Two pillow mounds near Merrivale Bridge

Pillow mounds are low, elongated earthworks created to manage rabbit populations in medieval and post-medieval times. These two examples form part of Merrivale Warren, a managed landscape that would once have been carefully tended by warren keepers. Rabbits were a valuable resource on Dartmoor, providing meat and fur, and warrens were established across the moor where conditions suited.

Today the mounds are subtle features in the moorland near Merrivale Bridge, part of a wider pattern of land use that shaped Dartmoor's character over centuries. They sit within a landscape of Bronze Age cairns, medieval settlements and later enclosures, testament to how many generations have worked this moorland.

Historic England listed designation: Two pillow mounds 660m ENE of Merrivale Bridge, forming part of Merrivale Warren