A Neolithic Polished Stone Axe

The polished greenstone axe pictured on the left was found at Stonebarrow Down in the 1960s, in an area being eroded by the sea. It was made some time in the Neolithic period between 4,000 and 2,000 BC. It would have been used to cut down trees to make clearings for agriculture – the beginning of the felling of woodland and the impact of mankind on the environment. It was given to Lyme Regis Museum by John Fowles, and is on display in the Ancient History Cabinet on the Ground Floor of the Museum.

The axe-head is featured in a new series on the History of Lyme Regis in Museum Objects on the Museum website, produced by the Museum's research team. If you follow the link, you will find a number of in-depth PDF documents you can download, including one on the subject of the Neolithic Polished Stone Axe, written by Felicity Hebditch.