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<< Our Photo Pages >> Golden Cap Barrows - Barrow Cemetery in England in Dorset

Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 May 2011  Page Views: 9222

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Golden Cap Barrows
Country: England County: Dorset Type: Barrow Cemetery
Nearest Town: Bridport  Nearest Village: Chideock
Map Ref: SY40569211
Latitude: 50.725556N  Longitude: 2.843478W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 2 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 5

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TheCaptain visited on 15th Oct 2020 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 5 Access: 3 Visit on a walk from Seatown up the coast path up and over the Golden Cap and around Stanton St Gabriel and back. Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on the open hilltop to the west of the highest point of 191m, the highest point on the British south coast. They are in a line along the top, but now very low and worn, clearly showing the Chert and gravelly golden sandstone of which they are constructed.

heidavey have visited here

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. The barrows viewed here looking out to sea and westwards towards Lyme Regis and Beer Head beyond. (Vote or comment on this photo)
There are five Bronze Age burial mounds visible on the summit of Golden Cap, the highest point of the coast path through Dorset at 191m (626ft) above sea level.

Work was done in 2011 to excavate three of the burial mounds on Golden Cap in Dorset. The 4,000-year-old mounds are at risk from coastal erosion and were excavated by the National Trust before they are lost to the sea.

The two mounds furthest from the cliff were not excavated on this occasion.

Each mound measures about 15m (49ft) in diameter. It is not known exactly how high each one is because they have been covered by sand blown in from the cliff edge. Each one currently stands at about 1m (3ft) high.

Preliminary excavation work was carried out on the mounds in May 2009.

It was hoped the excavation would uncover more about the people who originally built them.

Martin Papworth, a National Trust archaeologist, said: "These Bronze Age round barrows are important features of the landscape of Dorset and have a valuable story to tell, but the archaeological information contained in these burial mounds can only be preserved through excavation and record."

All five burial mounds are expected to be lost through cliff collapses in the next 50 years.

Mr Papworth added: "The barrows are scheduled monuments and English Heritage has granted permission for the National Trust to excavate the most vulnerable parts of the barrow group."

It is thought the mounds would have been about two miles inland at the time they were built.

More at BBC News
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Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking down the coast towards Golden Cap from Charmouth beach (Vote or comment on this photo)

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking East from a serene Lyme Regis harbour towards Golden Cap (Right of center), The Highest point on the South Coast path (Vote or comment on this photo)

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Golden Cap from the East on Seatown Beach, With a setting midsummer sun above it, A true Golden cap! (Vote or comment on this photo)

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking South West along the line of some of the barrows at SY40569211 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : The Barrow under the Trig Point at SY40719218, This Barrow was marked on old maps before the trig point was here (Vote or comment on this photo)

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Golden Cap from the North

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking East down the coast from Golden Cap

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : The Barrow under the Trig Point at SY40719218, This Barrow was marked on old maps before the trig point was here

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Showing where two of the Golden Cap Barrows meet

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Showing the low mounds of 2 Golden Cap Barrows

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : A small barrow/hut just to the South East of the line of barrows at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : What looks like an old fish trap below the Barrows

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking North East over the barrows at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking South West over the two nearest barrows to the cliff edge at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking South West over part of one of the barrows towards the two nearest the cliff edge at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking over some of the barrows at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : Looking South West down the line of low barrows at SY40569211

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by Bladup : The Barrow under the Trig Point at SY40719218, This Barrow was marked on old maps before the trig point was here

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. View looking inland and eastwards along the coast

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. Looking inland from near the point.

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Don't stray too far from the top, it's a long way down! View from the barrows edge down and eastwards along the coast.

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. Composite view of the barrows here looking south and westwards.

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. A central barrow viewed here looking westwards towards Charmouth and Lyme Regis.

Golden Cap Barrows
Golden Cap Barrows submitted by TheCaptain : Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on Golden Cap summit, the highest point on the British south coast. The inland barrows viewed here looking westwards towards Lyme Regis and Beer Head beyond.

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"Golden Cap Barrows" | Login/Create an Account | 7 News and Comments
  
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Re: National Trust uncovers a Bronze Age settlement on the Golden Cap Estate by Andy B on Thursday, 06 July 2017
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This from July 2015: We are back excavating next to the cliff edge in West Dorset. A mysterious mound of burnt material was spotted eroding from the cliff face by local archaeologist Antony who drew our attention to it. It is buried about 1m down and therefore was not visible on the surface.

This kind of feature is called a ‘burnt mound’ and are more commonly found in the Midland of England and in Scotland. There are sites in Hampshire, Wiltshire and North Dorset, but this is the first found in West Dorset. Burnt mounds can date from the Neolithic right up to the Iron age, with many Bronze age in date.

We don’t know if this burnt mound was something used for ritual feasting, a sweat lodge or an industrial site but hopefully over the next two weeks we will may be able to shed more light on its purpose and age. So watch this space

There is a dig diary here
https://archaeologynationaltrustsw.wordpress.com/tag/coastal-archaeology/

Burnt Mound, the story so far
https://archaeologynationaltrustsw.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/burnt-mound-the-story-so-far/
[ Reply to This ]

Cliff erosion on Golden Cap estate exposes Bronze Age settlement by Andy B on Thursday, 08 December 2011
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From 24 June 2009:

Archaeologists working on the National Trust’s Golden Cap Estate have uncovered a rare find – a Neolithic settlement exposed by cliff erosion.

The test trenches are being dug this week by National Trust archaeologists Martin Papworth and Nancy Grace, and a team of experienced archaeological volunteers, on Dog House Hill, near Thorncombe Beacon.

Mr Papworth said everyone at the site was excited by finding such rare Bronze Age settlement in the area.

He said: “It is unusual for West Dorset. Further east to Dorchester there is quite a lot of evidence, but west of Bridport this kind of site is rare. I don’t know of a settlement that is this early that has been found in West Dorset.”

The discovery has only been made possible because of the erosion of the cliffs.

Under normal circumstances the evidence would be buried at least a metre deep, Mr Papworth said. He added: “Although 5,000 years ago the coast wasn’t here at all. It would have been several kilometres further out. So what is now at the cliff edge would have been some way in land at the time.

“We have found bits of pottery and we think we have found a hearth, which would be from 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. We’ve found work tools and lots and lots of charcoal.

“It is especially exciting to see because the coastal erosion has exposed so many layers of the settlement and in effect saved us an immense amount of digging. Effectively the erosion means we can see all the occupation levels of the time.”

Finding so much charcoal means they can use carbon dating to pinpoint exactly when our ancestors would have worked the land here – and environmental archaeologists will be able to identify what kind of wood was being burned, he said.

There will be others clues in the soil too, he added. “Because the soil is so acid the pollen will have survived so when we analyse the soil we can find all the different sorts of plants that were growing here.”

The team will be digging until the end of the week and then all the finds will be taken away and shown to specialists who deal with pottery and flint, as well as the environmental archaeologists.

“Each specialist will put together their own story and then we will piece it all together with what we have found in the ground and then we will write the report on it.

“That won’t be for several months though. There are no instant answers.”

http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/bridportnews/4385453.Cliff_erosion_on_Golden_Cap_estate_exposes_Bronze_Age_settlement/
[ Reply to This ]

Golden Cap's ancient burial mounds excavated in Dorset by Andy B on Thursday, 08 December 2011
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From 28th May 2011
Work has started to excavate three Bronze Age burial mounds on Golden Cap in Dorset.

The 4,000-year-old mounds are at risk from coastal erosion and are being excavated by the National Trust before they are lost to the sea.

There are five burial mounds visible on the summit of Golden Cap, the highest point of the coast path through Dorset at 191m (626ft) above sea level.

The two mounds furthest from the cliff will not be excavated on this occasion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13439553
[ Reply to This ]

Jurassic Coast Bronze Age burial mounds revealed by Andy B on Thursday, 08 December 2011
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Another video from the BBC: Archaeologists have excavated three Bronze Age burial mounds on the cliff edge along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

The 4,000 year-old burial mounds at Golden Cap are expected to be lost to the sea within 50 years.

Teams spent three weeks during the summer opening up the mounds and discovered an array of ancient objects.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-15576983


[ Reply to This ]

Re: Bridport Bronze Age monument to be excavated by MikeAitch on Thursday, 26 May 2011
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Interesting 2 minute BBC video covering the excavation.
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Bridport Bronze Age monument to be excavated by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 May 2011
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A team from the National Trust is holding a dig at the Bronze Age monument on the cliff top near Bridport.

They will probe three of the five earthworks – which are 4,000 years old – amid fears that they will fall victim to landslips.

National Trust archaeologist Martin Papworth said: “These Bronze Age round barrows are important features of the landscape of Dorset and have a valuable story to tell but the archaeological information contained in these burial mounds can only be preserved through excavation and record.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/9033516.Bridport_Bronze_Age_monument_to_be_excavated/
[ Reply to This ]

National Trust uncovers a Bronze Age settlement on the Golden Cap Estate by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 May 2011
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Some notes on the 2009 excavation on the Hive Beach cafe blog by the archaeologist Martin Papworth
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