Ashurst Lodge Enclosure View all content for Ashurst Lodge

Stumbled on this small charming enclosure while ambling around the New Forest. It's not very big, popular with local bovine herds, probably no more than about 20-25m in diameter and the banks no more than 1.5m high (mostly on the southern side). I imagine in the winter months it's probably very boggy around here and the northern and eastern sides are bounded by the beginnings of the Beaulieu River which acts as a natural defence. Pastscape describes the earthwork as a Bronze Age enclosure or early Iron Age univalate Fort. I'd go for the former as the earthworks don't seem like they were ever defensive and more about preserving a bit of dry ground in a very flat area. There are also a number of (presumably) Bronze Age barrows nearby which might support that. Another interesting feature about a mile to the west is Row Hill which has 3, or possibly 4, long mounds on top of it. These are quite substantial, the biggest being about 2m high and about 15m long all running parallel. I've no idea how old they might be and would hesitate to call them long barrows. WW1 activity in the forest might be one explanation for their presence as there are currently notice boards all over the place warning you against straying from the path due to unrecovered ordnance. After a hundred years - I ask you?!

Posted by A R Cane 30th August 2014ce

Comments (7)
re the long mounds, rabbit warrens?	Posted by juamei 31st August 2014ce
No, I don't think so, too high and very little evidence of rabbits anywhere, though I did get very close to a deer there, but couldn't see any deer sized holes in the mounds. I've had a look around the internet cupboard and can only find one reference to them on Geograph (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/179512). I could post my photos on here, but I don't think the site is prehistoric.	Posted by A R Cane 31st August 2014ce
Could they be these? http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=661471	Posted by thesweetcheat 1st September 2014ce
Hey, well spotted that man! I think that must be them and if you look at the old maps bit on Pastscape it shows maps from the 1870s as a rifle range with a segmented section, in 100 yd spaces heading west (ominously there's a cemetery near the end of it!). By the early 1900s it disappears off the maps, just leaving the butts. Well that's that then.	Posted by A R Cane 1st September 2014ce
:) In't the internet wonderful?	Posted by thesweetcheat 1st September 2014ce
Truly, we are all beholden to it!	Posted by A R Cane 1st September 2014ce
Had forgotten I commented on this, rifle butts was going to be my second guess... (easy to say after the event I know!)	Posted by juamei 4th September 2014ce
You must be logged in to add a comment