Scheduled Monuments›England›Woodland Down ditch

Woodland Down ditch

England
List entry 1005617
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005617
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.7 hectares
Grid reference
ST 95617 23509
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Woodland Down ditch is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in Wiltshire. The monument comprises a substantial ditch that forms part of the ancient landscape of the Downs, likely dating to the Bronze Age or Iron Age period. Such linear features typically served territorial, agricultural, or defensive functions within prehistoric settlement patterns. The ditch remains visible as an archaeological feature within the modern landscape, contributing to understanding of prehistoric land division and use in the region.

Woodland Down ditch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005617. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Woodland Down ditch?

Woodland Down ditch is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in Wiltshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005617.

Who is responsible for protecting Woodland Down ditch?

Woodland Down ditch 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 1005617.

What other scheduled monuments are near Woodland Down ditch?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Slight univallate hillfort 850m north east of Busseys Stool Farm (8.3 km), Bowl barrow 130m south of Bloody Shard Gate (9.2 km), Part of Ackling Dyke (Roman road), including Roman road on Oakley Down (9.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Woodland Down ditch

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Woodland Down ditch'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.

Start your Woodland Down ditch report
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Slight univallate hillfort 850m north east of Busseys Stool Farm
8.3 km
Bowl barrow 130m south of Bloody Shard Gate
9.2 km
Part of Ackling Dyke (Roman road), including Roman road on Oakley Down
9.6 km
Barrows on Wyke Down
9.9 km
Two round barrows on Gussage Down
10 km
Chettle Long Barrow at north east corner of Eastbury Park
10.1 km
Barrows in and near The Drive Plantation
10.2 km
Bowl barrow and pillow mound on Earl's Hill, 650m and 780m north east of Furzey Down Farm
10.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Woodland Down ditch

Woodland Down ditch stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Woodland Down ditch

Old SarumArchaeological site · ~12.5 milesStonehengeArchaeological site · ~15.5 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~20.2 miles
Domesday entry for Trow, Wiltshire →
All Scheduled Monuments