Bradley Hill Fort
| Bradley Hill Fort | |
| Cheshire | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Hillfort |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ539768 |
| Location: | 53°17’12"N, 2°41’32"W |
| Village: | Frodsham |
| History | |
| Built Iron Age | |
| Information | |
Bradley Hill Fort is an Iron Age hill fort near Frodsham in Cheshire, close to the opening estuary of the River Mersey. It is the smallest of the known hill forts in the county and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1][2]
Location
Although there are thousands of hill forts in Britain, there are few in Cheshire.[3] There are two main groups of hill forts in the county, each with three members, with Maiden Castle on its own in the south. Bradley Hill Fort is the furthest north of the Cheshire hill forts and is close to Helsby and Woodhouses hill forts, both west of the site. It is on the central ridge that runs north–south through the county, as do several of the hill forts in Cheshire.[4]
Bradley hill fort is surrounded on most sides by higher ground, so whereas other hill forts on the Cheshire central ridge command views of the Cheshire Plain, Bradley's views are restricted. A tributary of the River Weaver runs east–west past the north of the site, and the fort was positioned to exploit the stream's steep banks for defence.[4]
Layout
Covering about two acre, with an enclosed area of about one and a half acres, Bradley is the smallest hill fort in Cheshire. The site was defended by a single bank and ditch, 75 to 80 feet wide from the back of the bank to the outer edge of the ditch. The entrance was probably in the north-east corner where the artificial defences meet the river bank, similar to the entrance of Oakmere Hill Fort. The position is uncertain as the area has been damaged by ploughing and the addition of modern drainage ditches, obscuring the original features.[4] The site has not been investigated archaeologically.[5]
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1013296: Bradley promontory fort above Beechbrook (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ Bradley promontory fort above Beechbrook 50m S Beechmill House, Cheshire.gov.uk, http://rcp.cheshire.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MCH8235, retrieved 2009-07-09
- ↑ Forde-Johnston (1962), pp. 13–14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Forde-Johnston (1962), p. 19.
- ↑ Forde-Johnston (1962), p. 20.
- Forde-Johnston, James (1962), "The Iron Age Hillforts of Lancashire and Cheshire", Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society 72: 9–46
- Payne, Andrew; Corney, Mark; Cunliffe, Barry (2007), The Wessex Hillforts Project: Extensive Survey of Hillfort Interiors in Central Southern England, English Heritage, ISBN 978-1-873592-85-4, http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10744
- Sharples, Niall M (1991), English Heritage Book of Maiden Castle, London: B. T. Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-6083-0