Church Henge

Late morning I took time out to visit the remains of nearby Knowlton church, which stands in the middle of a Neolithic henge. When the church was first built towards the beginning of the 12th century the henge was already 3000 to 4000 years old, so must have been a mysterious place to people at the time.

The hamlet that existed near the church has long gone, and following the collapse of the church roof some 300 years ago the building has lain derelict and a ruin. The fact that the church was here has helped preserve the henge. At least two large henge’s nearby have been largely ploughed out, as have many burial mounds, only evident from crop marks - this must have been a ceremonial or sacred place in ancient times. However, visible to the right of the church in the main image (just about, it was a misty morning) is Dorset’s largest surviving barrow (or burial mound), covered in trees and other vegetation.