Reasons for Designation
A small number of areas in southern England appear to have acted as foci for
ceremonial and ritual activity during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
periods. Two of the best known and earliest recognised, with references in the
17th century, are around Avebury and Stonehenge, now jointly designated as a
World Heritage Site. In the Avebury area, the henge monument itself, the West
Kennet Avenue, the Sanctuary, West Kennet long barrow, Windmill Hill
causewayed enclosure and the enigmatic Silbury Hill are well-known. Whilst the
other Neolithic long barrows, the many Bronze Age round barrows and other
associated sites are less well-known, together they define one of the richest
and most varied areas of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and ritual
monuments in the country. Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of
round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze
Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1600-1300 BC. They occur
either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as
single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by
an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons,
personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic
individuals, usually men. Bell barrows are rare nationally, with less than 250
known examples, most of which are in Wessex. All examples are considered
worthy of protection.
Despite evidence for partial excavation, the Grange Stables bell barrow
survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence
relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.
Details
The monument includes a well preserved bell barrow situated on a gentle east-
facing slope, overlooking the Longstones long barrow and facing the
Beckhampton round barrow cemetery, 600m to the east.
The barrow mound measures 28m across and stands up to 2.57m high. The mound
is surrounded by a gently sloping berm c.6.3m wide which survives best on the
west side of the monument. Surrounding the berm is a quarry ditch from which
material for the construction of the mound was taken. This has become
infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide.
The barrow has a depression on its summit c.1.5m wide, c.2m long and 0.3m deep
which represents a previous antiquarian investigation of the site, although
there is no record of this excavation.
The barrow has been reduced on its eastern side by the route of the former
trackway leading to the stable gates from the south. This track can be seen
as a slight earthwork c.4m wide and has been replaced by a more recent access,
located further to the east.
Excluded from the scheduling is the fence running east-west across the north
side of the barrow and the surface of the trackway where it overlies the
barrow, although the land beneath both features is included in the scheduling.
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.