The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Round Hill (Roxton)

Round Barrow(s)

Fieldnotes

Now stuck in an area I initially left 15 years ago, and in desperate need of trying to straighten my head and connect somehow with the ancestors, I located Round Hill and went to get pictoral documentation.

Since I left the area, the A421 has been built and lies close by. The best way of getting to the site is to turn off the Black Cat roundabout just after St.Neots to the turning for Roxton (between the A! exit and the A421 to Bedford) then turn right over the A421 flyover (Roxton Road). Just on the other side is a large area where you can park safely then walk. A disused road takes you round the edge of the sandy coloured wheat fields and then along the other side of the A421 embankment.

The Hill is quite large, and riddled with Rabbit holes. On its top are a cluster of planted Alder trees, some still with their rabbit guards in place. I have found little in the way of documentation about the site, only being able to go on what Rhiannon has added, that it remains unexcavated.

Looking out, the landscape rolls very gently and you can see the mound is situated on a slightly higher plane than everything else. In a North Easterly direction I saw hillside rising with a wooded area in the distance, which within the setting of the landscape I think could hold some historic interest. Despite the fact that arial photography shows one of these patches (Alington Hill) to be circular, I have yet to find any documentation supporting a history.

I sat on the burial mound looking out, and my ancestors gave me the realisation I had been missing. With a sense of sorrow, but a lighter heart, I was able to leave, thankful for the help.
Posted by robokid
9th August 2010ce
Edited 14th August 2010ce

Comments (4)

You do get a sense of peace at these places and they certainly do help when you have a lot on your mind. Glad you are feeling a wee bitty better for the visit. drewbhoy Posted by drewbhoy
9th August 2010ce
I'm also glad it helped you. I've never had the opportunity to drop by, so it's nice to know it's looking safe, and to see your photos! Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
9th August 2010ce
Hi,

I work for conservation charity BTCV and it was our volunteer group that replaced the fencing around the barrow a number of years ago on behalf of Bedfordshire County Council. It's a scheduled site and so we had to put new posts into the existing fence post holes so as to avoid new disturbance of any archaeology. This was a while ago now but as I recall they were going to exterminate the rabbits once we completed the rabbit fencing as this was a big risk to the barrow. The other reason for the fencing was to provide a visible barrier to try and ensure future ploghing would not damage the site.

Other factors were the trees on the barrow, some of which were planted by the parish council allegedly against the wishes of the county archaeologists. We thinned these as the tree roots were also of concern in terms of damaging the archaeology.

One of the local famers stopped by to chat whilst we were working there. He claimed to have "dug a big hole" as a boy but not found anything of interest.

We always found it a very peaceful and pleasant place to work though I don't know what it is like now the 421 bypass has been built. Luckily the final route for the road was not what was originally proposed as apparently it would have run between Roxton and the barrow on first drafts which would have spoiled the site completely.

I've been an occasional visitor to this site for a few years now but your post about "local things" has spurred me to register so that I could respond. I'll have to look and see if we have any old photos of the fencing work taking place.
Posted by Ben_H
10th August 2010ce
It would be interesting to get out and find more. I grew up in Little Paxton, an area massively quarried with the odd item turning up, but so much of the landscape in this part of the world is subject to sand or gravel extraction that it constantly changes.

I tried using MAGIC recently but had no end of problems finding what I was after, though after following Rhiannon's Heritage Gateway links, am happy to have found a better way to identify sites.
Posted by robokid
15th August 2010ce
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