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Stone Worlds: Narrative and Reflexivity in Landscape Archaeology

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Norton Camp (Shropshire) - Hillfort in England in Shropshire

Submitted by TimPrevett on Friday, 12 May 2006  Page Views: 17657

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Norton Camp (Shropshire) Alternative Name: Norton Hill Camp
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 2.551 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Shropshire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Craven Arms
Map Ref: SO44728193  Landranger Map Number: 137
Latitude: 52.432538N  Longitude: 2.814507W
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
4 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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Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : Where the bluebells meet the wild garlic on the northern rampart. On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the train with my bike for another journey nine minutes south from Church Stretton. Norton Camp had been bugging me for a visit several months, and though the temptation to go home and rest was strong, in the... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Hillfort in Shropshire. When I visited Norton Camp hillfort, I could not have been prepared for the shock and surprise instore for me. I had heard of very large ramparts, maybe some hut circles in the enclosure, as well as evidence for what was an Iron Age water spring.

From Craven Arms station I headed south to the town centre, turning left on the B4368 towards. I left my bike at locked discreetly to a gate at SO444825 and entered the wood from the north at SO445823.

As soon as I did, I could feel a treat was instore in terms of a place teeming with life. Bluebells carpeted the woodland floor in places, and the soft green light of evening sun through the leaves gave an other-wordly ambience to the location. Following the twists and turns of the path, the going was quite steep, and in places the path was extremely and unavoidably muddy.

When I eventually arrived at what I believed to be the circumference of the ramparts, the shocking realisation hit me. The ramparts were totally inaccessible, and overwhelmingly lost in undergrowth. Though the 1890-1891 map shows plantation around the fort, and the aerial picture shows some green grass on the ramparts, I did not expect this. Feeling initially very disappointed, I decided I would make the most of my remaining time by following the footpaths in a clockwise direction around the fort's perimeter.

The fort has two ramparts, each with external ditches. The outer ditch now serves as the track and footpath along which walkers and farm machinery now go about their business.

Not long thereafter, I came to the first entrance on the east side. Knowing that a clear look inside the ramparts would not be possible, I walked next to the tyre tracks up to the open gateway. The enclosure was vast. I could also understand why it would be good farm land. Well drained, good light, and the trees and towering rhododendra (these on the east and south sides) forming a very effective windbreak. In all a microclimate very much like the walled gardens of the Victorians must be generated, benefitting any crop grown therein.

From the gateway of the south east entrance, a depression with trees and undergrowth can be seen. This must be that mentioned on the National Monuments Record as the possible source of an Iron Age spring - an invaluable asset to the community who once lived here.

The aerial picture also shows a large circular crop mark between the dark green depression and the south east rampart. One assumes this is likely to be one of the possible seven hut circles, which likely only survive now as crop marks.

Access is obviously given around the perimeter, though it is not obvious how much access one ought to have.

Given the huge enclosure is now a cultivated field, and what access there is has been negotiated with the landowner, common sense dictates that a visit within the interior is not agreed. It is possible to view from gates on the east, and south east sides, which are also the orginal entrances to the fort.

There are new signposts for circular walking routes which take in much of the outer perimeter of the fort. Where the new posts point away from the fort there are other older posts that appear to make the perimeter circumnavigable.

The straight, west side is the most hazardous. The drop down the hillside is steep, the fence is insubstantial, non-existent in places, and tripping / slipping hazards abound. In worse weather conditions it would be prudent to avoid walking the west perimeter.

As for the most of the ramparts, the undergrowth makes them near impregnable. I was startled by deer on the southern side, and noticed there, and in other places, there were light tracks going into the ramparts where the growth was not too dense.

As for sheer luck, I happened to be visiting in May, to find that much of the northern ramparts are verily covered in bluebells and wild garlic in flower (the odour of the latter being detectable upon entering the wood below). A visit on a bright winter day may yield some more clues about the ramparts where evergreens do not cover.

In all, it was a bitter-sweet discovery for me. This Shropshire hillfort, easily worthy of something like either of the Caer Caradocs, Bury Ditches, or Old Oswestry hillfort, is lost almost completely.

The ambience on the evening of my visit, with warm air, filtered green sunlight, and heavy smells was almost intoxicating. In places it was somewhat sinister, in others, ecstatic. I had not experienced anything quite like this at any other hillfort.

Note: At this time of year, as spring strengthens towards summer, bluebells can carpet some wooded areas. This overgrown hillfort near Craven Arms in Shropshire can make for a particularly satisfying visit, with the right weather. Bluebells and wild garlic carpet the northern ramparts during much of May.
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Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : This is the view from the footpath on the west rampart at Norton Camp. Earthworks are visible either side. The filtered green evening light provided a lovely feel, but this is by far the most hazardous part of the fort, with steep drops and tripping hazards a plenty. On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the tr... (3 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The recently cleared southern ramparts of Norton Camp, November 2018. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The recently cleared ramparts of Norton Camp near the southeastern entrance, November 2018. The spring is somewhere near to the farm buildings (Vote or comment on this photo)

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The large double ramparts of Norton Camp, northeastern section, November 2018 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : Darkness and light. Some parts of the hillfort were very dark, such as at this eastern entrance of the main enclosure where the height of the ramparts bolsters the elevation of the trees and rhododendra. The enclosure beyond is all within the ramparts of the monument. On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the t... (3 comments)

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The southwestern ramparts of Norton Camp, November 2018.

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The recently cleared southern ramparts of Norton Camp, November 2018.

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : Looking into the enclosure of Norton Camp from the eastern entrance, November 2018

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain : The large double ramparts of Norton Camp, northeastern section, November 2018

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TheCaptain

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : Norton Camp has ditches outside of each of the ramparts; the outer ditch is now in use as the track (left). On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the train with my bike for another journey nine minutes south from Church Stretton. Norton Camp had been bugging me for a visit several months, and though the temptat...

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : A panorama of the inside of the hillfort, from over the gate of the south east entrance. The treeline defines the extent of the inner ramparts. The tree seen centrally marks the depression in the field, the site of the likely Iron Age spring. On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the train with my bike for an...

Norton Camp (Shropshire)
Norton Camp (Shropshire) submitted by TimPrevett : This shows the undergrowth between the eastern ramparts, looking south from the eastern entrance of the main enclosure. On a glorious May evening, having already exhausted myself upon The Long Mynd, I pushed myself even further, and hopped on the train with my bike for another journey nine minutes south from Church Stretton. Norton Camp had been bugging me for a visit several months, and though... (1 comment)

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"Norton Camp (Shropshire)" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Re: Norton Camp by Anonymous on Wednesday, 24 August 2022
I don't know whether this is of any interest to anyone, but Norton Camp is noted as the place of birth of my grandfather in approximately 1910.
Maybe there were some cottages or similar, at or near to Norton camp, that have since been demolished? I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any further information on this.
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Re: Norton Camp by coldrum on Wednesday, 12 May 2010
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Re: Norton Camp by TimPrevett on Friday, 12 May 2006
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The google map is actually too far west; on the google map, look for a subcircular brown feature to the right of the google pointer, and this is defined by a deep green forested circumference.

Two years since I visited, but having visited Bury Banks in Staffs today, which also has some carpets of Bluebells, I was reminded of Norton Camp; probably the best time of year to see some of these overgrown hillforts.
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Re: Norton Camp by bat400 on Friday, 12 May 2006
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Wonderful pictures! I take it that in the aerial view on the google sat. link, the ramparts enclose the entire field (light green-yellow against darker green)?
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