MSO11685 - Possible late prehistoric enclosure on Room Hill (Monument)

Part of a large circular banked enclosure seen on aerial photographs. [1,2] Situated on a north facing spur, just below the crest of the hill. South, southwest and southeast sides visible as an arc of bracken growth in an otherwise grassy area. Slight terrace in hillside with arc of bracken on riser of terrace. Not traceable downslope. [3] No earthworks recorded. There is a naturally platformed area on the site which may have contributed to the vegetational changes. [4] Not located by RCHME Exmoor Survey in 1997. The site was suggested to be a duplicate of MSO11687. [5] RCHME confused this site with MSO11687 and may not have looked. [6] The remains of a possible bank defined circular enclosure of possible prehistoric date are visible on infra-red aerial photographs as a levelled earthwork on Room Hill. The evidence takes the form of a semi-circular feature centred on circa SS 8592 3613, interpreted as the possibly levelled remains of an earthwork bank up to 7 metres wide. If the line of the feature is extended northwards from the visible evidence, it could define a circular enclosure approximately 80 metres in diameter. There is no evidence on the aerial photographs available to the survey that this is the case but the site would benefit from further investigation. Any former earthworks in this may have been levelled by the creation or destruction of the extensive field system of post-medieval date visible over much of Room Hill. The possible enclosure may be the same feature as the ring bank recorded, and therefore mislocated, as MSO11687. [1,7] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [8,9]