<< Our Photo Pages >> Holt Heath - Round Barrow(s) in England in Dorset
Submitted by Gedv1 on Monday, 21 March 2011 Page Views: 8238
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Holt Heath Alternative Name: Bull BarrowCountry: England County: Dorset Type: Round Barrow(s)
Nearest Town: Wimborne Minster Nearest Village: Mannington
Map Ref: SU055049
Latitude: 50.843599N Longitude: 1.923252W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Round Barrow(s) in Dorset
Holt Heath Barrows.
There are two known barrows on Holt Heath, and of course, perhaps many more lost. They occupy separate sites on the northern higher ground, over-looking a vast treeless plain of morass and heathland managed as a National Nature Reserve by the National Trust.
Bull Barrow is the highest of the two at SU055049. It is a sizable barrow at the eastern edge of a heather covered scarp. The terrain is a raised sand and gravel plateau. The mound is approx 1.5m high with clear evidence of digging to the summit. A number of flint items have been recovered from the site and are recorded on PastScape: see monument no. 213106. There is clear ditch evidence to both the north and south, perhaps most especially to the northern rim.
The National Trust have been at great labour here and have freed the plateau of thick gorse and choking heather. The mound now exposed, displays its connection with neighbouring barrows and prehistoric communities. To the south east are clear views to the Bronze and Iron Age settlements at St Catherines Hill, while behind to the north east, it is itself over looked by the higher barrows at David's Cross hill.
Away to the east, at the furthest corner of the heath is Summerlug Hill. It is a pleasing knoll of raised sand and gravel with tall pines framing its view onto the heath. The barrow here at SU068048 is on the highest ground towards the rear of the knoll, whereafter the ground drops away again behind it to the north and north east. A worn narrow footpath leads around the barrow, but the density of the furze completely obscures it, and but for its entry on OS maps, it is unrecognisable as such except perhaps to the trained eye. PastScape, as a separate monument entry: 1422069, records 5 World War ll trenches dug into both Summerlug Hill and indeed the top of the barrow, but in its current over-grown condition there is no hope to view any of these additional earthworks let alone the barrow itself! Seeing the energies expended by National Trust at Bull Barrow, it must only be a matter of time before this knoll is also freed up. A number of flint flakes have been recovered from Summerlug Hill.
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