Details

The monument includes a flight of eight medieval strip lynchets immediately
south west of Woodcombe Cleve. They are cut into a steep north west facing
chalk scarp to the south of the village of Sutton Veny.
The lynchets comprise two elements; the steep `risers' or scarps cut into the
hillside and the `treads', flat areas created for cultivation. The four lowest
lynchets stretch around the base of the slope for a length of 340m. They have
risers up to 3.8m high and treads 6m wide. To the east they end at a fenceline
west of Woodcombe Cleve bungalow. Beyond this they have been levelled during
the construction of the bungalow and are not included in the scheduling. There
is a break near the middle point of the lower lynchets where a hollow has been
dug into the hillside, probably to accommodate a small building.
Higher up the slope where the gradient is more gentle, the treads are
consequently larger, up to 30m wide with risers up to 3m high. Here the upper
four lynchets are up to 260m long rising gently westward from Hill Road to the
east and converging to a point at the top of the slope to the south west.
Fragments of medieval pottery have been found at the eastern end of the upper
lynchet.
All fenceposts and cattle troughs 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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Strip lynchets provide distinctive indications of medieval cultivation. They
occur widely in southern and eastern England, and are prominent features of
the Wessex chalkland. Each lynchet or terrace has two components, consisting
of a scarp or `riser' and flat strip or `tread'.
The strip lynchets immediately south west of Woodcombe Cleve are a well
defined and extensive set. They provide an important insight into local use of
land during the medieval period and will contain both archaeological and
environmental remains, providing information about the age of the lynchets and
the landscape in which they were constructed.

Source: Historic England