Hidden Neolithic stone circle set to be unearthed

A project to dig up a prehistoric ritual site described as "Cornwall's ancient sacred heart" is set to go ahead after it received funding.

More than £40,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been given to Cornwall Heritage Trust to excavate the hidden stone circle of Castilly Henge just off the A30 near Bodmin, later this year.

The site is believed to have been built during the late Neolithic period (3000 to 2500 BC) as an amphitheatre-like setting for gatherings and ritual activities, and then as a battery during the English Civil War.

Cornwall Heritage Trust said the work would ensure the henge could be protected from invasive vegetation and nearby road infrastructure.

The project is a collaboration between the trust, the Cornwall Archaeological Society, and Historic England.

The four-week excavation will take place in September and October.

"This is such an exciting opportunity for the local community to be directly involved in," said Cathy Woolcock, Cornwall Heritage Trust's CEO.

"The henge has been at risk for some time, a threat which urgently needs to be addressed before this special place and the secrets it holds are potentially lost.

"[We will create] management plans to improve the biodiversity of the field and the condition of the monument."

Pete Herring, president of the Cornwall Archaeological Society, said he was "thrilled to be involved" in the project.

He said: "Castilly may hold the key to understanding how this area of Cornwall became a major focus for ritual and ceremonial activity in the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.

"Our members first excavated it in 1962, and recently we have been helping to clear the area of scrub in readiness for the latest investigations."

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