Lansdown Barrows Round Barrow(s) View all content for Lansdown Barrows

Visited yesterday. The larger barrow is extremely overgrown with brambles and several small trees. It is difficult to see where it begins, but I would estimate around 30-40 feet in diameter. At the centre it reaches a height of 5-6 feet. I remember it being a much more impressive feature a couple of decades ago, very visible from the road when driving past, before it became as scrubbed over as it is now. There is a drawing of this barrow from 1783 on the British Library website, just behind Rose Cottage with a large ash tree growing on it. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/topdrawings/a/largeimage85779.html The tree is also visible on the Harcourt Masters Turnpike map of 1786/7, where mound is shown as a very prominent feature. The other two barrows are not shown on the map. The largest of the confluent round barrows in the field is around 3 feet in height, the smaller one to the NW is around 2 feet. The field is marked on the 1841 tithe map as 'Fair Close', presumably this was where the Lansdown Fair was held.

Posted by swallowhead 11th January 2018ce

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