Whinny Hill

Whinny Hill stands in Northumberland, northern England, on a stretch of open heathland. It belongs to a newly recognised group of ancient sites called enclosed cremation cemeteries. These places have an oval or round enclosure marked by a bank outside a ditch, unlike classic henges. The site is thought to date from the late Neolithic period, possibly acting as a forerunner to Bronze Age ring cairns. Excavations revealed a low stone arc and traces of a surrounding bank about eleven and a half metres across. A few scattered cremation pits lie inside, some once containing grave goods. Beyond the bank the heather-covered hilltop blends into a wider landscape dotted with small burial mounds. About two hundred metres away to the south-west a stone circle stands on the same ridge, adding to the sense of an organised ritual landscape.