Details

The monument is a henge of Neolithic date, situated on an elevated and exposed
position in a small plantation. It includes a raised, roughly oval central
platform measuring 43m by 54m across, within a broad shallow ditch 4m across
and 0.3m deep. Outside the ditch there is a narrow flat space or berm 1.5m
wide surrounded by an external bank. The bank is on average 5m wide and 0.6m
high. At the northern end of the enclosure there is an entrance 7m wide.
The fences which delimit the conifer plantation at the northern end of the
monument are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is
included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic
period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval-
shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a
ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the
interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features
including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or
central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide
important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types
of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in
which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the
exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally
situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are
rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of
identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all
henges are considered to be of national importance.

The henge near Tone Hall survives well and is a good example of a monument
class which is very rare in Northumberland.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hogg, A H A, 'Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11' in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11, (1947)
Other
5421,

Source: Historic England