Leighterton long barrow

I returned from Bristol late this afternoon as the sun was dropping out of the crystal clear blue sky, a freezing wind gusting in from the east. It felt Siberian. I only had minutes to spare for a blip, so I diverted off the A46, (quite close to here, when I was also returning from Bristol), heading along an old droving road to Leighterton, about a mile away from the main road. I parked by the pub at the crossroads and toyed with some delicate light falling across the village, and snowdrops galore. I'd stopped as in a drive way I'd seen an extremely unusual silver caravan, an Airstream, which I haven't seen for many years. It is metallic, silver coloured and shiny so that it picked up the reflected orange light from the setting sun's. I may have to return with amore appropriate lens, as I couldn't get close enough because of various gates and stone-walls.

Getting back in the car was such a relief, away from the cutting wind, and as I warmed I headed off on another road out of the village taking me back to the the A46, and passing as close as one can get to the long barrow. I parked in the narrow lane and with my fixed lens I had to walk a fair way down the lane to get the whole feature in the frame. I like the way you can clearly see its hump back whale shape.

I must come back soon to explore it's majestic feel and ponder on its place in the landscape.. It is only about 7 miles from Stroud, and with so many interesting places to discover near here, I will be back. Uley is also only a couple of mile away as the crow flies, where I hope to be going very soon.


Near Leighterton, Gloucestershire, is a massive 80 metre long barrow of the Cotswold Severn group, which can be seen walled in across a couple of fields, and now covered by large trees. Partially excavated in about 1700, the barrow was found to have had at least three vaulted burial chambers within it, with cremation urns in each.

Apparently standing at around 6m high, this is one of the 'tallest' longbarrows in Britain. It was opened in 1700 by Matthew Huntley, who by rooting around mostly at the East end found 3 chambers which were 'vaults arched over'. Each contained cremation urns, and whole skulls and thighbones. Apparently he didn't tidy up behind himself very well and the barrow decayed a bit.
(info from Castleden's Neolithic Britain)

James Dyer's 'Cotswolds and Upper Thames' regional archaeology guide says that John Aubrey described a stone standing at the 'great end' of the barrow, but this has vanished.