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

Milston Down Long Barrows

Long Barrow

Fieldnotes

Visited Early Aug 2011

A pair of Long Barrows lie just off the Tidworth to Bulford road and are very close to the Devil's Ditch which forms the county line between Wiltshire and Hampshire. A major track runs next to the barrows and the surrounding area is used as an assembly point for the army. There is an area set aside for parking and the site seems to be a favourite for local dog walkers. Public access is not a problem, although the area to the West is part of the MOD ranges and access is prohibited when the red flags are flying. There are a number of round barrows close by, together with numerous earthworks, some prehistoric while others date from the First World War. Some of these First World War trenches were practice trenches dug by WWI solders prior to digging the real thing in France. The better examples are now listed as protected monuments in their own right.

Not sure if this site is unique in having two long barrows side by side but it is the only one I can remember visiting.

Having visited and read up on a lot of long barrows, in my opinion, the southern one of the pair, SU24NW102 (scheduled Monument WI10193), which is the larger of the two, is the original and dates from the early Neolithic, while the smaller, northern one SU24NW101 (scheduled monument WI10194), appears to be from the later Neolithic. Neither barrow shows signs of excavation or examination and there is certainly no account of any such actions on the Wiltshire Sites and Monuments database.
Both barrows are orientated east-west with SU24NW102 having more pronounced side ditches and the remains of a berm. The other barrow, SU24NW101, shows traces of the side ditches created when it was constructed, although these have silted up over time. Both barrows have been protected by posts all the way around and the sites are clearly marked as protected monuments `
Chance Posted by Chance
7th August 2012ce

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