Monument record MDO28006 - Chalk pit, Spread Eagle Hill, Melbury Abbas

A disused chalk pit lies on the west side of the A350. It cuts through the Melbury Down/Compton Down linear boundary.

Two chalk pits, long abandoned, lie on the uphill side of the cutting for the A350 road. The turf-covered pit and its spoil heaps at ST88381948 have cut into the linear boundary work (ST81NE7) and an access track partially overlies the linear on the south side.

he larger chalk pit centred at ST88491916 has been partially infilled on its upper side. A number of cemented brick pillars and concrete lumps evident in the spoil may have been dumped when the wartime buildings on Compton Down were demolished (ST81NE67).

A rounded mound and a linear mound situated against the road fence on the opposite (downhill) side of the A350 are both almost certainly spoil mounds associated with the large chalk pit. The rounded mound is 1.7m high on the downhill side and 0.5m high on the uphill side. The function of the 8m in diameter, 0.7m deep depression in its top is not known. See English Heritage report. <1>

English Heritage, Field Investigators Comments M Fletcher, 30-MAY-2000 (Unpublished document). SDO17851.

<1> Fletcher, M, 2000, A Survey of the South Western part of Melbury Down, Melbury Abbas, Dorset, 2 (Unpublished document). SDO12416.

<3> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 1342633 (Index). SDO14738.

Melbury Down/Report

<4> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 1342635 (Index). SDO14738.

Melbury Down/Ink Survey

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF1319215 (Index). SDO14738.

EH: Melbury Down, Dorset: The south western part of Melbury Down, owned by the National Trust comprises the steep north east facing slopes of a broad combe. The National Trust commissioned English Heritage, Exeter Field Survey Office, to undertake a survey of the area, (includes many earthworks) in March 2000Contents : 1 report, 1 drawing.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1319211 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 14 2023 2:08PM