Scheduled MonumentsEnglandDownham High Warren

Downham High Warren

England
List entry 1485681
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1485681
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
25.26 hectares
Grid reference
TL8191384639
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Downham High Warren is a Scheduled Ancient Monument located in Suffolk comprising an extensive area of warrening features dating from the medieval period. The site represents the physical remains of a commercial rabbit warren, with characteristic landscape elements including pillow mounds, ditches, and associated infrastructure typical of medieval and early modern game management. Such warrens were significant economic resources for medieval landowners, providing a sustainable source of meat and fur. The surviving earthworks at Downham High Warren preserve valuable evidence of this important aspect of medieval rural economy and land use.

Downham High Warren is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1485681. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Downham High Warren?

Downham High Warren is a Scheduled Ancient Monument located in Suffolk comprising an extensive area of warrening features dating from the medieval period.

Who is responsible for protecting Downham High Warren?

Downham High Warren is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1485681.

What other scheduled monuments are near Downham High Warren?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Red Castle medieval ringwork, church and Saxon settlement remains (5.9 km), Area of Saxon town N of Red Castle (6 km), Bank and ditch NE of London Road (6.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Downham High Warren

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Downham High Warren's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Downham High Warren

Downham High Warren stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Downham High Warren

Grimes GravesArchaeological site · ~3.4 miles