During the Neolithic period people began to build large-scale monuments. They varied in form according to available material, belief systems and ritual practices. However, though there are different types and sizes of monument, many reflect a considerable investment of time and resources and some degree of organisation and direction.

Among the earliest Neolithic monuments are causewayed enclosures – areas enclosed by earthwork banks and ditches. They are mostly found in lowland Britain. Stone-built enclosures are known in the south west. Causewayed enclosures are varied in form and function and were used for a range of communal activities including feasting. During the same period tombs were built which were used as community burial places over many years. In south and east England these took the form of earthen long barrows while in the west and north, people built structures from stone.

During the later Neolithic people began building timber and stone circles and henges. Henges are circular earthworks with a bank on the outside and a ditch on the inside. Some incorporate circles of stones, wooden posts or pits. The best-known henge in England is Stonehenge in Wiltshire, which in its early phase (before the familiar stones were erected) had its bank inside the ditch and so technically was not a henge.