Boxing Day barrow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (26.12.2022)
Images
Towards Churchdown Hill and the Forest of Dean.
Image credit: A. Brookes (3.1.2022)
Looking along the eastern earthworks from the northern end of the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (3.1.2022)
Mind the cornices.
Image credit: A. Brookes (24.1.2021)
Snow day, eastern ramparts.
Image credit: A. Brookes (24.1.2021)
New Year’s Eve, as the sun sets on 2020.
Image credit: A. Brookes (31.12.2020)
Rosehips on the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (13.11.2020)
Round barrow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (13.11.2020)
The hillfort rises over the ghosts of medieval ridge and furrow in fields to the north.
Image credit: A. Brookes (6.6.2020)
Where the wild roses grow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (31.5.2020)
The Devil’s Chimney.
Image credit: A. Brookes (31.5.2020)
Round barrow in square enclosure.
Image credit: A. Brookes (31.5.2020)
May Day round barrow, resplendent in cowslip finery.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.5.2020)
Ephemeral messages of hope and good wishes made from the quarried rock that once formed the fort’s western flank.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.5.2020)
Seen from the south near Cuckoopen Barn Farm, between Emma’s Grove round barrows and Coberley long barrow. The ramparts are visible above the yellow of the crop. Bredon Hill is on the left skyline.
Image credit: A. Brookes (13.4.2020)
One last look before lockdown.
Image credit: A. Brookes (21.3.2020)
Contemplating, circulating, new life.
Image credit: A. Brookes (21.3.2020)
Eastern ramparts from the northeast.
Image credit: A. Brookes (18.1.2020)
Northern rampart looking east.
Image credit: A. Brookes (18.1.2020)
Image credit: A. Brookes (16.5.2019)
Image credit: A. Brookes (16.5.2019)
Leckhampton Hill seen from fields to the south, east of Emma’s Grove round barrows.
Image credit: A. Brookes (26.5.2018)
Approaching sunset from Leckhampton Hill.
Image credit: A. Brookes (23.5.2018)
Late spring rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (23.5.2018)
Looking over the northern ramparts towards Bredon Hill, near invisible on the skyline in the haze, with Cleeve Hill to the right.
Image credit: A. Brookes (23.5.2018)
The round barrow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (23.5.2018)
The winter sun sets over Crippets, from the southern rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
The entrance on the east.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Northern end of the eastern rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Round barrow in square enclosure.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Round barrow inside its square earthwork enclosure, with the fort rampart behind.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Round house site.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Southern rampart in lovely fresh snow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.12.2017)
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.4.2017)
Spring day, eastern rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.4.2017)
The Devil’s Chimney, as the sun sets over Churchdown Hill.
Image credit: A. Brookes (7.9.2015)
Hut circle at sunset.
Image credit: A. Brookes (7.9.2015)
Shiny new information board has a nice aerial shot showing the rampart and the square enclosure around the barrow, thought to be an Iron Age burial site.
Image credit: Hamish Fenton/Kite Aerial Photographs 2011
Larger round house parch mark inside the fort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.8.2015)
One of the round house parch marks inside the fort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.8.2015)
High summer growth on the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.8.2015)
Sunlight on Devil’s Chimney.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.8.2015)
The view north, taking in at least three more hillforts: Bredon, Nottingham Hill and Cleeve Cloud.
Image credit: A. Brookes (9.8.2015)
Leckhampton Hill fort, seen from Churchdown Hill, another possible/probable hillfort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (18.1.2015)
A splash of Summer colour on a cloudy day, eastern rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (11.8.2013)
The erosion scar patched in Winter re-opens by Summer.
Image credit: A. Brookes (11.8.2013)
Leaden skies, Leckhampton Hill.
Image credit: A. Brookes (11.8.2013)
The northern rampart ends abruptly at the quarry face.
Image credit: A. Brookes (20.4.2013)
The northern rampart, hitherto very overgrown and difficult to access.
Image credit: A. Brookes (20.4.2013)
The eastern rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (20.4.2013)
The eastern earthwork, extending away from the fort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (20.4.2013)
The reason for fort’s commanding position on the Cotswold escarpment is clearest from the northeast.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
Detail of the de-shrubbed southern rampart, at its western end.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
The southern section of the rampart, cleared of undergrowth for the first time for some years, looking west. Robinswood and Churchdown Hills can be seen rising from the plain below, with May Hill and the Forest of Dean providing the faint skyline.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
The newly tidied southeastern arc of the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
The central section of the rampart. The section around the trig point has been cordoned off to minimise erosion.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
Looking south along the northern section of rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
Northern end of the ramparts, given scale by New Year’s Day visitors.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2013)
Leckhampton Hill from Wistley Hill to the east.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
The earthworks continue beyond the trees.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
What appears to be further earthworks in the trees to the NE of the fort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
The eastern earthwork.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
The eastern earthwork.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
Looking along the eastern rampart, glorious autumn day.
Image credit: A. Brookes (14.10.2011)
Sunset over the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (25.3.2011)
The round barrow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (25.3.2011)
The newly-cleared round barrow in its square enclosure, seen from the rampart.
Image credit: A. Brookes (25.3.2011)
Sunset from the topograph inside the fort.
Image credit: A. Brookes (25.3.2011)
Leckhampton Hill from Crippets.
Image credit: A. Brookes (18.12.10)
Image credit: Edward J. Burrow
Hand axe from Leckhampton Hill in Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery. Presented by famous Gloucestershire historian/antiquarian George Witts.
Image credit: A. Brookes (2.5.09)
Part of W.L. Cox’s earthwork of “uncertain” purpose lying outside the NE of the fort ramparts
Image credit: A. Brookes (5.2.2009)
The round barrow is clearer in the snow – the square enclosure around it stands out as the coarse grass on the top of the bank protrudes through the snow.
Image credit: A. Brookes (5.2.2009)
The Devil’s Chimney overlooking over the western outskirts of Cheltenham.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.2.2009)
The cliffs forming the west side of the fort. These are not natural, having been extensively quarried.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.2.2009)
Another difficult to see view of the round barrow. Taken from the SE corner of the square enclosure, looking NW. The hillfort rampart (with figure) forms the backdrop. The round barrow is the barely discernable lighter area in the centre of the shot. It’s even more difficult to see in the summer!
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
Looking north along the eastern rampart to the entrance “gap”
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
The largest of the circles, looking SW.
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
Two of the possible hut circle crop marks
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
Circular crop mark (possible hut circle?)
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
A possible hut circle?
Image credit: A. Brookes (27.1.2009)
A view of the rock formation known as the “Devil’s Chimney”
Image credit: A.Brookes (14.9.2008)
Looking east towards the eastern rampart from within the hillfort.
Image credit: A.Brookes (13.7.2008)
Leckhampton Hill in its landscape – the view over the escarpment to the north (with the Malverns on the left horizon and Bredon Hill on the right).
Image credit: A.Brookes (13.7.2008)
View from the eastern approach.
Image credit: A.Brookes (13.7.2008)
Articles
Coming from the east (unusually for me), old quarrying scars blight the first approaches to Leckhampton Hill, but the views over the escarpment are particularly fine, despite the haze today. After a couple of bridle gates, the path eventually comes to some rather enigmatic earthworks stretching away from the fort, their overall layout and purpose not really clear. Following the path onwards, it soon reaches the northern section of the ramparts proper. This is the best-preserved part of the defences, and a walk to the northern tip offers a terrific aerial viewpoint off the near-vertical quarried cliffs and across Cheltenham. I can indeed see my house from here (well, my street anyway). Although I’ve been up here many times now, there is always something new to see. In this case, it’s the northern rampart, below the lip of the escarpment, much more clear of vegetation than I have seen before.
I sit up here for a while, perched high above home and contemplate my choices. I had intended a short walk after the North Wales efforts earlier in the week, but the day is still young and the sunshine is calling me onwards. Besides which, this is one of those parts of the route where ending here would require an otherwise unnecessary climb at the start of the next walk. I decide to press on, at least as far as Crippetts.
Leaving the fort, I head down to one of the many quarries hacked into the hillside, this one serving as a carpark now. I hunt around unsuccessfully for fossils, but to my astonishment, tucked into a crevice in the limestone, I find a pile of chalk-covered flint nodules, some quite large. Nothing worked that I can see, but I have always thought that flint was alien to this part of the Cotswolds, any flint tools being imports from the eastern downs (or further afield). Not so, it seems. Well, you live and learn.
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New Year’s Day, 2013. After what seems like weeks of interminable, miserable wet weather, finally a sunny break happens to coincide with the start of a new year. Hopefully that’s a good omen.
Anyway, transport options are limited, so a stroll up to my local fort seems to be the way to go. The approach from the north is as stiff as ever, the regrets about too many mince pies and not enough exercise come sharply to the fore. It seems that lots of locals have also chosen to make this their place of post-indulgence pilgrimage, because the interior of the fort is pretty busy. Amazing what a bit of sunshine can do.
In the 18 months or so since I was last up here, the northern ramparts and the ever-enigmatic barrow have been kept nicely clear of vegetation. The views across Cheltenham, over towards the Malverns and the northern reaches of the Cotswolds are as far-reaching as ever. It’s soooo nice to be back outside.
As well as maintaining the tidiness at the north of the fort, some enterprising people have cleared the brambles and scrubby vegetation from the southeastern and southern section of the ramparts, leaving them much easier to see. There is no sign of an external ditch here, but ploughing of the adjacent field may have filled it in. Parts of the rampart, notably around the trig pillar, have been cordoned off by that orange plastic temporary fencing, presumably to try to combat erosion damage.
Over on the western flank, where quarrying has destroyed whatever archaeology there may have been, the views are the most extensive, but the wind is bitingly keen. Enough to encourage a hasty retreat along the Cotswold way, then off to the Crippets.
A stroll up on a lovely Spring evening (25.3.2011). It’s nearly a year since I last visited my local site and on reaching the fort I’m pleasantly surprised to find that the enigmatic barrow/square enclosure has been completely cleared of weeds and vegetation, making its form much easier to see than previously.
The northernmost stretch of rampart is also clearer than I have seen before.
A beautiful sunset over the ramparts finishes the visit perfectly.
Visited 27.1.09 – blue skies when I left the house (a mile to the north of the hill) but when I got up the hill it was enveloped in freezing mist, with no visibility over Cheltenham at all. First time I have been here in January and I wanted to have a look at the earthworks and the “round barrow” outside the eastern entrance.
In the interior of the fort I came across a series of circular crop marks in the tufty grass: the largest 10 paces in diameter, the smallest 4 paces. The excavations at the site have focussed on the ramparts and nothing has been excavated within the main enclosed area. These marks are certainly of a size that would be consistent with hut circles (like the ones found at nearby Crickley Hill) but without excavation (or at least a more expert eye than mine) there’s no knowing what they are.
The rampart curves round from the SW corner of the fort to the NE corner in a shape like a “D” with the top flattened. Along the SE side the rampart is topped with dry stone construction – according to Geoffrey Williams in “The Iron Age Hillforts of England” (1993 Horace Books) the rampart was revetted with dry stone wall, so this may be part of the original construction.
As the rampart turns to the north, it becomes more of an earthen bank, leading up to the eastern entrance (which is simply a gap).
The mysterious “round barrow/celtic shrine/tree enclosure” is clearly visible on the E side of the rampart, although very difficult to photograph! The square bank is clear, and each side measures approx 20-21 paces. The round barrow (if that’s what it is) in the centre is again quite clear, but very low and unimpressive.
After this the mist closed in and it started to get wetter, so I headed off back down the steep scarp slope to the north, pausing first to have a look at the earthworks to the NE of the fort that run next to the Cotswold Way footpath. It’s not clear what these are or how old they are – in “Prehistoric and Roman Sites of the Cheltenham Area” (1981 Gloucester County Library) W.L. Cox merely mentions that they are of “uncertain use”. Helpful!
My local site, approached either directly from the north straight up the steep scarp slope from footpaths off Daisybank Lane, or from the south from the carpark off the road to Hartley Farm. Terrific views over Cheltenham, across to Gloucester, the Malverns, etc. A great spot for a picnic, but watch out for extreme cyclists! The ramparts themselves are not the most impressive, but more than made up for by the setting and views. Outside the south-eastern entrance there is the remains of a round “barrow” inside a square embanked enclosure (see Miscellaneous).
The fort encloses c. 7 acres with a single bank rampart on the south and east sides (the north and west sides are defended by the extremely steep scarp slope). The entrance was defended by two stone guard chambers (see excavation reports in the Links section for detail).
Just outside the entrance is square embanked enclosure containing a “barrow”. Accounts of what this may be vary:
James Dyer – “Discovering Prehistoric Archaeology” (Shire 2001) states that it may be the site of a celtic shrine.
L.V. Grinsell – “Gloucestershire Barrows” (Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Arch. Soc. 1960) states: “probably a small round barrow in a roughly square enclosure ... square enclosure may be an 18th century tree-clump enclosure”.
Tim Darvill – “Prehistoric Gloucestershire” (Alan Sutton Publishing 1987) mentions the similarities between the barrow and Iron Age burial structures in Yorkshire and Humberside.
Cheltenham Council – Leckhampton Hill Management Plan states: “This site is part of Scheduled Ancient Monument number 46 and survives as an extremely rare round barrow, a burial mound, within a square enclosure, believed to date from the Iron Age 800BC – 43AD”
Excavation report from the excavations in the summer of 1925
Excavation report from the late 1960s excavations at Leckhampton Hill.
Sites within 20km of Leckhampton Hill
-
Crippets Long Barrow
photo 45 description 8 -
Emma’s Grove
photo 18 description 6 -
Coberley
photo 33 description 5 -
Crickley Hill
photo 55 forum 1 description 14 link 1 -
Battledown Camp
photo 1 forum 1 description 1 -
Birdlip Camp
photo 21 forum 1 description 4 link 1 -
Lineover
photo 32 description 5 -
Henley Bank
photo 5 description 1 -
Dowdeswell
photo 17 description 3 -
Wood Farm
photo 9 description 3 link 1 -
St Paul’s Epistle
photo 13 description 3 -
Foxcote Hill Farm
photo 2 description 2 -
Norbury Camp (Upper Coberley)
photo 22 description 2 -
West Tump
photo 35 description 6 link 1 -
Churchdown Hill
photo 16 description 4 link 1 -
Buck’s Head Barrow
photo 3 forum 1 description 2 -
Cooper’s Hill
photo 8 description 2 link 1 -
Combend Farm
photo 7 forum 1 description 2 -
High Brotheridge Camp
photo 11 description 2 -
Cleeve Cloud
photo 39 description 4 -
Cranham Corner
photo 2 description 1 -
Cleeve Common cross dyke
photo 20 description 1 -
The Ring, Cleeve Hill
photo 9 description 2 -
Withington Woods West
photo 7 description 1 -
Boy’s Grove
photo 4 description 1 -
Withington Long Barrow
photo 6 description 2 -
Honeycombe Farm
photo 2 description 1 -
Cotswold Park
photo 6 description 1 -
Belas Knap
photo 104 forum 6 description 29 link 3 -
The Camp
photo 21 description 4 -
Painswick Beacon
photo 18 description 6 -
Shawswell Farm
photo 4 description 2 -
Sales Lot Long Barrow
description 1 -
Nottingham Hill
photo 23 description 2 link 4 -
Odo and Dodo
description 1 -
Woodmancote
photo 5 description 1 -
The Waste
description 1 -
Roel Hill Camp
photo 14 description 1 -
Througham
description 3 -
Tabitha’s Well
photo 2 description 2 -
Salperton Park
photo 6 description 2 -
The Hoar Stone (Duntisbourne Abbots)
photo 13 description 6 link 1 -
Hazleton Long Barrows
photo 7 description 7 link 3 -
The Beck Swan
description 1 -
Pinkwell
photo 5 description 3 -
College Plantation
photo 9 -
Dixton Hill
photo 3 description 2 -
The Giant’s Stone
photo 9 forum 1 description 6 -
North Cerney
photo 6 -
Oxenton Hill Camp
photo 3 description 3 -
Tump Belt
photo 3 description 1 -
Westwood
photo 3 description 1 -
Wood Barrow
photo 6 description 2 -
The Twizzle Stone
description 1 -
Hampnett barrows
photo 2 description 2 -
Twizzle Stone Long Barrow
photo 5 description 4 -
Bagendon Earthworks
photo 11 description 3 -
Hangman’s Stone, Hampnett
photo 7 description 5 link 1 -
Money Tump
description 3 -
Nash End Farm (Bisley)
description 1 -
Notgrove
photo 33 forum 2 description 16 link 1 -
Erves Leasowe
photo 1 -
Haresfield Camp
photo 34 description 3 -
The Warren
photo 8 description 1 -
Farmcote
photo 1 -
Avenis
photo 1 description 3 -
The Tibblestone
photo 9 description 6 link 1 -
Shortwood mounds
photo 11 description 1 -
Colnpen Long Barrow
description 1 -
Hailes Wood Camp
photo 10 description 1 -
Naunton Barrow
description 1 -
Beckbury
photo 25 description 3 -
Standish Wood
photo 7 description 1 -
Crickley Barrow
description 1 -
Barnsley Wold Barrow
description 2 -
Randwick Long Barrow
photo 21 description 5 link 1 -
Stumps Cross
photo 7 description 2 -
Farmington
photo 4 description 4 -
Upper Hyde Farm
-
Tar Barrows
photo 13 description 6 -
Norbury Camp (Farmington)
photo 3 forum 1 description 3 -
Lamborough Banks
photo 19 description 7 -
The Horestone (Rodborough)
photo 3 description 2 -
SE of Lamborough Banks
description 3 -
Oldwalls Farm
description 3 -
Trewsbury
photo 4 description 3 -
Eyford Park
description 1 -
The Lang Stone
description 1 -
Whitfield’s Tump
photo 11 description 5 -
Ablington Camp
photo 5 forum 1 description 1 -
Cold Aston
photo 10 forum 1 description 3 -
Farmington
photo 2 description 2 -
The Toots
photo 12 description 3 -
The Longstone of Minchinhampton
photo 51 forum 1 description 17 -
Towbury Hill
photo 1 description 1 -
Gatcombe Lodge
photo 4 forum 1 description 7 -
Cobstone
photo 1 description 2 -
Conderton Camp
photo 20 description 2 -
Shenberrow Hill Camp
photo 17 description 1