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<< Our Photo Pages >> Flimston Castle - Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle in Wales in Pembrokeshire

Submitted by vicky on Wednesday, 18 November 2020  Page Views: 8885

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Flimston Castle
Country: Wales County: Pembrokeshire Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle
Nearest Town: Pembroke  Nearest Village: Castlemartin
Map Ref: SR930946  Landranger Map Number: 158
Latitude: 51.612074N  Longitude: 4.991118W
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.
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
3

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Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by h_fenton : A view of Flimston Castle promontary fort showing the ramparts, the red/orange area is the low evening sun on the rockface. 5 October 2009 (Vote or comment on this photo)
Flimston Bay Camp is one of the most spectacular promontory forts of Pembrokeshire, with three lines of curving landward defence, 120m in length, cutting off the eroding and collapsing limestone headland of Flimston Castles. The defences include a pair of close-set ramparts, comprising a double bank and ditch to the west of a centrally placed entrance.

To the east of the entrance, the ramparts are sculpted out of sloping ground and comprise at least 2 scarps up to 3m high with an outer ditch, 12m wide and 2.1m deep. The interspace created could have functioned as a corralling place for stock, or as an annexe for trading, secure from the innermost enclosure. A later boundary bank and ditch runs through this area.

The interior of the camp encompasses an area of 1.6 ha, however a large part of this comprises a series of impressive geological faults, including a large deeply inset cove. Within the internal area, particularly on sloping ground on the east side are a series of shallow scoops likely to represent house platforms. A later terraced road (NPRN 409292) also runs through the interior and leads to the remains of a quay (NPRN 409293) at the southern tip of the promontory.

A detailed survey of the camp was carried out by RCAHMW in 2009. Text courtesy of Louise Barker and Toby Driver, RCAHMW

Source: Coflein

Note: A video talk as part of Pembrokeshire Coast Archaeology Day which was held online this year and is now available to watch. This talk is Stacks, cliffs & cauldrons: Recent fieldwork at the remarkable coastal promontory forts of the Castlemartin Training Area, Pembrokeshire by Dr Toby Driver, Louise Barker and Dan Hunt from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. There's also a video talk on Waun Mawn from Prof. Mike Parker Pearson and much more, including digitally recreating the remains of a Prehistoric Bear! Links on our page.
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Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by Horatio : Looking east stood on top of the middle rampart. This is a pretty impressive fort that probably most people don't even realise as they walk past on the coast path. These curving defences are 12om in length. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by Horatio : Just outside the outer rampart looking west with all three ramparts visible in this photo. As Pab has mentioned on one if his images that there is actually another defensive line further inland from these 3 ditches and ramparts ... See this link for great a aerial view coflein.gov.uk/en/archive/6356401 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by pab : Looking towards the west, along the outer edge of the main rampart. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by pab : This is the western end of the main rampart. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by pab : Flimston hillfort. With a walker in shot for size comparison, this shows the outer rampart and ditch defensive ring. Excavations have located several building platforms, and there is a third defensive line further inland which it is suggested provided protection for livestock etc. This is certainly much clearer on the aerial shots.

Flimston Castle
Flimston Castle submitted by pab : Flimston Fort. View of ramparts and ditches, taken from the west. The large crack in the cliff shows just how much the headland will have reduced in extent since its use as hillfort. Photo taken 31 May 2009 - before travelling far to see the site, check first that access is allowed as the raod goes through the Castlemartin (tank) firing range.

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 669m ESE 114° Crocksydam Camp Hillfort (SR936943)
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 5.4km NNE 17° Dry Burrows* Barrow Cemetery (SR948997)
 5.8km N 354° Wallaston Green* Barrow Cemetery (SM926004)
 6.0km NNE 20° Pennybridge Stone Circle (SM953001)
 6.0km ENE 68° Stackpole enclosure* Ancient Village or Settlement (SR98679665)
 6.2km E 91° Mowingword Promontory Enclosure* Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle (SR9917394196)
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"Flimston Castle" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Stacks, cliffs & cauldrons: Recent fieldwork at the coastal promontory forts Video by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 November 2020
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Stacks, cliffs & cauldrons: Recent fieldwork at the remarkable coastal promontory forts of the Castlemartin Training Area, Pembrokeshire by Dr Toby Driver, Louise Barker and Dan Hunt, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) (in English).

During August 2020 the CHERISH Project team from the RCAHMW spent a week surveying and recording the remarkable later prehistoric coastal promontory forts of the Castlemartin Training Area in South Pembrokeshire. CHERISH is a 6-year EU-funded project in the 2014-2020 Ireland-Wales programme studying climate change and coastal heritage. The new fieldwork enabled the team to make centimetre-accurate 3D records of these large eroding promontory forts for future monitoring. From the better-visited sites like Flimston Bay, to the lesser-known forts of Buckspool/The Castle and Crocksydam, the spectacular Linney Head fort in the restricted live firing area and even a newly-recorded promontory fort, the talk includes some spectacular drone footage which will take you to the hidden parts of these dramatic coastal sites.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh93-Uq8kE
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Re: Flimston Castle by PAB on Saturday, 06 June 2009
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Condition: 3
Ambience: 4
Access: 4 - unless there is firing in progress - Tank training Range!
Accuracy: 5 SR92999464
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Flimston Castle by PAB on Saturday, 06 June 2009
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This Iron Age Hillfort is set on the limestone cliffs on one of the most magnificent stretches of the Pembrokeshire coastline. COFLEIN's entry describes it as 'one of the finest promontory forts of Pembrokeshire, 3 lines of landward defence cutting off an eroding and collapsing limestone headland'.

As with many of these promontory forts, its true magic can best be seen from the air, and the Google Map link is definitely worth taking a look at. If nothing else, it will show you not to go here with young children or dogs unless they are all on reins!

The land within the ramparts most definitely will have been greater in the iron age - the coastal erosion along this stretch is still at work, and a massive chunk fell of the cliff earlier this year less than a mile away. The very large crack on the left of the general view photo I am posting shows just how fragile the coastline is.

To see the COFLEIN images and site entry, just follow this link

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