Horton offers several starting points for a trip: the Church of St Wolfrida, Horton Tower, the archaeological site on Horton Common and a circular cycling route. You can focus your plans on different themes: church and architectural history, or a cycling tour. Details of the area range from medieval effigies and a six-storey tower to specific measurements for burial mounds and a Cross Dyke. Consider which of these topics you would like to devote more time to during your stay.
Church and architectural history
The Church of St Wolfrida is a Grade I listed building. Its origins may date to the 12th or 13th century. The transept contains effigies of Sir Giles and Dorothy de Braose, dated to around 1300. This brings together a tentative dating of the church’s origins and two effigies associated with named individuals. For a cultural and historical focus, both the specifically named part of the church and the people and approximate date are important points of interest.
Horton Tower is a six-storey brick folly, built around the middle of the 18th century. It has a hexagonal ground plan, with round turrets on alternating sides. The ground plan describes the building from above, while its six storeys define its height. A map from 1765 labels the building “Horton Observatory”. This historical name adds a clue about its past to the architectural details.
Taken together, the church and tower offer points of reference spanning the church’s possible origins in the 12th or 13th century, the effigies around 1300, and the tower’s construction and appearance on a map in the 18th century. The origins remain a possibility; the approximate date of the effigies and the name on the map are separate details.
Horton Common: burial mounds and Cross Dyke
The round barrow cemetery and Cross Dyke on Horton Common lie 800 m south of Bridge Farm and comprise five round barrows. Their diameters range from 8.5 to 15 m, and their heights from 0.75 to 1.5 m. These ranges indicate the approximate size of the individual mounds: diameter and height are different measurements, and both vary within the group. The Cross Dyke runs along a low ridge and extends for about 650 m. It stretches from a low-lying marshy area in the southwest to the River Crane in the northeast. Bridge Farm provides a reference point for the location of the mounds; the low ridge, compass directions and River Crane describe the course of the Cross Dyke.
Cycling Route 4
The Horton Tower Circular Route 4 is a 16 km circular cycling route of moderate difficulty. It follows a bridleway and footpath to Horton Common. The route description offers two specific points to help you plan: the length of the circular route and its destination at the Common. The circular format, distance and stated difficulty answer different questions about the ride and help you decide whether to make it a focus of your stay. Conditions on the route may vary; check them before setting out.
Discover more destinations: Iwerne Courtney, Sturminster Newton, Wimborne, Evershot, Alderholt, Ringstead, Bournemouth, Piddlehinton
For the main travel overview: Dorset.
