Bowl barrow on Headon Hill

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 of the barrow mound and the proximity of gravel workings to the monument, the Headon bowl barrow survives well and has potential for the recovery of archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the period in which the monument was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow set on the crest of a prominent sandy ridge above Alum Bay. The barrow mound is 25m in diameter and 2.7m high. A hollow 1.4m deep in the centre of the mound represents an early exploration of the site, probably in the 19th century. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch from which material was quarried during construction of the monument, surrounds the mound on all but the north side where gravel workings have been excavated adjacent to it. The ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The wooden fence surrounding the barrow mound and the noticeboards to the east and west of the mound are excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath however 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:

12333

Legacy System:

RSM

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