Coronation Stone

An ancient sarsen stone, traditionally said to have been used for the coronation of Saxon kings in the C10, with a plinth and enclosing railings and piers of 1850. The Coronation Stone and its enclosure have stood at their present location since 1935.

MATERIALS: the Coronation Stone is an unhewn block of hard sandstone or sarsen stone. It is set within a two-tier plinth of mixed limestone and concrete composition, with the base rendered with lime and cementitious mortar. It is surrounded by cast iron railings and rendered piers with Caen stone capitals, with various lime and cement mortar repairs. Some of these repairs probably date from 1920 and 1935, with more repairs carried out as part of the 2022 restoration work.

PLAN & DESCRIPTION: the approximately one-metre-high block of stone is set within a two-tier heptagonal plinth, which bears the names of the seven kings to each of its chamfered edges, with the dates of their coronations on the vertical faces below. These inscriptions are in lead with Anglo-Saxon lettering for the names and Roman numerals for the dates. There is a small, circular indentation beneath each name, which is presumably where the coins from each monarch’s reign were placed, although these are now obscured. The Stone and the plinth are surrounded by seven piers, originally of Purbeck stone, but now apparently replaced or covered with concrete, probably due to damage that occurred during a motor accident in 1920 as well as the monument’s relocation in 1935. These piers are of circular section and are set in chamfered, heptagonal bases. They are capped with carved capitals, each of a unique design, and conical, scalloped hoods, all of Caen stone but patched with cement and lime mortar. These are topped with painted spearhead finials probably of cast iron and of varying quality. The piers are linked by painted, iron railings in the form of intersecting round-headed arches, with cubic capitals below, resting upon spiked circles. Some of these details resemble those of the railings on the south side of the adjacent Clattern Bridge.