Oldbury hillfort

Oldbury hillfort

Oldbury hillfort is a large Iron Age hill fort near the village of Ightham, Kent, England.

It covers the top of a hill that would have provided commanding views over one of the main routes in and out of the Weald and covers an area of 50 ha. A natural spring within the fort would have provided water to the occupants making it a very attractive spot. The eastern side of the hill is very steep and so earthwork defences were constructed only on the other sides.

Excavations in 1938 and 1983–4 concluded that there was little evidence of permanent occupation and that the hill fort had been built hurriedly and abandoned by 50 BC. Piles of slingstones and evidence of burning were taken to indicate that the fort may have been violently conquered, perhaps by Julius Caesar during his Roman invasion of Britain.


The site is owned by the National Trust and open to the public. The Middle Palaeolithic Oldbury rock shelters are located on the eastern slopes of the hill.

External links

Coordinates: 51°17′N 0°16′E / 51.28°N 0.26°E / 51.28; 0.26


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Oldbury — may refer to: Oldbury, Western Australia, a district south of Perth, Australia Oldbury, Shropshire, a village near Bridgnorth, England, UK Oldbury, South Gloucestershire, a village south of Bridgnorth, England, UK Oldbury, West Midlands, a town… …   Wikipedia

  • Oldbury rock shelters — are a complex of Middle Palaeolithic sites situated on the slopes of Oldbury hillfort near Ightham in the English county of Kent. They were occupied by Mousterian flint tool manufacturers around 50,000 years ago and examples of their… …   Wikipedia

  • List of hill forts in England — This List of hill forts in England is a list of links to any hill fort in England, UK.Berkshire*Alfred s Castle, Badbury Hill, Cherbury Camp, Hardwell Castle *Segsbury Camp, Uffington Castle, Walbury Hill, Wittenham ClumpsBristol*Kingsweston… …   Wikipedia

  • Oldberry Castle — Plan of the site Location: Dulverton, Somerset, England Coordinates …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”