Secrets of the STONES

Britain's ancient sites, with their many mysteries, have always inspired a sense of awe and wonder.James Alistair Henry shares some of his favourites

- James Alistair Henry

One of the great delights of this country is the sense of the bones of the past always lying just below the surface. Sometimes literally (I will never forget the episode of Time Team where they uncovered a medieval skull with a nest of rats in it), but also in the landscape, the popular culture and the language.

When I started writing my novel, Pagans, set in an alternate 21st-century Britain, where the Normans had never invaded, polytheistic spirit worship is the closest thing to a state religion, and Britain is still divided along tribal lines - I wanted to use straightforward Anglo-Saxon language as much as possible. This, yes, does include a bit of bad language, although the Anglo-Saxons tended to swear by things rather than just curse for the sake of it. For inspiration, though, I drew on the bones of Britain, the sense that our past is always just a shovelful of earth away - if you look out for the rats. Here are some sites across the UK where you can still get a sense of our pagan past.

London Mithraeum, Bloomberg building, City of London

This Roman temple dates from the mid third century and was discovered in 1954 during construction of a new building. It was built in honour of Mithras, originally a Persian deity, whose cult was brought to Rome and then London by traders and soldiers. It’s since been relocated beneath the Bloomberg building and now features an exhibition space. On display are over 600 objects from the original site, including the earliest recorded hand-written document in Britain. This museum and ancient temple is a must-see for anyone who wants to engross themselves in pagan history. londonmithraeum.com

Minchinhampton Common, Gloucestershire