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<< Our Photo Pages >> Hengistbury Head - Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle in England in Dorset

Submitted by AngieLake on Friday, 02 September 2022  Page Views: 31466

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Hengistbury Head
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 0.826 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Dorset Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle
Nearest Town: Christchurch
Map Ref: SZ176906  Landranger Map Number: 195
Latitude: 50.714767N  Longitude: 1.752076W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

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SolarMegalith visited on 7th May 2011 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4

JimChampion h_fenton AngieLake have visited here

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by camperman : View from the Southwest. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Evidence of a very long period of occupation with evidence of palaeolithic and mesolithic hunters, 13 Bronze Age barrows and an Iron Age promontory fort in Dorset. Numerous finds particularly from the period after 7th century BC when the area became a major port trading with Gaul and the Mediterranean. Upper Paelolithic Working Floor, Later Mesolithic camp site. There are 13 Bronze Age round barrows and an Iron Age earthwork forming a promontory fort. Swift decline after the Romans came.

A long beach walk from Bournemouth and best approached on foot from Southbourne near Christchurch. Original text by Thorgrim
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Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by AngieLake : The relief model of Hengistbury Head in the Red House Museum at Christchurch, Dorset. (2 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by Thorgrim : Hengistbury Head (SZ 164910) is a long beach walk from Bournemouth and best approached on foot from Southbourne near Christchurch. Very long period of occupation with evidence of palaeolithic and mesolithic hunters. There are 13 Bronze Age round barrows and an Iron Age earthwork forming a promontory fort. Numerous finds particularly from the period after 7th century BC when the area became a ma... (14 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by camperman : Ditch and ramparts from the South (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by bec-zog : Hengistbury Head SZ164,910 Bronze & Iron Age. Prehistoric landscape with evidence of Bronze, Iron age and Roman occupation. Double dykes at western end, several round barrows (e.g @SU 170,907). Beware of Adders! (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by camperman : Looking east towards the area behind the banks and ditches where the busy port and settlement would have been. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by camperman : A view from the east showing how protected the port would have been in what is now Christchurch Harbour.

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by camperman : Aerial view of Hengistbury Head showing the ditch and ramparts on the low lying isthmus of the feature.

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by JimChampion : View of various Hengistbury Head things... on the right is the thatched barn which has been converted (and extended) to form the new Hengistbury Head visitor centre. In front of this two belted Galloway cows are grazing on one of the larger round barrows. Behind the new visitor centre, stretching right across the picture, are the Iron Age 'double dykes'. In the distance the sun is shining on Chris...

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by SolarMegalith : Eastern part of the earthworks (photo taken on May 2011).

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by SolarMegalith : The Iron Age earthworks separating Hengistbury Head from the land - view from the SE (photo taken on May 2011).

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by SolarMegalith : Line of Iron Age earthworks seen from Warren Hill (photo taken on May 2011).

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by SolarMegalith : Double dykes on Hengistbury Head - these massive earthworks are probably of Iron Age origin, but excavations carried out in 1911-12, 70s and 80s did not reveal anything which could be helpful in dating (photo taken on May 2011).

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by JimChampion : Two-photo composite of the double dykes, viewed from the beach end (rather than the Christchurch harbour end). The ditch has filled in somewhat in the intervening 2000 years. The dykes are now fenced off to reduce wear and tear from visitors' feet. There are some new information boards around the site as well.

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by h_fenton : Eroding ditch at Hengistbury Head. Probably Iron Age, although there is nothing in the fill of the ditch to suggest a date. SZ 16614 90768

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by AngieLake : I wondered if the darker grassy lump extreme right was one of Hengistbury Head's barrows. Covered in dry bracken, etc, it was difficult to tell how much was solid. Situation-wise, it would fit in with the ones shown on the plan. (I had no idea where they were at the time, foolishly not having studied the layout first!) We are seated facing east, at the eastern end of the headland. (The white bl... (1 comment)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by AngieLake : Looking down from the eastern end of Hengistbury Head, across the spit of sand that points approx NNE/N and is known today as 'Mudeford Beach'. Comparing the plan and the relief model from the museum at Christchurch, this long leg of sand enclosing Christchurch Harbour has become narrower over the years.

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by AngieLake : Hengistbury Head - my Dorset cousins survey the wild landscape. It was hard to tell where the barrows were, so I was rather disappointed. The guided walk on the following Sunday must have been a great help. Later I found a plan in the museum at Christchurch. (1 comment)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by AngieLake : Hengistbury Head photographed on Tuesday 13th September 2005. The guided walk was due to be held the following Sunday.

Hengistbury Head doggers
Hengistbury Head doggers submitted by JimChampion : These are the stones that put the 'Iron' into the Iron Age! They are ironstone boulders (also known as 'doggers') and up to 30% of their weight is iron. A settlement of Iron Age roundhouses was discovered close by, on the Christchurch Harbour side of the Head, with evidence of a thriving iron-smelting industry. The interest in this easy supply of iron ore was revived in the mid 19th century, a... (2 comments)

Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head submitted by bec-zog : Ditch and ramparts

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 351m WNW 285° Warren Hill Round Barrow 1 Round Barrow(s) (SZ17269069)
 419m WNW 283° Warren Hill Bowl Barrow Round Barrow(s) (SZ17199069)
 565m W 279° Warren Hill Round Barrow 2* Round Barrow(s) (SZ1704090688)
 1.1km WNW 293° Double Dykes Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SZ16609102)
 2.6km NW 319° The Red House Museum* Museum (SZ1588292577)
 2.7km NE 35° Friars Cliff Tumulus* Round Barrow(s) (SZ1917492825)
 5.9km NNW 326° St Catherine's Hill (Christchurch)* Barrow Cemetery (SZ143955)
 6.5km NNW 344° St Michael's Well (Sopley)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SZ1573596865)
 7.2km NW 304° Holdenhurst Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SZ116946)
 7.7km NW 325° Ramsdown Plantation / Sopley Common* Round Barrow(s) (SZ132969)
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 9.3km NNE 13° All Saints Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SZ197997)
 9.8km WNW 282° Robin Hood's Barrow (Bournemouth) Round Barrow(s) (SZ07939256)
 10.2km NNW 329° Hurn Forest Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SZ123993)
 10.4km N 7° Lugden Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU18920091)
 10.9km W 281° Fern Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SZ069926)
 12.2km NW 313° Ralph's Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SZ086988)
 12.2km WNW 296° Two Barrow Heath Barrow Cemetery (SZ0663495924)
 12.3km NW 307° Dudsbury Camp* Hillfort (SZ077979)
 12.4km NNW 337° Barnsfield Heath (North)* Round Barrow(s) (SU127020)
 12.5km WNW 288° Poole Timber Circle Timber Circle (SZ057944)
 12.6km NW 310° Parley Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SZ07909865)
 12.7km W 277° Parkstone Standing Stone (Menhir) (SZ050922)
 12.9km NW 322° Trickett's Cross Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU095007)
 13.0km NW 307° Dudsbury Hill Tumuli* Round Barrow(s) (SZ072985)
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"Hengistbury Head" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Performing the Past, Monday 5 August to Friday 9th August, Walk and Art Events by Andy B on Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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Performing the Past, Monday 5 August to Friday 9th August

A series of events that form part of the National Lottery funded ‘Performing the Past’ project, which is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Hengistbury Head is one of the most important archaeological sites on the coast of southern Britain with evidence of occupation from the end of the last Ice Age through to recent times – including a barrow cemetery, a large trading port and an important source of minerals.

Monday 5 August - ‘Burning the Earth’ Prehistoric Pottery Making content-
Come and make a replica prehistoric pot at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre.
Time: 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm
Suggested donation of £2.00 per session. To book, please call: 01202 451618

Tuesday 6 August - ‘Time for a quick knap'
Come and try your hand at flint knapping and learn about Stone Age tools at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre.
Time: 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm
Suggested donation of £2.00 per session.To book, please call: 01202 451618

Wednesday 7 August - ‘Pigments and Paints'
Come and paint using the raw materials of the Stone Age at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre.
Time: 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm
Suggested donation of £2.00 per session. To book, please call: 01202 451618

Thursday 8 August - ‘Burning the Earth’ Prehistoric Pottery Firing
Come to Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre to see replica prehistoric pots being fired.
Time: 10am to 4pm. No need to book.

Friday 9 August - ‘Hengistbury Head Heritage Walk'
Come to Hengistbury Head for a guided heritage walk. Learn about the prehistory and archaeology of the site, spot the Bronze Age burial mounds and take in the magnificent scenery of what was a flourishing Iron Age port.
Time: 10am to 12 noon. No need to book.

More here
https://www.visithengistburyhead.co.uk/Events/Performing-the-past.aspx
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Hengistbury Head visitor centre by JimChampion on Saturday, 04 January 2014
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The new Hengistbury Head 'visitor centre' is now open
http://www.visithengistburyhead.co.uk/

The large car park next to the Hiker cafe has also (thankfully) been resurfaced and at £1.10 for 24 hours (winter rates) it's a parking bargain.

There's quite a lot squeezed into the new visitor centre in the renovated thatched barn, a mix of geology, history and archaeology, and wildlife stuff. Several reproduction urns and so on, modelled on ones found in the numerous Hengistbury Head barrows.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Hengistbury Head by coldrum on Tuesday, 30 March 2010
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Re: Hengistbury Head by AngieLake on Tuesday, 20 September 2005
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The display in Christchurch museum stated that :

"Hengistbury and the Christchurch area continued to be important in the Early Bronze Age. Its role as a safe harbour and its location at the mouth of the river routes to the heartland of Wessex continued to bring it many overseas contacts and considerable influence."

"The main occupation of Hengistbury seems to have ended about 3600 years ago and the headland was then used as a cemetery. At least twelve barrows still exist on the promontory and there may also be some unmarked flat graves.
Of these twelve barrows, ten have been excavated at least once. Three were examined by Bushe-Fox in 1911-12 and seven by St George Gray in 1919 and 1922. Their size, state of preservation and contents were extremely variable, but there are two points particularly worth noting.
One is that the burials are all of Early Bronze Age date. It looks as if the site was effectively abandoned for the remainder of the Bronze Age.

The Wessex Burial:
The other point is that a rich burial of 'Wessex' type was discovered by Bushe-Fox in 1911. The find consisted of an urn containing cremated bone and an 'incense-cup'. Scientific study showed the bone to be that of a woman of about 20 years of age.
Also present were: three amber beads, two fragile cones of sheet gold (probably button covers), and a 'halberd' pendant. This is a miniature copy of a bronze halberd, with a 'blade' of copper alloy, set in a shaft of amber.
The discovery is similar to a series of other graves in which women were buried with valuable objects, notably at Wilsford and Manton in Wiltshire. What is unusual is that most of these burials are inland, in the heartland of prehistoric Wessex. Only one other is known from the coastal plain and that lies in a comparable position to the Hengistbury find, near to the mouth of a major river.
Only a location with good cross-Channel links with north-west France would have been able to provide some of the grave goods in these 'Wessex' burials. The fact that Hengistbury was the site of such a burial shows what an important role Christchurch harbour and the Rivers Stour and Avon played in these far-reaching contacts."

The imagination runs to a young woman, possibly a mother, either on her way to her home in France, or just returning from a voyage there to her home in Wiltshire, falling ill and dying, then being buried by her grieving Wessex companions. There must have been some significant reason why they didn't transport her back to Wiltshire for burial. If she was cremated then it wouldn't have been a problem - even if she hailed from the continent they could have returned her ashes to France? Maybe she was the foreign bride of a Wessex chieftain, so he buried her in sight of her homeland, but somewhere that he could return to easily to honour her memory?
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Re: Hengistbury Head by Anonymous on Thursday, 04 August 2005
see http://www.msbnews.co.uk

see archive under H


Cheers

Tim Baber
editor@msbnews.co.uk
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Re: Hengistbury Head by JimChampion on Saturday, 19 February 2005
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I highly recommend these two websites which contain plenty of archeological and geological information about Hengistbury Head:
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