Hindwell palisaded enclosure

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a Neolithic palisaded enclosure, dating to the late Neolithic period (c. 2,900 - 2,300 BC). The enclosure is visible as a cropmark in the enclosed pasture surrounding Hindwell Farm, located in the centre of the Walton Basin. The Hindwell palisaded enclosure was oval on plan - measuring about 800m by 500m - and comprised over 1,400 upright timber posts possibly standing up to 6m in height. It has an internal area of some 34 hectares and is one of the largest of its type in Europe. Such monuments are thought likely to have served a ceremonial or ritual purpose and were possibly built over prolonged periods of time, with segments constructed almost as a ceremonial effort in their own right. Its construction would have involved a vast amount of human and natural resources.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric ceremonial practices. The monument is an important relic of the Late Neolithic landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of intact archaeological deposits, including paleoenvironmental, structural and possibly evidence of ritual practices. The site comprises an enclosure of huge postholes set within the gravel subsurface - trial excavation (undertaken in 1995) demonstrated that these postholes average a depth of about 2m below the gravel surface. The postholes, long since filled in and ploughed over, are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs and have been traced by geophysical survey (undertaken in 1998). The perimeter of the enclosure continues under the Hindwell Roman Fort (RD136).

The area scheduled includes the artificial pond to the S of Hindwell Farm but specifically excludes the area occupied by the Hindwell farmstead. All associated road surfaces are excluded (however, all ground beneath these road surfaces is included within the scheduled area). The Hindwell Roman Fort (RD136) and Bronze Age round barrows (RD063) are associated but separate scheduled areas.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is oval and measures 870m from ESE to WNW by 570m transversely, including the artificial pond to the S of Hindwell Farm but excluding the farm buildings. All associated road surfaces are excluded from the scheduled area but the ground beneath them is included. The Hindwell Roman Fort (RD136) and Bronze Age round barrows (RD063) are associated but separate scheduled areas.