4,000-year-old cemetery at Money Hill given protected status

The Bronze Age cemetery at Money Hill, between Haslingfield and Barrington, was fully revealed after archaeological investigations found 11 ancient burial burrows.

It is located on a chalk ridge and features burial mounds ranging from 20 to 55 metres in diameter.

The barrows, which are earthen mounds built over prehistoric graves - offer "extraordinary insight" into Bronze Age funerary practices.

The varied sizes of the barrows suggest evolving burial rites over centuries, which paint a "vivid picture" of how ancient communities lived, died and commemorated their dead.

Chapel Hill Magnetometry results – Interpretative results of terrestrial geophysical survey of Money Hill using a fluxgate gradiometer, showing the outline of five barrows in red. (Image: East West Rail)

East West Rail had originally planned for the railway to run in this area, which included placing the railway line in a cutting, but a mined tunnel is now proposed, which is designed to preserve the integrity of the cemetery.

East West Rail and Historic England have now secured the protection of the site and it has been designated as a scheduled monument.

Tristan Lincoln-Gordon, Head of Environment at East West Rail, said: "Our proposals have evolved through collaboration to ensure this nationally significant site is protected, demonstrating how development and heritage can successfully coexist."

The cemetery itself is not open to the public.

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