Long Barrow, nr Lythel’s Farm, Swaffham Bulbeck

History of the Long Barrow, Swaffham Bulbeck

Listed building on Heritage at Risk Register

The long barrow 650m NNW of Lythel’s Farm is well-preserved, having been protected by overlying deposits of peat and clay. It will contain a range of information relating to the barrow’s construction, the manner and duration of its use, as well as ritual and domestic activity on the site. Buried soils underneath the mound will retain valuable archaeological evidence concerning land use in the area prior to the construction of the barrow. Given the location of the long barrow on the edge of the fen and River Cam valley, it is possible that the deeper deposits in the ditch are waterlogged and contain rare organic materials. These will provide information on environmental conditions (eg climate, flora and fauna) since its construction. The monument has additional importance as part of a wider landscape in which early prehistoric remains are unusually well preserved.