Hill forts · South East England
Maumbury Rings
Maumbury Rings — Neolithic henge monument.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Dorchester South · 0.2 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
About
Maumbury Rings is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Neolithic henge monument". Coordinates: 50.7079°, -2.4404°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Dorset
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Maumbury Rings is a Neolithic henge in the south of Dorchester town in Dorset, England (grid reference SY690899). It is a large circular earthwork, 85 metres in diameter, with a single bank and an entrance to the north east. It was modified during the Roman period when it was adapted for use as an amphitheatre, and the site was remodelled again during the English Civil War when it was used as an artillery fort guarding the southern approach to Dorchester. The monument is now a public open space, and used for open-air concerts, festivals and re-enactments.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
Maumbury Rings is a roughly circular henge situated close to the centre of Dorchester. It has an internal diameter of around 50 metres. The bank has an average width of 4 metres, and is around 5.6 metres high internally and 4.0 metres high externally. A bulge in the earthworks to the southwest marks the site of a gun emplacement built during the English Civil War, and the inner side of the bank was terraced on the east and west sides at this time. There is no trace of the original internal ditch.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.7079, -2.4404
- District
- Dorset
- Parish
- Dorchester
- Postcode
- DT1 1QN
- Parliamentary constituency
- West Dorset
- Nearest railway station
- Dorchester South — 0.2 km
- Official site
- www.maumburyrings.co.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q1702090 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Maumbury Rings (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Maumbury-rings-inside.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Maumbury Rings?
- Maumbury Rings is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode DT1 1QN), in the parish of Dorchester.
- Is Maumbury Rings a listed building?
- Maumbury Rings is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Maumbury Rings a protected site?
- Yes — Maumbury Rings is part of the Dorset National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Maumbury Rings free to visit?
- Yes, Maumbury Rings is free to enter.
- How do I get to Maumbury Rings?
- The nearest railway station is Dorchester South, about 0.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DT1 1QN.