Ravenswood standing stone

The Ravenswood standing stone was erected around 2000 BC and originally stood in what is now Liberton glebe, about 60 metres south-west of the present Old Dalkeith Road. The original position was around 61 metres above sea level. It is a menhir, but its intended purpose is unknown. Suggestions that it marked an ancient battle or had a ritual function remain possibilities rather than established conclusions. The stone carries no human-made markings to settle that question.

The monument is formed from grey sandstone containing quartz crystals. It is 1.85 metres high, 70 centimetres across at the base and tapers towards the top. Natural erosion grooves appear on the east and west faces, and a large ear-shaped natural cavity occurs on the east face. A 1903 survey recorded four faces and detailed changes in circumference from base to top. These physical observations make the stone’s material form accessible without assuming that natural marks were deliberately carved.

The stone was moved in the early nineteenth century to make way for a road scheme, then returned to its original location in 1891. It received statutory protection as a scheduled monument on 18 October 1938. Around 1971, construction of a new housing estate led to another move, approximately 100 metres north of the original position. It was set in a concrete foundation and protected by metal railings, with the scheduled area amended in 2002 to reflect its new location.

The stone now stands in the footway at the north-west side of the cul-de-sac at the eastern end of Ravenswood Avenue in The Inch. Its position in a housing estate has led to it being described as possibly Britain’s most urban standing stone. The space became a local meeting point, associated with Guy Fawkes Night bonfires and children using the railings as a football target. Historic Environment Scotland notes that relocation has removed archaeological potential but regards the monument as culturally significant and worth protecting.