Monument record MDO5382 - Cross dyke on Bulbarrow Hill, Woolland

A cross dyke on the narrow central part of the hill, on nearly flat ground. The dyke consists of a bank and ditch, and appears to have been at least 100 yards long, but has been much damaged by activities such as quarrying. The feature is visible as broken sections of ditched and banked earthworks on 1940s aerial photographs and current Environment Agency lidar imagery. In total the feature potentially extends for a little under 250m. It was digitally recorded during the Mid Dorset Downs AIM project.

ST 77400578 - 77460585. A Cross-dyke, probably related to Rawlsbury Camp - Iron Age hillfort (see ST 70 NE 12), runs south west - north east across the narrow centre of Bulbarrow Hill. It faces north west on nearly level ground and is at least 100 yds long but has been much damaged. The bank is 12ft wide and 2ft. high, the ditch is 15ft wide and less than 1ft. deep. On the north the ditch is cut away by a quarry, but the bank appears to run out at the shoulder of the ridge above a deep slope. On the south there are no certain remains to the south of the road, the area being much disturbed, but the dyke possibly continued the south west facing slope. <1>

The feature is visible as broken sections of ditched and banked earthworks on 1940s aerial photographs and current Environment Agency lidar imagery (RAF 1945; EA 2018). On the north side of the road the feature is visible on a 1945 aerial photograph, where quarrying has disturbed its northwest side (RAF 1945). Low banked and ditched earthworks on the south side are very faintly visible on lidar, suggesting the feature continues on the south side of the road but is in a poor state of survival. In total the feature potentially extends for a little under 250m. It was digitally recorded during the Mid Dorset Downs AIM project.

Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 FS 2175 (Aerial Photograph). SDO21717.

Environment Agency, xx-xxx-2018, Environment Agency National Lidar Programme DTM 1M (Aerial Photograph). SDO21483.

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 317 (Monograph). SDO136.

'(8) Cross-dyke (77400578-77460585), runs S.W.-N.E. at over 800 ft. O.D. across the narrow centre of Bulbarrow Hill. It faces N.W. on nearly level ground and is at least 100 yds. long but has been much damaged. The bank is 12 ft. wide and 2 ft. high; the ditch is 15 ft. wide and less than 1 ft. deep. On the N. the ditch is cut away by a quarry but the bank appears to run out at the shoulder of the ridge above a deep slope; on the S. there are no certain remains to the S. of the road, the area being much disturbed, but the dyke possibly continued on the S.W.-facing slope.'

<2> Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment, 201783 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 16 2026 11:53AM