Nympsfield

Nearest town:
Stroud (6km NE)
OS reference:
SO795014
OS sheet:
162
Latitude:
51° 42' 37.71 N
Longitude:
2° 17' 48.24 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by postman

Sat at the back of the chambers, the two big stones restrict access to the rear.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman May 3, 2015
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by thesweetcheat

Some context with other prehistoric sites of the Cotswold edge (pointers are approximate!). The viewpoint is Cam Long Down, near Dursley.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2013)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 20, 2013
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by thesweetcheat

Some landscape context for the barrow (centre, to the right of the trees), seen from the south and showing the steep escarpment slope immediately below the barrow. The Vale of Severn and the ubiquitous May Hill can be seen on the far left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2013)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 18, 2013
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by thesweetcheat

From the SSE. The barrow still provides a focal point for visitors.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2013)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 18, 2013
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by thesweetcheat

The barrow from the north, shortly after emerging from the woods around Soldier’s Grave round barrow.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2013)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 18, 2013
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by GLADMAN

Well worth a look despite the metronomic regularity of dog walking punters passing by............

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 4, 2013
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by A R Cane

Panorama looking South West. Shame you can’t see the fantastic view below because of the trees, but they were quite welcome that day as it was blowing a gale up there!

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Oct 14, 2011
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by A R Cane

Looking East to the (very close!) main road from the back of the barrow.

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane Oct 14, 2011
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by tjj

The characteristic cross shape of the west, south and north chambers.

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Sep 7, 2010
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by thesweetcheat

From the NE, where the Belas Knap-esque shape of the forecourt is easily visible.

Image credit: A. Brookes (29.4.09)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jun 7, 2009
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by pure joy

Nympsfield Long Barrow – 27.12.2003 – two of the inner stones (similar though to the entrance stones) from the inside outward

Image credit: Martin Bull
pure joy
pure joy Jan 25, 2004
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by pure joy

Nympsfield Long Barrow – 27.12.2003 – the two entrance stones, from the outside

Image credit: Martin Bull
pure joy
pure joy Jan 25, 2004
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by Moth

The long barrow...all that remains. Surprisingly you can see it through the rain!!

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Sep 8, 2003
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by FlopsyPete

the barrow’s chambers, 22 April 2003

Image credit: (c) copyright FlopsyPete 2003 copyleft GNU General Public License. modify and/or re-distribute as long as you retain these permissions
F
FlopsyPete May 11, 2003
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by FlopsyPete

22 April 2003

Image credit: (c) copyright FlopsyPete 2003 copyleft GNU General Public License. modify and/or re-distribute as long as you retain these permissions
F
FlopsyPete May 11, 2003
Image of Nympsfield (Long Barrow) by Kammer

Taken 4th August 2002: At the moment there’s a Traveller’s camp next to the Nympsfield barrow. In case you’re wondering, the yellow blue and red object in the background is a little inflateable bouncy castle.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Aug 8, 2002

Articles

Nympsfield

ruskus
ruskus Apr 9, 2015

Despite the fog and drizzle worsening as I left Hetty Pegler’s Tump, I thought I must drive up to nearby Nympsfield before the late April afternoon became a total washout. Amazingly there were lots of people at the picnic area around the long barrow. Mostly dog walkers desperate enough to escape a dull Easter holiday weekday, even in this cold and murk. The view over to Coaley and the flat top of Cam Long Down was limited in this weather, but still impressive. I then noticed the barrow sitting over to my right, and approached from it’s side.
It has a neat, understated and unobtrusive presence, here in such a public place. I guess the recently-visited Notgrove could have been presented like this. This accessibility combined with the damp conditions, reminded me of when I’ve visited places such as Parc Le Breos before (I’ve just looked at Parc Le Breos again, and seen an entry from tjj pointing to the similarity to Nympsfield).
As I’ve noticed this week, whilst holidaying in the Cotswolds, another long barrow perched high up on the edge of a hillside. Now that I’ve seen a few, these Cotswold-Severn chambers are starting to become a bit of a fascination. Got a bit carried away taking photos, and in wanting to get out of the rain I completely forgot to check out Soldier’s Grave. Bah!

Nympsfield

C
CARL Jan 5, 2012

Visited 28.12.11

By the time I came back from visiting the nearby Soldier’s Grave Barrow most of the people had gone although two young boys were playing in the piles of leaves which had collected in the chambers. They were clearly oblivious to what it was they were playing in.
Their fathers were deep in conversation about something – I doubt it was the Long Barrow!!

I didn’t stay too long.

Nympsfield

tjj
tjj Sep 7, 2010

Very easy to access by car as on the site of a viewing/ picnic area on the Cotswold Way. Although there is a plantation of trees blocking the spectacular views over the Severn Valley from the actual barrow, the views a few metres along make this a very satisfying place to visit.

Rather manicured and to be honest somewhat soulless, this is my second visit. This time, however, I was struck by the characteristic cross shape of the chambers – the entrance facing east, with north, south and west chambers visible from the top of the barrow.

From here we headed to Uley Bury hillfort and Hetty Pegler’s Tump along the Cotswold Way.

Nympsfield

C
CARL Jun 17, 2010

This site is soooooo easy to access. Large car park with wonderful views down the valley. You can spend a lovely day in this area visiting the sites and on a nice day enjoy a picnic. Something for everyone. Visit and enjoy!

Nympsfield

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 27, 2009

Final prehistoric outing of the year (27.12.2009), walking up here from Nailsworth via Woodchester Park. The slight rain gave way to some sunshine as we arrived. The carpark near the barrow was busy and there were plenty of people milling about.

The stones that were in evidence lying on the grass in April when I last came have disappeared (presumably not by being replaced) and there were a couple of others now dislodged. The bottom of the chamber was carpeted in red leaves and a pair of gliders circled overhead – like vultures!

From here we headed off to Hetty Pegler’s Tump via the Coaley Peak view point.

Nympsfield

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jun 7, 2009

Visited on a reasonable spring day (26.4.09), walking from Woodchester via The Toots. Plenty of picnicers enjoying the spot, but only two small girls paid any attention to the long barrow itself (the upright megaliths being about the same height as them).

Despite the intrusive carpark and picnic tables, this is quite an interesting barrow with its exposed stonework. Having scared the girls off (sorry) I sat in the southern chamber of the barrow for a while and let life and sandwiches pass by. The odd thing about this barrow is that the “mound”, such as it is, appears to run north-south, but actually it doesn’t. The exposed chambers are in reality at the east end of the barrow and the original long mound would have run westwards from here. The mound is now very low and doesn’t really give much sense of how the barrow must have looked. I was also a bit alarmed to see various bits of stonework removed from their places and lying on the grass next to the chamber. It wouldn’t take much to seriously damage this exposed monument.

Anyway, after a few peaceful moments I headed off to the NW corner of the picnic area and The Soldier’s Grave. The little girls reclaimed their play area and the picnicers carried on ignoring the ancient remains!

Nympsfield

Kammer
Kammer Nov 20, 2005

Visited 29th January 2005: The parking area right near the barrow is gone now, so no Travellers encampment this time. On this visit it was full of dry leaves, which made for good entertainment for the boys.

I have to say Nympsfield Long Barrow itself still leaves me cold. It’s been reconstructed in such a clinical way that there’s nothing left of the place except artifice.

Nympsfield

pure joy
pure joy Jan 3, 2004

Nympsfield Long Barrow – 27.12.2003

You might be shocked to here that I had a little trouble at finding this – the most easy to find place! The weather was poor and the car park part of the picnic area seems to have moved compared to the OS map I had (1:25,000 – it has the new Severn Bridge on it so can’t be that old!). This map suggests that the barrow is to the left (south) of any car park. Which, as Moth says, it isn’t. The barrow is slightly to the right of the entrance to the picnic area, and the car parking is on the left at around SO794013. Before anyone thinks I’m mad to not find this immediately I have to also point out in my defence that Colin and Janet Bord’s book ‘A Guide to Ancient Sites in Britain’ (which admittedly does date from the late 1970’s) describes the barrow as at “the southern end of the picnic area”. So I initially looked at the south end, and found some lovely views, but not the barrow.

Don’t miss the stunning views across Gloucestershire, the Severn and Wales. Just walk down to the south (i.e. to the left as you drive in) and the view is everywhere. There is a new panoramic plate on Frocester Hill (on National Trust land) just at the end of the picnic area.

Nympsfield is an interesting example of an open longbarrow and this is approx what Notgrove looked like until it was backfilled. It’s interesting that Colin and Janet Bord’s book strongly disapproved of Notgrove when it was open, but made no adverse comment on Nympsfield.

Nympsfield

Moth
Moth Jul 30, 2003

25 July 2003
No ice cream van in evidence today in the filthy weather, I soon realised that I had misread the Landranger as to where the barrow is. As you drive up the short entrance road to the car park, the barrow is on your right as you turn left into the car park proper.

I drove round the car park (one car in residence) and parked as close as I could to the barrow. I still got drenched. In almost any other place this would be a nice enough example of a long barrow, with just enough of it left to make it easy to visualise. But other than out of convenience or completism (guilty) with Hetty Pegler’s Tump just next door, there’s not really much reason to bother.

The picnic area probably has nice views on a clear day and you could enjoy a nice ice cream though. I wouldn’t know – couldn’t see for the mist and rain….

Nympsfield

Kammer
Kammer Aug 8, 2002

Visited 4th August 2002: Not a very magical site, or it certainly wasn’t when we visited. Still, if you like your megaliths to be within walking distance of an ice-cream van, then you’ll love Nympsfield.

Nympsfield

S
steev Mar 25, 2002

A good attempt to present an opened barrow by EH, suprisingly untouched/unvandalised considering its accessibility. Has the earth bank been rebuilt? Visit this then go on to Hetty Peglers Tump for the real thing!

Nympsfield

D
drzoon Sep 16, 2001

A strangely tidy Neolithic long barrow 90 feet in length.
Approximately one mile from Hetty Pegler’s Tump this barrow lies in a public park just to the right of the car parking area.
The chamber has been opened up so no dirty knees at this one folks.

Folklore

Nympsfield
Long Barrow
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Feb 27, 2006

Local folklore had it that Nympsfield was originally built as a shelter for lepers, and locals avoided it. Someone clearly overcame their fears in the end, judging by the ruinous state in which the barrow now lies.

Mark Richards also suggests (in ‘The Cotswold Way’ 1984) that the name Nympsfield could be derived from ‘open country belonging to a place called Nymed’.. and nymed possibly coming from the Welsh ‘nyfed’ – a shrine or holy place (a grove?). Nympsfield the village is not really next to the barrow – it’s more equidistant from this long barrow and Hetty Peglar’s Tump. It’d be nice to think such a romantic explanation were true though.

Miscellaneous

Nympsfield
Long Barrow
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Nov 21, 2003

When the barrow and its mound were excavated by a Professor Buckman in 1862 and Mrs Clifford in 1937 they found the remains of at least 13 human skeletons as well as Neolithic pottery. Other interesting objects interred were ‘a piece of bone carved perhaps in the shape of a human figure’, three shiny quartz pebbles, and a perforated dog whelk shell. Red ochre was also found, which must have been brought from a least a dozen miles away – the use of this bright pigment in burials is known from around the world, presumably for its symbolic association with blood.

(list in Burl’s ‘Prehistoric Avebury’)

Link

Nympsfield
Long Barrow
Kammer
Kammer Aug 8, 2002
Megaliths: Nympsfield Chambered Long Barrow

This site has a selection of photos of the Nympsfield barrow, a diagrammatical plan of the site and (wackiest of all) Virtual Reality Panoramas. These are fun, but a bit tricky to operate. I felt nauseous after swinging around in circles a few times. You’ll need either a Java compatible browser or the RealVR plug-in to see the panoramas.

Sites within 20km of Nympsfield

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