South Street long barrow, 70m south east of the Long Stones

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 most rich and varied areas of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and ritual monuments in the country. Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 long barrows are recorded in England of which fifteen survive in the Avebury area. These represent an important group for understanding the historical context within which Avebury developed during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods; all are considered to be worthy of protection.

Despite reduction by cultivation, the barrow mound survives as an upstanding earthwork while the quarry ditches and the base of the mound and former ground surface survive as buried features. Partial excavation of this barrow has demonstrated the survival of archaeological remains and enhanced our understanding of the monument and how it was constructed. Additional information relating to agricultural activity prior to the construction of the barrow was also revealed.

Details

The monument includes a Neolithic long barrow 70m south east of the Long Stones standing stones and c.300m north east of the Long Stones long barrow, a contemporary funerary monument. The South Street long barrow, despite having been reduced by cultivation and partly excavated, survives as a slight earthwork visible at ground level. The barrow mound is aligned ESE-WNW and is known from excavation to measure 43m in length and 17m across. However, the mound has been spread by cultivation and now measures 64m in length and 43m across. Partial excavation has shown that the mound was constructed of chalk rubble tipped into a series of forty bays, created by the laying out of hurdle fences to mark out the site immediately prior to construction. This building method provided stability to the mound and guided the workforce in deciding where to dump the material quarried from two parallel flanking ditches. These ditches are located c.7m from the base of the mound on both sides and measure c.55m long and c.7m wide. The ditches have been gradually infilled by cultivation over the years but survive as buried features beneath the present ground surface. Radio-carbon dating of some of the finds from the later excavation date the construction of the mound to around 2750 BC, making the monument over 4000 years old. Finds from the excavation included flint arrowheads, animal bones and fragments of pottery. Below the barrow mound evidence of early ploughing was discovered, taking the form of lines of cross-ploughing incised into the chalk. This type of evidence is a rare but an important clue in understanding how the landscape was managed in the past. Excluded from the scheduling are the surface of South Street (Nash Road) and the boundary fences which border the carriageway although the ground beneath all these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 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:

21735

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Stukeley, W, Abury: A Temple of the British Druids, with Some Others, Described, (1743)
Ashbee, et al, Proceedings in South Street Long Barrow, Vol. 45, ()
Grinsell, LV, A History of Wiltshire in A History of Wiltshire, Vol. 1 pt 1, (1957)
Piggott, S, A History of Wiltshire in Avebury 68, Vol. Vol 1pt1, (1973)
Smith, , Evans, , Antiquity in South Street Long Barrow, Vol. 42, (1968)
Evans, J G, Proceedings in South St Long Barrow, Vol. 62, (1967)

Other
Pagination 12 (Annual Report), Evans, J G, Excavations, (1967)
SU 06 NE 105, CAO, South St Long Barrow, (1989)

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