Scheduled Monument: Four round barrows on The Allotment, 520m south east of Spire Cross (1021230)

Details The monument includes four round barrows which are located at the south eastern end of Winsford Hill. The barrows are situated near the southern boundary of an enclosed area of high and level ground known as The Allotment, overlooking the Exe Valley to the east and the Barle Valley to the west. The four barrows are prehistoric in date and are arranged in a crescent-shaped plan which broadly follows a north-south aligment. The barrows, which are all formed by circular earth and stone mounds, are thought to be bowl barows, a class of round barrow which takes its name from the shape of the mounds. The mounds of the three northernmost barrows range in size from 5m to 11m in diameter and are up to 0.7m high. The mound of the southernmost barrow, which is located some 50m to the south of the others, is 12.5m in diameter and 0.6m high. The perimeter of this mound is encircled with stone, some of which is quartz. In keeping with other similarly constructed barrows in the region, the four mounds would have been surrounded by ditches from which material was quarried for their construction. Although these are no longer visible at ground level they will survive as buried features between 1m and 2m wide and are included in the scheduling. Selected Sources Book Reference - Title: National Monument Record - Date: 1997 - Type: DESC TEXT - Description: SS 83 SE 9