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Has the mystery of how Preseli rock got stonehenge finally been solved?

Published

2 years ago

June 17, 2024

‘Lost’ Boulder Proves the Bluestones Were Transported from Wales by Glacier Ice – and NOT by Humans, Study Claims

A NEW study of the ‘lost’ Newall Boulder suggests it was transported by ice, potentially overturning the theory that humans moved the stones for Stonehenge.

How Neolithic humans might have transported so many huge boulders from Wales to Stonehenge is one of archaeology’s most enduring mysteries. However, a new study of a ‘lost’ boulder taken from the Stonehenge site over 90 years ago suggests that humans might not have moved the stones at all.

Dr Brian John, a retired geology lecturer from Durham University who lives in Pembrokeshire, argues that this bluestone boulder bears marks which suggest it was moved by glacial ice. This would undermine the common theory that the bluestone was quarried in the Preseli Hills of southwest Wales and manually transported to the Salisbury Plain.

***Natural transport: Could movement of ice pushed the stones to Mendip?***

Dr John said: “I think it’s hugely significant because it supports the assumption I’ve had for some years that these are not humanly-transported.”

In addition to the tall Sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge’s distinctive appearance, the site is also home to around 80 smaller bluestones. It is generally agreed that these stones originate from the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales, but how they got to Stonehenge is often debated.

Dr John’s argument centres on an analysis of a bluestone boulder about the size of a human skull, known as the Newall boulder. This boulder was first excavated in 1924 by the geologists Colonel Hawley and Robert Newall. Hawley originally thought the rock was just a piece of rubbish and wanted to throw it away rather than analyse it. However, Newall saved the stone from the rubbish heap and placed it in a cardboard box in his attic alongside a number of other finds from the site.

***New theory: Dr John (Pic: Martin Cavaney)***

The boulder remained there until Newall passed it over to the Salisbury Museum shortly before he died in 1976. There was a brief burst of interest in the boulder around 1977, but then it was placed back into storage and effectively forgotten for another 46 years.

However, in 2022, Dr John found a reference to the boulder and asked the Museum Director, Adrian Green, if it was still in storage. On discovering that it was, he was given permission to examine it and undertake a careful examination of its surface features.

Through a detailed analysis of the boulder’s surface, Dr John identified a series of marks that suggest glacial, rather than human transport. “Glacially transported boulders tend to have facets,” Dr John explains. “That means they’ve got a number of different faces at angles to one another which actually indicated where a boulder has been abraded or, basically, sanded down.”

**Is current theory wrong?: Volunteers pull bluestone from Pembrokeshire to Stonehenge (Image: Martin Cavaney)**

As boulders move with a glacier, they get flipped over from side to side, creating several different flat faces with rounded edges, just like the Newall boulder. In addition, the boulder bears a series of scratches and small fractures, called striations and chatter marks, which are often caused by glacial transport.

And although the Newall Boulder isn’t exactly the same type of rock as the other bluestones, Dr John says this is exactly what his theory would predict. He says: “It’s often claimed in popular articles that the bluestones are all made of spotted dolerite which is this type of igneous rock we get on the Preseli Hills but they’re actually about 30 different rock types. That enormous range of rock types is absolutely typical of the way that ice travels across the terrain and picks up boulders from here there and everywhere.”

Dr John suggests that this provides convincing evidence that the Newall boulder and all of the smaller bluestone boulders at Stonehenge were moved by glacier. His claims land him squarely at the centre of one of Stonehenge’s most contentious debates. The idea that the stones were transported to Salisbury Plain began with the geologist Herbert Henry Thomas in 1923. Although Thomas was quite spectacularly wrong about almost everything, the human transport theory is still extremely popular.

A team of researchers led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson of UCL have been some of the most active proponents of this theory, arguing that the stones were moved over land. Recently, Professor Pearson and his team even claimed to have discovered evidence which identifies the quarry of the Stonehenge bluestone, dating this to 3000 BC.

***Previously, two curraghs were readied to see if Bluestones could be floated to Stonehenge (Image Martin Cavaney)***

However, Dr John now says his discovery should “open up the debate” for a consideration of other theories. He says: “Herbert Thomas thought that because glacial transport was impossible they must have been carried by human beings. That’s now part of our national myth because people have not seriously questioned it before; it’s just been accepted as the truth.”

Instead of the orderly and rather deliberate building project we sometimes imagine Stonehenge to be, Dr John says: “I think it’s always been a bit of a shambles.” He argues that the Neolithic builders simply used the stones they had in their immediate vicinity, rearranging and moving the smaller bluestones as needed. And, when they eventually had to travel too far to gather more stones, the project was simply abandoned in the state we now find it. “It was a Neolithic cost-benefit analysis that eventually the costs of getting the stones were greater than the benefits that were coming from it,” he says.

However, the ultimate test for his theory would be cosmogenic dating – a test to determine how long rocks have been exposed to the surface by measuring their exposure to cosmic rays. If Dr John is right, the deeply weathered surface of the rocks should have been exposed to the elements for hundreds of thousands of years. Alternatively, if the stones were quarried they should only have been exposed to cosmic radiation for around 3,000 to 5,000 years.

While the debate over the origin of the stones is still very much alive, Dr John believes the evidence of weathering will remain strong. He concludes: “I’m very confident that if one or other university can get its act together and actually get this done these stones will be seen to have been subject to cosmogenic bombardment from the atmosphere for possibly hundreds of thousands of years. That would knock the quarrying idea on its head once and for all.”

Community

Wales launches plan to become ‘Carer Aware’ nation

Published

2 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Consultation invites unpaid carers across the country to shape new national strategy

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has unveiled plans to make Wales a “Carer Aware” nation, with a new public consultation launched today (Monday, Feb 2) aimed at improving recognition and support for the country’s thousands of unpaid carers.

Ministers say the move is designed to ensure people who look after relatives, friends or neighbours are identified earlier and treated as partners in decisions about the care of their loved ones.

A draft National Strategy for Unpaid Carers has been developed with input from hundreds of carers and representative groups across Wales. It sets out eight key priorities, including better recognition of carers’ roles, improved access to respite and short breaks, stronger wellbeing support, and measures to prevent young carers from carrying too much responsibility.

Under the proposals, carers of all ages and backgrounds — including disabled carers and those in minority communities — would be able to access clear, local information and help when they need it.

Officials say earlier identification is critical, so carers can receive advice, financial guidance and emotional support from the start of their caring journey, rather than only at crisis point.

The strategy also stresses the need for sufficient alternative care arrangements to allow carers time to rest and protect their own health.

Dawn Bowden, Minister for Children and Social Care, said many carers do not even see themselves as carers.

“Too often, unpaid carers go unrecognised – even by themselves. They’re simply ‘looking after mum’ or ‘helping out a friend’, but caring can have a profound impact on people’s finances, careers, health and wellbeing,” she said.

“We want Wales to be a place where carers are identified early, where they know their rights, and where they’re treated as partners for the person they care for.

“This consultation is important in shaping a strategy which takes into full account how carers feel and how they’re supported. I’d encourage everyone with an interest to provide their views.”

The consultation is open now and runs until April 13, with responses helping to shape the final strategy and future support services across Wales.

People can take part online via the Welsh Government website.

Community

Flood alert issued for Pembrokeshire coast this evening

Published

4 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Luke Sinclair

Pembrokeshire residents are being urged to prepare for possible flooding along the coastline between St Dogmaels, Cardigan and Amroth, after Natural Resources Wales issued a Flood Alert.

The alert warns that rising water levels could pose a risk to homes, vehicles and livestock, and advises people to take precautions now. Authorities are reminding residents to follow their flood plans, check on family, friends and pets, and ensure essential items and documents are protected.

Residents are also advised to keep mobile phones charged, know how to turn off electricity, gas and water supplies, and prepare a small emergency bag with items such as medication, warm clothing, baby and pet care essentials, and insurance documents. Vehicles, livestock and equipment should be moved from areas likely to flood if possible.

Safety warnings are clear: do not drive or walk through floodwater. Just 30 cm (1 foot) of water can carry a car away, and 15 cm can knock a person off their feet.

For more information, residents can visit Natural Resources Wales – Flood Warnings, check river and sea levels online, or contact Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (quick dial 503013). Updates are also available via @NatResWales on social media.

Community

Lottery boost for HMS Erebus exhibition in Pembroke Dock

Published

4 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Heritage Centre secures £57,015 to mark 200 years since famous polar exploration ship was built in the town

THE PEMBROKE DOCK HERITAGE CENTRE has secured £57,015 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create a major new exhibition celebrating the extraordinary story of HMS Erebus, one of the most famous exploration vessels ever built in Wales.

The exhibition, titled HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery, will open to the public on Monday 8 June 2026, marking exactly 200 years since the ship was launched at Pembroke Dock’s Royal Dockyard.

Constructed in 1826 by local shipwrights, Erebus stands as a powerful symbol of the town’s maritime heritage and the exceptional craftsmanship that once made Pembroke Dock a centre of naval excellence. From its origins in a small Welsh dockyard, the vessel went on to play a central role in some of the most significant expeditions of the nineteenth century.

She later served on the pioneering Ross Antarctic expedition before joining Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated Arctic voyage, where both ships and crew were lost. The dramatic rediscovery of the wreck beneath Arctic waters in 2014 reignited global interest in one of exploration’s greatest mysteries.

For the first time, rare artefacts recovered from the wreck — on loan from the Royal Navy Museum — will be displayed to the British public, offering visitors a direct and tangible connection to life on board and the harsh realities of polar exploration.

The new exhibition will also place Erebus within the wider story of the Georgian dockyard community that built her, highlighting Pembroke Dock’s role in Britain’s naval expansion and the skilled workforce that shaped its history.

Visitors can expect bilingual interpretation, digital interactives, an immersive Arctic diorama with a scale model of the ship, and dramatic underwater footage of the wreck site provided by Parks Canada. The displays will also link historic exploration with modern conversations about climate change and the fragility of polar environments.

Community engagement is central to the project. Local schools will help co-produce elements of the exhibition, while oral histories and shared memories will ensure the story reflects both the past and the present community.

Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund – Wales, said: “This project will help people better understand Pembroke Dock’s vital role in maritime history while creating new opportunities for communities to engage with their heritage in meaningful and inspiring ways. Thanks to National Lottery players, this exhibition will bring an internationally significant story back to the place where it began, ensuring it is shared with future generations.”

John Evans, Patron of Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, said: “We are thrilled to receive this support. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can preserve and celebrate a story of national and international importance, while re-establishing Pembroke Dock as a place of discovery, craftsmanship and exploration. By reconnecting HMS Erebus with the community that built her, we hope to inspire pride, learning and long-term cultural and economic benefit for the town.”

HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery opens on Monday 8 June 2026.