Location | Dorchester, Dorset |
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Coordinates | 50°42′28″N 2°26′25″W / 50.70790°N 2.44039°W |
Type | Henge |
History | |
Periods | Neolithic, with later Roman and Civil War modifications |
Site notes | |
Public access | Yes |
Official name | Henge, Romano-British amphitheatre and Civil War fieldworks known collectively as Maumbury Rings |
Designated | 1 October 1962 |
Reference no. | 1003204 |
Maumbury Rings is a Neolithic henge in the south of Dorchester town in Dorset, England (grid reference SY690899). It is a large circular earthwork, 85 metres in diameter, with a single bank and an entrance to the north east. It was modified during the Roman period when it was adapted for use as an amphitheatre, and the site was remodelled again during the English Civil War when it was used as an artillery fort guarding the southern approach to Dorchester. The monument is now a public open space, and used for open-air concerts, festivals and re-enactments.