The image featured with this story was taken by aerial surveyors from English Heritage who recently flew two military aircraft over moorland near Goathland to snap the prehistoric stone enclosure and multiple stone cairns.

It has been discovered following a series of fires during heather burning at the beginning of October – the one at Goathland swept across 62 acres after the controlled burning raged out of control.

Although it caused no lasting damage to the environment, it gave experts their first view of the scheduled monument which measures about 148 metres by 75 metres.

The area has been managed sensitively for wild red grouse, preserving the site for generations of today and the future.

Although the site was previously plotted on maps, remarkably little information existed about its date or purpose because it has been concealed by a protective blanket of heather.

Now some of its secrets could be unlocked.

David MacLeod, senior investigator with English Heritage's aerial survey team, said: "It's always exciting to see something like this clearly for first time.

"We were called in by the North York Moors National Park Authority to capture aerial views before the site is recovered by vegetation.

"We saw at least 20 cairns of varying size, taking pictures from various angles allowing us to set the site in a wider landscape context.

"Establishing what the monument was used for is a tricky question.

"The walls are low now but could have been much higher so possibly it had an agricultural purpose acting as a pen to keep cattle or sheep.

"We can't rule out a ritual significance – perhaps we are looking at a graveyard?

"Whatever its origins, it stands as a reminder the history of North Yorkshire is far from done and dusted and is still being written."

Spurred on by the aerial images, the National Park commissioned experts from Wessex Archaeology to undertake a ground survey to plot the various features.

Their report is due in the New Year.

Graham Lee, North York Moors archaeologist added: "Dating the site is fraught with difficulty, but it's just possible it could be 4,500 years old, or date back even further.

"To put this into context, that's before the pyramids and Stonehenge were built.

"The site shows signs of later activity too, notably in the Bronze Age and also in the 20th Century, with some evidence of stone removal.

"A similar site has been recorded on Fylingdales Moor, which was also revealed after a much larger moorland fire in 2003.

"This is also thought to possibly be Neolithic in date."