South Street barrow

The South Street barrow is a Neolithic long barrow in the English county of Wiltshire, near Beckhampton. It lies around 70 metres southeast of the cove of The Longstones[1] and may therefore be connected with the Neolithic ritual landscape centred on Avebury.[2]

The mound was about 43 metres long and 17m wide, but cultivation has spread the material and reduced the mound's height.[1]

It was excavated between 1964 and 1966 by Paul Ashbee who found no evidence of burials beneath the barrow and conjectured that it was a kind of cenotaph. He found that it had been built around a number of wicker partitions using alternate layers of white chalk and darker earth. This material was probably excavated from flanking ditches surrounding the site, which survive as infilled features.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "South Street long barrow, 70m south east of the Long Stones (1008103)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Thomas, Julian (2002). Understanding the Neolithic. Taylor & Francis. pp. 200–208. ISBN 9781134621422. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Ashbee, P.; Smith, I.F.; Evans, J.G. (1979). "Excavation of Three Long Barrows near Avebury, Wiltshire". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 45: 207–300. doi:10.1017/S0079497X00009762.

51°25′19″N 1°52′19″W / 51.422°N 1.872°W / 51.422; -1.872

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