Membury Camp
| Membury Camp | |
| Wiltshire, Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 Inside Membury Camp | |
| Type: | Hill fort |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU302753 |
| Location: | 51°28’35"N, 1°33’59"W |
| History | |
| Built Iron Age | |
| Information | |
Membury Camp, or Membury Fort, is the site of an Iron Age hill fort on the border of Wiltshire with Berkshire, the majority of the site within Wiltshire. The earthworks of the fort are almost circular, encompassing 34½ acres, found in the south-western corner of a small plateau.
The earthworks are completely shrouded in trees and inside the walls it is mostly arable farmland. To the north-east, in the Berkshire segment, the camp is totally wooded by a small copse, Walls Copse, which covers a quarter of the site. To the north and east the adjoining ground is flat, but to the south and west it falls away steeply, providing a natural defence.
The camp consists of a single ditch with banks on either side and encloses and area measuring 1,280 feet by 1,608 feet. A gap in the east with in-turning flanks is probably an original entrance though it is mutilated and overgrown. Other gaps in the banks appear to be more modern. A possible hut circle is visible as a cropmark situated at the south end of the hill fort. The east side of the earthwork has been partly destroyed by the construction of a wartime airfield, RAF Membury.
The site has not been excavated but a number of prehistoric finds have been found in the vicinity. It is a scheduled ancient monument.[1] There have been several collections of pottery found, in 1977, 1980 and 1987.[2] Other significant finds have also included flint artefacts from the Mesolithic era, and flint tools from the Neolithic era, prior to the Iron Age.
Location
The site straddles the Berkshire-Wiltshire border to the south-west of the Berkshire village of Lambourn. The site lies at a height of approximately 650 feet above sea leve;. There is a public footpath that runs through the site and bridleways to the east and south of the site. The M4 motorway lies to the immediate north and north-east. A motorway services station, Membury services, and a wartime airfield, RAF Membury, also lie to the immediate north-east.[3]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Membury Camp) |
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1002994: Membury Camp (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ "Digital Digging ~ Hillforts ~ Wiltshire". http://www.digitaldigging.co.uk/maps/hillforts/wiltshire/hill-forts-wiltshire-membury-hillfort.html.
- ↑ "Membury Camp". http://digitaldigging.net/hillforts/england/wiltshire/membury-hill-fort.html.