King Arthur's Round Table, Nr Penrith (Cumbria)

A Neolithic earthwork henge, dating from c. 2000 BC.

Summary 13th century buildings (or older)

Introduction

 A Neolithic earthwork henge, dating from c. 2000 BC, but much later believed to be King Arthur's jousting arena. Mayburgh Henge is adjacent.

History to the present day

 King Arthur's Round Table is a Neolithic henge situated in the village of Eamont Bridge, Cumbria and located around 2km south east of Penrith.

The henge is around 90m in diameter. It originally had two entrances of which only the one placed at the south-east of the henge survives due to the construction of modern roads. The external bank is 1.5m high with a wide, flat bottomed internal quarry ditch which was excavated between 1937 and 1939. William Stukeley recorded two standing stones outside the northern entrance at this time however these are no longer visible.

Abortive attempts to turn the site into a landscaped garden during the 19th century have caused some disturbance and led to the creation of a raised plateau in the centre.

During the excavations in the 1930s a cremation trench was also identified. It contained cremated bone and may have been covered by a stone structure although little remained for analysis. At one point a further henge called the Little Round Table stood 200m to the south. It was destroyed in the 19th century but the better preserved henge at Mayburgh is also very close by. This indicates the possible presence of a henge complex and maybe a ritual landscape in the same vein as those at Thornborough or Salisbury Plain.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: King Arthur's Round Table, Cumbria, , United Kingdom

Opening times:

 

All year

Any reasonable time

Mon - Sun.

 

Admission prices:

 

Adult:Free

Children:Free

Concession:Free

 

 

Photographs courtesy of English Heritage Photographic Library.