Seafield House

This barrow, which enjoys an open outlook, is situated in a former shelter belt some 57m NW of Seafield House and survives as a grass-grown mound measuring 18m from E to W by 15.5m transversely and up to 1.5m in height. Two hollows below the summit on the S represent minor explorations and the upcast from these have slightly distorted the profile of the barrow on the SE. These were undertaken in the 1980s by the father of the present owner of Seafield House and around the same time he recalls that ‘some students carried out geophysics on the mound’. There are a further two shallow scrapes below the summit on the NW and outcrop is exposed at the foot of the barrow on the E.

The barrow is enclosed by the stone wall of the former shelter belt and this acts as a revetment on the S, curving around its the base. Externally, the ground dips towards the wall giving the impression that the barrow was surrounded by a ditch. However, this feature undoubtedly relates to the construction of the revetment itself, it and the slope combining to prevent livestock from entering the shelter belt. A similar revetment lines the edge of the shelter belt on the access road leading to the house.

Visited by HES Archaeological Survey (A. Gannon), 20 September 2022.