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<< Our Photo Pages >> Hambledon Hill hillfort - Hillfort in England in Dorset

Submitted by vicky on Saturday, 10 July 2010  Page Views: 36508

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Hambledon Hill hillfort
Country: England County: Dorset Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Blandford Forum  Nearest Village: Child Okeford
Map Ref: ST84511270  Landranger Map Number: 194
Latitude: 50.913554N  Longitude: 2.221706W
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
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 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
5

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Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 3

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : December 2002. Looking towards the south at the impressive west-facing flank of Hambledon hill. The ramparts are clearly visible in this picture, and the grazing sheep give a sense of scale. The ramparts in the foreground drop away sharply - presumably as the result of a landslip. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Iron Age Hillfort in Dorset. One of the best hillforts in Britain.

Note: Hambledon Horizons – History on the Hill, Sun 1 Aug
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Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by sem : Southern End The enormous scale of the southern "defences" are shown by the human in the pic. I think this was designed more to impress than be defended. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Enclosure performance at Hambledon Hill hillfort
Enclosure performance at Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : A scene from the "Enclosure" performance by Red Earth (UK) at Hambledon Hill, 23 September 2007. One of the "extraordinary events in extraordinary places", organised by inside out 07. This figure was the main player in the piece, making the journey along the hilltop (and presumably representing the journey from summer to autumn at the equinox?). The wooden walkway is traversing the notch in the mi... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by sem : Looking SW The multiple banks and ditches are way over what would be required to defend this hill. Surely more a statement than a "fort." (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : Don't get distracted by the cute calves, there's a lot to see in this photo. In the foreground: the inner rampart at the southern end of the hillfort. The ground to the left of the rampart has been scooped out to build up the bank. Beyond is the multiplicity of banks and ditches at the south-eastern corner of the hillfort, which doesn't have the natural protection of steep slopes. Even the inner r... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : View along one of the ditches at the south-east corner of Hambledon Hill hillfort (the village in the distance is Shillingstone). The south-eastern corner of the hillfort is not defended by the steep hillside slopes, and has a multiplicity of banks and ditches. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : Banks and ditches on the western side of Hambledon Hill hillfort. In the foreground the earthworks have slipped down the hill since they were constructed. It's better appreciated in the aerial photos (or by visiting!).

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : July 2007. View north-west towards the iron-agel hillfort on the northern spur of Hambledon Hill. The neolithic long barrow can be seen on the summit of the spur. In the foreground is the "Natural England" signboard and map. Beyond the sign are the multivallate earthworks defending this approach to the northern spur from the hill summit.

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by sem : Looking South The "lump" on the left of the picture is a Neolithic long barrow.

Enclosure performance at Hambledon Hill hillfort
Enclosure performance at Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : One of the horn players standing on the rampart of the hillfort, playing as the audience participants were led into the enclosure at the "Enclosure" performance by Red Earth (UK) at Hambledon Hill, 23 September 2007. One of the "extraordinary events in extraordinary places", organised by inside out 07.

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by JimChampion : Panorama of the hillfort on Hambledon Hill, looking across from the bridleway that leads up to the trig pillar from the east. This image contains parts of three different photographs, taken under an overcast but bright sky - and it came out surprisingly well. You can get an idea of just how long and well-defended this hillfort is (although its not very wide).

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by AngieLake : The map of Hambledon Hill on the English Nature noticeboard. I was standing where it says 'You Are Here' when taking the composite shot, having walked up the hill from Iwerne Courtney, or Shroton. This section of the fort is described well in 'Guide to Prehistoric England' by Nicholas Thomas. I'll add it to site page. (Note the different spelling of 'Iwerne Courtney'. My old OS map added an '... (2 comments)

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by AngieLake : Looking west across the southernmost section of Hambledon Hill's ramparts. We had approached this magnificent hillfort from the east, climbing uphill on a footpath from the pretty village of Shroton, or Iwerne Courtney.

Hambledon Hill hillfort
Hambledon Hill hillfort submitted by AngieLake : A composite picture of Hambledon Hill, taken from the SE of the hillfort. (Excuse the difference in tone!) Sadly, I didn't have time to explore and cattle were roaming freely in its central area, but it was thrilling to see the well-preserved ramparts. (1 comment)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 50m S 179° Hambledon Hill long barrow Long Barrow (ST84511265)
 256m NW 321° Hambledon Hillfort Spur Enclosure Misc. Earthwork (ST84351290)
 578m SSE 150° Hambledon Hill enclosure* Causewayed Enclosure (ST848122)
 607m ESE 117° Eastern Cross Dyke Misc. Earthwork (ST85051242)
 735m SSE 158° Southern cross-dyke* Misc. Earthwork (ST84791202)
 752m SSE 150° Hambledon Hill long barrow* Long Barrow (ST84891205)
 825m NNW 338° Hambledon Farm Stone Circle* Modern Stone Circle etc (ST8420413467)
 1.5km SE 143° Stepleton Enclosure Causewayed Enclosure (ST8540311526)
 2.4km SSE 152° Hod Hill* Hillfort (ST856106)
 5.5km SW 221° Ringmoor Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (ST809086)
 5.6km W 262° Banbury Hill Hillfort (ST790119)
 6.8km NE 35° Fontmell Down* Misc. Earthwork (ST884183)
 7.1km SE 138° Pimperne Maze Turf Maze (ST892074)
 7.5km ESE 107° Pimperne Long Barrow* Long Barrow (ST917105)
 7.9km SSE 150° Blandford Forum Stones* Standing Stones (ST884058)
 8.1km ESE 122° Blandford Race Down Round Barrow(s) (ST91360836)
 8.9km ENE 71° Caesar's Camp (Dorset)* Hillfort (ST930156)
 9.2km E 85° Chettle Long Barrow* Long Barrow (ST937135)
 9.3km SE 130° Tarrant Rawston Long Barrow* Long Barrow (ST91550667)
 10.0km SE 132° Buzbury Rings* Ancient Village or Settlement (ST919060)
 10.0km SW 225° Bul Barrow Round Barrow(s) (ST774057)
 10.4km SW 228° Rawlsbury Camp* Hillfort (ST76750580)
 10.5km E 89° Chettle House* Long Barrow (ST9506612803)
 10.6km S 177° Combs Ditch Ancient Village or Settlement (ST851021)
 10.9km NNE 32° Chapel Well (Donhead St Mary) Holy Well or Sacred Spring (ST90372196)
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"Hambledon Hill hillfort" | Login/Create an Account | 15 News and Comments
  
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Re: Hambledon Hill hillfort by Anonymous on Monday, 06 March 2017
We visited this hill fort and the nearby farmer's stone circle.
What a fantastic day that was, one of the most atmospheric places I know and the circle, which seems to be aligned to the compass, was guarded by friendly alpacas. I have pictures on my foraging blog here, http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/make-family-trips-fun-again.html if you seach for stone circles or hill forts there, you will find other places we have visited.

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Early Neolithic Shamans? Performance, Healing and the Power of Skulls Hambledon Hill by Andy B on Monday, 16 January 2017
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Early Neolithic Shamans? Performance, Healing and the Power of Skulls at Hambledon Hill, Dorset by Ffion Reynolds

This article will investigate how during certain times the material culture and deposition evident at Hambledon Hill, Dorset could be interpreted using a shamanic lens as the
remains of acts where performance and healing drew together different combinations of people and things. These acts took place at various times and at specific moments in the development of the site, whether at an occasion when burying a person, a part of a person or an animal, celebrating or highlighting particular junctures of seasonal change or at points in the construction and decommissioning of particular parts of the monument.

In this paper, I will specifically be investigating these instances after most of the areas at Hambledon Hill were built, including the main enclosure and Neolithic earthworks, around 3500 cal. BC. What I wish to demonstrate is that shamanic healing and performance could have linked both the living and the dead at certain points in the development of the site. This may have involved rites of passage (see Van Gennep 1960) which could be viewed as shamanic, especially if we consider the animistic basis of shamanic worldviews which incorporate the subjection of objects as powerful materials, such as skulls. To contextualise these arguments, I will draw on a range of anthropological examples which have informed most of my current theories concerning the concept of worldview.

Full paper at
https://www.academia.edu/30932879/
(free registration required)
From Medicine, Healing and Performance, Oxbow Books 2014
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Re: Hambledon Hill hillfort by Wandering_Waites on Wednesday, 05 November 2014
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Hambledon hill is one of my favorite places to go in Dorset.

An impressive hill with extensive fortifications provides a splendid view of the surrounding countryside and the lovely village of Child Okeford. You can see why it was chosen for a fort!

Warning - Its very steep to get to the top!

Unfortunately there is not much in the way of suitable parking and directions from the road. There are decent paths, and a few ways to get up, some through gates, some over styles, and there are information boards and sign posts at the bottom of the hill by each access point.

In some ways it would be nice for the site and the village to be left as it is, however its such a fantastic place I think it would be great to see better accessibility and more information boards.

Recently Hambledon hill has been acquired by the National Trust so hopefully they will do it proud!

link: news article - BBC.co.uk
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Re: Hambledon Hill by CopterDrones on Monday, 29 September 2014
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A short introduction I made earlier this year:
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Re: Hambledon Hill by Anonymous on Sunday, 17 February 2013
We visited hambledon and hod hills yesterday Hambledon Hill is truly impressive this should be. World heritage site like stonehenge

Apart from great difficulty in climbing such an incline on slipery clay a few things strick us

1. Why are there not proper directions to this nationally important hillfort
2. Why is the carparking so inadequate ... A layby for 2 cars so many people had toark on the verge
3 where is the interpretation. .... Atleast it had a borad which is more than Hod Hill but aside form a few references to the important calcareous grassland and attendant invertebrate species there was next to nothing about ots history and archaeology

These two sites together are of major importance especially when linked to the chain of hillforts to Hengistbury Head

I fully appreciate that access can damage ecological concerns but surely something should be done to help vistiors appreciate and understand these breathtaking landscape features.

Our experince f Hodd hill was even worse there are no directions, awkward parking in a lane and poorly maintained footpaths so muddy at the bottom they were almost impossible to traverse ...and dog fouling all the way up ! .sadly when we reached the sumiit it seemed by the tracks that 4 by 4 s had managed to get onto the site which for the National trust and English Heritage must be very worrying.

I am stunned that not more
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Hambledon Horizons – History on the Hill, Sun 1 Aug by Andy B on Saturday, 10 July 2010
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Hambledon Horizons – History on the Hill

Sun 1 Aug 10.00–16.00

Kite making, treasure hunt and lots more family fun exploring the story of humans and wildlife on hambledon Hill through the ages. …

Find out more about the different periods in hambledon’s history with a time-trail treasure hunt that will lead you to the top of the hill. Make and decorate your own kite and fly it from hambledon hill top. Further activities for families include hunting for mini beasts and searching for wildflowers and plants. Take part in a guided walk on the hill. Why not bring a picnic and make a day of it! Free entry for YAC members.

Location: Hambledon Hill – please check website for details. Please check Natural England websites for details of how to get to venue, parking, etc.

O: Natural England
N: Hannah Worthington
W: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk

Festival of British Archaeology 2010
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Re: Hambledon Hill by coldrum on Monday, 29 March 2010
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Street View


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Re: Hambledon Hill by coldrum on Tuesday, 16 February 2010
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Pastscape entry.

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=206234
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Re: Hambledon Hill by Anonymous on Sunday, 25 February 2007
Hello from New Zealand, as a child I used to visit as my mothers family "Savory" used to farm the area and we used to stay a Yew Tree Cottage. We used to climb the Hill and also go fishing at a river across the fields I have very fond memories of Child Okeford and have been given a book on the area by my sister who now lives in Dorset, the book is called Child Okeford, A Dorset Village. I am hoping to come back for a vist to Dorset next year and will ofcourse visit the village, I have a cousin who lives in Stirmister Newton, she like me is an Painter. Contact me if you have any comments. sylvia_dolling@yahoo.com.au
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Re: Hambledon Hill by Anonymous on Saturday, 11 March 2006
Last weekend (5/3/06) we visited Hambledon Hill Fort. We found something that maybe of interest to iron age archaeologists. It is a small egg sized nearly sperical but uneven ball of what appears to be iron. It was at the side of a field close to the fort at the edge of the path that runs up to the fort. If any one is interested please e-mail me: james.mcn@hotmail.co.uk
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Re: Hambledon Hill by AngieLake on Thursday, 13 October 2005
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The Iron Age section on Hambledon Hill, from Nicholas Thomas's book 'Guide to Prehistoric England' (see previous section on Neolithic Hambledon Hill) tells us more about the sequence of events during its construction. Here's an out-take:
"The ramparts of the Iron Age hill-fort encircle the N of 3 spurs which meet immediately to the S of it......."
"Two banks and ditches with counterscarp bank encircle the 31-acre bow-shaped top of the hill. Except at the SE, these are now little more than terraces in the steep hillsides." ............
"The SE entrance is the most elaborate and has developed as the defences here have been altered. Its passage through the innermost ramparts is in-turned. Once outside, outworks made it necessary to swing SE along the edge of the combe, following a ledge just below the highest point here. At the SE, the outworks are separated from the main defences by a space c. 50 yds wide and comprise 2 pairs of massive banks and ditches; the inner of these changes direction and height at its NE end, perhaps suggesting a 2-stage development. The hill-fort has developed in 3 phases over several hundred years but awaits more precise dating."
(*The first edition of this book was printed in 1960, and this is a 1976/77 re-print. [Nicholas Thomas was President of the Council for British Archaeology and Director of the City Museum at Bristol.... no doubt there when I worked in Bristol in 1966!]*).
He continues:
"The earliest fort is at the N, enclosing about 12 acres. Its original S limit is marked by a now slight ditch (the bank has been removed). Next, a further 8 acres were enclosed by extending the innermost defences further S with a cross-bank S of the long barrow. It may have had an entrance at its SE corner. This cross-bank is well preserved although a hut platform has been built into its E end. Finally, the S. 1/3 was enclosed, perhaps including the outermost ditch and bank around the whole fort, including the SE outworks at this time.
Within, over 200 hut platforms can be counted: their floors are 15-45 ft in diameter. The juxtaposition of major hill-forts like Hambledon and Hod" (*which is a couple of miles SSE*) "is matched in many parts of Britain."
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Re: Hambledon Hill by AngieLake on Thursday, 13 October 2005
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In 'Guide to Prehistoric England' by Nicholas Thomas (I've got the 1976 Bookclub Associates copy), he tells us more, and clears up the mysterious 'Neolithic Camp' query above. (The book is divided into counties, and each county into 3 sections: for Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age sites.)
(This is his comment on Neolithic Hambledon Hill):
"Hambledon Hill, causewayed camp and long barrows (ST/848122) 3/4 mile E of Child Oakford; 1 3/4 miles SW of Iwerne Minster (A350). Finds in Dorchester Museum.
Outside the SE entrance to the Iron Age hill-fort (p.113) slight traces can be seen of a Neolithic causewayed camp. It follows the line of the 600ft. contour at a point where three spurs meet. The main camp, roughly triangular in plan, encloses about 20 acres and comprises a bank and interrupted ditch, obliterated along the N. Extra defences were provided by pairs of causewayed banks and ditches (1) 40 yds S; (2) 100ft. E; and (3) 1/4 mile E, cutting across Steepleton Spur and Shroton Spur. Possibly the Iron Age hill-fort overlies a fourth cross-dyke facing NW. Windmill Hill pottery and stone, flint and bone tools, together with a C14 determination, suggest a date c. 2,900-2,700 BC.
The first long barrow lies between the main earthwork of the Neolithic site and its outer defences on Steepleton Spur. Orientated SE/NW, it is 84 ft long, 41 ft broad and 7 ft high.
The second long barrow is to be found nearly at the centre of the Iron Age site. Lying parallel to this spur, nearly S/N, it has a length of 225 ft, a breadth of 55 ft, and is nearly 6 ft high.
Nothing is known of the contents of either barrow (*remember he is writing this in the 1970s*), but both must belong to the period 3,500- 2,500 BC. It seems likely, from its position, that the smaller long barrow post-dates the Neolithic earth-works between which it lies."
Two parallel banks can clearly be seen on the English Nature noticeboard map (posted on Meg P at the same time as this), right next to the 'You are here' pointer.
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    Re: Hambledon Hill by JimChampion on Saturday, 28 July 2007
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    I've had that book out of the library several times in the past. You're right that the remains of the Neolithic Camp aren't obvious. There are the remains of the bank on the western side, but the eastern side is all "under the plough". The small long barrow (described above as "the first long barrow") survives well, just inside one of the cross-dykes.
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Re: Hambledon Hill by AngieLake on Tuesday, 20 September 2005
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On Wednesday 14th September 2005, with my cousin Linda, I climbed up to the triangulation point ('622 ft' on my old OS map) on Hambleton Hill from the little village of Shroton, or Iwerne Courtney, which lies to its east. We'd noticed a longish footpath that appeared to go up a fairly gradual rise, but it was still quite exhausting for us '50-somethings'! According to the map, we would have passed through a 'Neolithic Camp'. I can't say we noticed anything, but we were charging along, and trying to get up and down the hill again in record time to please someone's hubby, waiting in the car below! There was the usual problem with 'false summits' fooling us into thinking we were nearly there! Either side of the footpath were thousands of pieces of flint. (In Ronald Hutton's book "Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles" he mentions that three of our great hillforts - sorry, causewayed enclosures that preceded hill forts! [naming Maiden Castle and Hambledon Hill in Dorset and the famous Windmill Hill] - are situated near flint quarries. Two others, Bury Hill and Offham are right beside them.) We wondered how anything would grow where there is more stone than soil, but on the lower slopes a crop of Maize seemed to be coping well.
We were relieved to reach the top, our hard slog rewarded by wonderful views over the surrounding countryside, and, just in front of us, the sinuous contours of the huge fort highlighted by the late afternoon sun. Sadly, I only had time to gallop down the path to the site noticeboard, promising myself that one day I'd return and explore properly. The central area was occupied by cattle, and I wasn't sure if they were friendly, but on this occasion I didn't have time to put my bravery to the test! A wonderful site.
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