Bell barrow 250m NNE of the sports ground: one of a group of round barrows north west of Idmiston Down

Reasons for Designation

Since 1916 the Porton Down Range has been used for military purposes. As on the Salisbury Plain Training Area, this has meant that it has not been subject to the intensive arable farming seen elsewhere on the Wessex chalk. Porton, as a result, is one of very few surviving areas of uncultivated chalk downland in England and contains a range of well-preserved archaeological sites, many of Neolithic or Bronze Age date. These include long barrows and round barrows, flint mines, and evidence for settlement, land division and agriculture. 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 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.

The bell barrow 250m NNE of the sports ground, although not within the area of uncultivated downland, is a well preserved example of its class. The barrow still exhibits a largely original profile and, despite disturbance caused by partial excavation, will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age beliefs, economy and environment.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow, among the most southerly of a group of round barrows which lie on a flat ridge top to the north west of Idmiston Down. The barrow has a mound 22m in diameter and 1m high above the level of the surrounding sloping berm. The mound appears to have been spread in a westerly direction over part of the berm and shows signs of disturbance by digging on its south side. The berm is an average of 6m wide and is raised a maximum of 0.9m above surrounding ground level. Surrounding it are traces of a ditch 3m wide which, where not visible on the surface will survive as a buried feature. In 1805 the barrow was partially excavated by William Cunnington although it is likely that no burial was located. Excluded from the scheduling is the archaeological site marker, although the ground beneath it 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:

26774

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Colt Hoare, R, The Ancient History of Wiltshire: Volume I, (1812), 216

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.