Featured: Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Random Image


Capel Uchaf

Das Raetiastein GPS by Thomas Walli

Das Raetiastein GPS by Thomas Walli

Who's Online

There are currently, 259 guests and 4 members online.

You are a guest. To join in, please register for free by clicking here

Sponsors

<< Our Photo Pages >> Blackbury Camp - Hillfort in England in Devon

Submitted by AngieLake on Tuesday, 04 July 2006  Page Views: 22939

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Blackbury Camp Alternative Name: Blackbury Castle
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 4.17 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Devon Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Seaton  Nearest Village: Southleigh Parish
Map Ref: SY187924
Latitude: 50.725512N  Longitude: 3.153185W
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.
5 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

Internal Links:
External Links:

I have visited· I would like to visit

Hodur visited on 16th Nov 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 A beautiful site that we visited at a perfect time. Misty, very few people. It was a wonderful experience meditating here.

ajmp3003 visited on 1st Jul 2017 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Very nice site, pleasantly situated in the woods

graemefield visited on 14th Feb 2012 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5

ForestDaughter visited on 22nd Sep 2008 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5

Chrus visited on 1st Jan 0003 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4

AngieLake have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4 Ambience: 4.6 Access: 4.8

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by ForestDaughter : Looking towards the Barbican, the south-facing defences. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Hillfort in Devon

In Prehistoric Hillforts in Devon, (Devon Books, official publisher to Devon County Council) author Aileen Fox describes this ancient oval-shaped hillfort as 'important' and with 'an unusual entrance'. The excavation in 1952-54 by the Devon Archaeological Society showed that the main gate had been an imposing structure (see English Heritage noticeboard photograph to be posted.)

It is easily accessible and popular with walkers. A car park right next to its eastern (not original) 'gateway' is level with the interior. I visited with our local dowsing group on Summer Solstice 2006. Inside is very cool and peaceful, with a cathedral-like canopy of tall trees. The enclosing banks are still well-defined, and at the southern entrance you are still able to see the unusual layout of defensive banks. The land falls away down the slope of the hill here.

To quote Aileen Fox: "The oval enclosure of about 2 hectares now in open woodland straddles a 180m steep-sided Greensand ridge capped with clay and flints. It was defended by a substantial rampart and ditch, with one entrance facing the southern slopes; other gaps are recent. A triangular earthwork was added screening the gate - the so-called barbican entrance; it contained a central embanked passageway with a compartment on either side, probably used as stock pens.
Excavation showed that the main gate had been an imposing structure. [refers to fig.5] The rounded rampart ends projected forward and were built up with flint nodules, retained by a timber palisade. Deep post-holes indicated the gate, probably with a bridge to link the ramparts. There was a second timber gateway at the entrance to the barbican. In the interior, the post-holes of a rectilinear hut were uncovered with a cooking pit nearby. Iron slag from the local limonite ores, whetstones and spindle whorls were found along with more than 1,200 sling stones. The pottery included decorated Glastonbury ware and some earlier plain Iron Age wares indicating that the fort was in use from the early 3rd century BC onwards."

(If her scale drawing is correct the site is approximately 250m x 125m).

Signposted from A3052 Sidford-Colyford road and from the B3174, according to the book, published in 1996.
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by ForestDaughter : A rather oddly carved old tree near the northern bank. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by MattImpey : If you visit Blackbury Camp at just the right time of year it is covered in a sea of bluebells (earthwork ramparts in the background). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by MattImpey (Vote or comment on this photo)

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by ForestDaughter : One taken from inside the enclosure towards the setting sun in the west. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by ForestDaughter : Looking into the centre of the enclosure.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by durhamnature : Plan and section drawing from "Journal of British Archaeology" via archive.org

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by graemefield : Blackbury Camp - entrance.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by graemefield : Entrance to Blackbury Camp.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by MattImpey : If you visit Blackbury Camp at just the right time of year it is covered in a sea of bluebells (earthwork ramparts in the background).

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : Last one! This is the view looking out of the South entrance towards one of the oblique banks to my left (SE).

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : Inside Blackbury Camp, on the bank near the southern entrance, looking towards the dip in the western bank.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : Take me to your leader! Tony is dowsing around the outside of the south-south-west banks, about to enter the southern entrance. (That's a foxglove below the tip of the rod in his left hand.) (3 comments)

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : Outside the south entrance to Blackbury Camp. Difficult to photograph as land slopes away behind me here. Need to be up higher to see the banks.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : View across the centre of Blackbury Camp from somewhere near the south entrance.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : The external ditch and bank to the left of the eastern entrance to Blackbury Camp. The notice says: "Please do not ride on the Iron Age Banks."

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : Blackbury Camp: the first view from the eastern entrance next to the car park. Not original apparently.

Blackbury Camp
Blackbury Camp submitted by AngieLake : The English Heritage noticeboard at Blackbury Camp. Also known as Blackbury Castle (this name used in 'Prehistoric Hillforts in Devon' by Aileen Fox, published by Devon Books, an official Devon County Council publication, in 1996.)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Click here to see more info for this site

Nearby sites

Click here to view sites on an interactive OS map

Key: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed

Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)

To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.


Turn off the page maps and other distractions

Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 1.7km WNW 300° Broad Down Stone Circle (SY172933)
 2.1km NW 318° Broad Down* Barrow Cemetery (SY173940)
 4.1km NW 319° Farway Castle Henge (SY1606395499)
 4.8km E 96° Seaton Down Camp* Hillfort (SY23449185)
 4.8km NW 317° Ring-in-the-Mire* Misc. Earthwork (SY1548695932)
 5.6km NW 312° Farway & Gittisham Hill Cemetery* Barrow Cemetery (SY146962)
 5.9km WSW 258° Sidbury Castle* Hillfort (SY129913)
 5.9km SW 228° Salcombe Hill Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SY142885)
 6.1km ENE 73° Colyton Church Cross* Ancient Cross (SY24599409)
 7.6km E 96° Hawksdown Camp Hillfort (SY26299143)
 8.0km SW 230° Sidmouth Museum* Museum (SY125874)
 9.1km WSW 239° Seven Stones (Devon)* Stone Circle (SY10758787)
 9.6km E 79° Musbury Castle* Hillfort (SY282941)
 10.6km SW 231° High Peak* Ancient Village or Settlement (SY103859)
 10.9km NNE 20° Stockland Great Castle* Hillfort (ST22620262)
 11.6km E 86° Shapwick Hill Bowl Barrows Barrow Cemetery (SY303930)
 11.7km N 354° Dumpdon Great Camp* Hillfort (ST176040)
 12.0km NNE 20° Stockland Little Castle Hillfort (ST22980362)
 12.5km ENE 59° Axminster Castle* Hillfort (SY296986)
 13.0km NW 325° Hembury Fort* Hillfort (ST113031)
 13.1km W 266° Aylesbeare Common tumulus* Round Barrow(s) (SY056916)
 14.1km NE 41° Membury Castle Hillfort (ST282028)
 14.3km NNW 336° Row Barrow (Devon)* Round Barrow(s) (ST13180561)
 14.5km WSW 249° Tor Barrow (Colaton Raleigh Common) Round Barrow(s) (SY05088737)
 15.4km E 90° Leper's Well (Lyme Regis)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SY3411292224)
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< Battle Moss Stone Rows

Los Molinos >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Prehistoric Settlements

Prehistoric Settlements

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Blackbury Camp" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re: Blackbury Camp by Anonymous on Wednesday, 14 July 2010
from prufeeder on Sunday, 15 July 2007

I visited the site in 1959, Aug. or Sept., nice summer weather, but as we walked up from the car parking spaces, the atmosphere became very dark, dank & miserable. A heavy, thick mist moved down & just covered everything to the point where visibility was hopeless. My wife insisted that we leave immediately. Quite a scary experience. On returning to Seaton the weather was summer-like again. I do intend to return one day, and hope the weather will be more welcoming.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Blackbury Camp by Anonymous on Saturday, 13 October 2012
    Whenever I visit I feel uncomfortable. I have tried looking online to find any articles regarding 'ghost' history or similar. Today, even my mad puppy dog refused to walk any further and ran very quickly back to the car.
    [ Reply to This ]
      Re: Blackbury Camp by Anonymous on Thursday, 27 October 2022
      My name is Terry Edwards, I am now 78 years old but in 1969 I was an RAC patrolman. If you read my story (Blackberry Castle Haunting) you may understand a little more about the place.

      My email is: terryedwardsmy@gmail.com if I can help further Terry
      [ Reply to This ]

Re: Blackbury Camp by coldrum on Tuesday, 30 March 2010
(User Info | Send a Message)
Street View


View Larger Map
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Blackbury Camp by MikeGreen on Saturday, 28 July 2007
(User Info | Send a Message)
Locals call it Blackbury Castle and were somewhat annoyed some years ago when the brown signs went up calling it Blackbury Camp
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Blackbury Camp by coldrum on Tuesday, 19 June 2007
(User Info | Send a Message)
An Iron Age hillfort with impressive ramparts, now surrounded by woodland.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.239
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>

We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.