Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks, walking the Stone Rows and Stone Circles of Dartmoor
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Dartmoor Site: Wigford Down Cairn Circle

Wigford Down Cairn Circle

Database entries

OS Map: SX 5422 6445
OS Source: HER
HER: MDV5617
Alternate name: Wigford Down
Short Name: CN:Wigford
Exist: Yes
Record: Unique
Record Source: HER
Cairn Class: Yes
Lidar: SX 5422 6445
Guide Map: 46
Nearest Bus Stop: Shaugh Prior Shaugh Bridge (1.7 km) [Route: 59]
Nearby sites: SX 5422 6445

Notes

HER: A circular structure, previously recorded as a hut circle, this circle is large and regular and appears to have been constructed from small stones, now evenly covered by turf, and although sited on slightly sloping ground, no effort was made to level the interior. One partly exposed section shows that some of the stones were laid in courses and that the walls contain no orthostats. The external diameter is a consistent 14.4m, with a measurable internal diameter of 8.8m and the bank does not appear to be spread, standing to a height of only 0.4m. A 1.7m-wide opening cuts through the western arc of the wall, but no door jambs are present, standing or fallen. The construction method of the circle and state of survival is comparable to ring cairns elsewhere on Dartmoor, which would offer a more likely interpretation for this asset. Although a further, alternative explanation for such a regular well-preserved circular structure could be that it was a more recent military asset

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Page last updated 18/02/24