This is an English Heritage site, but free to enter. This cache has been placed with the kind permission of English heritage
This information is taken from their website
Nympsfield long barrow stands high on the Cotswold scarp near Frocester with spectacular views over the Severn Valley. Constructed in the Neolithic period, it has long been surrounded by legends and bizarre stories, including one that it was a refuge for lepers
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DESCRIPTION
The barrow is almost oval in plan, with several recesses for burials.
The mound was ploughed over and the roof removed at some point in its history, and the chambers remain uncovered today allowing the layout to be seen clearly. The mound is composed of small stones and has a maximum height of around 4 feet (1.2 metres), thought this is not the height it would have been when it was enclosed.
To see what it would be like, with the roof on, you might like to visit another barrow which is about a mile south called Ulley Long Barrow (Hetty Pegler’s Tump), where you will find a still enclosed barrow. Also a cache GC4WZ8H. There are several other caches close-by too.
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Earth cache information
The internal chambers were constructed of oolite (limestone), probably quarried nearby. Upright stones line the central passage, with the spaces filled by walling of the same stone.
Both the uprights and the long lost roof of this barrow are/were made from local Oolite limestone, probably because of its close location and because of the stone’s splitting property, meaning it can be made into large, flat, thin flags. Oolite ( also called egg stone) is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites. The term oolith can refer to oolite or individual ooids. The notice board at the barrow has more infomation about the stone properties.
To answer the questions below you may need to do a little research of the Oolite period.
Questions
- Please describe the appearance and feel of the rocks, try to be more creative than cold, rough and wet.
- What geological period does Oolite stone belong to? ( research needed)
- How long is the barrow from the entrance to the back?
- How tall do you think the barrow would have been when it had its roof, info on notice board?
If you feel willing and able please upload a photo of something interesting close to the quarry with your log. DO NOT INCLUDED PHOTOS OF THE WHOLE OF THE BARROW
DO NOT REMOVE ANY STONE FROM THE AREA OR CAUSE ANY DAMAGE DURING YOUR VISIT.
Thank you for visiting the sight