Carolyn Kennett (CarolynK on TMA) took us to this special site. A gap between the rock of the tor forms an aperture that frames Carn Galva to the west. The midsummer sunset can be viewed sinking along the crest of the rocky ridge.
Whether it’s a natural arrangement or has been set up to give this view, I guess we’ll never be sure.
Historic England reckons Stumblebury is a:
“... bowl barrow situated on the crest of a ridge facing south-west in an area of undulating chalk downland. The barrow has a mound 20m in diameter and 1m high surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. Having become partially infilled over the years, the ditch is now only visible as a slight depression to the south-west of the mound; the remainder survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The barrow was recorded as ‘Stumleburgh’ in a land grant of 1289”
However... upon visiting said hilltop 28/5/23, I reluctantly came away without any definite identification, such is the disturbed, overgrown nature of the (apparently ‘private’...yawn) woodland to the south of The North Downs Way. Hence no image. Incidentally, I have to say the almost psychotic surfeit of Private/Keep Out etc etc signs in the locale of Otford does the locals no credit whatsoever.... couldn’t wait to get away.
This large Bronze Age funerary monument forms yet another piece of the (very) extensive Pumlumon jigsaw, set upon a 1,493 feet high hilltop overlooking Llyn Craig-y-pistyll, some 4.5 miles west(ish) of Pen Pumlumon-Fawr.
Now The Citizen Cairn had thought he’d seen all Pumlumon has to offer over the years... so it just goes to show that: 1) experience doesn’t necessarily stop one from acting like a muppet... thinking you know it all, right?; 2) the plethora of Pumlumon’s prehistoric riches would appear to know no bounds; 3) just because nothing is shown upon the map... doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing more to find.
But of course, tangible prehistoric reminders such Pen Craig y Pistyll’s cairn are but an excuse – albeit an immensely rewarding one for their own sake – to get out and about upon unfamiliar (or, indeed, familiar) hills and take in that wild vibe. Here, as it happens, the initial impression upon arrival at the start of the walk is not exactly salubrious: the stark, ruined miner’s barracks of the former Bwlchglas Lead Mine most certainly NOT a sight for sore eyes. Persevere, however, since a short, steep climb sees the traveller soon arrive at a well-made byway heading for Bwlch yr Adwy. These tracks are not my thing, however, so an ascent of the hillside to the immediate south beckons... and thus Pen Craig y Pistyll.
It would be rude not to make the continuation across the bwlch to view another round barrow at SN71978691 before sweeping westward back to the start. Just saying. Now being an English Gentleman – and having no wish to consciously offend – that is exactly what I did
Crowning the (unnamed?) hill immediately overlooking Bwlch yr Adwy to the north, this deceptively substantial, grassy monument complements beautifully the cairn crowning Pen Craig-y-Pistyll to the south-west.... and boasts equally excellent views looking east towards the main Pumlumon ridge and west for Cardigan Bay.
Stating the obvious, I guess... but incorporate both within a high-level horseshoe walk starting from Bwlch-glas and you not only avoid the idiot trail bikers playing ‘broom brooms’ down below, but will enjoy some pretty exquisite views into the bargain.
With time very much at a premium – following an extended hang at the fine oval ‘long’ barrow within nearby Shrub’s Wood – this remained an ‘over the hedge’ view... once the extent of the fine views to be had here became apparent. Very much worth a return at some point to do the site justice.
Historic England reckons:
“The monument, a bowl barrow located on the crest of the Downs with extensive views to the south and west, includes an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. The profile or the mound suggests that it has been spread slightly by agricultural activity, but the barrow mound nevertheless survives to a height of 1.6m above the surrounding land and measures 21m in diameter. The surrounding ditch has been infilled by the soil eroded and spread from the mound so that it is no longer visible. The diameter of the mound and ditch together is 26m.”
Incidentally, travellers who – upon finding themselves in the area – may have cause to wonder what the ‘Tumulus’ marked upon the map within not overly distant Juniper Wood (TR06926 47020) is like.... should note this is in fact an Anglo-Saxon/Viking era round barrow – or ‘hlaew’, to use the correct terminology.
Needless to say, well worth the effort, but a little outside the remit of TMA....
3/4 of a mile to the northeast of the fine long barrow beside Jackets Field, this round barrow is well worth adding to the day’s itinerary... if only to enjoy the tranquil woodland clearing setting. Heavily overgrown – and featuring an exquisite mantle of bluebells – during my late Spring visit, the small central cairn erected upon the monument might have suggested a round cairn anywhere but here upon the North Downs.
Also note the ‘Mound’ shown upon the 1:25K map at TR034502: seeing as the long barrow is also annotated as such – and the circumference has been demarcated/protected by woodland matter – what odds this also represents the remains of a round barrow?
Historic England notes the following:
“...The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a clay-capped, chalk hill forming part of the Kent Downs. The barrow has a roughly circular mound 16m in diameter and 1m high surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. The ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide.”
I first came here some 18 years ago... leaving without ‘postable’ photos, owing to the highly overgrown state of the monument at that time. I did not, however, leave imageless... those vivid pictures that remain within the mind long after a compelling event has (apparently) passed.
Yeah, such was the vibe that day that I am compelled to visit once again following an extended sojourn within not-too-distant King’s Wood. To see if things have changed in the interim? As it happens, they haven’t. At least not to any great extent, the great ‘oval mound’ still remains cloaked in foliage, the vibe still incredibly intense within the welcoming bosom of so much vegetation.
Historic England has the following to say:
“The monument in Shrub’s Wood, an oval barrow or burial mound dating from the Neolithic period, includes not only a large earthen mound but also the broad ditches which flank the mound. The mound itself is orientated E-W, measures 38m in length, up to 19m in width and survives to an impressive 2m above the level of the surrounding land at its highest point. On either flank of the mound, and extending along its full length, are ditches from which the earth was quarried for its construction. Having been largely infilled by erosion of the mound and the ditch sides, these slightly curving ditches are now broad and shallow, measuring typically 5m across but only 0.5m deep. The ditch on the southern side is the more easily visible.”
So, to translate: the long barrow is still some 125ft long – which is pretty long, to be fair – and over 6ft high. Yeah, the inhabitants of Bodsham are lucky people, methinks.
Marked upon current 1:25k OS mapping as ‘Mound’, this proved to be an unexpectedly fine, obscure long barrow.... of which I was previously ignorant until but a week beforehand. Aren’t such monuments the best ones? Part of a trio of well-preserved long barrows in the extended locale of the Great Stour (along with the excellent – if very, very overgrown – Bodsham... and Cope’s celebrated Julliberrie’s Grave), the monument still rises to over 6ft high at the south-eastern terminus.... and is a – frankly whopping – c230ft in length!
Historic England’s scheduling has this to say:
“...The Long Barrow is situated on level ground at the top of the North Downs scarp overlooking the valley of the Great Stour. It is oriented SE-NW, with the SE end broader and surviving to a greater height. The most distinctive feature of the monument is the elongated earthen mound, measuring some 70m in length and 10-12m in width. It stands to a height of 2m above the surrounding area at the SE end, and 1m at the NW end. Less obvious but nevertheless discernible are two long but shallow depressions alongside the mound which are now no more then 20-30cm deep but which are the filled-in remains of two deep flanking ditches, the same length as the mound itself, from which earth and chalk was quarried to make the mound. No excavations appear to have taken place at this monument, but its form is distinctively that of a Neolithic burial mound. Similar examples which have been excavated have shown that a burial chamber containing the remains of a number of individuals can be expected at the eastern end of the monument....”
Unmarked upon existing OS mapping, this is a rather fine cist set in the locale of the Teifi Pools... source of the river... tucked between the extended ‘Green Desert’ of Cwmdeuddwr and Pumlumon.
Coflein notes:
“Located just off the crest of a ridge on W-facing sloping ground at 405m above OD, near the head of a stream valley. The cairn is a turf-covered stony mound measuring 6m in diameter and 0.5m high. The body of the cairn contains some small boulders. At its centre lies a rifled cist. It consists of four upright and leaning slabs and measures internally 1.18m (N-S) by 0.72m. The capstone, perhaps broken up or removed, is no longer visible.” [D.K.Leighton 29 March 2005]
Travellers approaching the great cemetery upon Moel y Llyn from the east will, naturally, encounter this ‘bonus’ pair of cairns as a rather splendid hors d’oeuvres.
Coflein reckons:
“One of two closely-spaced cairns located one above the other on the rising south-east side of a col below the eastern slopes of Moel y Llyn, close to a track and a forestry boundary. The lower (westernmost) of the two measures 11m (NE-SW) by 9m and 0.5m high on the uphill side, 2m above the track which passes by on the north-west....” [David Leighton, RCAHMW, 12 June 2012]
Historic England summarises this impressive monument thus:
“A cairn situated on the flat crest of the south-east spur of Royal Hill at 395.0m OD being a mound of partly-turf-covered large stones with a depression in the centre. Its diameter is 16.0m and its maximum height 1.6m.”
Clearly, not a site to miss when visiting the other excellent cairns/cists in the locale of Royal Hill.
The most satisfying discovery of an out-and-back walk from NantyMaen to Bryn Cosyn – not least due to its excellent positioning overlooking the Groes Fawr – this monument also features the remnants of a cist. Hey, Coflein postulates more than one, but there you are:
“Denuded kerb cairn with the remains of one and possibly two cists”. [J.Wiles 31.01.02]
According to Coflein, the base of this ‘marker cairn’ is indeed of prehistoric ancestry:
“A more recent cairn, 2 metres by 2 metres, 1 metre high, built on top of earlier Bronze Age cairn” [J. J. Hall, Trysor, 8th February 2013]
Coflein reckons this monument, another of an extended group in the locality of the Groes Fawr, represents:
“[the]Remains of a cairn 7 metres in diameter, 0.4 metres high. On the southeast side small upright stones along 1 metre of the perimeter are the remains of kerbing. There is a fence along the south side”. [J. J. Hall, Trysor, 9th February 2013]
But one of a series of ancient cairns encountered upon a low-level trek from Nant y Maen towards Carn Gron within deepest Mid Wales...
Coflein reckons the monument is:
“A rather irregular cairn, c.6.0m in diameter & 0.6m high, showing elements of kerbing indicating a ring, c.5.0m in diameter; a probable central cist is 1.5m NNE-SSW by 0.7m.” [source: Briggs 1994 (Cardigan County Hist. I), 180-1 fig38.5) J.Wiles 21.07.04]
To be fair, the posted images say all there is to say about the quality of this excellent cist – for me, the finest of the monuments clustered around Bellever Tor.
Located within sight of the nearby stone row, this well-preserved cist – like its neighbour – is not marked upon current OS mapping... forming but one of the Cwmdeuddwr Hill’s many, many prehistoric gems just waiting to be discovered.
Two Bronze Age cairns standing overlooking Cwrt-y-Cadno (The Fox Court) upon the south-western flanks of Mynydd Mallaen. A good excuse to lose yourself (not literally, one would hope) for several hours upon these hills. The southern monument remains pretty substantial, the northern rather ‘lower’, yet still retaining a significant diameter. Both cairns feature a prominent ‘slab’ which may, or may not have formally been part of a cist or chamber. Who knows?
Nowadays, this part of Mid Wales is a haven of tranquillity... however, this wasn’t always the case. The Romans – yeah, them – came to mine gold, the remains of their aqueducts apparently still visible if you know where to look (The Citizen Cairn did not). Later on, Cwrt-y-Cadno was a noted ‘stop-over’ point for drovers taking their cattle all the way to London. Times change, eh?
Coflein notes:
“Remains of two burial mounds, situated in enclosed pasture. The northernmost cairn (Item A: SN69594299) measures about 14m in diameter and up to 0.6m in height”. [Source: Cadw Scheduling Description. FF 04.01.2005]
Not marked upon current OS mapping, this is nevertheless well worth the dedicated Citizen Cairn seeking out. Located – as the professionals’ prosaic name makes clear – overlooking the Afon Prysor upon the uncompromising Migneint, my route, initially following the nearby Nant Gefail-y-miners from the B4391 was, to say the least, heavy going.
Coflein reckons:
“Remains of a burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age, and situated within open moorland on an outcropping ridge above Afon Prysor. The stone built cairn is circular on plan and measures about 6m in diameter and up to 0.5m in height. Several definite kerbstones are visible. The cairn has been deliberately positioned below the summit of the ridge on a slight terrace but set back from the leading edge”. [Source: Cadw scheduling description. 11/08/2004 FF]
This is by far the most significant of a small cemetery of cairns located below, and a little to the south, of the great summit cairn of Craig Twrch... the well-preserved cist found to be still in situ makes a pause here imperative.
Millpond Wood is a veritable oasis of calm and greenery – assuming you discount the noisy japes of a couple of lads playing football in a nearby back garden – set between the Sevenoaks suburbs of St Johns, Seal and, appropriately enough, Wildernesse. Yeah, surrounded by housing estates as this woodland is, arguably the last thing one would expect to encounter would be a great round barrow upon its eastern fringes... and a pretty odd one at that, having been the depository for copious Mesolithic ‘artefacts’.
I approached via Pinewood Avenue – having made sure I wouldn’t annoy any locals with my finely honed lack of parking prowess – turning left, then left again as I entered the sanctuary of the canopy. Despite being bisected by a wide path, not to mention acting as the depository for some idiot’s grass cuttings, the barrow remains a substantial, upstanding monument. A rather idyllic setting, if the truth be told, particularly smothered with quite outstanding early May bluebells.
Furthermore, numerous locals out and about couldn’t have been more friendly, even a bloke who looked and sounded like Bez’s best mate. Well, all except one miserable old bat who objected about something or other – no idea what. But hey, there’s always one, isn’t there?
I found this to be a rather sad place for those with a semblance of an inquiring mind – inhabited by locals with (apparently) no knowledge of what lies within their midst – if only to judge by a guy walking his dog within the fenceline (He: ‘Sorry, there’s no hillfort here’; Me: Err.. apart from that great big earthen bank beside you, you mean?) and several similarly bemused passers-by. All very nice, friendly people, but... the mind does boggle, as they say.
So antiquarians be warned: the interior has been transformed into an orchard/Scout Camp, meaning there’s no ‘reasonable’ access without having the (apparently) belligerent landowner upon your case. Incidentally, I do hope said landowner does not dwell within the house at the bottom of Beresford Hill to the east, however, since damaging a scheduled ancient monument by erecting wooden structures upon it is obviously a criminal offence. Unlike trespass. Whatever, it’s such a shame to waste our precious heritage upon people with no concept of what it represents, but hey.
Nonetheless, worth a look from the environs in passing – I had an hour or so to spare – since there remains some pretty hefty earthworks here.
There is a further large barrow on Lady Downs at SW 4717 3651. Cornwall & Scilly HER description:
tumulus is marked at Lady Downs on current OS maps. Edmonds mentions a barrow 80ft (24.48m) in diameter and between five and six feet (1.52m to 1.83m) high. Henderson recorded “a very large ring type barrow, 66ft diameter (20.19m) and composed of loose stones. It is in a very mutilated condition and no large stones remain evidently due to having been used as a quarry”. Survey by the OS in 1961 recorded that the barrow is as described by Henderson and now has a maximum height of 1.7m.
A quick update on access: my old OS map shows the circle as being outside the access land area, so I went and asked in the farmyard (three people, one barking dog) where permission and directions were readily given.
I do note however that the latest editions of the OS 1:250000 map available online show the site as being within the open access land boundary now, so no permission is technically needed. Given its proximity to the farm and the fact the easy and obvious route to it is through the farmyard, asking still seems like a good idea and may be appreciated (if anyone is around to ask, other than the dog).
Located upon the wondrous Kerry Ridge between – significantly, perhaps? – the sources of the Severn tributary Afon Miwl (River Mule) and Afon Tefeidiad (River Teme), these are two pretty substantial round barrows, albeit sadly isolated from the track by barbed wire Why, oh why do they do this? I was able to cross over without any damage/incident, but please bear this in mind.
Coflein reckons:
SO1177085090: “...24m in diameter and 1.0m high, an excavation trench of 1912, which produced a cinerary urn and details of mound construction, is still apparent.”
SO1167085040: “... 24.5m in diameter and 1.7m high, excavated in 1926 producing numerous flints, an inhumation and three cremation burials.”
[J.Wiles 28.08.02]
