thesweetcheat
Plan and description of summit cairn.
18th century plan of the earthworks, by Tom Martin.
Coflein refers to the chamber as being “discredited” but also mentions that the site is still scheduled due to its ambiguity.
Also includes a rather unhelpful aerial photo.
Report on archaeological discoveries in the Lower Lugg Valley. Material about nearby Sutton Walls as well.
Link to preliminary excavation report from July 2012.
Description of recently discovered (2006) and excavated (2008) Neolithic causewayed enclosure in an area rich in multi-period prehistory.
Website includes several aerial photos.
Brief description and a nice aerial photo of the site.
Large, late Iron Age earthwork enclosing the village, next to a river, with a date and setting reminiscent of Salmonsbury in Gloucestershire.
Pastscape has a full description.
Pastscape description of plough-damaged bivallate fort.
Pastscape description of the fort, of interest due to the stone-faced construction of the ramparts.
Description of the promontory fort, which was found to include a subterranean “chamber”.
Pastscape description of the fort:
A small multivallate hillfort dating to the Iron Age, situated on a greensand spur which overlooks the River Rother. The elaborate hillfort defences completely enclose the spur, forming a north west-south east aligned, roughly rectangular interior area of circa 3.5 kilometres square. The most impressive defences are to the north east, where they were constructed across the gently sloping ground which forms the neck of the spur. They survive here as two parallel banks up to 11 metres wide, flanked by outer ditches. Part excavation in 1957 indicated that the earthern and rubble banks are revetted with locally extracted ironstone slabs. Access to the interior is by way of a staggered entrance formed by simple, causewayed gaps through the central part of the ramparts. The remaining defences are on a smaller scale, with the steeply-sided north western and south eastern edges of the spur enclosed mainly by a single bank and ditch. To the south west, the spur-edge rampart is argumented by a parallel, outer bank and ditch constructed circa 15 metres downslope. The ramparts have been disturbed in places by the subsequent construction and use of more recent tracks and paths. Later use of the monument is represented by at least six roughly circular platforms situated within the hillfort, shown by the archaeological excavations of 1957 to represent charcoal burning clamps dating to the post-medieval period. Scheduled.
Extensive description of the fort. Summary:
A univallate hillfort sitauted on a greensand spur which forms part of the Puttenham Common. The hillfort defences enclose the spur end, forming a north-south aligned, sub-rectangular interior of around 2 hectares. The most impressive defences are to the east, where they were constructed across the level ground which forms the neck of the spur. They survive as a bank up to 12 metres wide and 2 metres high, flanked by an outer ditch up to 8 metres wide and 0.75 metres deep. The northern and southern ramparts were designed to accentuate the naturally sloping spur edges, whilst the steep sided, western edge of the spur made the construction of artificial defences in this area unnecessary. Access to the interior was by way of a simple, causewayed, 13 metre gap through the central part of the ramparts. The defences have been disturbed in places by subsequent construction and use of more recent tracks and paths. The monument shows signs of later modelling and reuse, represented by a 7 metre wide, roughly north-south aligned, curving bank constructed across the western side of the hillfort. This has been dated to the medieval period, when the hillfort may have been in use as a stock enclosure. The western half of the hillfort has been quite heavily disturbed by the construction of a group of slit trenches and pits during World War II, when the spur formed part of an army training area. Scheduled.
Lengthy description of Iron Age “boundary” earthwork.
Detailed description of pear-shaped, univallate fort.
Pastscape detailed description of the multivallate fort, one of a group of three including Cranbrook Castle and Prestonbury Castle.
Pastscape contains a detailed description. Summary:
The substantial earthworks of an Iron Age promontory fort known as Countisbury Castle, but more commonly referred to as Wind Hill, have been surveyed by field investigators at 1:2500 and transcribed from aerial photographs. The defensive earthworks, which comprise an east-facing bank and ditch with a broad low counterscarp bank, cross a saddle of land between sea cliffs to the north and the precipitous slopes of the East Lyn Valley on the south. The earthworks are broken by the modern route of the A39 and an original entrance, to the east of which extends an outworks. The southern end of the western rampart is abutted an extended westwards by a lynchet of probable medieval date.
Pastscape contains a detailed description. Summary:
The earthwork remains of an Iron Age promontory fort or hillfort and annexe. The headland of Bolt Tail is occupied by an Iron Age promontory fort of about 4.9. hectares, defended by a rampart 274 metres long and up to 4.6 metres high, with indications of a stone facing wall up to 4 feet high on its outer eastern side. The well-marked inturned entrance is approached by a hollow-way and guarded on the north by an arc-like outwork of stone, with a mound some 13 feet high by 53 feet long.
The hollow-way from the gate leads to a minor fortification on lower ground, where a small promontory facing north to Bigbury Bay is cut off by line of rampart running north-west to south-east, and about 2.7 metres high.
There is an entrance near the cliff-edge on the north-west. This camp seems to have been an annexe for the larger fort, sited to guard a fresh-water supply and observe Hope Cove below.Scheduled.
Includes aerial photo of the site.
Includes some excellent aerial photos of the hillfort.
Paleolithic baton made from carved reindeer antler – object page on the British Museum website.
Listerinepree’s November 2012 visit blog. Lovely photos of the ancient yew.
Information on Canmore suggests there may have been a circle here, or even a Clava cairn. Given the stone’s position in the Nairn Valley, close to the river and between the Clava cairns at Dalcross Mains and Cantraybruich, this doesn’t seem too implausible, but the lack of remains make it unlikely that we shall ever know.
Detailed description of the fort, from site visits over a long period.
Extensive description of excavated cairn, with varied views as to its classification.
Includes a lovely photograph of the Uskmouth footprints (double-click the photo to enlarge).
Description of the fort or round.
Link to summary excavation report and site plan.
Link to picture of cup and ring marked packing stone recovered when the standing stone collapsed in 2009.
Link to WRAO website, with description and pictures.
47 people have been rescued from Worm’s Head since the lookout station opened in March 2007.
Don’t say you weren’t warned!
Coflein website includes aerial photos of the fort.
Crescentic double banks with a medial ditch, c.92m in length, cut off a craggy promontory, within is a less prominent, banked & ditched subrectangularenclosure, c.20m NNE-SSW by 18m, resting against the upsurge of the steeply rising promontory; both works have N-facing entrances.
Coflein site includes several aerial photos of the fort.
Thurba Camp is a defensive complex set about a central enclosure c.50m by 40m perched on an irregular coastal promontory, defined by precipitous cliffs except where a stone-faced wall/rampart faces NE across the promontory isthmus, with two widely spaced lines of bank & ditch beyond , the outer having a c.90m frontage.
Up to seven circular structures have been noted associated with the central enclosure, although the site as a whole is obscurred by lime workings.
Coflein website, containing description and a number of aerial photos of the fort.
A flint arrownhead was found near the Whet Stone, and then lost by Hereford Museum, apparently.
Full description of this multi-phase site.
Description of excavations and finds (principally 2009/10 during development works).
In addition a very substantial cairn is at NG 6368 0390:
In an old plantation, now re-afforested, on the W side of Armadale Bay, 280m WNW of the pier , a few feet from and above HWM, there is a large cairn. It measures approx. 25.0m in diameter and 3.5m in height and has been extensively robbed in the S and E quadrants. There are a number of tree-stumps upon it and one stunted tree. (1961 description)
Description and aerial photos.
Description and aerial photos.
Description and aerial photos.
Online article on Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust’s website about the area’s geology, archaeology and history.
Not strictly megalithic, but anyone who has stood on one of Wales’ high places and wondered “what’s that big pointy hill over there?” should find it of interest.
Plan and description of the ruined summit cairn.
News article (2006) about excavations at Stapleton henge and nearby Iron Age site.
Site description.
Extensive description of this fine hilltop settlement.
Full description of the impressive multivallate Burrow Hill fort.
Full description of the univallate hillfort.