<< Other Photo Pages >> Hayling Island Romano-Celtic Temple - Ancient Temple in England in Hampshire
Submitted by Anne T on Monday, 18 May 2026 Page Views: 295
Multi-periodSite Name: Hayling Island Romano-Celtic Temple Alternative Name: Northney Farm Temple, Hayling Island TempleCountry: England
NOTE: This site is 10.1 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Hampshire Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Havant Nearest Village: Northney
Map Ref: SU7240003400
Latitude: 50.825622N Longitude: 0.973449W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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External Links:
Details of Site:
The site of one of the most significant Iron Age temple discoveries in Britain, excavated over six years from 1976 at Northney Farm on Hayling Island, just off the south-east coast of Hampshire.
The excavation revealed a remarkable sequence of sacred use spanning over a thousand years. The earliest phase, dating to the mid-1st century BC, comprised a square open-air enclosure set within a larger outer enclosure. In the late 1st century BC this was succeeded by a sub-circular timber building resembling a roundhouse, set on the eastern edge of the enclosure. Around 70 CE a circular Romano-Celtic stone temple was built over the earlier shrines, following the typical concentric plan with a central cella (inner sanctum) and surrounding ambulatory. The site continued in ritual use into the Saxon period, with 8th century activity also identified.
The surrounding temenos - the temple's sacred enclosure - produced an exceptional assemblage of votive offerings including animal bones, pottery, military equipment, brooches, and coins. The density and variety of deposited objects demonstrate the site's importance as a centre of worship over many centuries.
The temple's position on a high point of Hayling Island would have made it visible from the mainland, connecting it visually to the wider political and religious landscape of the Chichester region, including the nearby oppidum at Chichester and the major Iron Age site at Fishbourne.
The site has been backfilled and is not visible above ground. Published as "A Sacred Island: Iron Age, Roman and Saxon Temples and Ritual on Hayling Island" by Anthony King and Grahame Soffe.
Location of finds:
Hampshire Cultural Trust collections (Hampshire Cultural Trust manages the former Hampshire County Museum collections including those from Havant Museum). Some material may also be at the British Museum or held in the King/Soffe project archive
References:
Hants Field Club, "INTERNAL ORGANISATION AND DEPOSITION AT THE IRON AGE TEMPLE ON HAYLING ISLAND" (pdf download);
Hants Historic Environment Record, Monument ID 23605;
British Numismatic Society, "IRON AGE AND ROMAN COINS FROM HAYLING ISLAND TEMPLE"; and
Academia, "A Sacred Island. Iron Age, Roman and Saxon Temples and Ritual on Hayling Island".
Information for Visitors:
Condition: excavated 1976-1982, backfilled; not visible above ground
Ambience: flat coastal farmland on Hayling Island, views to mainland
Access: accessible via road across bridge to Hayling Island; site on farmland
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