Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow 500m south of West Down Barn on a
north and east facing slope. The barrow has a mound, approximately 20m in
diameter and 2m high, which has a slight depression in the top, perhaps
suggesting excavation in the past. The mound is surrounded by a quarry
ditch, approximately 3m wide and 0.3m deep, visible as a surface
depression on all but the western side.

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

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments
dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most
examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple
burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often
acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar,
although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form
and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are
a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable
variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.

Despite evidence for partial excavation, the bowl barrow 500m south of
West Down Barn is a well-preserved example of its class. The barrow will
contain archaeological remains which will provide information about Bronze
Age burial practices, economy and environment.

Source: Historic England