Arbor Low Derbyshire
Arbor Low in the limestone country of the Derbyshire Peak District is the most significant Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial monument in the English Midlands, a henge monument of approximately 2500 BC consisting of a circular bank and ditch enclosing a central plateau on which approximately fifty limestone slabs lie recumbent, the stones having fallen or been deliberately laid flat at some point in their history in a departure from the upright arrangement typical of most British stone circles. The site commands extensive views over the limestone plateau and its elevated position above the valley below makes its role as a ceremonial gathering place immediately comprehensible.
The monument consists of a great circular bank reaching approximately two metres in height with a ditch inside it and two opposing entrances, enclosing an area of approximately fifty metres diameter. The recumbent stones inside the enclosure were originally upright and the reasons for their current position remain unclear, though it seems likely that many were toppled deliberately rather than simply falling under their own weight. The interpretation of Arbor Low must acknowledge this uncertainty while appreciating the monument's scale and its position in the landscape.
The nearby bowl barrow of Gib Hill, visible from Arbor Low and connected to it by a linear earthwork, is one of the largest prehistoric barrows in the Peak District and was built adjacent to the henge in a relationship that suggests the two monuments were conceived as parts of a single ceremonial complex. The combination of Arbor Low and Gib Hill makes this one of the most significant prehistoric landscape settings in the English Midlands.