The pillow-like mounds were often built in oblong shape and sometimes were connected with each other with stone-lined tunnels.
A fence provided protection from predators.
Many warrens were accompanied by a lodge and a watchtower where the warrener lived.
Pillow mounds in Dartmoor.
Rabbit meat was a delicacy and its fur was a cheap alternative to the more expensive ermines.
European rabbits were originally found only in southwestern Europe, including Spain, Portugal and western France.
The invasive species was brought to the British Isles by the Romans following their invasion in 43 AD.
In the beginning, the rabbits found the English climate inhospitable and needed careful rearing.
For the next five centuries, almost all rabbits in England were supplied by these warrens.
Pillow mounds are an obsolete technology, and the majority of these structures have long since disappeared.
Some of these are now protected by English Heritage.
