Visiting the King and Queen Stones of Bredon Hill

Hidden among the hills of Worcestershire, Bredon Hill is a place where stories settle into the land. It rises gently above the Vale of Evesham, carrying with it an atmosphere that feels both peaceful and ancient. On its southern slopes stand the King and Queen Stones, a pair of tall weathered pillars that seem as though they have been waiting there forever.

These stones are not famous in the way that Avebury or Stanton Drew are, yet there is something about them that lingers in the imagination. They are quiet. They are dramatic. And they are steeped in centuries of human memory.

To understand the King and Queen Stones, you first need to understand the landscape that shapes them. Bredon Hill is an outlier of the Cotswold escarpment, made of the same ancient Jurassic limestone. It stands alone, separate from the main line of the Cotswolds, which gives it a sense of solitude and presence.

The King and Queen Stones sit partway down the slope, tucked between a cluster of trees that frame them like a natural gateway. Sunlight filters through the branches and falls across the stones in shifting patterns, giving the whole area a quiet, sheltered feeling rather than the open exposure found higher on the hill.

Although the stones feel like monuments, they were not placed there by human hands. They are natural. Over millions of years, the limestone of the hill fractured. Deep gullies and cracks opened up when the rock slipped and shifted. Water rich in minerals seeped into these spaces and began to cement broken stone fragments together. This created a tough, mixed material that resisted erosion better than the surrounding bedrock.

As the softer limestone wore away, the harder upright pillars were left behind. Over centuries they emerged from the hill like the ribs of the land itself. Today the stones stand side by side with a narrow gap between them, their tall shapes rising from the ground like two silent sentinels. This natural formation is what gives them their distinctive shape and the impression that they belong to some forgotten ancient ritual.

Where unusual stones exist, stories follow. The King and Queen Stones have been woven into the folklore of the surrounding villages for generations.

Local people long believed that the stones had healing properties. Children with illnesses were carried through the narrow opening between them. Adults seeking relief from pain or misfortune would do the same. It was said that the stone could draw sickness out of the body. This belief echoes similar healing traditions found at holed stones across Britain, yet the power of this site is made more striking by the height and weight of the stones themselves.

Some stories tell of curses that could be broken by passing through the stones. Others simply describe them as a place where the veil between the ordinary and the old magic of the land feels slightly thinner.

The stones also have a recorded role in local governance. For centuries, right up until around 1870, the Court Leet of the Manor of Bredon was held here. This was a local court that dealt with minor offences and village matters. Holding it outdoors, in front of these stones, added a sense of formality and symbolism.

Before each gathering, the stones were whitewashed. Imagine the sight. Local officials in their heavy coats. Villagers standing by. The tall pale stones stood bright against the hillside. A traditional bow to mark the proceedings. And afterwards, people walking down to the inn in Bredon village once business was finished. In this way the stones were not only landmarks. They were a centre point of local life.

What makes the King and Queen Stones so captivating is that they occupy the space between nature and mystery. They are not crafted, yet they feel intentional. They are not a monument, yet they have gathered the weight of meaning. They are a reminder that some of the most evocative places in Britain were not built by people at all. They were given to us by the land itself.

Bredon Hill is full of these quiet wonders. But the King and Queen Stones remain one of its most evocative features. They ask nothing of you except that you pause, breathe, and let the past rise up around you.

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