Henge 500m north west of Bush Wood

Reasons for Designation

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval- shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all henges are considered to be of national importance.

Despite some reduction by cultivation the henge 500m north west of Bush Wood is still visible as an earthwork and such a high quality of survival is rare for sites of this date in southern England. Both as an earthwork and as a group of buried features below the ploughsoil, the site will provide archaeological information relating to the construction and use of the monument and environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which it was built. It is considered particularly unusual because of its large size.

Details

The monument includes a henge monument which is situated on the top of a north east facing ridge, 2.25km north west of Weston parish church. The monument is visible as a raised platform about 1m in height, circular in shape with a diameter of about 65m. A surrounding ditch is also visible as an earthwork and measures between 7m and 10m in width and a maximum of 0.5m in depth. Although no longer visible at ground level, two opposing entrances across the surrounding ditch can be seen clearly as cropmarks on aerial photographs and will survive as buried features. The eastern entrance measures 15m across, the western entrance measures 20m across. The monument is classed as a type 2 henge because it has two opposing entrances. The site is associated with a local legendary giant called Jack O' Legs who was supposed to have lived in a cave nearby.

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:

20764

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
PRN 2583, Information from SMR,
AP 147 ABU 95, CUCAP, Aerial Photograph,

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