The Coldrum Stones are the remains of a Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 chambered long barrow

Long barrow

A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...

 near Trottiscliffe

Trottiscliffe

Trottiscliffe , is a village in Kent, England about north west of West Malling.Its most notable feature is the neolithic long barrow known as the Coldrum Stones and its medieval church. It is often incorrectly spelled Trosley after Trosley Country Park at the top of The North Downs, which was once...

 in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

.
The monument has been greatly affected by 19th century treasure hunters and chalk extraction but the kerb

Megalithic architectural elements

This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic structures.-Forecourt:In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb...

 of 31 peristalith

Megalithic architectural elements

This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic structures.-Forecourt:In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb...

s largely survives, meaning that it is often mistaken for a stone circle

Stone circle

A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....

. It measures 27m in length and 16.5 in width and is oriented east-west.

When the barrow itself was excavated in 1910, the remains of twenty two people were found in the central chamber, including the skull of one which had been placed on a raised shelf.