Black Ditches, Cavenham
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Black Ditches, southern section
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 Black Ditches within Suffolk
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| Area of Search | Suffolk |
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| Grid reference | TL774684 |
| Coordinates | 52°17′27″N 0°35′55″E / 52.2908°N 0.5985°ECoordinates: 52°17′27″N 0°35′55″E / 52.2908°N 0.5985°E |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 1.6 hectares |
| Notification | 1984 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Black Ditches is an earthwork close to the village of Cavenham of Suffolk, and part of it is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The earthwork is 4.5 miles long between the River Lark at Lackford and the Icknield Way. It is described by Historic England as probably of post-Roman date, and "a typical Dark Ages boundary earthwork placed astride the Icknield Way". Two sections of ditch remain visible, one to the north-east of the village and one to the south-east, covering a total of 4.5 miles (7.2 km). An 730 yards (670 m) stretch south of Cavenham is designated as an SSSI.
Black Ditches are the most easterly of the five earthworks of the Wuffings kingdom that defended the ancient road of Icknield Way, the others being Devil's Dyke, Fleam Dyke, Bran Ditch and Brent Ditch. It is not as well preserved as the western defences, and unlike these other earthworks, access to the Black Ditches is limited, with no public right of way.
The total length of the ditches is around 4.5 miles (7.2 km) stretching from south of Cavenham towards Icklingham, although there is no evidence of the ditch crossing the River Lark at Icklingham. The Icknield Way crosses the line of the ditch towards the central area. In this area the ditch is generally no longer visible.
The northern section of ditch remaining is around 0.65 miles (1.05 km) in length running across the eastern edge of Cavenham Heath towards the River Lark. The section is less well preserved, although up to 1.75 metres (5.7 ft) high and 8 metres (26 ft) wide in places. This section is not designated as an SSSI although it lies on the boundary of the Breckland Farmland SSSI. This section lies entirely within the parish of Cavenham.
The southern section of the ditch is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long, extending southwards in some form across Risby's Poor Heath. This section forms the boundary of Cavenham and Lackford parishes and between Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury districts before it enters Risby parish to the south.
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