Drove Cottage Henge (sometimes called Hunter's Lodge Henge)[2] is a scheduled monument in the Priddy parish of Somerset, England. It is located 370 metres (1,210 ft) north of Drove Cottage.[1] The site is a ceremonial Neolithic location.[3] Since this henge is one of only around 80 henges throughout England, it is considered to be nationally important.[1]
Description
Drove Cottage Henge is situated in a valley. The bank circumscribing the henge is about 11.5 metres (38 ft) thick and .4 metres (1.3 ft) high, with a diameter of around 54 metres (177 ft) when measuring from the outsides of the banks. Just inside this bank is a ditch 6 metres (20 ft) wide and .3 metres (0.98 ft) deep, enclosing a circular central area about 19 metres (62 ft) in diameter. In the northern portion of this central area is a low-lying mound[1] in front of the exit, which appears as a break in the outside bank.[1][4]
Jodie Lewis noted in 2005 that "Examples of southerly and north-north-westerly orientations, apropos Stockwood and Hunter's Lodge, are documented at other Class I henge sites, but are not common".[5] Harding and Lee in 1987 said of it "HUNTERS LODGE, Priddy ST 559 498: Sub-oval enclosure, surviving as an earthwork, situated at the head of a shallow valley."[6]
This whole site has become hard to see because repeated ploughing has heavily damaged the archaeological site, including the turf cover.[3][4]
Nearby archaeological sites
Four barrows are relatively close to Drove Cottage Henge.[4] One is a disc barrow and a scheduled monument (designation #13840).[7] Another is a bowl barrow and a scheduled monument (designation #13871).[8] Another, also a bowl barrow, is a scheduled monument (designation #13872).[9] The final barrow is probably a bowl barrow, but it may be a spoil dump. It too is a scheduled monument (designation #13873).[10]
