8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Britain’s Longest Ancient Monument ‘Offa’s Dyke’ to be Restored

Offa’s Dyke is a long, linear earthwork that roughly parallels the English-Welsh boundary. Offa is also known as the longest monument in England.

After erosion and vandalism caused damage to Britain’s longest historic monument, organizations have banded together to save Offa’s Dyke.

The Offa’s Dyke Association and Centre in Knighton will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail’s inauguration in July of this year.

Dave McGlade, the association’s chairman, stated: “The 2017 Offa’s Dyke Conservation Management Plan condition survey was a wake-up call to us all because it revealed that only 8.7 per cent of the Dyke is in favourable condition. Thanks to decades of damage and erosion the archaeological record, unnoticed and unrecorded, is literally tumbling down the slope.”

Centuries of benign neglect have left their imprint on the Dyke’s fabric, but in recent years it has suffered some purposeful and irreparable acts of destruction at various points throughout its length, according to Dave.

Owing to the scheduled monument existing largely within private land, it falls upon its landowners and local communities to keep it maintained.

offa dyke
Offa’s Dyke at Treflach where vegetation has overgrown the ancient monument.

After consulting with Cadw, the National Trail Unit and the British Heritage Agency, Offa’s dyke rescue fund will seek to purchase parts of the dyke that are deemed “threatened” by continued damage or serious negligence.

The fund will also be used to pay for proactive management initiatives by the Cadw and Historic England-sponsored Offas Dyke Conservation Project Officer. These will involve clearing overgrown scrub vegetation and making required repairs to the Dyke, as needed, in order to preserve Britain’s longest historic monument for future generations.

Simon Baynes, MP for Clwyd South in North Wales, said: “I applaud the commitment of the Offa’s Dyke Association to maintaining and supporting this extraordinary and much loved national monument, particularly through the Associations Offas Dyke Rescue Fund.”

A spokesperson from Historic England said: “This is important work because Offa’s Dyke is the largest, most impressive, and most complete purpose-built early medieval monument in Western Europe.

“It is the largest civil engineering project ever undertaken by an Anglo-Saxon state, and the most impressive Anglo-Saxon monument to now survive in the UK. The Dyke is all the more important as little visible evidence of the peoples and historical processes of the early medieval period now remains.”

Offa’s Dyke is a long, linear earthwork that roughly parallels the English-Welsh boundary. Offa, the Anglo-Saxon ruler of Mercia from AD 757 to 796, is said to have directed the structure’s construction. It demarcated the border between Anglian Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys, though its exact initial purpose is unknown. Stretching from Flintshire in the north to Gloucestershire in the south, today some 80 miles of the monument survive in varying states of preservation and condition.

The Offa’s Dyke Path extends for 177 miles from Prestatyn in the north and Chepstow in the south, and it passes through Shropshire, Powys, and the Wye Valley in Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire, shadowing the monument for lengthy stretches.

Visit justgiving.com/campaign/offasdyke to donate to the fund.

Cover Photo: Chris Heaton– Wikipedia

Source: Shropshire Star

Related Articles

Archaeologists Find One of the Long-Lost Holy Cities in Jordan

13 July 2025

13 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Jordan has brought one of the Holy Land’s long-lost cities back to light. Researchers now...

New Study Reveals Ancient Secrets of the 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disc

2 December 2024

2 December 2024

Discovered in 1999 in Germany, the Nebra Sky Disc is the oldest known depiction of the cosmos. A recent examination...

Private lodges were uncovered in the colosseum of the ancient city of Pergamon

24 September 2021

24 September 2021

Private lodges built for the elite-class people to watch gladiator or wild animal fights shows have been unearthed in the...

1,500-year-old Byzantine artifacts found under a peach orchard in Turkey’s Iznik

27 January 2023

27 January 2023

In the world-famous historical city of Iznik, which was the capital of four civilizations, a farmer found coins and historical...

An imitation Arabic dinar discovered in Norfolk may have been made by Vikings

6 April 2023

6 April 2023

A gold disc struck with a fake inscription imitating an Arabic dinar found near Morston, Norfolk in April 2021 may...

Spectacular Roman Mosaics Unearthed in Thalheim bei Wels: A Unique Discovery in Upper Austria

10 June 2025

10 June 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Salzburg uncovered three exceptionally preserved Roman mosaics during excavations A remarkable archaeological discovery has captivated...

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

25 June 2023

25 June 2023

As a result of collaborative training exercises between Croatian and Italian naval mine-clearance divers, one of the earliest fully preserved...

Rare Roman Cavalry Swords Lead to Major Archaeological Discovery of Iron Age to Roman Settlement in Gloucestershire

4 July 2025

4 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological excavation in Gloucestershire has unveiled a vast settlement site dating back over 2,000 years, bridging the Iron...

Historic bath set to turn into gastronomy gallery

4 May 2024

4 May 2024

Built between 1520 and 1540 in the Sur district of the eastern province of Diyarbakır, the historic Çardaklı Hamam is...

Ancient Christian Settlement Discovered in Egypt

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said on Saturday that a French-Norwegian archaeological team had discovered a new ancient Christian settlement...

“One of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades”: Gold coin reveals unknown British King

20 October 2023

20 October 2023

New light has been shed on a little-known part of British history thanks to the extraordinary discovery of a coin...

A new finding in Persepolis reveals a Royal wall

23 October 2023

23 October 2023

A new find at Persepolis, whose magnificent ruins rest at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat (Mount of Mercy) in southwestern...

Huge Ancient Roman Public Baths in ‘Excellent’ State Discovered in Augusta Emerita

23 July 2023

23 July 2023

In Mérida, Spain, archaeologists have discovered a “massive” Roman bathing site in “excellent” condition. The discovery was found in the...

The Secret of the Shipwrecks at Theodosius Harbor: 1,600 Years Old Women’s Sandals and Comb

11 April 2023

11 April 2023

The 1,600-year-old sandals and comb unearthed during the excavations of Theodosius Harbor (Portus Theodosiacus), the second-biggest harbor built on the...

The Spoon of Diocles: Ancient Arrowhead Remover or Misunderstood Mystery?

20 July 2025

20 July 2025

In the annals of ancient surgical history, few instruments are as mysterious and debated as the Spoon of Diocles. This...