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The Dykes is a linear earthwork located in Hampshire, England, consisting of a bank and ditch that extends across the landscape. The monument dates to the Iron Age and represents a significant example of territorial or defensive boundary construction from this period. The earthwork's precise function remains subject to archaeological interpretation, though such dykes typically served to demarcate land, control movement, or provide defensive barriers for communities during the Iron Age. The Dykes survives as an important archaeological record of Iron Age settlement patterns and land use in Hampshire.
The Dykes is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1001782. View the official record →
The Dykes is a linear earthwork located in Hampshire, England, consisting of a bank and ditch that extends across the landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1001782.
The Dykes 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 1001782.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow immediately north of Bordean House (6.6 km), St Nicholas Chapel and deserted medieval village, Westbury (7.9 km), Roman villa at Stroud, site near Petersfield (8.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of The Dykes's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
The Dykes stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.