A handful of ancient burial sites around Waverley and East Hampshire “need help” to safeguard their future amid concerns about their declining state.

Sites near Tilford, Longmoor and East Meon feature in the Heritage at Risk Register 2024 released by Historic England. The annual register gives an annual snapshot of the health of the nation’s valued historic buildings and highlights their need for conservation.

The Tilford area features prominently with six bowl barrows – four in Charleshill and two in Littleworth Clump – all in a “declining” state.

There are “extensive significant problems” at the privately owned former site close to the B3001 with scrub and tree growth being cited for the decline.

The features are part of a barrow cemetery, noted and excavated by Rev C Kerry in 1870. A previous attempt to survey the possible bronze age site also failed because of the dense vegetation.

It’s a similar story at Littleworth Clump as the condition of two bowl barrows is listed as “generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems”. The privately owned site close to The Sands is also vulnerable to scrub and tree growth.

The south western corner of Longmoor is prominent on the ‘at risk’ map as a round barrow cemetery, Roman Road and hollow ways close to Woolmer Cottage face “extensive significant problems”. The site is potentially archaeologically rich but vulnerable to scrub and tree growth, although the state of three disc barrows on Longmoor Common is “improving” albeit with “significant localised problems” remaining.

A handful of bowl barrows close to the A272 in Bordean and Langrish are also in decline while the ruins of St Nicholas Chapel in Westbury, near East Meon, face an immediate risk of further rapid deterioration.

The standing ruins of the Middle Ages church are suffering from structural cracking and deferred maintenance with a conservation project desperately needed.