Access to numerous ancient English landmarks restricted for public, campaigners assert

Research conducted by campaigners indicates that over a quarter of England’s most ancient countryside landmarks are not easily accessible to walkers and history enthusiasts, as these sites are situated on private land without established legal rights of access. A report from the Right to Roam group revealed that over 5,500 less prominent sites, officially designated as Scheduled Monuments, lack direct footpaths leading to them or are not located on open access land. The Stone Club, an organization for neolithic stone enthusiasts, stated that its members frequently resorted to trespassing to gain entry to these locations. Historic England, a government advisory body, noted that landowners are not mandated to provide public access to such sites, though numerous owners grant permission individually upon request. Among the Scheduled Monument sites that Right to Roam campaigners identified as lacking existing legal rights of way are hillforts, holy wells, henges, and ancient burial mounds referred to as barrows. Scheduled monuments represent nationally significant archaeological sites, both subterranean and above ground, chosen by the government for legal protection, akin to ‘listed’ buildings. Historic England maintains and updates this list, which comprises 19,966 entries. The list encompasses accessible monuments and sites, such as the ancient Avebury henge and stone circles in Wiltshire, the Sutton Hoo burial site in Suffolk, and the world’s inaugural purpose-built motor racing circuit in Surrey. However, among the 5,500 sites that Right to Roam identified as lacking a fundamental legal right of direct public access are the East Kennett long barrow in Wiltshire, a neolithic burial mound initially protected as a scheduled monument in 1924, and the Holne Chase Iron Age hill fort, situated in woodland on the periphery of Dartmoor in Devon. Although scheduling mandates that a private landowner obtain consent for any work performed on a protected site, this designation neither impacts their ownership nor grants the general public any additional access rights beyond established footpaths. Nevertheless, the owners of the East Kennett site informed the BBC that they permit visits with prior permission, citing safety concerns during nearby horse training activities. The BBC has contacted the owner of the Holne Chase site for a statement. CPRE, the countryside charity previously known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, expressed its belief that Right to Roam’s assessment of sites lacking a legal right of access was “likely a significant underestimate”. This, the charity explained, was due to the report’s exclusion of sites that, while lacking direct access, were located within 20m of a road or footpath and thus observable from afar, for instance, the Devil’s Arrows stone circle in North Yorkshire. Mary-Ann Ochota, president of CPRE, asserted that the public ought to possess a legal right of “responsible access” to ancient landmarks, stating that “peering over a fence isn’t enough”. Conversely, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), an organization representing rural landowners, commented that many of the identified sites “face constant threats – from motorbikes to metal detectors – and are too fragile to survive unchecked access”. Its president, Victoria Vyvyan, elaborated, “Open them up, and we could lose them forever.” She advocated for increased funding for farmers to facilitate “controlled, guided” access and to enhance the protection of scheduled monuments located on their property. Amy-Jane Beer, a Right to Roam campaigner, argued that ancient sites require accessibility because they “connect us with our past and enrich our experience of the countryside”. The group advocates for a legislative amendment to align England with Scotland, where a right of responsible access to most land has been in place since 2003. Matthew Shaw, from the Stone Club, further noted: “Sites which are visited often have active groups caring for them – maintaining access, ensuring the stones are well looked after and liaising with the landowner.” A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) stated that the objective of scheduling monuments is to ensure their preservation for future generations, not to establish new public access rights. A spokesman for Historic England further commented that the organization does not mandate landowners to grant public access to their sites. He concluded, “While not all are publicly accessible, we can also celebrate a site’s history through capturing and sharing information about it.”