Barrow Hill

Summary

Bowl barrow on Barrow Hill 200m south west of Barrow Hill Farm.

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. Despite excavation, quarrying and afforestation the bowl barrow on Barrow Hill survives reasonably well. The monument is an important local landmark and continues to maintain a prominent landscape setting. The monument will include layers and deposits containing important archaeological information relating to the use and construction of the barrow in addition to providing environmental evidence.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 21 May 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records. As such they do not yet have the full descriptions of their modernised counterparts available. Please contact us if you would like further information.

This monument includes a bowl barrow located on a hillock at the summit of a large ridge between Drayton Pool and Hockley Brook. The monument survives as a flat topped barrow mound and outer construction ditch. The barrow mound is sub circular in plan, is approximately 10m in diameter and stands up to 1m high. The ditch survives as a continuous partially buried feature measuring approximately 1m wide. A 4m wide sub circular depression in the centre represents the site of a partial excavation carried out in 1894 which recovered prehistoric artefacts. Material from the south west and eastern sides may also have been removed at this time.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

WT 227

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
Pastscape Monument No:- 118486

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry