Monument record MDO39624 - Historic field boundaries and enclosures, Hurn Airfield, Hurn, Christchurch

Several ditched and banked historic field boundaries and possible banked enclosures in the northeast part of Hurn Airfield are visible on 1940s aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

Several ditched and banked historic field boundaries and possible banked enclosures in the northeast part of Hurn Airfield are visible on 1940s aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery (1 and 2).

The field boundaries align with adjacent boundaries shown on the OS 1st Edition map (3). They are located within an area of former open heathland; this, and their straight linear form, indicates a probable post medieval origin although an earlier date is possible. They may be associated with post medieval intake of the heathland. The easternmost of the two banked enclosures is broadly curvilinear in form, measuring 29m by 36m. The westernmost enclosure is irregular in form and its south side appears to be formed of one of the banked field boundaries. This enclosure measures around 18.5m by 25m. Both enclosures appear to be associated with the adjacent field boundaries, indicating a probable contemporary date.

The features remain located within a relatively open area of the modern airfield, under some cover of tree and scrub vegetation. They are not clearly visible on current Google Earth imagery (4) but show as faint earthworks on current Lidar imagery( 2).



The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Royal Air Force, 12-DEC-46, RAF/CPE/UK/1893 RS 4168-72 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15525.

<2> XX-XXX-2015, Environment Agency DTM Lidar 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO15442.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<4> Google Earth, 2017, Google Earth 2017 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15388.

Record last edited

Oct 9 2017 4:10PM