Details

The monument includes a henge monument set on a gentle south-east facing slope
in an area of undulating chalk downland immediately east of the Wylye Valley.
It comprises a central area between 30m and 33m across raised 1m above ground
level. Surrounding this is a ditch, from which material was quarried during
the construction of the monument, and an external bank. The ditch has been
partly infilled over the years but survives to a depth of 0.5m and is c.10m
across. The bank is 0.2m high and 10m wide. In the south-west portion of the
ditch is a causeway c.4m across.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic
period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval-
shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a
ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the
interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features
including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or
central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide
important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types
of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in
which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the
exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally
situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are
rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of
identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all
henges are considered to be of national importance.

The Long Ivor henge monument survives well and has potential for the recovery
of both archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the
landscape in which the monument was constructed. The importance of the site
is enhanced by the fact that numerous contemporary monuments survive in the
area giving an indication of the nature and scale of occupation during the
later Neolithic period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Harding, A, Henge monuments, (1987)

Source: Historic England