Details

The monument includes a levelled henge monument situated on the flood plain of
the Salcott Creek 1km north-east of Virley church. Although no longer visible
at ground level the monument survives as a circular ditch which can be clearly
seen as a cropmark and on aerial photographs. The ditch is 46m in diameter
with two opposed entrances, to the north-west and south-east, which measure
approximately 10m in width.

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.

Despite levelling by cultivation, the henge monument at Great and Little
Wigborough will retain important archaeological information and environmental
evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
SMR No 11515, Information from SMR,

Source: Historic England