Black Ditches, Cavenham, Ancient earthwork and ecological site in Cavenham, England
Black Ditches is an Anglo-Saxon earthwork near Cavenham made up of raised banks with ditches on either side. The system runs for several kilometers and forms a distinct line across the landscape.
The earthwork likely developed in the Iron Age or early Anglo-Saxon period as a boundary marker. Archaeological findings from the 1990s confirmed use by early inhabitants of the region.
These ditches mark old parish boundaries that visitors can still see running through the landscape today. They reveal how early communities divided and managed the land they lived in.
The site is accessible, but wear sturdy footwear as paths go across grassland and can be muddy. You will get the best view of the structure by standing on the raised banks themselves to see how the ditches frame the land.
The banks today shelter rare grasses and wildflowers that grow nowhere else because the ground has never been plowed. These undisturbed areas preserve plant communities that have vanished from farmed landscapes.
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