Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of Gunthorpe henge
located 120m south of Lodge Farm. The site has a sub-circular flat platform
measuring approximately 53m in diameter which is enclosed by a ditch averaging
15m wide and approximately 1.5m deep. An external low bank approximately 5m
wide surrounds the ditch and survives to a height of 0.75m. An entrance to the
south east is clearly visible. The northern and western part of the site is
masked by alluvium (soil left after flooding) but will survive well beneath
this layer. A relatively modern drain cuts through the western side of the
monument. The drainage ditch follows, in part, the ditch of the henge. A curve
in the drain clearly shows the point at which this occurs. The layer of
alluvium covering the north and west side of the henge will have preserved the
outer bank to the west and north of the drain.
All modern field boundaries including fences, gates and drainage ditches are
excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is
included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 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.

Gunthorpe henge is a particularly good and rare earthwork example of this type
of site in Nottinghamshire. The size and quality of the earthworks illustrate
the high level of preservation of the structural elements of the site. The
fill of the ditch, the make up of the bank, the old ground surface beneath the
bank and that which lies beneath the alluvium, will retain important
archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the use and date of the
site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Darvill, T. C., MPP Single Monument Class Description Henges, (1989)
RCHME, NMR 12863 Frame No. 26, (1996)

Source: Historic England