The Dingles, Welcombe

1 In the hills at the rear of Welcombe Lodge are extensive trenches known as the Dingles, which take the form of a T with somewhat zigzag limbs. The stem of the T ranges from S to N, and the two parts are each about 500m in length and from 9.1 to 12.2m deep, the width at the top being about 12.2m, decreasing to 3 or 3.6m at the bottom. Some hold it to be an entirely natural formation, others maintain it to be a British Entrenchment.
2 ‘The Dingles’ are clearly of no archaeological interest. Probably an old quarry, but possibly abnormal subsidence.
3 A geological fault line coincides with part of the Dingles but it is unlikely that this would have resulted in a feature such as the Dingles since the geology is Keuper Marl. It is more likely to be man-made, possibly a quarry.
4 The drive to Welcombe Hotel occupies part of the Dingles. The Welcombe Hills are known to have springs. This could possibly be an explanation for the Dingles, which are now dry apart from a pond at SP2056.