes is also not far away at Cwm Mawr. The name Mitchell may be derived from the Old English 'mycel', meaning 'big', but is commonly associated with the legend of a giantess who milked her magic cow within the circle. This was a benevolent secreting beast which allowed the locals to milk her during times of drought & famine. One day the witch, Mitchell (or various dialectic approximations), posed as one such local and milked the cow dry through a sieve. As you do. The witch was then turned to stone (how or by whom is unclear). Whilst the giantess doesn't seem to get another mention, the cow vanished from the area only to crop up on tour in other nuggets of folklore throughout Britain.
OS: SO.304.983 From the A488 south of Shrewsbury, take the minor road to Priest Weston for about a mile then a track north at a sharp turn.
DOLERITE DARK: THE WITCH STONE
pastel on board | 15" x 11" | 2007 | £195
#P18 A3 & A4
LOURING FROM STAPELEY HILL
charcoal | 16" x 11" | 2006 | £80
#P45 A3 & A4
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