You might have heard of an ancient burial ground two-and-a-half miles from Winchcombe and perhaps visited it.
If not, it could be worth you checking Belas Knap Long Barrow out.
Not least because, and many people will not know this, it is said to be 500 years older than Stonehenge.
While the world famous landmark in Wiltshire dates back to 2500 BC, experts say Belas Knap was probably built in 3000 BC.
But the two sites share something in common – mystery.
Nobody really knows who built Stonehenge or why.
There is less uncertainty about Belas Knap but there is an element that puzzles historians.
A circle of flat stones was found beneath the centre of the mound when the site was excavated in the 19th century. They were later removed and little seems to be known about why they were there.
There is also a lack of clarity about why it has a false entrance.
What is known for sure is that the barrow has four burial chambers in the south-east, north-east, west and south of the monument.
English Heritage says it is a “particularly fine example” of a Neolithic long barrow.
It has its false entrance and side chambers. Excavated in 1863 and 1865, the remains of 31 people were found in the chambers.
Historians believe that the barrow was used for burials for many years until eventually the burial chambers were deliberately blocked up.
But what about the false entrance?
English Heritage says, on its website: “It may have been to deter robbers, although little in the way of value has been found in undisturbed tomb chambers. Alternatively, it could be that the false entrance functioned as a ‘spirit door’, intended to allow the dead to come and go and partake of offerings brought to the tomb by their descendants.”
The organisation added that although Belas Knap appears to be in good condition for its age, it has in fact been restored a number of times.
It said: “Romano-British pottery found inside one of the burial chambers show that it was open in Roman times. It was explored between 1863 and 1865 using the archaeological methods of the time, and some years later was restored by Mrs Emma Dent of Sudeley.
“In 1928–30 the site was excavated again, before being restored as we see it today.”
(Image: Google)
Belas Knap, which is managed by Gloucestershire County Council, is off the B4632 main road in and out of Winchcombe. Its address is GL54 5AL and a parking area is on Cotswold Way, off Corndean Lane.
The barrow is just over half a mile from a parking area. The walk to it includes a steep climb through woodland and fields and there are two stiles and a kissing gate to negotiate.
It is open every day of the year, during daylight hours.
Motorists should be aware that cars parked near the site have been broken into in the past.
This story was first published in July 2020
