Wardstone Barrow
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Wardstone Barrow by Jim Champion as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Wardstone Barrow
Image: © Jim Champion Taken: 24 Dec 2007
This bronze-age round barrow is on the chalk ridge just inland from the coast, between the White Nothe headland and West Lulworth. It was originally one of a pair, but the eastern barrow has been levelled by farming activity. The mound is 15 metres in diameter, up to 2 metres high, and the surrounding ditch is mostly infilled. The mound is now overgrown with gorse and brambles. The name of this barrow probably comes from the Anglo-Saxon "weard-stān", meaning stone where watch was kept. The barrow is located in a very prominent position on the coastal ridge with good visibility all around, over land and sea. There is no record of a megalith at the site - only of an excavation in 1867 that uncovered a cinerary urn. The track on the right of the photograph is a permissive footpath, leading to Chideock Farm some 300 metres further on. The research reactor buildings on Winfrith Heath can be seen in the misty distance, just to the right of the barrow mound.
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Image Location
Latitude
50.631297
Longitude
-2.293615