Burnt mounds in Woodlands Park, 540m and 640m west of The Pavilion

Reasons for Designation

A burnt mound is an accumulation of burnt (fire-crazed) stones, ash and charcoal, usually sited next to a river or lake. On excavation, some form of trough or basin capable of holding water is normally found in close association with the mound. The size of the mound can vary considerably; small examples may be under 0.5m high and less than 10m in diameter, larger examples may exceed 3m in height and be 35m in diameter. The shape of the mound ranges from circular to crescentic. The associated trough or basin may be found within the body of the mound or, more usually, immediately adjacent to it. At sites which are crescentic in shape the trough is normally found within the `arms' of the crescent and the mound has the appearance of having developed around it. The main phase of use of burnt mounds spans the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age, a period of around 1000 years. The function of the mounds has been a matter of some debate, but it appears that cooking, using heated stones to boil water in a trough or tank, is the most likely use. Some excavated sites have revealed several phases of construction, indicating that individual sites were used more than once. Burnt mounds are found widely scattered throughout the British Isles, with around 100 examples identified in England. As a rare monument type which provides an insight into life in the Bronze Age, all well-preserved examples will normally be identified as nationally important.

The burnt mounds in Woodlands Park, 540m and 640m west of The Pavilion are well-preserved examples of a pair of mounds located adjacent to a water source. They are expected to preserve evidence for their construction and use, as well as evidence of associated settlement remains and buried land surfaces which will provide important evidence of their relationship to Bronze Age society. In addition, the waterlogged conditions will preserve environmental and organic evidence such as weeds, pollen and seeds which will further understanding of the prehistoric environment surrounding these sites.

Details

The monument includes the known extent of the buried and earthworks remains of two burnt mounds in Woodlands Park. They lie in two areas of protection, located in an area of public open space lying on either side of Woodlands Park Road. The burnt mounds are visible as two deposits of burnt and heat crazed cobbles approximately 70m apart, orientated east to west and located on the banks of a small stream. The mounds are concentrated on both sides of the stream. The easternmost mound is the largest measuring 60m long and approximately 7.5m wide. Its matrix of burnt stones and charcoal 0.5m deep overlying an orange alluvium base as well as a possible pit has been exposed in the banks of the stream. A resistivity and magnotometer survey in 1982 confirmed the extent of the mound. A second smaller mound composed of a thick deposit of stones in black soil lies to the west. It is approximately circular and measures less than 10m in diameter. Carbon 14 dates have confirmed that the burnt mounds are approximately 3000 years old. All modern paths and surfaces are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

35109

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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