17th February 2023 3 min read
Thornborough Henges gifted to the UK National Heritage Collection

Tarmac, a CRH Company, has gifted two ancient ‘henges’ into the legal ownership of Historic England, preserving the historical site for future generations.

The Thornborough Henges complex, in North Yorkshire in the UK, consists of three giant, circular earthworks – the central, southern and northern henges – each more than 200m in diameter. Dating from 3500 to 2500 BC, the henges are considered to be of outstanding national significance.

The central and southern henges sit on land which was previously part of the Tarmac-owned Nosterfield Sand and Gravel Quarry. Tarmac has worked with Historic England for a number of years to secure the future of these henges, which will now be managed by English Heritage as part of the UK’s National Heritage Collection, alongside such renowned monuments as Stonehenge, Dover Castle and numerous Roman sites along Hadrian’s Wall.

Tarmac will continue to work towards extending the conservation value of this site, promoting the Nosterfield Quarry as an important future destination for green tourism.

Across CRH we make it a priority to conserve local heritage sites. We are currently preserving cultural heritage at 73 company locations as part of relevant site management plans, from iron age structures to medieval buildings and archaeologically significant caves.