Stonehenge Altar Stone and Tom Bennett's books
The Stonehenge Altar Stone has come from Westray, Orkney
Today if we move heavy objects any distance we do it using sea transport. I have always believed that Bluestones from the Preseli Hills involved a sea boat journey to get to Stonehenge. If I can find evidence that the Altar Stone came from the Orkney Islands, then it endorses my theory that at least some of the Bluestones were also taken to Stonehenge by sea transport. I have studied the stones in the Preseli Hills and have found evidence of Neolithic quarrying at Carn Goedog where at least ten spotted dolerite stones have originated from. Archaeologists have determined that the 6 ton Altar Stone has not originated from any of the South Wales Devonian sandstones and now consider that it may have come from Scotland. Two years ago I studied the Rousay flagstones in Orkney Isles looking for a match of the surface patterning of the type found on the Altar Stone. The intertidal rocks found in the north of Westray and Papa Westray both match the surface patterning, have similar stratification, similar colouration and grain size. What is more is that blocks in rectangular shape are found naturally on the beaches, needing no quarrying to find the correct size. The Neolithic farmers of Orkney had been using this same stone to build their tombs and monoliths since 3900 BC. These folk were the experts in moving stones, building boats and designing stone circles and had been doing so for at least 800 years before Stonehenge was conceived.
The Author
This Bookshop contains most of TOM BENNETT's books that are still available in 2024. The prices include postage and packing to mainland UK. Go to AMAZON or GOOGLE books if you are looking for any of Tom's ' Out of print' books. Google Search for 'Tom Bennett shipwrecks' and see what comes up!
TOM BENNETT describes himself as a "maritime explorer" and has specialized in writing books about shipwrecks and the sea, mainly around Wales, but also around Philippines, where he retired to for 15 years. Tom now resides in Milford Haven where he is being treated for a sarcoma cancer.
A new edition of Sea Guide to Pembrokeshire was reprinted in 2022.
Dale Sailing at Brunel Quay Neyland, Pembrokeshire sell this book and also Victoria Bookshop in Haverfordwest.
Many of Tom's earlier shipwreck books covered the diving wrecks of Wales. Although many of these books have been out of print for decades, some are still available if you contact Tom at philwrecks@gmail.com or look at his alternative website www.ShipwrecksforWalkers.co.uk
BOOKS
Shipwrecks for Walkers Welsh Beaches
Shipwrecks for Walkers English, Scotland and Ireland Beaches.
Both are a glossy A4 size book. Full colour photos on each page and every page has details of a different shipwreck that can be seen intertidally around the UK coast. These books are designed for keeping in the car for those holidays and weekends. If you live in Britain you are likely to be only an hour's drive from a beach. That beach probably has remnants of a shipwreck still exposed and awaiting your discovery. Take the kids on a hunting trip to the coast and look for one of these shipwrecks. There are 80 wrecks in each book. The wreckage that you will see is fully explained, the type of ship, the story and date of its loss, all there with photos. These two books are truly a guide to shipwreck hunting without getting wet feet!
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