Swine Sty.
Location-
Swine Sty, Big Moor, Baslow, Derbyshire.
O.S Grid Reference-
SK
Parking at the pay and display car park at Curbar Gap, SK264 746, take the gated track heading NE towards the Swine Sty escarpment crossing Sandyford Brook. Once at the escarpment follow the upper edge all the time looking at the shelf of land below you. You should be able to spot the enclosure wall and a small cairn from above, the hut circle becomes apparent once on this level.
This was the first Bronze Age settlement identified in the Peak District and the first sign of occupation that wasn't related to caves. It was once thought that the Swine Sty side of Big Moor was an entirely habitational area of Big Moor, the otherside separated by the Barbrook, with its stone circles and burial cairns for ritual use. But surveys of the area have now called this into doubt with the duiscovery of barrows and a cist in the Swine Sty settlement area.
The hut circle, pictured below, is perhaps the most easily identifiable such site in the area, but others do exist on the upper shelf. During excavation itwas discovered that the hut had been built over an earlier Neolithic structure. A large amount of residual flint flakes were found along with worked shale, probably extracted from further north on the moor, that had made into rings or bracelets.
Swine Sty, Big Moor, Baslow, Derbyshire.
O.S Grid Reference-
SK
Parking at the pay and display car park at Curbar Gap, SK264 746, take the gated track heading NE towards the Swine Sty escarpment crossing Sandyford Brook. Once at the escarpment follow the upper edge all the time looking at the shelf of land below you. You should be able to spot the enclosure wall and a small cairn from above, the hut circle becomes apparent once on this level.
This was the first Bronze Age settlement identified in the Peak District and the first sign of occupation that wasn't related to caves. It was once thought that the Swine Sty side of Big Moor was an entirely habitational area of Big Moor, the otherside separated by the Barbrook, with its stone circles and burial cairns for ritual use. But surveys of the area have now called this into doubt with the duiscovery of barrows and a cist in the Swine Sty settlement area.
The hut circle, pictured below, is perhaps the most easily identifiable such site in the area, but others do exist on the upper shelf. During excavation itwas discovered that the hut had been built over an earlier Neolithic structure. A large amount of residual flint flakes were found along with worked shale, probably extracted from further north on the moor, that had made into rings or bracelets.
Above: Hut circle at Swine Sty with enclosure wall to its right.
Below: View of the hut circle.
Below: View of the hut circle.