Long barrow and Old Ditch linear earthwork, on Tilshead Down
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1009297
- Date first listed:
- 06-Mar-1990
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1009297
- Date first listed:
- 06-Mar-1990
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Tilshead
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Chitterne
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 01409 46470, SU 02422 46881
Reasons for Designation
The most complete and extensive survival of chalk downland archaeological remains in central southern England occurs on Salisbury Plain, particularly in those areas lying within the Salisbury Plain Training Area. These remains represent one of the few extant archaeological "landscapes" in Britain and are considered to be of special significance because they differ in character from those in other areas with comparable levels of preservation. Individual sites on Salisbury Plain are seen as being additionally important because the evidence of their direct association with each other survives so well. Twenty- eight Neolithic long barrows have been identified in the Salisbury Plain Training Area. As a monument type long barrows are sufficiently rare nationally that, unless severely damaged, all examples surviving as earthworks are considered to be of national importance. The significance of the monument is considered to be enhanced by its direct association with well-preserved linear earthwork.
Details
A long barrow with a north-east/south-west axis. A boundary earthwork is aligned on the barrow. To the east of the barrow the boundary earthwork is planted with trees. To the west it is mostly destroyed. 1 - A long barrow 130m along the south-west/north-east axis and c.50m overall width, including very large side ditches. The barrow was partially excavated twice in the 19th century. There is some military damage. (SU02304683) 2 - A boundary bank and ditch called "Old Ditch". The bank varies from 2m in width to non-existent. The ditch is up to 5m wide. The eastern area is planted with trees.
MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 10109
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Other
Wiltshire Library & Museum Service, (1987)
Trust for Wessex Archaeology, (1987)
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 28-Jun-2026 at 07:14:08.
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.