Information for record number MWA1593:
Mound for rotunda at Alscot Park

Summary A mound is visible as an earthwork within Alscot Park. It has been suggested that an octagonal tower or rotunda of Post Medieval date stood on the mound. It is situated 600m south west of the church at Atherstone on Stour.
What Is It?  
Type: Rotunda, Mound
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1764 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Preston on Stour
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 50
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A lofty erection (the Rotunda) stood on a mound of earth still remaining to the E of the footpath across the park leading to Atherstone. It had an octagonal tower with domed roof; the alternate sides of the octagon were pierced with arches, the other four being filled in. In the second storey were round-headed windows, the total height from floor to dome was 15m. The Rotunda was standing within the memory of Widow Gaden.
2 A substantial mound about 2m high and 2-3m broad. A hollow on the E may represent the remains of a quarry. This is possibly the mound on which the Rotunda stood and this location correlates with the proposed location of the Chinese Temple (PRN 1594).
3 One of the garden buildings erected in the early 1750s by James West. Now destroyed (p159).
4 Suggests this mound was the site of the summerhouse, not the Rotunda.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Preston upon Stour
Author/originator: Bloom J H
Date: 1896
Page Number: 13
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Register Review Report & Recommendations
Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Site Visit
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: SMW
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1729
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: SMW
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1726
   
Images:  
A mound, possibly once the site of a tower, Preston on Stour
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1980
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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period Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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monument HOLLOW * A hollow, concave formation or place, which has sometimes been dug out. back
monument ROTUNDA * An isolated building, circular in plan, generally consisting of one apartment with a domed roof, eg. Mausoleum at Castle Howard, Yorkshire. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ARCH * A structure over an opening usually formed of wedge-shaped blocks of brick or stone held together by mutual pressure and supported at the sides; they can also be formed from moulded concrete/ cast metal. A component; use for free-standing structure only. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument SUMMERHOUSE * A building in a garden or park designed to provide a shady retreat from the heat of the sun. back
monument GARDEN BUILDING * Includes some structures that are not strictly buildings. Use a more specific term where possible. back
monument ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. back
monument QUARRY * An excavation from which stone for building and other functions, is obtained by cutting, blasting, etc. back
monument FOOTPATH * A path for pedestrians only. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TEMPLE * Use for places of worship. For later landscape features use, eg. GARDEN TEMPLE. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record