Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Glymur
Bones on display in the museum.
RSU Anatomy Museum
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The Phono Museum features decades of different sound technology.
Phono Museum Paris
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
1 day ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
2 days ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
4 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Stanton Lees Nine Ladies Stone Circle

Nine Ladies Stone Circle

Legend says this little-known stone circle is formed from people petrified as punishment for dancing on the Sabbath.

Stanton Lees, England

Added By
E Capemarsh
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Nine Ladies.   PaleCloudedWhite
The Nine Ladies.   PaleCloudedWhite
The King Stone, which comes to life and plays the fiddle according to legend.   Alunsalt
The Nine Ladies in winter.   Richard Webb
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This Bronze Age stone circle is situated in a woodland clearing high on Stanton Moor. The curious arrangement consists of nine upright stones purposefully set in a 30-foot diameter circle. An additional lone stone sits about 100 feet away.

As with most stone circles, nobody really knows why the strange formation was built. Generations of fertile imaginations have come up with their own mythological explanations.

According to local legend, each of the nine boulders was a maiden turned to stone for the crime of dancing on the Sabbath. The tenth unfortunate individual, known as the King Stone, was their fiddler, who is said to come back to life to play once a year.

These days, visitors to Stanton Moor are able to engage in recreational activities seven days a week without fear of being petrified. The area is popular for walking, picnicking, and of course the odd neo-Druid ceremony, particularly around the summer and winter solstices.

Recent plans to reopen a quarry close to the stone circle were overthrown by the national park authority, so this tranquil Bronze Age relic should be guaranteed to persist for the foreseeable future.

Related Tags

Stonehenge Rocks Rock Formations Legends Magic Bronze Age Geology

Know Before You Go

Stanton Moor is owned and managed by English Heritage and is free to visit. The stone circle is well signposted when you get to the moor. The recommended access is off Lees Road, Stanton. However, limited car parking can also be found in the nearby village of Birchover, which has two excellent pubs for refreshment after a neolithic adventure on the moor.

Community Contributors

Added By

Capemarsh

Published

June 8, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/nine-ladies-stone-circle/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Ladies
  • http://www.isleofalbion.co.uk/sites/8/the_nine_ladies.php
  • http://www.infobritain.co.uk/Nine_Ladies_Stone_Circle.html
Nine Ladies Stone Circle
1 Lees Rd
Stanton Lees, England
United Kingdom
53.167897, -1.629024
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Earl Grey Tower

Stanton Lees, England

miles away

Rowtor Rocks

Derbyshire, England

miles away

Giddy Edge Path

Matlock Bath, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stanton Lees

Stanton Lees

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

Earl Grey Tower

Stanton Lees, England

miles away

Rowtor Rocks

Derbyshire, England

miles away

Giddy Edge Path

Matlock Bath, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stanton Lees

Stanton Lees

England

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

16 Places to Celebrate the Solstice

List

By Diana Hubbell

History Tour: The Bronze Age World

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Drangurinn Rock

    Iceland

    Drangurinn Rock

    Icelandic folklore says this giant boulder was ripped from the mountains and placed at its current location, where it became home to elves.

  • Fairy Rock behind Saltom Pit

    Whitehaven, England

    Fairy Rock

    Local legends say that fairies used to dance in the moonlight here and invite handsome young men into their grottoes.

  • The excavation site on the Ness of Brodgar.

    Stenness, Scotland

    Ness of Brodgar

    The discovery of this Neolithic settlement, which contained a Stone Age "cathedral," threw archaeologists for a loop.

  • Radial Cairn.

    Kerry, Ireland

    Knocknakilla Stone Circle

    Just another ancient, mysterious Irish stone circle.

  • Standing in the middle of Almendres Cromlech

    Évora, Portugal

    Almendres Cromlech

    "Portugal's Stonehenge" is made up of nut-like stones aligned with the heavens.

  • Pungo Andongo, Angola

    Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo

    These giant volcanic rocks towering above the Angolan savannah once served as a natural fortification.

  • Window arch in the City of Rocks.

    Almo, Idaho

    City of Rocks

    This U.S. natural reserve is an ancient spiritual place and rock climber’s paradise.

  • Myths and legends swirl around this curious stone.

    Roskilde, Denmark

    Fandens Fingre (The Devil's Fingers)

    Local legend has it that the Devil's claw marks are etched into this distinctive rock.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.