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The Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · South East England

Culverwell Mesolithic Site

Free admission

Culverwell Mesolithic Site — archaeological site in Portland, Dorset, England, UK.

Culverwell Mesolithic Site, hill forts in South East England

Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Culverwell Mesolithic Site is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "archaeological site in Portland, Dorset, England, UK". Coordinates: 50.5207°, -2.4471°.

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Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Isle of Portland SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Culverwell Mesolithic Site is a Mesolithic settlement, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found in the local area known as Culverwell, along the Portland Bill Road. It is within an area of unspoiled countryside, with no past quarrying. The site is maintained by the Association for Portland Archaeology – a small group dedicated to researching, investigating and excavating on Portland. Open days have been held on the site, where guided tours take place of the preserved site, showing and explaining the visible remains and artefacts and how Mesolithic people lived. In 2004, the Culverwell Mesolithic Site won an archaeological award; the prestigious "Pitt Rivers Award", for developing this Mesolithic site on Portland. The surrounding fields between the Bill and Southwell are made up of an ancient strip field system, once found all over the island before quarrying continued to destroy them. These particular fields remain untouched from housing or quarrying. Culverwell Mesolithic Site has become a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The site is said to be circa 7500-8500 years old. The site's main feature is the large floor of limestone slabs on top of a shell midden (rubbish dump). The floor is unique for this period and is also the earliest known structural evidence in England for the extensive use of Portland Jurassic limestone on a living site. Other features on the site include the remains of a low wall, four hearths, and a cooking pit. A ritual feature incorporated into the floor consisted of a sub-triangular stone with a large beach cobble next to it. Vast quantities of stone tools and the debris created during their production have been found on the site. The most common tools are microliths, scrapers, knives,…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.5207, -2.4471
District
Dorset
Parish
Portland
Postcode
DT5 2JT
Parliamentary constituency
South Dorset

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Culverwell Mesolithic Site?
Culverwell Mesolithic Site is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode DT5 2JT), in the parish of Portland.
Is Culverwell Mesolithic Site a listed building?
Culverwell Mesolithic Site is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Is Culverwell Mesolithic Site a protected site?
Yes — Culverwell Mesolithic Site is part of the Isle of Portland SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Culverwell Mesolithic Site free to visit?
Yes, Culverwell Mesolithic Site is free to enter.
How do I get to Culverwell Mesolithic Site?
Drivers can navigate to postcode DT5 2JT. It sits within the South Dorset parliamentary constituency.