Chesham: Bowl barrow in Lowndes Park (1)

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 13 Sep 2018

This bowl barrow is known as "The Rolling Pin" and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. From the Historic England website:- "Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The bowl barrow in Lowndes Park is very well preserved. The mound stands close to its original height and there is no evidence that it has ever been excavated. Funerary remains will survive within and below the mound enabling valuable insights into the burial practices and the beliefs of the community which constructed the monument. In addition, the former ground surface, which lies buried beneath the mound, will retain evidence for the character of the surrounding area in which it was constructed. The `Rolling Pin' barrow is an easily appreciated, accessible and highly significant indication of early settlement in the Chess Valley area."

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