Monument record MDO41654 - Possible post medieval trackway, Corfe Mullen

Banked linear features at Corfe Mullen are visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The features form a wide forked linear feature that may be a historic trackway of probable post medieval origin although it is possible that the features may alternatively be associated with a linear post medieval extractive pit. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Banked linear features at Corfe Mullen are visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1). The features form a wide forked linear feature that may be a historic trackway of probable post medieval origin although the features may alternatively be associated with a linear post medieval extractive pit.

The feature comprise a series of parallel banked linears spaced approximately 3m apart to form a larger E-W aligned linear feature with a fork at its west end (1). The central area between the banked linears appears eroded or possibly deliberately scraped away.

The features are situated on an area of heathland and bear no obvious relation to nearby historic field boundaries recorded on the OS 1st Edition map (2) but the SW fork of the feature does extend southwest towards a building featured on a 1947 aerial photograph (1). The features may be sections of a historic trackway of probable post medieval origin although it is also possible that the features may alternatively be associated with a linear post medieval extractive pit; there are two post medieval extractive pits in close proximity to the north and south (MDOs 41553 and 41554)

The site is under housing on current Google Earth imagery and the features are no longer visible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 20-OCT-47, RAF/CPE/UK/2370 V 5049-50 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16188.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Sep 4 2018 3:28PM