Giant’s Grave (Martinsell)

Nearest town:
Marlborough (6km NNE)
OS reference:
SU166632
OS sheet:
173
Latitude:
51° 22' 1.46 N
Longitude:
1° 45' 41.47 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by thesweetcheat

The promontory fort from the WNW, on the footpath up Huish Hill from Oare. The earthworks are at the lefthand end of the summit.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.12.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 26, 2016
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by GLADMAN

Showing a part of the cross-rampart and The Vale of Pewsey on an overcast day.......

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 20, 2016
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by thesweetcheat

Looking down on the site on the way back from Martinsell hillfort.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.6.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 20, 2014
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by thesweetcheat

The southern flank of the promontory, with the Vale of Pewsey stretching away beyond.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.6.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 20, 2014
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by thesweetcheat

Looking across the interior from the western tip of the promontory towards the single rampart.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.6.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 20, 2014
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by tjj

Giant’s Grave Hill Fort from Tan Hill Way.

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Jul 18, 2011
Image of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell) (Promontory Fort) by moss

Apart from its hillfort and folklore, its one of the highest in Wilts,

moss
moss Oct 4, 2006

Articles

Giant’s Grave (Martinsell)

tjj
tjj Jul 15, 2011

Monday, 11th July 2011

Set off to ‘test’ another nine mile walk for the North Wessex Downs AONB forthcoming series of Heritage Walks. Started from Pewsey Wharf along the Kennet & Avon Canal to pick up the White Horse Trail at Pains Bridge up to Giant’s Grave Settlement.

It was a hot, humid day, I had been troubled for the past week or so by horse-fly bites. This occasion was no exception which, along with the heat, made walking uphill uncomfortable. Fortunately by the time Giant’s Grave was reached a slight breeze had sprung up.

Fabulous views over the Vale of Pewsey in one direction and the ridge of hills towards Knap Hill (Oare and Huish Hills) in the other. The nine mile walk towards Gopher Wood along the White Horse Trail (Tan Hill Way) was abandoned for a cooler day ... so it was back down hill and a walk into the village of Oare in such of refreshment.

Note: Oare and Pewsey are accessible by bus from Swindon, Marlborough and Salisbury via the Wilts & Dorset X5
wdbus.co.uk/site/uploads/publications/157.pdf

18/7/11
Another, this time successful, attempt at the nine mile walk mentioned above. Undistracted today by heat and insect bites I was able to take a better look at the rampart known as Giant’s Grave. Approached along the fence-line at the top to Martinsell Hill (the Pewsey side) it was clearer today to see it as a defensive bank and ditch, broken by the a fence driven through it. Later viewed from Tan Hill Way – a different perspective, the shape of a hill fort became clearly visible.

Giant’s Grave (Martinsell)

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 27, 2009

An excellent little promontory fort to the south-west(ish) of the much larger hillfort upon Martinsell Hill.

Perhaps best reached by way of a steep climb from Sunnyhill Lane (great name) near Bethnal Green – no, not that one!! – heading north on the White Horse Trail, before veering to the right up the obvious slope in front.

The enclosure boasts great views all round, particularly towards The Vale of Pewsey, not to mention a pretty substantial ditch and rampart isolating the fort from the ridge to the east leading to Martinsell. Which begs the question ‘what was the relationship between the two sites?’ Were they occupied concurrently by the same people – unusual, bearing in mind their close proximity – or at different periods in time? Whatever the truth of the matter, I loved it here........

Giant’s Grave is perhaps best viewed from the A345 just north of the village of Oare.

Miscellaneous

Giant’s Grave (Martinsell)
Promontory Fort
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Sep 6, 2005

In the 18th century there was a summerhouse on the Giant’s Grave promontory, and in 1806 Colt Hoare wrote: “From the Summer House observe the finest view in Wiltshire.”

(Quoted by K Watts in ‘The Marlborough Downs’ 1993).

Topics

giants grave 7
Mrs Ahab
Mrs Ahab
May 2004

Sites within 20km of Giant’s Grave (Martinsell)

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