Edinburgh: Monolith in Suburban Street is among Britain’s oldest monuments

Edinburgh
Monolith in Scottish Suburban Street is among Britain’s oldest monuments

Local residents probably don’t even know what’s in front of their door: a 4,600-year-old stone in the south of Edinburgh bears witness to the prehistory of the region.

The Scottish capital Edinburgh is a popular tourist destination, beautiful and impressive with its stone buildings. The monumental castle right in the center is world famous. But even such a metropolis has its more functional corners: in the south of the city, where hardly any visitor strays, there are residential areas like everywhere in Europe. In front of pragmatic 1950s apartment buildings in pale yellow, next to dark green hedges, in a parking lot, however, here on Ravenswood Avenue stands one of the oldest monuments in the British Isles.

A weathered stone stands here, fenced in by rusty bars. Most residents just walk past it. The stone is as old as the Egyptian pyramids and has a story to tell – one, unfortunately, that we no longer know today. Experts believe that the monolith was built to commemorate an important battle. This was apparently very important for people 4600 years ago, even if we know nothing more about it today.

A spectacular monument in an unspectacular place

Drawings from the 18th century show the stone still standing in an open field. A little later it was moved by a few meters when a wider street was laid out. In the 1960s, he had to relocate again because he was now in the way of the growing housing estate. Today the monolith stands about 100 meters from its original location. It is a good two meters high, very weathered and has no recognizable inscription. A spokesman for the Historical Landscapes of Scotland organization told Lad Bible: “The monument is of national importance as it is an embodiment of prehistoric rituals, and the modern urban setting does not alter that.”

However, before the purpose-built apartment buildings, complete with front yards, garages and parking lots, found their way onto Ravenwood Avenue, there were myths and customs surrounding the standing stone. Local residents reported that a path through the fields led to it, where some say the ghost of a white woman was seen.

Also, on Halloween and Guy Fawkes night, which is a big celebration in the UK every year, local people would have big bonfires near the monolith.

Sources: “Lad Bible”, “Northern Antiquarian”