Imagine being transported back thousands of years to the top of Croham Hurst. What secrets does this ancient site hold? The Croham Hurst round barrow stands before us. It is a silent witness to millennia of human history.
This bowl barrow is a funerary monument. It dates back to the Late Neolithic period. Most examples belong to the period 2400-1500 BC.
Bowl barrows are the most numerous form of round barrow. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds. Sometimes they were ditched. These mounds covered single or multiple burials. They often occur in isolation. They are sometimes grouped as cemeteries. They often acted as a focus for burials in later periods.
The Croham Hurst barrow sits on a steep hill in Croydon. It survives as a circular mound. It is about 11 meters in diameter. It is up to 0.4 meters high. The surrounding quarry ditch has become infilled over the years. It survives as a buried feature.
In 1898, Bronze Age flint implements were found at or near the Croham Hurst site. This was noted on OS Maps of 1913 and 1935. Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity. They have not been formally assessed.
Croham Hurst’s high bare top was a convenient place for early man to settle. There is evidence of a late Mesolithic Settlement. It would have been occupied between 5000-3000 years BC. Neolithic flint tools were also found on the Hurst. Around 2100 BC, the Bronze Age began. Bronze Age man was religious. He buried his dead in round barrows. One of these barrows was found on the top of Croham Hurst.
Despite past erosion, the bowl barrow at Croham Hurst survives well. It contains archaeological and environmental information. This information relates to the mound. It also relates to the landscape in which it was constructed.
The site was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 September 2014. The record has been generated from an “old county number” scheduling record. These monuments were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme. They are some of the oldest designation records.
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. It appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance.
Today, the Croham Hurst round barrow offers a tangible link to our prehistoric past. It invites us to reflect on the lives and beliefs of those who came before us. It reminds us of the enduring power of ancient monuments to connect us to history.