Brize's Lodge bowl barrow, 400m east of Gospel Oak

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.

The Brize's Lodge bowl barrow survives comparatively well despite having been partially reduced by cultivation. It has not been disturbed by excavation and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated 400m east of Gospel Oak on a gentle south-facing slope. Although originally 26m across, the barrow has been reduced by cultivation and now appears as a visible earthwork 22m across and 0.5m high. The eastern edge of the mound is marked by a concentration of stone in the plough soil. Surrounding the mound is a quarry ditch from which material was obtained during its construction. This ditch has become infilled over the years but will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. Over the years, flint tools have been found in the plough soil around the barrow. To the west of the mound Roman artefacts, including a bronze eagle, have also been found after ploughing. Excluded from the scheduling is the surface of the track running across the western edge of the monument, although the land 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:

21770

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Mudd, A, Round Barrows of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, (1983)
Henig, M, Chambers, R A, Oxoniensia in Two Roman Bronze Birds from Oxfordshire, Vol. 1984, (1984), pp19-21

Other
Title: Plan of Wychwood Forest and Blandford Park Source Date: 1815 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Estate map (detailed)
AM 107 OX 67, Armstrong, L, Round Barrow 400m East of Gospel Oak, (1990)
Field visit report on OX 67, IAM, Round Barrow 1/2 Mile East of Gospel Oak, (1940)

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.