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Wansdyke is a linear defensive earthwork of probable Early Saxon date, constructed during the fifth to seventh centuries as a territorial boundary or military barrier across the Wiltshire landscape. This particular section, stretching approximately 560 metres northwest of Wernham Farm towards New Buildings, comprises a substantial ditch with an accompanying bank, characteristic of the larger Wansdyke system which extends for many miles across southern England. The monument represents one of the most significant post-Roman engineering works in the region, though scholarly debate continues regarding its precise function and the cultural identity of those who constructed it. The earthwork's survival in this location testifies to the strategic importance of the Wiltshire downs in early medieval territorial organisation.
Wansdyke: section 610yds (560m) NW of Wernham Farm to 250yds (230m) SW of New Buildings is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003784. View the official record →
Wansdyke is a linear defensive earthwork of probable Early Saxon date, constructed during the fifth to seventh centuries as a territorial boundary or military barrier across the Wiltshire landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003784.
Wansdyke: section 610yds (560m) NW of Wernham Farm to 250yds (230m) SW of New Buildings 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 1003784.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Disc barrow at Easton Clump (7.5 km), Easton Clump settlement (7.5 km), Settlement and field system on Milton Hill (Fyfield Down) (8.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Wansdyke: section 610yds (560m) NW of Wernham Farm to 250yds (230m) SW of New Buildings'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.
Wansdyke: section 610yds (560m) NW of Wernham Farm to 250yds (230m) SW of New Buildings stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.