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 bowl barrow known as the Hill of Health survives well. The area of
disturbance caused by the antiquarian excavation is small relative to the
monument as a whole, which will retain archaeological information
concerning its construction and the manner and duration of its use.
Evidence for the local environment prior to and during that time will also
be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound and in the fills of the
buried ditch. The proximity of the barrow to a number of other barrows in
this part of the Breckland region gives it additional interest.
The Breckland region represents one of the main concentrations of barrows in
Suffolk and the distribution of the barrows corresponds with those areas
which have been under heathland over the past 200 years. Together these
barrows provide evidence for the character, development and density of the
prehistoric population in the area.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow located on a gentle south facing slope
immediately east of a route of the Icknield Way. The barrow is visible as
a earthen mound which stands to a height of approximately 2.7m, and covers
a roughly circular area with a maximum diameter of about 31m. The mound
slopes steeply on the north and east sides, and more gently on the south
and west. A hollow, about 5m wide by 0.5m deep in the southern side of the
mound is known to be the result of an antiquarian investigation. It is
thought that the mound is encircled by a ditch approximately 3m wide from
which earth was quarried during the construction of the barrow and,
although this has now become completely infilled and is no longer visible,
it will survive as a buried feature. The surface of the trackway to the
west, and the surface of the drive and the birdbath to the south of the
barrow mound are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
them 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.
