Summary

Enclosure on St Catherine’s Hill, Christchurch.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 February 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes an enclosure situated on the summit of the prominent ridge of St Catherine’s Hill between the valleys of the Rivers Stour and Avon. The enclosure survives as an oval central area of approximately 0.3ha defined by a bank of up to 10m wide and 1m high with an outer ditch of 7m wide and 0.3m deep. Internally on the north side is a platform measuring 16m long, 12m wide and 1.1m high. The date and function of the enclosure are not known, although suggestions range from a defensive Iron Age site to an agricultural stock pound of medieval date.

Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity and are scheduled separately.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The oval enclosure on St Catherine’s Hill survives well despite some scrub growth and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, function, date, possible adaptive re-use, longevity, abandonment, strategic or territorial significance, possible agricultural practices, domestic arrangements and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape 458482

Source: Historic England