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<< Text Pages >> Capel Castle Hill (Kent) - Hillfort in England in Kent

Submitted by vicky on Wednesday, 17 March 2004  Page Views: 19989

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) Alternative Name: Castle Hill (Kent)
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 3.418 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Kent Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Tunbridge Wells
Map Ref: TQ607438  Landranger Map Number: 188
Latitude: 51.170867N  Longitude: 0.297302E
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.
 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.
 4 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
 3

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Hillfort in Kent

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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TQ6043 : Castle ramparts, Castle Hill by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2021(licence)
TQ6043 : Castlehill Wood by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2012(licence)
TQ6043 : Castlehill Wood by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2012(licence)
TQ6043 : Castlehill Wood by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2018(licence)
TQ6043 : Castlehill Wood by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2012(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 4.9km SSW 210° Tunbridge Wells Museum Museum (TQ584395)
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"Capel Castle Hill (Kent)" | Login/Create an Account | 10 News and Comments
  
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The Iron Age Hill-Forts at Castle Hill, Capel, near Tonbridge. by Anonymous on Friday, 21 August 2015
This article appeared in the Summer 1973 (Issue #32) edition of the Kent Archaeological Review:

The Iron Age Hill-Forts at Castle Hill, Capel, near Tonbridge by J H Money, FSA.

In the summers of 1969, 1970 and 1971 I directed excavations in the two Iron Age hill-forts at Castle Hill. Some work was done there in 1929 by the late S E Winbolt, who considered that there was only one fort and produced a fanciful plan of it. A study of air photographs, however, shows Two forts with defences intact in the woodland but ploughed down where they cross the arable field on top of the hill.

http://cka.moon-demon.co.uk/KAR032/KAR032_Capel.htm
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Tuesday, 06 December 2011
How can I find out who owns the land and gain permission to explore the site?
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by h_fenton on Tuesday, 06 December 2011
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    I suggest you just ask at the nearest farm, which in this instance is Castle Hill Farm, if it is not their land they might be able to tell you whose it is. If you do get permission, ask which is the best route to get to the hillfort as you are better going through gates and over stiles rather than climbing fences and walls, also you don't want to go disturbing any livestock more than you have to.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by coldrum on Monday, 07 November 2011
(User Info | Send a Message)
From Exploring Kent's Past:

"Castle Hill Camp, a multi-vallate hill-fort, with an area of c.17 acres, inside the outer bank. It was excavated by S.E. Winbolt, in 1929, when flint artefacts and iron slag were found. An entrance on the east was paved and had stone-revetted sides. No evidence of permanent occupation was found the finds are in Tonbridge Public Library. (See illus 1) (2-3) The Castle Hill earthworks are situated on a spur of high round, running from NE to SW, c. 400 feet above sea-level. The natural slopes are nowhere very steep. On the SW of the spur is a kidney- shaped enclosure, with the characteristics of an IA contour fort, formed by a rampart and outer ditch. The NE side is under plough but has slight indications of a causewayed entrance. To the NE, the promontory has been cut off by a deep ditch with an outer bank and traces of an inner bank, obscured in places by a modern hedge-bank. The southern part of this earthwork has been badly mutilated and its original form is difficult to determine. An additional outer bank here may be merely part of an old approach road. The northern end of the earthwork ends abruptly for no obvious reason. A centrally placed entrance is represented by a gap in the outer bank and a probable causeway across the ditch. The true nature of this earthwork is uncertain; it does cut off the promontory but its defensive value is negated by the weak flanking slopes. There is no evidence that it was ever directly connected to the contour fort - the linking bank to the NW, identified by Winbolt, is a field boundary of no great age. It may be an unfinished work, possibly a later strengthening of the contour fort. At Tunbridge Wells Museum are flint artefacts from Castle Hill, identified as Mesolithic and BA; some are exhibited.

Castle Hill, a full excavation report of work carried out into the two separate forts on Castle Hill. Excavations were carried out in 1969, 1970 and 1971 and a watching brief in May-June 1965 during pylon construction. An interim report appeared in 1971. That there were two Hill Forts was first recorded by E. Geary, Wimbolt being misled into believing it was a single fort by the destruction of the defences in the arable field. Apart from recognising an ironstone roadway in the east entrance of Fort I the Wimbolt report is of little or no value and the finds from his excavation are now lost. Worked flints and waste material, mainly Mesolithic, and three Neolithic sherds were found but there were no concentrations to suggest occupation in these periods. Fort I, Radiocarbon dated to c.315 BC, enclosed an area of 2-9 acres. The north-eastern defences are intact and the entrance was positioned centrally on the east side. South of the entrance the earthwork has been badly mutilated. The OS map includes some features which look modern and they have been omitted from the Field Survey. The south-eastern defences have been demolished but there are definite signs on air photographs (a and b). Two trenches have been dug: site K - through to northern defences and site L - at the east entrance. What was left of the inner rampart was 12 ft wide and had a maximum height of 33 ins. Originally it was 15 ft or perhaps 18ft wide. Between the inner and outer ramparts was a steep-sided V-shaped ditch, 27 ft wide and 12 ft deep. Fort II, carbon dated to c.228BC, enclosed an area of 2.5 acres. Two-thirds of the earthwork still survives, consisting of a single bank and a ditch except in the north-west corner where there is a counter-scarp bank. The north-east defences have been demolished but it is still visible as a slight ground swelling. Excavations have taken place, sites D and F, into the north-west defences. The inner rampart was 19ft wide at the base and had survived to a maximum height of 4ft. Site E, of an excavation into the entrance suggested by Geary but work proved that no entrance existed here. It is suggested that an entrances may exist to the south-east, marked ?entrance on illus, as there are slight indications on the round. Site J was an

Read the rest of this post...
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Sunday, 20 February 2011
I used to live at the stable yard on this site. In response to the above post the dogs were not mangy or hungry. They were mine and were very friendly but excitable. The horses were brood mares and again were very friendly. As i lived there for about 4 years i done a lot of exploring in the surrounding woods. I thought some people would be interested in some of what i found. In the woods behind the stables (near to the masts) i found what was the remains of an old stone wall and a stone wheel of some kind. The track is private and not a public right of way but i obviously had access to this. If you follow the track all the way up it leads to what used to be the training gallop for the race horses. the gallop is circular and in the middle is a field. We used to call this field top of the world. It is the highest point on castle hill and can just be seen poking out from the tops of the hills from both Tonbridge and tunbridge wells. I have got some old photos somewhere from my years living there. If i find them i will post them up on here.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Sunday, 20 March 2011
    Please do post the photos.

    The dogs that chased me were - I believe - associated with Forge Farm and not the stables.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Visited this site on Sunday 19th November 2008, with 4 members of my family and my dog. As with the anonymous person who visited the site on 12th November 2006, we walked in from Forge Farm at the viaduct at the bottom of Powder Mill Lane. Past Devil’s Wood on the public footpath and then into Castle Hill Wood in order to come onto the site.

This journey was navigated using an OS Map 1:25,000 scale; but, to be perfectly honest I did not need the map to find the site. This is because I have attempted to reach the site many times in the past. I have lived within sight of the masts of Castle Hill for 20 years. I became aware that there were two forts on the site about 15 years ago and have become increasingly obsessed with visiting the site.

On my first attempt to reach the site I travelled in on mountain bike from Forge Farm. On that occasion I was chased out of the area by two mangy, but rather large and certainly hungry looking dogs. This was a very hot summer’s day in 2002. I ran out of water and did become slightly delirious.

My next attempt to reach the site started from Pond Bay, another site of ancient earthworks near Vauxhall Lane in Tonbridge, in the company of two friends. We had no map on that occasion and very quickly lost our bearings in the woods.

My third attempt at reaching the site started from the A21, where I had parked. I then walked in through the footpath next to Castle Hill stables (with my dog). On that occasion, my dog and I were harassed by the boisterous horses that are held back from the path by mere strands of fence wire. Having finally reached the point where the footpath reaches the woods, I then left the right of way and navigated around the back of the forts.

It is worth pointing out that the forts themselves are (I believe) on private property and not particularly near the footpath at all. I had my trusty OS with me and considered what to say if I met a landowner and was asked what the hell I was doing; pretend to be helplessly lost or fess up and hope to elicit a sympathetic response. Eventually, I simply felt too conspicuous and came home, knowing that I had been extremely close. The trouble is, you see, the two masts are the kind of high-value infrastructure that would be guarded most seriously by those who own them. I’m quite sure that should someone with responsibility for protecting the masts see me walking up there, they would immediately conclude that I was going to vandalise the masts or in some other way behave illegally. The idea that I might have an interest in visiting a 2,400 year old, pre-Roman site a few miles close to my home would doubtless seem very unconvincing to them.

Therefore, on my most recent trip I decided that I would go in the company of several children. I recently discovered, when going door to door looking for a lost cat, that I am infinitely more friendly looking when accompanied by my little girl. I can understand the logic of this, even if it does make me feel a little sad. With this in mind I decided that I would be friendlier still accompanied by two of my many nieces. I also took my brother to help me shepherd that lot along. The dog I took simply because he needed a walk.

As we were coming in from a south-westerly direction, we first arrived at the younger of the settlements. This univallate (An enclosure defined by a single bank and ditch) fortification was built during the 3rd century BC. It enclosed an area of 1.01 hectares and was built to the south-west of the original fort. This second fort was reportedly occupied for only a very short period and then it fell into disuse.
The fortifications are still visible following the edge of the field and running off into the woods in an arc. However, if you did not know what you were looking at, you would not think it significant at all. Certainly the land around it has been farmed extensively over the last 2-and-a-half millennia. The earthworks themselves are riddled with rabbit holes

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[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Thursday, 09 January 2014
    I have just come across this forum, and saw in the post from 2008 mention of an ancient earthworks, Pond Bay, near Vauxhall Lane. I would be grateful for any further details about Pond Bay.


    Many thanks
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by coldrum on Monday, 28 July 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Information from Pastscape site:

"Iron Age contour hillfort and associated earthworks. Mesolithic and later prehistoric flint implements and Neolithic pot sherds have been found".

https://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=412408
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Capel Castle Hill (Kent) by Anonymous on Sunday, 12 November 2006
Visited this afternoon (12 November 2006). You need to have seen the DEFRA Magic map (see link above) to make sense of the site, otherwise it is just a field and you are not sure you are there (no signs). There is a small mound the size of a baseball pitcher's in the field east of the masts.
Access from the A21 is difficult - you cannot park on this busy trunk road. You can walk in from the back, though bits were muddy and it takes nearly an hour on the rights of way.
The walk in is just as good as arriving since you find isolation in the middle of a busy and populated area, starling green woodpeckers on the way and only meeting one other person. Once at the fort you need your imagination - this is no Maiden Castle.
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