Issue 41 Spring web - Flipbook - Page 97
“Stonehenge of
the north” reunited
n English Heritage acquires the final of three Thornborough Henges
n Acquisition by the charity guarantees public access to all three monuments
n All three henges united under a single owner for the first time in 1,500 years
One of Britain’s most significant prehistoric monuments
– Thornborough Henges in North Yorkshire - is now
finally reunited, English Heritage announced today
(Friday 9 February 2024) as with the generous support of
The National Heritage Memorial Fund, Jamie Ritblat and
family, and The SCS Trust, the charity has now acquired
the monument’s third and final henge. That northern
henge now joins the central and southern henges within
the National Heritage Collection and under the care of
English Heritage. It is thought to be the first time that all
three henges have been under one single owner for at
least 1,500 years. The acquisition not only guarantees
public access in perpetuity to the entirety of this remarkable Neolithic monument but allows English Heritage
to share with visitors the full story of Thornborough
Henges so that they can better understand the henges’
significance and scale as well as how each individual
henge relates to the others.
Gerard Lemos CMG CBE, Chair of English Heritage,
said: “The Thornborough Henges are a remarkable
survivor from the prehistoric past, from deep, deep history.
We are incredibly proud that all three henges are now reunited under one single owner and their future secure.
English Heritage will ensure that the entire monument is
given the care it deserves. Reuniting the henges like this
means that the public is now able to explore all three and
re-connect with the people who gathered here 4,500
years ago.”
Often referred to as “the Stonehenge of the North”, the
Thornborough Henges in North Yorkshire comprise three
large circular earthworks (known as ‘henges’) each more
than 200m in diameter. Dating from 3000 to 2500 BC,
the henges are of outstanding national significance, a
place where people gathered for ceremonies for at least
2,000 years. Thornborough is one of the most important
prehistoric sites between Stonehenge and the Orkney
Islands in Scotland.
Currently under woodland, the northern henge is the best
preserved of the three – and one of the best preserved
henges in the country – and gives a strong impression of
how the others would have appeared originally. At the
