Earthworks on Marlborough Common
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1005635
- Date first listed:
- 18-May-1951
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1005635
- Date first listed:
- 18-May-1951
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Marlborough
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 18705 69547
Summary
Enclosure 800m south-west of Poulton House.
Reasons for Designation
The sport of bowling has a long established tradition and is well documented and forms an important part of the history of England and its folklore, for example the famous game on Plymouth Hoe which was concluded before Drake set sail to defeat the Spanish Armada. It has a long established social tradition today with many local parks retaining the bowling greens. This early example is thought to be medieval in origin and is known from documents to have received relatively early restoration. Given its position on the edge of a common the other alternative interpretation for the enclosure 800m south west of Poulton House could be an animal pound but there does not appear to be any known documentation to substantiate this suggestion.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 2 July 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 an enclosure situated on the gentle south east facing slopes of Marlborough Common overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Kennet and Og. The enclosure survives as a trapezoidal area measuring up to a maximum 81.3m long by 64.7m wide and covering approximately 0.47 ha defined by a low bank of up to 0.8m high with a largely backfilled outer ditch and slight partial counterscarp bank. It was partially excavated by Cunnington who retrieved Romano-British pottery although the exact date and function of the enclosure remained unclear. It has long been believed to be a medieval bowling green which documents record as being renovated in 1624 and is known as such locally.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- WI 322
- Legacy System:
- RSM - OCN
Sources
Other
PastScape 220508
Wiltshire HER SU16NE601
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 24-Jun-2026 at 14:27:10.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.