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Rock and Roll - the time the standing stones moved

How do you move a 6-foot tall standing stone? This is how we did it...

A young woman points at the detail of a tall standing stone. Her two young sons look at the stone next to her.

Standing stones are not meant to be moved. Once placed in a field or on a mountain, they tend to remain there for centuries.

But in early 2026, we needed to do something that few people have attempted. We had to move these massive objects back to the Museum after six years away.

This article explains how we did it – and why it was so important to do so.

Where did we begin?

Moving standing stones that can weigh up to a tonne isn't something you decide to do on the spur of the moment. You need plenty of time to plan and raise funding. Only specialists can undertake the task - these stones are very valuable and are important parts of the Sir Gâr story.

In 2025, Carmarthenshire Museum was awarded almost £200,000 through the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture Capital Grant Funding scheme, which aimed to continue the Museum’s ongoing programme to reinterpret and improve public access to the CofGâr collection.

The funding was designed to transform three ground floor gallery spaces in the Museum. The old Bishop's Dining Room became the Create, Commission, Collect gallery that hosts historic and contemporary artworks from around the county. The former sitting room is now a family-friendly, interactive Discovery gallery, which invites you to be curious and discover the amazing variety of the CofGâr collection. And finally, the Main Hall has become the Commemorate gallery, to give the standing stones the perfect stage to tell their stories.

Two standing stones sit strapped to plinths on a driveway. They face the camera while, in the background, the Museum facade and main entrance are visible.

Where were the stones?

The standing stones were displayed for many years in the archaeology gallery in the Museum. They were arranged in a row along a narrow corridor in the gallery. But this blocked the view of some of their features and gave them no space to shine.

In 2020, just as the Covid pandemic started to emerge, we had closed the Museum to begin a programme of major renovations. We aimed to replace the roof and many of the historic windows, as well as renovating the room that hosted the stones. This was the first phase of work that allowed us to open out the rooms that later became the Create, Commission, Collect gallery and the Discovery gallery.

So, for the protection of the stones and to allow work to take place, we moved them for the first time in decades into an external store onsite. And that's where they remained until 2026.

Four standing stones are arranged in front of a corner of a wall. There are other objects and a display case in the foreground. — The standing stones in the old archaeology gallery before being moved out.

How did we prepare for their return?

We spent months speaking with specialists and making plans for how and where we would display the stones in the Museum. We knew we would display them in the Main Hall - but how to fit in all seven standing stones? Plus at least four other related stone objects?

What did we consider?

Each stone needed to have a suitable stand and a way to secure them.
Each stand needed to be able to hold up the weight of a stone for a long period of time.
Each stand needed to offer visitors a clear view all around the stones.
Each stone is inscribed. We needed to work out which way each stone should face so as to give visitors the best view of these inscriptions.
When all stands were placed in the gallery, there had to be enough room for wheelchair users to move through them easily.

Clearing the way

So, before moving the stones into the Museum, we had to clear the room of all objects to make space. With the room empty, we could make all the measurements we needed and work out a detailed plan of the exhibition.

What about the floor?

But there was something else we needed to do before returning the stones to the Museum.

Back when the old archaeology gallery was renovated, the beautiful historic parquet flooring had been resurfaced, as had the floors in the Discovery gallery and the Gift Shop. With the Main Hall being transformed, now was the perfect time to resurface the parquet flooring there, too.

Read more about our flooring journey in Flooring the Museum.

Empty room with dark, wood panelled walls and the end of a staircase. — The Main Hall (almost) empty before the floor was resurfaced.

When did we start moving them?

Early in 2026, we arranged for the first of many moves to take place. The brilliant team from Artworks Art Handling - who are experts in moving all kinds of valuable objects, from paintings to sculptures - moved the standing stones out of their external store to be able to design and fit new bases and fastenings. The stones were moved a short distance away onto the driveway in front of the main entrance to the Museum - offering a very unusual sight to passers-by! This process repeated several times until all the stones had new, secure supports.

The stage was set for the standing stones to finally return to the Museum.

Lifting crane on wheels inside the Main Hall of the Museum. The crane has a long, horizontal metal bar, with a winch hanging from the centre, and two supporting legs either side. The structure dominates the large room at over 6 feet tall. — A crane inside the Main Hall was set up to lift some of the larger standing stones.

How did we get the stones through the doorways?

Stones were mostly moved into the Museum and the Main Hall upright by pallet truck. Any extra lifting or lowering of the stones could result in damage, so the Artworks team tried to avoid any unnecessary stresses wherever possible. This meant very careful manoeuvring of stones around corners. One stone was slightly too tall for the inner doorway into the Main Hall, which led to the Artworks team having to lean the stone backwards to reduce its height, allowing it to pass through. See the video below for how they negotiated this awkward moment!

The largest stones were too heavy to be leaned safely. For these, the Artworks team laid them flat on their back on the pallets, and rolled them into the Main Hall. The team then used the crane - and their own muscles! - to heave the stone back into an upright position.

Low angle view of a crane winching up a standing stone. One man is supporting the top of the stone with his hands. Another is holding the chains of the winch. A third man bends over to check the fittings at the base of the stone. The bright, lantern ceiling lights the scene from above. — The Artworks team lifting the Voteporix Stone back into position in the Main Hall.

Once the stones were standing upright again, they were moved into their final positions on their new plinths. Some were slid into position, others were rolled, but all made it safely into their new homes.

The display now gives the standing stones far more space to shine and an atmospheric setting in which to admire them. They're the first objects that visitors see once they step into the Museum galleries, quickly setting the tone for an exciting and inspiring visit. The new lighting in the Main Hall adds to the effect - lights can shine precisely into the inscriptions of the stones to make them more visible.

We're very happy and proud to welcome visitors to the wonderful new Commemorate gallery and we're very grateful to the Artworks team for their hard work, thoughtful suggestions, and excellent team spirit that made the display possible. See a snapshot of the entire process coming together in our little compilation video below. We look forward to welcoming you to the Museum soon!