Researchers raise Dorset stone that may have been part of a Stone Age tomb

Natural England and local volunteers have helped raise a five-foot stone at the Valley of Stones National Nature Reserve in Dorset. The agency said on November 4 that the rock, now called the Bride Stone, came to light during scrub clearance. Excavation by the community archaeology group Past Participate suggests it may once have formed part of a Stone Age tomb.

Earlier work at the reserve uncovered a separate, roughly 6,000-year-old stone used for polishing. Natural England said the 2022 find helped spur subsequent research at the site. [evidence-1]