Thornborough Henges

The Thornborough Henges are an ancient monument complex that includes the three aligned henges that give the site its name. They are located on a raised plateau above the River Ure near the village of Thornborough in North Yorkshire, England. The site includes many large ancient structures including a cursus, henges, burial grounds and settlements. They are thought to have been part of a Neolithic and Bronze Age 'ritual landscape' comparable to Salisbury Plain and date from between 3500 and 2500 BC. The monument complex has been called 'The Stonehenge of the North'. Historic England considers its landscape comparable in ceremonial importance to better known sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury, and Orkney. Concern over the impact on the ritual landscape of quarrying by Tarmac in the 21st century, led to negotiations between Tarmac and Historic England. Following an agreement originally reached in 2016, the two henges owned by Tarmac, as well as surrounding land owned by local company Lightwater Holdings, passed into the control of Historic England in 2023. The site is now managed by English Heritage and is publicly accessible. The third, most northerly, henge remained in private ownership at the time of the original agreement but in February 2024 English Heritage announced that it had acquired it.

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Thornborough, North Yorkshire

Thornborough is a village in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is about 7 miles (11 km) south of Bedale and 3 miles (5 km) west of the A1(M) motorway. Thornborough is in the West Tanfield parish. The Thornborough Henges ancient monuments are situated south and west of the village. The village lies just to the south of the B6267 road, which connects the A6055 in the east, with the A6108 road at Masham. The village is served by two buses a day in each direction between Ripon and Masham. When the Masham Branch of the North Eastern Railway was open, Tanfield station would have been the nearest railway station to Thornborough. Now the nearest railway station is at Thirsk. The village is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the first recorded use of Thornborough was in 1198 as Thornbergh, meaning Thorn Hill. The second part of the name Beorg, derives from Old Norse and is found in other place names such as Barby, Barrowby and Borrowby. It is thought that this led to the Old English Beorg, which means Barrow.> The village was previously in the Wapentakes of Hang East and Hallikeld. Today, as part of the parish of West Tanfield, its population is recorded with that parish returns for the 2011 census. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. A small cidermaking venture (Thornborough Cider) is based in the village which uses apples only from Yorkshire. The cider has been in production since 2010, and in 2016, the company planted their own 5-acre (2 ha) orchard in the village. Thornborough Cider have won many awards for the quality of their product.

Sleningford Watermill

Sleningford Watermill is a historic corn mill near North Stainley, a village in North Yorkshire in England. A watermill at this site on the River Ure was first recorded in the 14th century. The current mill was probably built in 1773, when it was known as Walk Mill. The wooden waterwheel was replaced with an iron wheel in the early 19th century, while the roof was replaced in the 20th century. The mill ceased to operate in the 1950s, and in 1973 was restored to form the centre of a campsite, being extended by two bays to accommodate an information centre, shop and house. The building was grade II listed in 1986. The mill is built of stone, cobbles and brick, with quoins and a pantile roof. There are two storeys and three bays, a two-storey two-bay addition to the right, and a single-story wheelhouse at the rear. On the front are two doorways, the left approached by steps, windows, and a loading door. The waterwheel survives, as does much of the machinery.

Nosterfield

Nosterfield is a hamlet within the civil parish of West Tanfield in the county of North Yorkshire, England formerly used for quarrying. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. Several of the buildings in the village including the public house are designated as Grade II listed buildings. Nosterfield Local Nature Reserve is run as part of the Lower Ure Conservation Trust and is one of the most important wetland sites in Yorkshire recognised via designation as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) by North Yorkshire County Council.

East Tanfield

East Tanfield is a civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. There is no modern village in the parish, and the population was estimated at 30 in 2013. The deserted medieval village of East Tanfield lies near Manor Farm on the banks of the River Ure. East Tanfield was mentioned in the Domesday Book, when it was in the possession of Count Alan of Brittany. It was a prosperous community in the medieval period, but appears to have been deserted in the 16th century. East Tanfield was historically a township in the ancient parish of Kirklington in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. It was transferred to the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire in 1974. Richmondshire was abolished in 2023 and a new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, replaced it. The parish shares a grouped parish council, Tanfield Parish Council, with the much larger parish of West Tanfield.