Are the Dark Wives standing stones in Vera's last episode real?

The Dark Wives standing stones were a key feature in the Vera season 14 finale and many fans might have been left wondering if they are real monoliths.

The Dark Wives was not only the title of Vera’s last ever episode but the name for three ancient standing stones that loomed rather ominously from the Northumberland hillside in the opening scene. They continued to be part of the backdrop of the sinister goings-on in Vera season 14’s finale as DCI Stanhope investigated the murder of student Josh Worsten.

His body was found not far from the Dark Wives and Vera couldn’t help being reminded of her childhood when she came in sight of them too as her late birdwatcher father Hector had taken her on egg-stealing trips there. Given the prominence of these standing stones in Vera’s final episode, it’s all-too-easy to be curious about the Dark Wives and whether they really exist.

Are the Dark Wives standing stones in Vera real?

Sadly for those hoping they might be able to visit the Dark Wives in person someday or learn more about their history, these standing stones in Vera are entirely fictional. You’d be forgiven for mistaking them for real monoliths, though, as even Vera star Brenda Blethyn herself reportedly thought they must be "ancient" when she first laid eyes on them.

As per the Northumberland Gazette, Brenda explained, "When I first saw them, I thought, ‘Those stones must be ancient!’ And Geoff, our props man, said, ‘No Brenda, the art department made them and put them there.’ They looked so realistic. Must’ve been some feat getting them up there."

The Dark Wives had to be "in place in the middle of nowhere for two weeks" at Rothley Crags and although some viewers might have expected ITV’s Vera to create the standing stones with CGI, the final result with the huge prop stones was so spectacular.

"When we were developing this idea we went to the production designer and said, ‘Look, we want to put three - four metre - standing stones on crags in the middle of Northumberland and they have to be there for two weeks," said executive producer Will Nicholson. "Viewers can’t see how they are made but you have to liaise with the National Trust to be able to put them there."

The standing stones had to be strong enough to survive in the Northumberland elements for the two weeks and Will praised the work of the production designer and the art and rigging departments for achieving this feat.

"You expect most people to say they will do it with CGI. But we’ve been very lucky with our production designer Jonathan Tolson - he’s a local chap as well. So we set him the task

"He got his fantastic art department team together along with the rigging department and after a few recces they came up with a solution as to how to do it. So hats off to them because they did it and they stayed up there in some quite strong winds," he declared.

The Dark Wives also appear in the Ann Cleeves novel of the same name that this final Vera episode is based on and in both show and book they have an undeniable presence. In the opening of the ITV drama’s episode Vera explains to DI Joe Ashworth that the Dark Wives is what the stones are called in the area and when he spots a poster for a local Witch Hunt she reveals a little more.

According to Vera, the Witch Hunt is nothing more than a spooky game of hide and seek, but the story goes that there’s a witch trapped under each stone by a carving on the underside. She remarks that this myth is probably "just a ploy to shut women up". In the Dark Wives book it’s a similar story, with the local superstition going that a giant petrified three women for being too talkative.

In the climax of the book the local village takes part in the Witch Hunt on the hill by the standing stones in the dark, making for a very atmospheric reveal of the killer who briefly escapes thanks to the intervention of their accomplice.

In the show the Witch Hunt happens during the day, which perhaps makes sense for logistical reasons given the challenge that comes with filming in dark conditions. The killer remains the same but is apprehended without any escape after DCI Stanhope manages to talk them out of hurting anyone else and into accepting their arrest.

Vera seasons 1-14 are available to watch now via ITVX and the Vera, Farewell Pet documentary special airs at 9pm on 3rd January on ITV1.