Maiden Castle Dorchester, Dorset, England. Maiden Castle in Dorset is huge - it could contain more than 50 football pitches and is the largest and most complex Iron Age hillfort in Europe. The huge ramparts and ditches protected hundreds of people and were constructed approximately 2,500 years ago. The ramparts were faced with white
Burwains Camp Lancashire, England. This monument includes Burwains Camp prehistoric defended settlement. It is located on a hilltop on the northern side of the steep-sided Thursden Valley and includes a circular enclosure surrounded by an inner ditch and an outer bank. The enclosure measures approximately 45m in diameter, the ditch measures c.0.3m wide by
Thetford Castle Norfolk, England. The substantial upstanding earthworks northwest of Castle Lane and north of Market Street, known as Castle Hill, are the remains of an Iron Age fort and a medieval motte and bailey castle. Little is known about the Iron Age settlement. Excavation across the ramparts in 1962 confirmed that both the
Dragon Hill (Uffington Castle) Uffington, England. The Iron Age hillfort known as Uffington Castle occupies the summit of Whitehorse Hill. It consists of a large enclosure, measuring about 220 metres by 160 metres, surrounded by a wide chalk-stone bank or inner rampart about 12 metres wide and 2.5 metres high, and formerly lined with
Waylands SmithyAshbury, Oxfordshire, England.Wayland’s Smithy is a Neolithic tomb on the Ridgeway in south Oxfordshire. The first monument (constructed 3590 and 3555 BC), was a mortuary of wood and stone. There is a paved path built of sarsen stone slabs. On this pathway was placed a wooden box, in which people were buried.When excavated in 1963,
Avebury Avebury, England. Extract from The Telegraph [article in full here] It is one of the greatest marvels of prehistoric Britain, the largest stone circle in Europe and a sacred meeting place for our ancestors which may even be aligned with the stars. Avebury Circuit: But a new archaeological survey at in Wiltshire suggests the
Stonehenge Stonehenge, Salisbury England. Stonehenge, is a prehistoric monument that took approximately 1,500 years to create. It is comprised of about 100 huge upright stones arranged in a circle. Most experts believe that Stonehenge was a burial site. But they have not yet discovered how the massive stone structures were built using the technology available
Brent TorBrent Tor, Devon, England. Around the Tor are Iron Age earthworks, the remnants of a Hill fort.Unusually, the fortifications are at the base of the Tor, rather than the summit as is more normal (compare with Brent Knoll in Somerset).No serious archaeological work has been carried out on the site. However, the northern ramparts in particular are well preserved, displaying a
Alfred's Castle Alfred's Castle, Oxfordshire, England. A roughly polygonal univallate hillfort known as Alfred's Castle situated c500m north west of Ashdown House. The earthwork defences consist of a single rampart bank which measures between 3m and 10m wide and stands up to 1.5m high. It was originally revetted with sarsen walls. Two seasons of
Warbstow Bury Camp Warbstow Bury Camp, Cornwall, England. Warbstow Bury is a multivallate hillfort in Warbstow, north Cornwall. It affords substantial views overlooking north Cornwall and the coast, and is one of the largest and best persevered hillforts in the county. The defences of this hillfort consist of a double bank and median ditch
Longridge Woods EN3530 Longridge Woods, Lydford, Devon Longridge Woods includes an Iron age univallate hillfort with internal medieval structures. It is situated on the top of a steep slope overlooking the valley of the River Lyd to the south and a further steep valley to the north. The hillfort is surrounded by dense forest
Padderbury Top Padderbury Top, Cornwall, England. Padderbury is a small hill-fort in south-east Cornwall, less than a mile north of the A38 (Liskeard-Saltash) road. It forms a prominent sky-line feature and itself commands superb views over the surrounding countryside. Although the fort now appears to consist of two ramparts - the inner circle a
Walbury Camp Walbury Camp, West Berkshire, England. Walbury Camp is a large univallate Early Iron Age hillfort of around 82 acres (33 hectares), making it the largest in Berkshire. Roughly trapezoid (kite shaped) in form, the banks, though not particularly high from the inside, take advantage of a formidable scarp, with the top of
Segsbury Castle Fort Segsbury Castle in Oxfordshire, England. Segsbury Camp or Segsbury Castle, also known as Letcombe Castle, is an Iron Age hill fort on the crest of the Berkshire Downs, near the Ridgeway above Wantage, in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. This iron-age hill fort is thought to have
Cadson Bury Cadson Bury in Cornwall, England. Cadson Bury is probably one of Cornwall’s earlier hill forts, since it has a single bank that hugs the contours of the hill. 'Cadsonbury' was first recorded in the 13th century, and its earliest depiction was on Martyn's map of 1748. It was described by D. and
Bury Castle Bury Castle in Cornwall, England. This Hillfort is near Higher Treslea about 1.5 miles NE of Cardinham. This Iron Age hill fort is almost circular with a diameter > 140 metres in the north-south axis. The ramparts are quite impressive, as in places they rise to about 4.3 metres. Situated on a south-east
Berry Castle Berry Castle in Cornwall, England. Very little is known about this early prehistoric hill fort. The fort has outwork and an outlying stone hut circle.There is evidence of nine stone hut circles in and around the site in total. Most of the features have been eroded with time. Significant evidence of later granite
Pilsdon Pen Pilsdon Pen is the highest hill fort in Dorset, England. Pilsdon has a long history of occupation. Flint tools over 10,000 years old and two Bronze Age burial mounds are evidence that the site was in use long before the hill fort was built. The hill is topped by an Iron Age multivallate Durotrigian hill fort which was
Black Head Black Head is an ancient promontory fort near St Austell in Cornwall, England. Promontory forts are a type of hillfort which make good use of natural defenses such as high cliffs. In this site the defenses have been improved by the construction of a series of ramparts placed across the neck of
Prideaux Castle Prideaux Castle /ˈprɪdɨks/ is a quadrivallate Iron Age hillfort situated atop a 133 m (435 ft) high conical hill near the southern boundary of the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The remains of the first and second circular ramparts are quite distinct, although overgrown with trees on the north and east sides. They appear to be
Resugga Castle Resugga Castle is an Iron Age Hillfort in Cornwall, England. Resugga Castle straddles the summit of Crow Hill, its main enclosure lying on the gentle SE slope bordering a steep scarp down to the St Stephens River close to its confluence with the River Fal. The site lies on Devonian slates in
Castle Dore Castle Dore is an Iron Age Hillfort in Cornwall, England. This is a small, multivallate, partial contour hillfort, located on prominent ridge overlooking at least two tributaries of River Fowey. Two oval structures, possibly Romano-British or later occupation, but pottery suggests abandonment before Roman period. Finds included South-Western Decorated pottery and cordoned
Dumpdon Hill Dumpdon Hill is an Iron Age Hillfort near Honiton in Devon, England. There is a small car park below Dumpdon hill and a track which leads up through the original entrance to the fort. The ramparts are well preserved and 2 metres high in places. Despite the imposing position and strong defences,
