Aston Valley Barrow Cemetery

The Aston Valley Barrow Cemetery lies on the southern slope of Codford Down in Wiltshire. It consists of Bronze Age burial mounds called bowl barrows and bell barrows. The site once had ten bowl barrows and one bell barrow, but ploughing has reduced this number to five bowl barrows and the single bell barrow. It is protected as a scheduled monument. Two kilometres to the south-east stands Codford Circle, an Iron Age hillfort. A similar distance to the north-west is Knook Castle, another Iron Age hillfort. The site has yielded many Bronze Age cremations and some possible Saxon urn burials. Early excavations in 1801 by W.F. Cunnington uncovered several interments. Sir R. Colt-Hoare recorded these finds in the 19th century. Later work in 1957 by the Reverend E.H. Steele and Leslie Grinsell added further details. Some items remain in place, while others are kept at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. Visitors walk among the surviving barrows on Codford Down. The bell barrow and five bowl barrows form a low ridge across the hillside. The surrounding landscape includes Iron Age hillforts nearby. The site offers quiet views over the Chitterne Brook valley. The barrows themselves are grassy mounds, some still showing their original shapes. The area remains largely undisturbed, preserving its ancient character.