Whether it’s the notorious portrait of Henry VIII dressed lavishly in full regalia or the great dome of St Paul’s Cathedral competing with London’s modern skyline, some of historic England’s most iconic images are relatively recent in the grand scheme of things. It’s sometimes easy to forget that this is an ancient country, populated for thousands of years.
From sophisticated Roman settlements to mysterious stone circles, there’s something evocative about this lost English time period, and its mystique only enhances our curiosity. While England isn’t venerated like Egypt or Greece, there are stories to be told, and some fascinating sites to be visited.
So sit back, and travel through the past in ancient England.
Experience the solstice at Stonehenge, Wiltshire
To start a journey through ancient England anywhere other than Stonehenge would be churlish.
Similar in status (and age) to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the world’s most famous stone circle has stood quietly on the chalk plateau of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire for around 5000 years, and acts as a window into a mysterious time period few of us can comprehend. The actual building of Stonehenge lasted over 1000 years, spanning the Neolithic and Bronze ages, with the first phase beginning around 3000 BCE and the enormous sarsen stones continually added and arranged until 1600 BCE.
Why are they there? Nobody quite knows, especially considering the time and effort spent on Stonehenge’s construction. But it’s undeniably a bucket-list sight for visitors to the UK.
At the engaging Visitor Center, audiovisual displays plot the site’s long development, as well as exhibitions on medieval arrowhead finds and the lifelike model of a Neolithic man buried in a long barrow nearby.
A thin rope around 14m (15yd) short of the stones means you can’t go right up to them, but you can book (months) in advance to join the Stone Circle Experience, where you’re able to wander among them for around 45 minutes out of hours.
And, of course, visitors are allowed inside during the summer and winter solstices each June and December, to which the stones are oriented and showcase stunning silhouetted sunlight flares at sunrise and sunset (if the sun decides to come out – this is British weather, don’t forget).
Visits can also be paired with the majestic Avebury Stone Circle, the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, which sits just 40km (25 miles) to the north across Wiltshire’s rolling countryside.
Wander the fields of Maiden Castle, Dorset
While it may have the word “castle” in its name, Maiden Castle is not a castle in any conventional sense.
One of the largest and most complex Iron Age hillforts in Europe, it was constructed around 600 BCE and is one of 31 hillforts in Dorset. Surrounded by massive chalk ramparts flanking a sparse 49-hectare (120-acre) hilltop, this was a serious fortified settlement for centuries and would have been home to several self-sufficient farming communities.
By the time of the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 CE, Maiden Castle was still occupied, though there’s no concrete evidence that the Romans laid siege to the site (a burial site containing 52 skeletons was found, however).
These days there’s a car park a few hundred feet from the site, and the simple trail arcing through a grassy field toward the dramatic expanse of the hill’s stepped contours gives a visceral sense of Maiden Castle’s vast size.
For further ancient finds in the region, The Nine Stones standing stone circle is a short drive away. Beyond that, a straight drive south for 30 minutes leads to Portland Castle, an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in the 16th century that feels almost contemporary compared to Maiden Castle.
Enjoy the peace of Castlerigg Stone Circle, Lake District
While not as famous as Stonehenge, Castlerigg Stone Circle’s dramatic location in the Lake District makes a visit perhaps just as memorable.
Surrounded by heather-strewn fells, mist-shrouded mountains and dense forest, it’s no surprise this ancient site is one of the most photographed in the UK and was the subject of flowery homages by poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. The stones themselves date from between 3000 and 4000 years old, and are glacial erratic boulders composed of volcanic rock arranged in a flattened circle, 32m (107ft) across at their widest.
Like Stonehenge, the reason for Castlerigg’s existence is unknown, though it may have been used as a trading post or a site for religious rituals.
Located around 2.4km (1.5 miles) east of vibrant Keswick, the stone circle can be reached as part of a looped walk from town and makes for a pleasant ramble on a nice day.
Otherwise, it’s a pretty quiet spot with no entry fee or guided historical tours – simply a beautiful prehistoric site in one of the most cinematic corners of England.
So for the most rewarding experience, maybe wait for a clear day and arrive at sunrise or sunset with a camera to capture some ethereal golden hour images, without experiencing any of the crowds or cars of Stonehenge.
Learn about Roman Britain at Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire
Though it’s difficult to picture in the 21st century, this small collection of ruins in rural Shropshire was once the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain, with a population of around 15,000 people.
In fact, Wroxeter Roman City (Viroconium Cornoviorum) was roughly the same size as Pompeii and was used as a base for legionaries to attack western Britain. As it grew, this frontier settlement transformed into a traditional Roman town and was dominated by the enormous bathhouse where Roman priorities of cleanliness and hygiene were practiced. Lined by streets, its wealth was explained by its proximity to Wales and central location on trade routes.
The city declined after the end of Roman rule in Britain, but its pastoral location away from growing industrial towns and cities meant that, although the buildings disappeared, the site remained largely intact.
This includes the Old Work, a surviving 7m-high (23ft) wall of the Bath House and the largest piece of free-standing Roman wall in the UK.
There’s a visitor center too, with a museum showcasing some of the everyday items the residents used, including perfume bottles, bone jewelry and – bizarrely – a collection of tweezers used to remove armpit hair. Across the street from the Bath House is an impressively reconstructed townhouse, painstakingly built with only the tools and materials available to Romans in their time period.
The site also runs events featuring guided tours, which can be booked in advance.
Walk the streets of Chysauster Ancient Village, Cornwall
Located on a grassy moor high above Cornwall’s sea-sprayed Land's End Peninsula near Penzance, Chysauster Ancient Village is a fine example of what might be termed a “Romano-British” settlement.
Straddling the late Iron Age and the Roman conquest of Britain, this agricultural village was originally settled around 100 BCE and lasted until the 3rd century CE. It largely consists of around 10 courtyard houses flanking a central “street” which would have been populated by farmers who probably kept goats and pigs and grew cereal crops in the surrounding fields, with the whole settlement likely to be unfortified.
In their heyday, the stone houses would have had thatched roofs and would have been organized in neat rows. These days, the stone ruins of the house walls still exist and can be wandered around with some magnificent panoramic views toward the Atlantic Ocean.
There’s a 15-space car park near the site, with a narrow half-mile trail lined by trees through fields up to Chysauster Ancient Village (with a shop halfway up). Look out for the “fogou,” a strange underground passage that may have been used for storage, shelter or religious purposes. Like many of these ancient sites, the sense of mystery is often what makes them so compelling.
If you’re making the long drive down through Cornwall, make sure to stop at King Arthur’s Hall – a fascinating megalithic enclosure on Bodmin Moor.
