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Iron Age Britain, Barry Cunliffe

Iron Age Britain, Barry Cunliffe

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Churchdown Hill Camp - Hillfort in England in Gloucestershire

Submitted by 4clydesdale7 on Monday, 05 September 2011  Page Views: 11110

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Churchdown Hill Camp Alternative Name: Churchdown Camp
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 0.244 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Gloucestershire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Gloucester  Nearest Village: Churchdown
Map Ref: SO881189
Latitude: 51.868547N  Longitude: 2.174236W
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
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
3 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
5

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4clydesdale7 visited on 4th Sep 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 5 To the Archaeology tutor and his faithful 'pupils' - your perseverance and tenacity (in 1972) paid off (see site narrative) - I hope Severn-Trent Water Board (thus they are now known) need to refurbish pipes etc again and that people of your calibre are brought in to investigate - pity about the reservoirs - they are a dreadful eyesore

Churchdown Hill Camp
Churchdown Hill Camp submitted by 4clydesdale7 : Rampart and ditch running from the NE corner of the churchyard (Vote or comment on this photo)
Hillfort in Gloucestershire

It was not until 1821 that any noted expert suggested there was a hill fort on Churchdown Hill- the idea was first promulgated by a Mr Barwick-Baker - previously Samuel Rudder had omitted to make any entry about this camp in his epic New History of Gloucestershire (1779) - a Rev. F.W. Smithe suggested in 1880 that (although no-one else had mentioned it previously) he could see the line of an ancient rampart and ditch extending from the hilltop away from the churchyard (see photo) - and so the debate continued - G.B.Witts (1883) gives the site a mention but seems hesitant to endorse any previous opinion Camp No.25 -

A hollow way (see photo) could be made out running from Churchdown Green passing a Roman Well (the Mussel Well) climbing to the NW corner of the site - then archaeologists became quite adamant that the geology had revealed that the soils etc were inadequate to support an hill fort (although by then a church had been built within the site) -

Then the local Water Board built three very large covered reservoirs within the site - later some new pipes were needed and so in 1972 trenches were being dug to the Southwest by the then North West Gloucestershire Water Board across Soldiers' Walk (see photo) - a Mr Bernard Rawes began to find ox and sheep bones burnt clay and charcoal and reported the finds to The Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group who considered that an investigation was paramount - after a Mr Garrod admitted that he had made some finds in 1966 they commissioned a report and an archaeological tutor (with six pupils) began a 'dig' - more finds were made (pottery sherds etc) - and a presentation to BGAS resulted in the site being declared an Iron Age hill fort (1977) - it was thought that the construction of the fort resembled closely other forts at Bredon Hill and Sutton Walls (glacis construction) - there has been no further investigatory excavation since -

The site has been so seriously damaged by the building of a church, a cottage and three massive covered reservoirs, never mind periodic landslips of the very sandy soil, it would be a moot point as to whether it is still possible to gain any more evidence -
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Churchdown Hill Camp
Churchdown Hill Camp submitted by 4clydesdale7 : Soldiers' Walk from above (Vote or comment on this photo)

Churchdown Hill Camp
Churchdown Hill Camp submitted by 4clydesdale7 : The hollow at the NW of the site - no sign of the Mussel Well - too many brambles (Vote or comment on this photo)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
SO8818 : Reservoir on Churchdown Hill by Philip Halling
by Philip Halling
©2009(licence)
SO8818 : Covered reservoir, Churchdown Hill by Pauline E
by Pauline E
©2010(licence)
SO8818 : Amongst the reservoirs, Churchdown Hill by Richard Webb
by Richard Webb
©2011(licence)
SO8818 : Covered reservoir, Churchdown Hill by Richard Webb
by Richard Webb
©2011(licence)
SO8818 : Path, Churchdown Hill by Richard Webb
by Richard Webb
©2011(licence)

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"Churchdown Hill Camp" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Re: Churchdown Hill Camp by Anonymous on Monday, 06 August 2018
I find this facinating, the fact that first there was a hill fort/camp, then there was a roman temple, then a temple to Thor and then a church and possible an earlier saxon church somewhere in the mix.

If you look at the church you can still see bits of old saxon gravestones built in to the church and also bits of the old roman temple. It is quite amazing!

Around the sides of the hill and some quite high up there are several springs, it is most certainly worth a walk around.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Churchdown Hill Camp by davidmorgan on Monday, 05 September 2011
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There's a feature labelled "Pump" on Old Maps visible at 51.871372, -2.1734, is that the well?
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Churchdown Hill Camp by 4clydesdale7 on Monday, 05 September 2011
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    I think you may be to the SE - but Mussel Well aka Muzzel Well is just to the NW of Soldiers' Walk - it is somewhere between Churchdown Hill and Tinkers Hill according to 'Old Maps' (early 1900s) and the 1998 OS 2,500 - both seem to have it clearly marked - it is just that the area is heavily covered with brambles - there is clear evidence of water travelling down to Churchdown Green but it comes from an area of about 1 acre just covered in them! I have the scratches to prove it - thanks for trying - much appreciated
    [ Reply to This ]
    Re: Churchdown Hill Camp by davidmorgan on Monday, 05 September 2011
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Yes, I see it on the map now. Somewhere about 51.870516, -2.177206.
    [ Reply to This ]

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