Quarley Hill
| Quarley Hill | |
| Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 Quarley Hill | |
| Summit: | 564 feet SU263423 51°10’47"N, 1°37’34"W |
Quarley Hill is a hill climbing to 564 feet above sea level in Hampshire, and is the site of an Iron Age univallate hill fort. The hill affords commanding views of the surrounding countryside.
The hill is to the south-east of Quarley, and to the north of Grateley. The Port Way Roman road passes just to the south of the hill, running south-west to north-east.
The fort on the top of the hill is oval in plan, in good condition with a counter-scarp and well defined entrances at north-east and south-west. It is built on the site of an earlier palisade enclosure.[1] There is evidence of prehistoric activity in the area including four large Bronze Age ditches radiating from the hill fort,[1] believed to be part of a Bronze Age farming settlement, and a barrow cemetery about a mile away to the north.[2] There is also evidence for a Roman settlement on the north-east side of the hill,[1] with Roman coins of Maximum II and Constantine the Great, and other sherds found in 1951.[1]
Today, the ditches and ramparts are for the most part clear, with the centre of the site given over to small trees and shrubs. The site is recorded as a scheduled ancient monument.[1][3]
The fort is surrounded by a Site of Special Scientific Interest, labelled as 'Quarley Hill Fort'.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol08/page180.html Hampshire Treasures website
- ↑ The Modern Antiquarian: Quarley Hill
- ↑ National Heritage List 1001952: Quarley Hill camp (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ SSSI listing and designation for Quarley Hill Fort