Monument record MDO6025 - Triple Barrow, one of the Park Lane Group, Shapwick

Three conjoined or overlapping Bronze Age round barrows forming a group aligned approximately north west to south east. The central barrow, which the RCHME (1975) record as approximately 70 feet in diameter, appears to have been inserted between the monuments at either end, both of which are similarly recorded as approximately 80 feet in diameter. The north -western barrow appears to have traces of an inner concentric ditch some 30 feet in diameter. The group has been plough-levelled and survives now only as ring-ditches visible on aerial photographs. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water. The features are visible as cropmarks on a 1995 aerial photographs and were digitally plotted from this source by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

The features are visible as cropmarks on a 1995 aerial photographs <6>. They comprise a partial ring ditch in the southeast of the group, which measures approximately 32m across. The ditch itself is approximately 2.3m wide and the east side of it is not visible; possibly truncated by a later drove road to the east. The northwesternmost ring ditch is visible as a complete feature approximately 32.5m in diameter and with a 1.4m wide ditch.
Two short sections of curvilinear ditch are visible in between and to the northeast of the former two ring ditches. These may be part of a further round barrow inserted between the other two but the features visible cropmarks are not certain enough to confirm this.

The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Three round barrows, all levelled by ploughing and now visible only as ring-ditches on an air photograph (a) lie
on a gentle S. slope at about 125 ft. above O.D., just S. of Park Lane. Three of the rings are interlocked and form what appears to be a triple barrow. (A) Barrow 95390152); diam. About 75 ft. (B) Triple Barrow 95430158), comprising three interlocking ring-ditches, are aligned N.W.-S.E. The S.E. barrow is 80 ft. in diam.; that on the N.W. is of similar size, with traces of an inner ditch about 30 ft. in diam. The central barrow, 70 ft. in diam., appears to have been inserted between the other two. ©(B) Barrow ? 95180166) 220 yds. W.N.W. of ; diam. About 35 ft. (1)

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 64 (Monograph). SDO129.

'Park Lane Group (59-61) comprises at least four barrows, all levelled by ploughing and now visible only as ring-ditches on an air photograph (N.M.R., ST 9401/1). They lie on a gentle S. slope at about 125 ft. above O.D., just S. of Park Lane. Three of the rings are interlocked and form what appears to be a triple barrow… (60) Triple Barrow (95430158), comprising three interlocking ring-ditches, are aligned N.W.-S.E. The S.E. barrow is 80 ft. in diam.; that on the N.W. is of similar size, with traces of an inner ditch about 30 ft. in diam. The central barrow, 70 ft. in diam., appears to have been inserted between the other two.'

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/091 RCHME Inventory: Dorset V (East) (Unpublished document). SDO18032.

<3> J Story and Partners, 1972, DCC vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO14100.

<4> Grinsell, L V, 1982, Dorset Barrows Supplement, 50 (Monograph). SWX1703.

<5> Papworth, M, 1994, Shapwick Parish, Kingston Lacy Estate, Wessex Region, 61 (Unpublished document). SDO14228.

This site is probably a Bronze Age triple barrow, a rare feature and the only example on the Estate. It is visible on aerial photograph NMR ST9401/1 and was clear as a parch mark on the ground in 1975 when it was measured by Norman Field. It is aligned roughly north-west to south-east, the central ring ditch extending slightly north-east of this alignment measures 25m dia. The north-west barrow is a double ring ditch, its outer ditch 30m. dia., the inner ditch 12m dia. The south west barrow ring ditch is 30m dia. and lies against the hedge boundary flanking the drove immediately to the east. TCHM(1975,64) considered that the centre barrow was inserted between the other two. The site lies on the south facing slope.

<6> National Monuments Record, 04-SEP-95, NMR 15396/52-4 (ST9501/8-10) (Aerial Photograph). SDO16215.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209588 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 9 2023 2:58PM