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The Parish has an extensive archaeological heritage ranging from prehistoric times to the medieval period.
Winterborne St Martin has the most barrows of any Dorset parish and the famous Maiden Castle, Europe's largest earthwork, is in the adjoining parish of Winterborne Monkton.
Above : An extract of the Archaeological features on Dorset Explorer mapping system. Please use the link below to use this interactive map. Click onto a feature and its details will appear :
< The Valley of the Stones in the neighbouring Portesham parish. (photograph RC)
An extensive natural sarsen field. The freeze / thaw cycles during the Ice Age caused the sandstone on top of the chalk hilltops to fracture and slump downhill forming the sarsen boulders. There are many in the area including in Portesham village itself.
< Polissoir stone in the Valley of Stones : The highly polished stone was used during the Neolithic period to polish / sharpen stone axes and tools. It is a rare find as many were small and portable - this one is "earthfast" (ie it has not moved and was found and used in-stu). This was discovered during an archaeological survey of the valley by Past Participate CC during 2022. (Source : DNHAS magazine Winter 2023)
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