Areley Common, Stourport on Severn, nr Kidderminister, Herefordshire. Reported 17th August.

Updated  Thursday 8th October  1998

Single Circle (87ft), grapeshot, earth grapeshot, strip of platting and walkways.

Mike Newark alone in the circle.  Dirt circles  and cross hatching just out of shot to the right.

These formations are south west of Stourport on Severn just beyond the small estate known as Areley Common. The circle was formed on the 16/17th August 1998 within the centre of its field on a gentle gradient. The circle itself is clockwise with a good lay. several hundred metres to the south east of the circle lies a small grapeshot approx. 1m in diameter swirled clockwise. The northern edge of the circle has a straight edge to it as it avoids running into the adjacent tramline.

More interestingly a small path runs away northwards from the circles up the gradient. The path turns at angles, splits, stops with a key?, continues up the field to a large grouping of tall grasses (these litter the field). The path splits into two, the left hand side terminating in a BARE EARTH grapeshot (1.5mD?) gently brushing the perimeter of the standing crop. The right hand path does the same into another BARE EARTH grapeshot (1mD?). The path continues into a tramline and further northward into the field. However, a very, very, strange piece of formation lies within a thin tramline just north of the second earth grapeshot. A tight elaborate lattice lay has been created for about 10 m of the tramline. This effect is quite amazing (and a bit of a shock to find, let alone slightly creepy), almost as if someone has got down on their hands and knees (which they might well have done!) and spent time bending the stems into lattices of approx. 10cm width every 10-15cm! This part of the formation seemed very playful and even childlike.

Look at the way the stems have been been taken from each side  of the tyre line to create the pattern, look how it blends out.

This one still sends shivers up my spine, what did this, don't know in fact I don't want to know.

The lay in Detail.

All images Copyright 1998 Antony Harding 1998

I did also manage to find two small strips of crop projecting from the tramlines that flowed under and against the flow of the circle. This may suggest that someone/thing had crossed the field that way prior to the circle going down. These strips last for about 3-4m and terminate or get lost within the circle.

Certainly a strange one!

Photos of circle, Earth grapeshot, lattice to follow.

UPDATE

but I have just checked out the video of the Stourport lattice work.....more amazing than I thought as the lattice work
takes place over the actual tractor line (where the wheel touches the ground)......this means that the maker had to take braids from each side of the earth tractor line to create the lattice....quite amazing!!!

Reported by Antony Harding

Return to the Crop Circles of 1998

Mark Fussell & Stuart Dike