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I think henges probably had a variety of uses, serving as a communal meeting places where people dispersed over a wide area could come together to meet and trade, perhaps livestock but also other items such as flint, stone axes etc. They could also have been used as gathering places for people to get together to celebrate important events, for feasts, marriages or annual gatherings.
As to the alignment of the entrances I’ve read various theories and the two that I find most interesting are that
1. They are possibly aligned in the same direction as nearby trackways – both Arbor Low and the Bullring in the Peak District have entrances mirroring the alignment of the nearby Roman roads (which although much later are believed to have been built along the line of much earlier trackways). This would make sense if they were used as communal gathering places.
2. The henges were constructed in a particular place with entrance(s) (or entrance and exit) placed to create as much visual impact as possible for those approaching. For example at Arbor Low the larger entrance is placed at the end where you come up the hill meaning the bank is in profile on the skyline and much more impressive. If you approach from the other (smaller) entrance the impact is no where near as good because the ground is level and is believed perhaps to be an exit rather than entrance.
Vicky
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