Details

The monument, which falls into two areas of protection, includes a stone hut
circle settlement situated on a gentle south facing slope overlooking the
Walla Brook. The settlement includes at least one enclosure and 18 stone hut
circles, which survive as circular or oval banks each surrounding an internal
area which varies from 3.8 sq m to 15.2 sq m, with the average being
10.4 sq m. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.2m and 0.8m,
with the average being 0.43m. Eight of the huts have visible doorways and two
lie within the enclosure. The three hut circles centred at NGR SX66698142 are
especially complex in character, with the northern one possessing a hooked
porch, whilst the other two are connected to a small irregular shaped
courtyard.
The enclosure is situated within the northern part of the settlement and
includes a 1.5m wide and 0.5m high earthwork bank with occasional large
orthostats surrounding an area measuring 19m long 15m wide.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and,
because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most
complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The
great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence
for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards.
The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as
later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes
in the pattern of land use through time. Stone hut circles and hut settlements
were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers on Dartmoor. They mostly date
from the Bronze Age, with the earliest examples on the Moor in this building
tradition dating to about 1700 BC. The stone-based round houses consist of low
walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; remains of the turf or thatch
roof are not preserved. The huts may occur singly or in small or large groups
and may lie in the open or be enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. Although
they are common on the Moor, their longevity and their relationship with other
monument types provide important information on the diversity of social
organisation and farming practices amongst prehistoric communities. They are
particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of
surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 900m and 940m north west of
Warren House Inn survives well and contains environmental and archaeological
information about the settlement, its occupants and the landscape in which
they lived. The settlement lies within the Stannon block field system and
contains a small group of especially complex buildings.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, 'Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - The Second Millennium B.C.' in Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, , Vol. 5, (1997), 112
Fleming, A, 'Prehistoric Dartmoor in its context' in The Dartmoor Reaves; Boundary patterns and behaviour etc., , Vol. 37, (1979), 128

Source: Historic England