Cornwall Heritage Trust Seeks £50,000 to Purchase Castilly Henge

A Cornish heritage charity is trying to raise £50,000 to buy and protect one of the South West’s most important prehistoric sites.

Cornwall Heritage Trust has launched an appeal to purchase Castilly Henge, a late Neolithic monument near Bodmin, with the aim of securing its future and opening it to the public.

So far, nearly £13,000 has been raised towards the target.

A significant prehistoric site

Castilly Henge, located just off the A30 near Bodmin, is believed to have been built during the late Neolithic period, around 3000 to 2500 BCE.

The monument is a substantial oval earthwork with an external bank and internal ditch. Archaeologists believe it would have formed an amphitheatre-like setting for gatherings and ritual activities.

Its significance continued into the Early Bronze Age, between around 2400 and 1500 BCE, when several high status burial mounds, known as barrows, were built nearby.

Recent surveys by Historic England’s Archaeological Investigation Team also discovered traces of a possible stone circle that had been removed from the centre of the henge. Not all henges contain stone circles and only one other example is known to survive in Cornwall.

A four week archaeological excavation took place at the monument in September and October 2025 to investigate these findings and help researchers understand more about the monument’s character, date and potential later reuse.

Added to Heritage at Risk Register

Despite its importance and the amount of research carried out there, Castilly Henge has recently been added to the Heritage at Risk Register.

According to Cornwall Heritage Trust, the site is currently threatened by invasive vegetation. The roots of this vegetation can quickly damage the structure of the monument if it is not managed regularly.

The charity also says the growth creates a monoculture that can severely limit biodiversity at the site.

Castilly Henge has moved on and off the Heritage at Risk Register several times due to a lack of regular management.

Plans to protect and open the site

Cornwall Heritage Trust says purchasing the monument would allow it to manage the site consistently and prevent the cycle of sporadic intervention.

The charity also plans to open the site to the public if the purchase is successful. At the moment, Castilly Henge is not accessible to visitors.

All of the sites cared for by the charity are free to visit and open all year round, and it hopes to do the same with Castilly Henge.

Appeal for support

The charity has been protecting historic landscapes and monuments across Cornwall for the past 40 years. It says it has helped save a number of sites from the Heritage at Risk Register through archaeological and land management work.

It is now asking the public for support to help secure the future of Castilly Henge and allow people to visit it for free.

More information about the appeal and how to donate can be found on the charity’s website: https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/support-us/castilly-henge-appeal/