Windmill Tump Long Barrow View all content for Windmill Tump

Visited on a lovely, frosty winter's day (3.1.2010). The barrow is a easy stroll along quiet country lanes from Kemble railway station (about 3 miles). It's a brilliant site, quite low lying for a Cotswold long barrow but easily visible from the roads on the north and west sides. The barrow itself has suffered very badly at the hands of antiquarian excavators, the back is a hotch-potch of craters and pits. The remains of the orthostated chamber at the east end shows two large visible megaliths, but the capstone has disappeared. The "portholed" chamber on the north side is only partially visible. The capstone can be seen, and the highest part of the chamber beneath, which shows internal drystone walling. On either side are what appear to be the tops of two upright orthostats, perhaps part of the porthole stones? The NW chamber has been turfed over as far as I can tell, it only came to light in 1987 as a result of a falling tree and has presumably been recovered. The barrow clearly had many more trees on its top at one point, judging by the number of stumps. It's a lovely place to spend some time. I was here about half an hour and no-one else came, despite the glorious day. A light plane (possibly from the Kemble airfield) flew over the barrow at least four times while I was there, perhaps hoping to get a stone-obsessive-free aerial photo. Temperatures never reached much above freezing point today and eventually I started to get cold and decided it was time to leave. A wonderful site with a great atmosphere. [Some additional access notes - Rodmarton is served by the Cirencester - Tetbury 881 bus service Monday - Saturday, which runs to within a mile of the barrow.]

Posted by thesweetcheat 3rd January 2010ce

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