This blog post was triggered by a post on the Lidar & Aerial Archaeology facebook group by John Rowley on 24th February 2026.
The post was regarding a feature of two neat concentric circles recorded from a crop-mark on Hepscott Manor farm, near Morpeth, Northumberland, from a 1958 aerial photograph by Historic England Aerial Mapping Explorer.
The post was regarding a feature of two neat concentric circles recorded from a crop-mark on Hepscott Manor farm, near Morpeth, Northumberland, from a 1958 aerial photograph by Historic England Aerial Mapping Explorer.
Historic England Aerial Mapping Explorer (accessed 27/02/2026).
Historic Environment Record No: N11704
Historic England Monument No: NONE GIVEN
Date: NEOLITHIC\BRONZE AGE
Interpretation: HENGE\CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE
Seen as: CROPMARK
Source: HISTORIC ENGLAND ARCHIVE RAF/543/318 F22 360 08-JUL-1958
Keys to the Past: N11704
"A circular cropmark on an aerial photograph can be seen, but its date and function is unknown. However, the circular cropmark could also be a modern feature; only further investigation will throw some light on this site."
This record informs us that it was recorded by Historic England as part of the AERIAL INVESTIGATION AND MAPPING, South East Northumberland Extension Project.
Deegan, A. (2022). South East Northumberland Air Photo and Lidar Mapping Project. Leeds: Alison Deegan Air Photo Interpretation and Mapping.
The location of the circular enclosure is: NZ 2144 8315
Historic England Monument No: NONE GIVEN
Date: NEOLITHIC\BRONZE AGE
Interpretation: HENGE\CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE
Seen as: CROPMARK
Source: HISTORIC ENGLAND ARCHIVE RAF/543/318 F22 360 08-JUL-1958
Keys to the Past: N11704
"A circular cropmark on an aerial photograph can be seen, but its date and function is unknown. However, the circular cropmark could also be a modern feature; only further investigation will throw some light on this site."
This record informs us that it was recorded by Historic England as part of the AERIAL INVESTIGATION AND MAPPING, South East Northumberland Extension Project.
Deegan, A. (2022). South East Northumberland Air Photo and Lidar Mapping Project. Leeds: Alison Deegan Air Photo Interpretation and Mapping.
The location of the circular enclosure is: NZ 2144 8315
Clearly HE had some doubt about its age and original purpose and seemed to me a sensible cautious interpretation.
The feature is not visible as an earthwork on LIDAR. However, examination of historic satellite imagery on Google Earth showed that the cropmarks were faintly visible in several years: December 2002, May 2018 and May 2020. The circles lie just east of an old field boundary (shown on early OS maps).
The feature is not visible as an earthwork on LIDAR. However, examination of historic satellite imagery on Google Earth showed that the cropmarks were faintly visible in several years: December 2002, May 2018 and May 2020. The circles lie just east of an old field boundary (shown on early OS maps).
It just seems too neat to be anything prehistoric but if modern, what could it have been?
Some research led me to post the following comment:
"Agree its quite hard to see on Google Earth but it does look overly neat for something prehistoric. There was a small airfield at Hepscott Manor used in 1933. Wonder if that could be associated?
HEPSCOTT MANOR: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Sir Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day No.2 Tour' Period of operation: 28th July 1933
https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Hepscott-Manor
Some research led me to post the following comment:
"Agree its quite hard to see on Google Earth but it does look overly neat for something prehistoric. There was a small airfield at Hepscott Manor used in 1933. Wonder if that could be associated?
HEPSCOTT MANOR: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Sir Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day No.2 Tour' Period of operation: 28th July 1933
https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Hepscott-Manor
Thinking that it could have been a temporary marker of some kind for the 1933 air-show I thought, if that, it would have been carerfully measured for the event. Although not easy to measure precisely on the GE satellite images, some experiments suggest they may originally have been circles of 400 feet and 200 feet in diameter. If so, that could well support the idea that they were originally an aerial marker.
There is also nothing to suggest some kind of WW2 activity in the area such as a searchlight, anti-aircraft or radar installation on the Defence of Britain interactive map.
There is also nothing to suggest some kind of WW2 activity in the area such as a searchlight, anti-aircraft or radar installation on the Defence of Britain interactive map.
Looking at old maps shows that the N-S field boundary along the SW edge of the outer circle was removed relatively recently. The older boundary which joined that and crossed the enclosure from SW-NE is shown on the 1st edition OS (c.1860) but appears to have been removed by the 2nd edition (c1900).
1st Edition OS 6" map (c.1860) National Library of Scotland.
The images and notes shown below were copied from the UK Airfield Guide for Hescott Manor (originally provided by Michael T Holder).
NOTES: In the first map above Mike has given us two options for the possible field used. However, judging from very many other examples, the field nearest to the main road was always the preferred option - and this is shown in the Google Street View picture above. This said, it largely depended on what crops the farmer intended to sow that year, and if this preferred field was needed for turnips or carrots, (for example), they had to lump it. Which of course is fair enough.
Perhaps still worth mentioning, as so often mentioned in this 'Guide', even if only used for one or two days, the field used as a temporary aerodrome suitable for an air display with a large crowd expected, it had to be officially licensed as an aerodrome. Indeed, in the early days after an application for use was made, a couple of men from the Ministry would arrive to conduct a site survey. Sometimes they would impose restrictions, depending on aircraft type, as to what landing and take-off directions could be used.
Perhaps still worth mentioning, as so often mentioned in this 'Guide', even if only used for one or two days, the field used as a temporary aerodrome suitable for an air display with a large crowd expected, it had to be officially licensed as an aerodrome. Indeed, in the early days after an application for use was made, a couple of men from the Ministry would arrive to conduct a site survey. Sometimes they would impose restrictions, depending on aircraft type, as to what landing and take-off directions could be used.
An online exhibition at the RAF Museum provides much information about the life of Alan Cobham. See also this short clip on Pathe News which also has an clip of the Irish Aviation Day. There is also much more information about Cobham's Air Circus on A Fleeting Peace.
Sir Alan Cobham National Aviation Day (RAF Museum).
The National Aviation Day campaign, known as ‘Cobham’s Flying Circus’, toured Great Britain, Ireland and South Africa, between 1932 and 1937, giving many their first experience of flight.
Cobham’s Flying Circus toured between 1932 and 1935 taking 990,000 people on flights in his fleet of aeroplanes with over 3,000,000 people visiting the display.
Several events at the air-show may have needed a large marker visible from the air: flour bombing competition, helicopter landing, marker for the air race or parachute landing.
Cobham’s Flying Circus toured between 1932 and 1935 taking 990,000 people on flights in his fleet of aeroplanes with over 3,000,000 people visiting the display.
Several events at the air-show may have needed a large marker visible from the air: flour bombing competition, helicopter landing, marker for the air race or parachute landing.
I am aware that this is a very speculative post. The measurement of the circles, although prone to some error, seems, along with their neat appearance, to support a modern origin. Whether it can really be linked to Cobham's Flying Circus I can't of course be sure. The relationship of the concentric circles to the now removed field boundaries is also uncertain in my opinion.
A prehistoric henge from the Neolithic. or double ditched enclosure from Bronze or Iron Ages, is always a nice find, but so in my mind is a physical link to the exciting world of the 1930 aerial extravaganza that was Cobham's Flying Circus.
Unless there is more investigation here, and even then, we'll probably never know which is true.
A prehistoric henge from the Neolithic. or double ditched enclosure from Bronze or Iron Ages, is always a nice find, but so in my mind is a physical link to the exciting world of the 1930 aerial extravaganza that was Cobham's Flying Circus.
Unless there is more investigation here, and even then, we'll probably never know which is true.
Alison Deegan. When You Have Eliminated the Impossible...
AARGnews, 72, April 2026, p.38-40.
Alison uses the above example in an article about the difficulty and hazards of interpretation of lidar and aerial imagery with regard to her discovery of an unusual site above the Lune valley on the western edge of the Howgill Fells of Westmorland:
She describes:
A tiny cluster of at least 15 small circular platforms were discovered on lidar imagery of the open moorland in the north of England. Without the benefit of ground investigation, the working hypothesis is that they are platforms or stances
for timber houses, possibly Bronze Age. However, unenclosed platform settlements are very scarce in the north of England, so could there be an alternative explanation?
Below are my lidar images made from DSM using Prismatic Openness and VAT blends provided by the RVT Plug-in for QGIS.The third image is VAT overlaid with contours at 5m.
And, no, I have no idea what the circular features scooped into the hillside might be. I always find I look for alternative explanations (in this case geology and glaciation) but in that way you can also miss the archaeology.
AARGnews, 72, April 2026, p.38-40.
Alison uses the above example in an article about the difficulty and hazards of interpretation of lidar and aerial imagery with regard to her discovery of an unusual site above the Lune valley on the western edge of the Howgill Fells of Westmorland:
She describes:
A tiny cluster of at least 15 small circular platforms were discovered on lidar imagery of the open moorland in the north of England. Without the benefit of ground investigation, the working hypothesis is that they are platforms or stances
for timber houses, possibly Bronze Age. However, unenclosed platform settlements are very scarce in the north of England, so could there be an alternative explanation?
Below are my lidar images made from DSM using Prismatic Openness and VAT blends provided by the RVT Plug-in for QGIS.The third image is VAT overlaid with contours at 5m.
And, no, I have no idea what the circular features scooped into the hillside might be. I always find I look for alternative explanations (in this case geology and glaciation) but in that way you can also miss the archaeology.
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