The Goldstone

The Goldstone is a large sarsen stone — a type of sandstone boulder that occurs naturally across southern England but is not native to Sussex — that has stood in Hove since before recorded history. It weighs around 20 tonnes and was probably moved here during the prehistoric period, possibly as a waymarker or ritual object. Similar stones were used to build Stonehenge.

The stone now sits in Hove Park, slightly incongruously next to a formal park layout with flowerbeds and a paddling pool. Sarsens are rare in Sussex; how this one got here and what it was used for is genuinely unknown. It's a quiet, odd object worth five minutes of attention if you are in the area.

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A story
Local legend holds that the Goldstone was thrown by the Devil — or by a giant — and that it has magical properties including the ability to protect the town from plague. In 1834 it was buried by a farmer who was tired of people trampling his crops to see it; it was rediscovered and reinstated in the 1900s after local outcry.

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