Arminghall
Encyclopedia
Arminghall is a small village in the English
county of Norfolk
, around three miles (five kilometres) southeast of Norwich
in the parish of Bixley
. Most of the houses in the village are located close to the church, which lies just west of the B1332 road from Norwich to Poringland
. Syfer Technology, an electronic components manufacturer, is based at Old Stoke Road, close to the River Tas
. First Eastern Counties' 58 Service provides an hourly bus into Norwich via Trowse
and out to Poringland, Brooke
and Bungay
. Timetable
and henge monument site was discovered 1½ miles (2½ km) northwest of Arminghall village by Gilbert Insall VC who had been taking air photos
of the area in search of new archaeological sites. Whilst flying at around 2,000 feet (600 m) he noticed cropmark
s of a circular enclosure made of two concentric rings with a horseshoe of eight pit-like markings within it. The entire site was around 75 m in diameter. The site was visited a week later by O.G.S. Crawford, who pronounced it to be the Norwich Woodhenge
but it was not until 1935 that it was first excavated, by Grahame Clark
. His work established that two circular rings were ditches, the outer one 1.5 m deep and the inner one 2.3 m deep, with indications of a bank that once stood between them. The pits in the middle were posthole
s for timbers that would have been almost 1 m in diameter. The site dates to the Neolithic
, with a radiocarbon date of 3650-2650 Cal BC (4440±150) from charcoal from a post-pit. The henge is orientated on the mid-winter sunset, which, when viewed from the henge, sets down the slope of nearby high ground, Chapel Hill.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, around three miles (five kilometres) southeast of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in the parish of Bixley
Bixley
Bixley is a civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. According to the 2001 census it contained 60 households and a population of 144. It covers an area south of Norwich including the village of Arminghall....
. Most of the houses in the village are located close to the church, which lies just west of the B1332 road from Norwich to Poringland
Poringland
Poringland is a village in the constituency of South Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 3,261 in 1,403 households as of the 2001 census....
. Syfer Technology, an electronic components manufacturer, is based at Old Stoke Road, close to the River Tas
River Tas
The River Tas is a river which flows northwards through South Norfolk in England - towards Norwich. The area is named the Tas Valley after the river. The origin of the name of the river is uncertain - it may have taken it from the village of Tasburgh or vice versa.Tributaries which have their...
. First Eastern Counties' 58 Service provides an hourly bus into Norwich via Trowse
Trowse
Trowse, also called Trowse with Newton, is a village in South Norfolk which lies about south-east of Norwich city centre on the banks of the River Yare. It covers an area of and had a population of 479 in 233 households as of the 2001 census....
and out to Poringland, Brooke
Brooke, Norfolk
Brooke is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, about 7 miles south of Norwich and roughly equidistant from Norwich and Bungay...
and Bungay
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
. Timetable
Arminghall Henge
In 1929 a prehistoric timber circleTimber circle
In archaeology, timber circles are circular arrangements of wooden posts interpreted as being either complexes of freestanding totem poles or as the supports for large circular buildings-British Isles:...
and henge monument site was discovered 1½ miles (2½ km) northwest of Arminghall village by Gilbert Insall VC who had been taking air photos
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
of the area in search of new archaeological sites. Whilst flying at around 2,000 feet (600 m) he noticed cropmark
Cropmark
Cropmarks or Crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform...
s of a circular enclosure made of two concentric rings with a horseshoe of eight pit-like markings within it. The entire site was around 75 m in diameter. The site was visited a week later by O.G.S. Crawford, who pronounced it to be the Norwich Woodhenge
Woodhenge
Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class I henge and timber circle monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury.-Discovery:...
but it was not until 1935 that it was first excavated, by Grahame Clark
John Grahame Douglas Clark
Sir John Grahame Douglas Clark, CBE FBA was a British archaeologist most notable for his work on the Mesolithic and his theories on palaeoeconomy.-Biography:...
. His work established that two circular rings were ditches, the outer one 1.5 m deep and the inner one 2.3 m deep, with indications of a bank that once stood between them. The pits in the middle were posthole
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s for timbers that would have been almost 1 m in diameter. The site dates to the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, with a radiocarbon date of 3650-2650 Cal BC (4440±150) from charcoal from a post-pit. The henge is orientated on the mid-winter sunset, which, when viewed from the henge, sets down the slope of nearby high ground, Chapel Hill.
External links
- Arminghall Church
- Arminghall on GenukiGENUKIGENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. Its aim is "to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland"...
- Arminghall Henge on The Modern Antiquarian
- Arminghall Henge on the Megalithic Portal
- Arminghall Henge in Virtual Reality
- Arminghall Man - poem by Cameron Self
- Syfer Technology, Arminghall