Name: Thornborough Henges
Rating: 5.0

Thornborough Henges

Thornborough, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 2RA, UK

1-99 Years

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Description

Thornborough Henges this unique and important cluster of Neolithic monuments lies on a raised plateau above the river Ure. Three huge circular henges – sometimes described as the ‘Stonehenge of the North’ – were built here about 4,500 years ago over an earlier monument.

They remained important into the early Bronze Age, when burial mounds were constructed nearby. Like other henges across Britain, the Thornborough henges are each surrounded by an earthen bank. The banks at Thornborough originally stood up to 4 metres high and were broken by two opposing entrances.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Thornborough Henges: On a raised plateau above the river Ure lies a unique and important cluster of Neolithic monuments. Here, about 4,500 years ago, farming communities built three huge, identical circular earthwork enclosures, or henges. This was a place where people gathered for ceremonies and funerary rituals for at least 2,000 years. The henges were built over an earlier cursus monument, and they remained important into the early Bronze Age, when burial mounds were constructed nearby.
Circular worlds: The three henges at Thornborough were aligned along a north-west to south-east axis, stretching out over a mile. Each one is about 250 metres in diameter.
Earlier monuments: The central henge was built over a much earlier rectangular enclosure known as a cursus. Cursuses were elongated, relatively narrow enclosures, whose purpose is unknown, but it has been suggested that they were formalised routeways or barriers across the landscape. This one ran across the highest part of the plateau, and the line of the henges is perpendicular to it. The cursus was at least ¾ mile (1.2km) long and about 44 metres wide, and was defined by a bank and ditch which were interrupted by several causeways.
Worlds above and below: The henge monuments at Thornborough were built in open, dry grassland on an upland plateau with extensive views of the sky. The high banks of each henge would have blocked views of the surrounding landscape for people standing within them, except through the entrances. It has been suggested that these entrances were aligned with the movement of particular stars, such as Sirius, the sky’s brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. Its rising would have been framed within the southern entrance of all three henges.
A place of pilgrimage: The location of the Thornborough henges seems to have been somewhere that people regularly gathered throughout the Neolithic period (about 4000–2400 BC). An extensive programme of fieldwalking (whereby archaeologists systematically walk the surface of ploughed fields and recover artefacts) has identified scatters of worked flint and chert – both fine-grained stones which were used to make tools and weapons. These scatters, found mainly near the river, indicate the sites of early Neolithic temporary settlements.
Bronze Age burials: In the early Bronze Age (about 2400–1500 BC), the Thornborough henges remained important, with several round barrows – mounds that usually covered graves or burials – built nearby. Between the central and south henges is a low mound known as the Centre Hill. When the archaeologist WC Lukis opened it in 1864, he found fragments of human bone in a wooden ‘coffin’ with a pottery vessel and flint tool. This was probably an early Bronze Age burial, although geophysical survey suggests that this barrow might have been built over an earlier, Neolithic structure.
A wider complex: The complex of monuments at Thornborough does not occur in isolation. It is part of a more extensive cluster of Neolithic and early Bronze Age monuments found along a 7½ mile (12km) stretch of the river Ure, parallel with the modern A1 road. The Ure was probably a key route between the central Pennine Hills to the west and Yorkshire’s low-lying vales to the east.
A threatened landscape: By the mid 20th century sand and gravel extraction had destroyed about 13 hectares (32 acres) of land around the Thornborough monuments, including areas within 600 metres of the central and south henges. This resulted in the loss of many archaeological features, including most of the main cursus monument. The cursus had only recently been discovered by JK St Joseph through aerial photography, and was not protected by law. Rescue excavations were only possible at the western terminal in 1955 before it was destroyed.
Future research: The monuments have seen relatively little archaeological excavation, although some small trenches were dug by N Thomas in 1952. A major research programme between 1994 and 1998 included extensive geophysical and topographic surveys, as well as limited excavations at the central and south henges, one of the double pit alignments, the early Neolithic oval enclosure and a triple-ditched round barrow. The results of this project were published in a major monograph in 2013.

Facilities

Parking: Northern Henge - The closest parking available for the Northern Henge is at the Nosterfield Nature Reserve Car Park, off Moor Lane. What3words location: ///livid.caps.sailing . The entrance to the Northern Henge is approximately a 10min walk, heading North via the public footpath from the nature reserve car park. Parking is prohibited on the roadside. Please park respectfully and safely.
Dogs: Livestock present. Dogs must be kept on short leads at all times and please keep to footpaths and desire lines. Please ensure you clean up after them.

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Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open any reasonable time during daylight hours.

Address: Thornborough, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 2RA, UK

Post Code: DL8 2RA

Council: North Yorkshire

County: North Yorkshire

Road Access: Located between West Tanfield and Thornborough, on a minor road off the A6108 at West Tanfield.
Bus Access: Visit traveline.info for the latest bus timetables and routes.
Train Access: Thirsk 9 miles.
Parking: Northern Henge - The closest parking available for the Northern Henge is at the Nosterfield Nature Reserve Car Park, off Moor Lane. What3words location: ///livid.caps.sailing . The entrance to the Northern Henge is approximately a 10min walk, heading North via the public footpath from the nature reserve car park. Parking is prohibited on the roadside. Please park respectfully and safely.