Membury Camp

Also known as:
Membury Fort
Nearest town:
Marlborough (13km WSW)
OS reference:
SU301754
OS sheet:
174
Latitude:
51° 28' 34.4 N
Longitude:
1° 33' 59.56 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Rumours of sub-standard palisading at Membury found to hold some truth...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 28, 2015
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Just seemed such a bizarre image, an almost unfathomable contrast between the modern and antiquarian worlds... looking back to the slumbering, decaying prehistoric camp (top right, in trees) crossing the frantic M4.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Sometimes – well, often – Nature... in all its, er, naturally chaotic cycle of life and death, just does it so damn right. Aesthetically speaking... The interior of the enclosure, glimpsed to the right, is truly massive.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Surface flint can be found at various points upon the bank.... the massive ditch lies beyond.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

The ditch is to the left.... yeah, these are powerful defences.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

I must admit I took Membury to be bivallate....however Dyer reckons the ‘outer bank’ is merely a counterscarp.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

In many respects it is what Nature has done with Membury ... that blew me away. None shall pass!

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

I certainly was not prepared for the sheer height of the bank.... but the diminutive flora steals the scene for me.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by GLADMAN

Approaching from the north ...via a bridge across the M4, since I didn’t fancy playing ‘chicken’. The, frankly, vast enclosure sits within the skyline trees. Not that you’d know from here. Or from the M4 Membury services, for that matter.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by tjj

Looking over towards the steep inner bank.

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Oct 23, 2011
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by tjj

Looking up towards Membury, completely hidden in mature trees though the centre is a ploughed field.

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Oct 23, 2011
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

Part of the bank and ditch on the southern flank

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

The northern entrance with its bank

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

The sunken pond seemed to be a natural feature and may well have been the reason it was built here to begin with.

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

The farm track looking south and the edge of the sunken pond

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

The flat interior of the fort looking north

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

The flat interior of the fort looking towards Walls Copse and the county line of Berkshire

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009
Image of Membury Camp (Hillfort) by Chance

Membury Fort as seen from the footbridge crossing the M4. The farm track leads past the old airfield to the north entrance in the trees

Image credit: Chance - June 2009
Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009

Articles

Membury Camp

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 4, 2012

Membury Camp is one of those sites I’ve ‘seen’ many – goodness knows how many – times from the M4 services of the same name.... but never got around to visiting. Well, you know how it is? Probably not much there, better places on the ‘list’ etc.... However I decide to remedy that today, inspired, I guess, by tjj’s images back in October. Which is what TMA is all about, is it not?

I approach from the north, so, leaving the M4 at Junction 14, I take the A338 toward Wantage, almost immediately turning left upon the B4000. At Lambourn Woodlands, where the b-road veers sharply right, continue upon a minor road past Fox Farm, parking at the entrance to a farm track on the left. Follow this, past a house, to pick up a public footpath crossing the M4 via – you’ll no doubt be pleased to note – a bridge. The stony track continues, passing a prominent wood and with the nissen huts of the former RAF airfield to the left, towards another phalanx of trees concealing the hillfort. The track becomes path and, eventually, affords access to the enclosure. Jeez, it’s a big one, Dyer quoting a very impressive 12 hectares, although I’m arguably more impressed by the sheer size of the defensive bank encountered by the traveller. Initially I take the enclosure to be bi-vallate – that is protected by two concentric banks; however Dyer cites the outer as being a counterscarp to the massive ditch. Whatever.... splitting hairs, perhaps.

As with all hillforts, the only real way to appreciate the form and substance of the defences is to walk them.... suffice to say, despite the vegetation being, relatively speaking, not that prohibitive – at least in winter – a circuit takes me over an hour, such is the circumference of this massive earthwork. In fact it is only the distant hum of the M4 which provides an indication of where exactly I am. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? Shut-up. Not that this is exactly a hardship, not with Nature having taken over the ramparts to do her thang, occasional pieces of flint lying provocatively upon the bank, as if to say ‘for all you know I’m an ancient tool’. But therein lies the problem... I’m no expert. Sigh.

Following lunch, I’m just about to complete my second, and final circuit when the hitherto hidden, entirely unwelcome side of a visit to Membury raises its head. To be fair, I guess she was only doing her job, but I’m suddenly confronted by a ‘plummy’ middle-aged woman with dogs (I’d seen her about half an hour earlier and thought nothing of it – guess it took some time to summon the bravery to confront me, then... honestly). In short, it appears that I’ve strayed from the path (I know), that this is very bad (she has no answers to my demands to know why this should be and why the estate wish to forbid me access to my heritage) and that if ‘security’ catch me I’ll be sorry. Oh dear, threats. I assure her I most certainly will not be – sorry that is – that I had no idea walking the ramparts was an issue (there are currently no signs or fences when approaching from the north) and as I’ve been on site for some three hours, ‘security’ aren’t exactly a formidable unit, are they? I complete my exploration of the defences and have a wander inside the massive enclosure before leaving this exceptional hillfort.

So, there you are. Sadly it seems that here we have another ‘high end’ landowner who has a problem having a (very) fine example of England’s heritage upon his/her land. How damn inconvenient, what? Now there are many ordinary – dare I say ‘common’ – landowners/ farmers throughout this land who, from experience, I know do not see this as an issue and consequently apply a morally decent attitude to access. Work with the people who want to see your stuff and attitudes invariably improve on both sides, do they not? Yeah, I know. It’s plain common sense. Unfortunately such intelligent reasoning, although prevalent somewhere as off the beaten track as the environs of Loch Fyne, for example, does not appear to have caught on yet at Membury. Guess it takes time to filter down....

Membury Camp

tjj
tjj Oct 23, 2011

Not much I can add to Chance’s excellent fieldnote on this obscure but large hillfort. Visited it today as part of a six mile walk from hamlet of Wittonditch.

The countryside leading up to Membury is very clearly private farmland though there is a Right of Way through it. We walked through some woodland where some forestry work had been taking place and came out into a field containing a small herd of deer, two of which were white – quite rare I believe.

We followed a quiet lane to Membury Farm which, with its gate lodge and rather impressive wrought iron gates, was a bit daunting – glad I wasn’t walking alone. However, the Right of Way was clearly marked with signs saying ‘stay on the footpath’ so we kept going up to the hill fort. The ramparts of the hillfort are completely covered with mature trees (a lot of oaks) on all sides. The middle of the hill fort was a ploughed field with a broad path going through its centre. One of the things I love about walking to hillforts is the views of the surrounding landscape – no views to be had from this hillfort because of the dense trees on the ramparts. The wind did pick up briskly while we stopped for a bit so from the elemental viewpoint it did feel like a hillfort.

The pond, encircled by oaks, mentioned by Chance on the north side of the enclosure seemed completely dried out.

Membury Camp

Chance
Chance Jul 1, 2009

Membury Fort lies on flat ground, six miles north of Hungerford. To the east are the remains of R.A.F. Membury which was decommissioned in 1946. (see link below). The M4 motorway was constructed over the old runway and a motorway service area now lies on the old control tower.

Although Membury Fort is classified on the SMR, (No. SU37NW200), as an Iron-Age Hillfort, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Romano-British finds from the site indicate a long, continual history of occupation and agricultural use. The Roman road, Ermin Street, runs to the north and shadows the modern M4. This may indicate that the fort was still in use as an agricultural grain drying/storage site right through the Roman period.

Access is either from the north via the old Ermin Street, the Baydon road, or from the south via the lane that runs by Membury Lodge. The fort is part of the Membury Estate, which is now being converted into a stud farm. We parked by the Membury Lodge and walked through the main gate, following the public footpath around Membury house and through the well manicured parkland, stables and out buildings.
“Keep to the Footpath” and “Guard Dogs on the Loose” signs might put some people off, but all we saw was a Jack Russell. There were people enjoying the summer sun but they were the other side of the extensive walls. The footpath is well marked and leads to the southern side of the fort.

A farm track runs right across the fort and up to the north-east wooded sector known as Walls Copse.
This wood is in Berkshire, while the rest of the fort is in Wiltshire. To the left of this border is a sunken pond which may well be the reason the fort was built here in the first place. The pond had a “Majestic” vibe to it with ancient sessile oaks and service trees around its edge. There was another, smaller pond on the northern side and outside the fort. This was very overgrown but also seemed original.

We spent about two hours walking around and saw only 2 other walkers in the distance. The site had an undisturbed feel with much wildlife. The noise of the M4 didn’t creep in until we reached the bridge over it. The banks were over grown but still very defined. I couldn’t tell where the original entrances where, but the southern one may well have been original.

A nice site to wonder around on a summer’s day. Very relaxed with loads of atmosphere and the possibility of picking up Neolithic flints on the surface when there are no standing crops.

Chance – June 2009

Sites within 20km of Membury Camp

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