Bell barrow 200m east of Slap Bottom
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1012912
- Date first listed:
- 27-Oct-1970
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1012912
- Date first listed:
- 27-Oct-1970
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 19-Dec-1990
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hampshire
- District:
- New Forest (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Burley
- National Park:
- New Forest
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 20672 01978
Reasons for Designation
Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.
Despite partial excavation of the barrow mound, much of the monument remains intact. The site therefore has considerable archaeological potential.
Details
The monument includes a bell barrow set on a gentle south-facing slope in an area of open New Forest heathland. The barrow mound has a maximum diameter of 19m and stands to a height of c.1m. Surrounding the barrow mound are a berm c.2m wide and an outer ditch 2m wide and 0.3m deep. A central hollow suggests that the monument may once have been partially excavated, probably in the 19th century. The mound, berm and ditch together have a diameter of 27m.
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:
- 12125
- Legacy System:
- RSM
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 10-Jul-2026 at 13:10:09.
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.