Highdown Hill

Highdown Hill
Sussex
Remains of the hill fort on Highdown Hill
Range:	South Downs
Summit:	266 feet TQ092043 50°49’43"N, 0°27’2"W

Highdown Hill is a hill in the south of Sussex, in the South Downs and close to the sea. It stands between Angmering to the west. Ferring to the south and the suburbs of Worthing to the east. It reaches a summit at 266 feet above sea level.

The hill is owned by the National Trust, which opens the hillsides to the public. It is a popular spot for picnickers, dog-walkers and local riders, overlooking Littlehampton, Angmering, Ferring and Worthing with views, when the weather is good, east as far as the Seven Sisters and west to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire.

To the north, two ancient hill forts can be seen: Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring, and the remains of an ancient hill fort exist on the summit of Highdown Hill itself.

Highdown Hill is said to be the traditional burial-place of the kings of Sussex.

At the base of the hill there is a car park, with a café and facilities, gardens, and a hotel and restaurant.

Early history

Human occupation of the hill is thought to have started in the Late Bronze Age (around 1000 BC) when an enclosure was built. By the Early Iron Age (around 600 BC) this had been replaced by a hill fort composed of a single rampart and ditch.

A Saxon cemetery was created on the site around 450 AD which has produced an unusual number of glass objects, which can now be seen in Worthing Museum. This cemetery was discovered by accident in the 1890s when local landowner Edwin Henty undertook tree planting inside the hillfort. His workmen had discarded or stolen much material before a full excavation could begin.

Excavations continued for the next two seasons under guidance from Charles Hercules Read, the Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries at the time. 86 Anglo-Saxon graves were uncovered between 1893 and 1894 and the contents of all of these grave cuts were listed and several of them drawn. A plan of the cemetery was never drawn up. At the time, several skeletons were left in their graves whilst others were uncovered. A large number of bones and artefacts were passed around various local museums and many of these have since been lost.

Modernity

In the 18th century, the miller John Olliver had his tomb built on the hill 27 years before his death in 1793. It is said that he was in fact the leader of local smugglers and used the tomb to store contraband. He would set the sails of his windmill at different angles to indicate the absence of customs men to his followers out at sea. The remains of the mill can still be seen on the west side of the hill. Local legend has it that a runaway millstone from this mill is the source of the name 'Roundstone' for the farm at the foot of the hill, which was subsequently used for the nearby pub and garden centre.

During the Second World War, a radar station was built on the hill and considerable damage was done to the archaeology during its construction. Further damage was done as trees were uprooted following the Great Storm of 1987 leading to a rescue dig in 1988.

Highdown Hill today

Highdown Gardens lie in a former chalk pit below the hill. Highdown Vineyard is a working vineyard producing English Wines on the southern slope of the hill. Roundstone is the name associated with a farm, pub and several local businesses below Highdown Hill. Based on local legend, the name derives from a runaway millstone from the mill on the hill.