Bowl barrow on Box Hill, 250m north-west of Boxhurst

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 partial excavation, the bowl barrow 250m north-west of Boxhurst on Box Hill survives comparatively well and contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to both the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the crest of Box Hill, a steep south-facing escarpment on the edge of an area of chalk downland. The barrow has a mound 15m in diameter and 1.7m high, the north-west quadrant of which has been disturbed suggesting that the mound was once partially excavated. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become partially infilled over the years but is visible to the north-east of the mound as an earthwork 3m wide and 0.5m deep; the remainder survives as a buried feature. The tarmac surface of the road, which is raised on the north-west side of the barrow, is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

20182

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Surrey Archaeological Collections in An Analysis And List Of Surrey Barrows, Vol. 42, (1934), 51

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