Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has acted for Historic England on the acquisition of two henge monuments and their surrounding landscape, part of the Neolithic complex in North Yorkshire dubbed “the Stonehenge of the North.”
The Thornborough Henges complex, near Ripon, is an extremely important site, consisting of three giant, circular earthworks (known as ‘henges’) each more than 200m in diameter. Dating from 3500 to 2500 BC, the henges are of outstanding national significance. The earthworks are thought to have been part of a ‘ritual landscape’, comparable with Salisbury Plain in south-west England, and are probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland.
Historic England has acquired the henges from Tarmac, a sustainable building materials and construction solutions business, who have gifted the complex into legal ownership of the government’s heritage advisor.
The henges will join Stonehenge, Iron Bridge, Dover Castle, Kenwood and numerous Roman sites on Hadrian’s Wall within the National Heritage Collection. They are now under the care of English Heritage and are free to visit. As part of its interpretation programme, the charity will share with visitors Thornborough Henges’ stories and explain its significance.
The WBD team acting for Historic England was led by partner William Akerman and managing associate Georgina Hook from the firm’s Real Estate practice. They were assisted by paralegal Adam Sykes and solicitor Ash Kaur.
William Akerman from WBD said: “This was an important transaction for Historic England and we are proud to have played a part in the safeguarding of this significant site. We have a particular knowledge and skillset in this area, having worked together with Historic England and English Heritage for a number of years and we are thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with this important client of our firm.”
Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive, said: “Thornborough Henges and their surrounding landscape form part of the most important concentration of Neolithic monuments in the North of England. We are thrilled to have acquired this highly significant site for the nation and are grateful to the team at Womble Bond Dickinson for advising us on this acquisition.”
