Swastika Stone

53°55′08″N 1°51′43″W / 53.91889°N 1.86194°W / 53.91889; -1.86194

Swastika Stone design
A photograph of the original stone, its replica carving and the view it overlooks from Woodhouse Crag.
The Ilkley Moor design is similar to the Camunian rose of Sellero, Italy

The Swastika Stone is a stone adorned with a swastika, located on the Woodhouse Crag on the northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, England. It is the only one of its kind known in Britain. The design has a double outline with four curved arms and an attached S-shape, each enclosing a so-called "cup" mark. Similar cup and ring marks can be found on other stones nearby.

The stone has not been verifiably dated. The academic consensus suggests it to have been carved sometime around the Neolithic or early Bronze Age, although Frank Elgee suggests that the design indicates a late Iron Age origin.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Carving?, The Ilkley Moor Swastika Stone: Britain’s Most Enigmatic Rock. "The Ilkley Moor Swastika Stone: Britain's Most Enigmatic Rock Carving?". Eldon Threads. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Weldrake, Dave. "Swastika Stone: Ilkley Moor" (PDF). West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Carved rock known as the Swastika Stone (1012014)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Swastika Stone". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 14 December 2025. Elgee described the design as 'essentially characteristic of Late Iron Age craftsmanship'.