THE PUDDINGSTONE TRACK 55
723877 Warmescombe Lane, verge, (unconfirmed).
720873 Page's Farm—broken, large fragment by gate.
714872 Nell Gwynne's Bower, Soundess House.
703868 Nettlebed, roadside verge, at corner of by-road.
700868 Nettlebed, the Bull Inn, High Street.
690841 Stoke Row, previously reported.
Nell Gwynne's Bower is an 'ancient monument', and consists of a small
enclosure surrounded by tall yew trees. Within it lies a group of boulders two
of which are large conglomerates. It is claimed that the 'bower' was con-
structed for Nell Gwynne by Charles II, but it seems likely that the spot may
claim a much greater antiquity. The site stands high, and looking across
the shallow valley one may see the Stonor district beyond. A system of foot-
paths and overgrown lanes leads unbrokenly along the track from Nettlebed
to Stonor.
There is little doubt that once the general line of the track is established,
intervening boulders will be located. Mention has been made of additional
Essex sites found in this way, and it only remains for me to record another
example at Cadmore End, Bucks, northeast of Fingest. Two boulders had
already been noted at Rackley's Farm (791925), and recently yet another was
found beside the unused lane leading from here to Kensham Farm (791927),
deeply embedded in the verge, about 50 yards from the farm gate.
Future work on the puddingstone track will take the form of detailed con-
solidation of the general principles discovered. The many gaps in the series
shown in these records are not necessarily because the stones have disappeared,
but chiefly because of the inaccessibility of the sites and the limited time
available for field search.