Martin Down enclosure 300m north of Huish Barn

The Shearplace Hill Enclosure is a Bronze Age site in Dorset, about 2.4 kilometres south-west of Cerne Abbas. It sits on a north-facing slope of Shearplace Hill, overlooking the Sydling Water valley. The enclosure covers roughly half a hectare and features banks up to 1.2 metres high and sunken trackways as deep as 1.7 metres. These earthworks form part of a domestic settlement typical of the Martin Down style found across central southern England. Archaeologist Philip Rahtz excavated the site in 1958 and uncovered evidence of a farmstead occupied from the Middle to Late Bronze Age. His work revealed two round houses within the main enclosure, along with finds such as Deverel–Rimbury pottery, loom weights, flint scrapers and animal bones. The site was later abandoned, leaving behind a well-preserved record of Bronze Age life. Visitors to Shearplace Hill Enclosure can walk among the earthworks and imagine the farmstead that once stood there. The banks and hollow ways remain clearly visible, marking the boundaries of the ancient settlement. The surrounding downland offers quiet views over the Sydling Water valley, a landscape little changed since Bronze Age times. The site stands as a quiet reminder of the people who lived and worked here over three thousand years ago.