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<< Our Photo Pages >> Hindwell Enclosure - Timber Circle in Wales in Powys

Submitted by TimPrevett on Sunday, 26 May 2019  Page Views: 21821

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Hindwell Enclosure
Country: Wales County: Powys Type: Timber Circle
 Nearest Village: Old Radnor
Map Ref: SO2544560720
Latitude: 52.239599N  Longitude: 3.09325W
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
1 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
5

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Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by whoop : Hindwell survey data superimposed on Google map. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Site of the immense late Neolithic enclosure at Hindwell, vastly significant in its type. Romans even built on this site - so near 3,000 years after it went up, it was still an important place. Some 1,400 mature oaks 6 metres tall were place in an outline defining an area of 34 hectares. The slight curved road on the north west follows its course, just east of the Four Stones.

Some excellent material here http://www.jungsteinsite.uni-kiel.de/2000_gibson/hindwell.htm

Note: Photo: Hindwell survey data superimposed on aerial view
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Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by whoop : Extent of Hindwell Palisade marked in red on Google map. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by TimPrevett : Looking north west where would have been the southern edge of the neolithic enclosure. (3 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by TimPrevett : Looking east towards Hindwell Farm; the neolithic enclosure's southern edge was close to the field boundary, but extended way eastwards curving behind the farm. The Romans put a fort over the east end of the enclosure, to the rear of the much later farm. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by TimPrevett : Looking east along the lane which partially follows the course of the now lost neolithic enclosure. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by TimPrevett : Looking west along the lane which partially follows the course of the now lost neolithic enclosure.

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by TimPrevett : Looking from the lane which partially follows the course of the northern edge of the enclosure, across what would have been its centre; round barrow to the left but hard to make out in this shot. The ploughing goes up to its edge, even arguably upon it.

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by AngieLake : An aerial view of the site of the enormous Hindwell timber enclosure in the Walton Basin. Not especially clear, but worth having as a record. Taken from a display board at the Information Centre in Presteigne. Pic copyright of Clwyd-Powys archaeological society.

Hindwell Enclosure
Hindwell Enclosure submitted by AngieLake : NB: Copyright: Rodney Castleden from his book 'Britain 3000 BC'. I am sure Mr Castleden wouldn't begrudge us the use of this helpful map on p.71 of the above book, to enable us to understand the layout of the various sites in the Walton Basin. He describes this area's prehistory under the heading 'Hindwell - a major ceremonial focus in Wales.' (Note the Fourstones, upper left.) See 'Wal... (4 comments)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 109m SW 222° Hindwell Farm 1* Round Barrow(s) (SO25376064)
 294m NW 309° Hindwell Farm 2* Round Barrow(s) (SO25226091)
 465m NNE 32° Hindwell Ash* Round Barrow(s) (SO25706111)
 524m W 271° Hindwell Cursus* Cursus (SO24926074)
 573m WNW 291° The Hindwell Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO24916093)
 674m NNW 328° Upper Ninepence barrow and Neolithic enclosure Round Barrow(s) (SO251613)
 789m SSW 195° Walton Palisaded Enclosure* Timber Circle (SO25235996)
 818m ENE 75° Hindwell Causewayed Enclosure* Causewayed Enclosure (SO26246092)
 873m WNW 282° Four Stones Barrow Cemetary* Barrow Cemetery (SO24596091)
 876m W 274° Four Stones (Powys)* Stone Circle (SO24576080)
 973m WSW 257° Hindwell Cursus* Cursus (SO24496052)
 1.0km NE 54° Knobley Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO26296132)
 1.1km SW 228° Knapp Mount Barrow* Barrow Cemetery (SO2458659975)
 1.2km SE 141° Walton Cursus Cursus (SO26195978)
 1.4km SE 127° Walton Green Cursus (SO26525989)
 1.4km WSW 238° Harpton Round Barrows* Round Barrow(s) (SO24225998)
 1.5km ESE 117° Walton Cursus Cursus (SO26826001)
 1.7km SSW 195° Old Radnor Church* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO24995909)
 2.0km NNW 327° Crossfield Lane Barrow (Kinnerton)* Round Barrow(s) (SO24356243)
 2.2km NNW 336° Kinnerton* Standing Stones (SO24566274)
 3.1km E 84° Burfa Camp* Hillfort (SO285610)
 3.1km NNE 22° Castle Ring (Powys)* Hillfort (SO26646360)
 3.3km SE 130° Bradnor Hill 1 Stone Row / Alignment (SO27945860)
 3.5km N 10° Beggar's Bush Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO26096417)
 3.8km SSE 155° Yeld Wood Stone Row / Alignment (SO26995724)
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"Hindwell Enclosure" | Login/Create an Account | 7 News and Comments
  
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Hindwell Roman Fort by Andy B on Sunday, 26 May 2019
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Hindwell is a Roman auxiliary fort, roughly 160m by 143m, with defensive ditches on 3 sides. The fort was probably built in two phases, as the earthworks show two slightly different alignments. The fort was probably erected around AD 55 and was in use until shortly after AD 80.

The Romans chose a site that had been in use over 3000 years earlier. Hindwell Enclosure was erected in the late Neolithic period, with over 14000 oak trees enclosing a site roughly 34 hectares in size. The Roman fort was built over the eastern end of the enclosure

More at
https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=818
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Hindwell Enclosure by enjaytom on Saturday, 14 April 2012
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Greetings Ladies & Gentlemen, The Hindwell Enclosure features two very significant features. The ratio of the long axis of the oval to the short is 1.62, the Golden Ratio celebrated by the architect of the Parthenon in Greece in c.450 BC and Leonardo da Vinci the painter
It is also notable for the significant perimeter linear measure of 2.25 kilometres, the "country mile"of antiquity, the same as Canterbury City boundary, Kent. Both ancient places are oval shaped on plan, and appear to be related to the design of Woodhenge and the other round and oval henges.
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Re: Hindwell Enclosure by Anonymous on Monday, 11 August 2008
Interesting to see this. Until a year ago I lived in a farm house just the other side of the hill from Hindwell Farm on the (now defunct) Roman road. The Hindwell enclosure cannot be seen on the ground (I have walked extensively in the area). The only sign is that the Roman road (which as we know usually go straight on flat ground) had to go around this structure and so part of the circumference of the site has been preserved.

There are a couple of barrows within the enclosure but these have been ploughed away over the years (they were probably ransacked in the 1700's).

I have read the dry accounts of the excavation of the site and have always been aroused by the phrase (I must go and check this) that "the Roman fort was built across one end of the enclosure to slight the monument".

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Hindwell Enclosure by TimPrevett on Sunday, 10 August 2008
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I only added these sites late in July, as I couldn't believe we'd missed them off here for so long. I had planned of visit Radnor again and the Hindwell area last Wednesday, but the weather was so rubbish with no prospect of improving we returned early. Another time...
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Hindwell Enclosure by AngieLake on Sunday, 10 August 2008
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    I hadn't noticed the date Tim, but that is a coincidence. "Two great minds think alike", eh?
    What IS confusing, is the way the name-credit for the photograph at the top of the page always seems to link in with the first comment, irrespective of who has written it. This is misleading to readers. Any way of avoiding this, I wonder?
    You certainly get the credit for the headline info and the site page set up.
    Good luck on your next visit.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Hindwell Enclosure by PAB on Saturday, 09 August 2008
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Thanks Angie - fascinating, and I too knew nothing about this being so close! The extract you gave mentioned some aerial photos, and there are some available online on the page for this location on COFLEIN
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Re: Hindwell Enclosure by AngieLake on Saturday, 09 August 2008
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I came to this area while en route from Aberystwyth to Derby, especially to see the area of the huge ceremonial complex that I'd read about in Rodney Castleden's book "Britain 3000 BC". I was surprised that I'd never heard of it before as he compared its importance to Avebury.
Another author [see later in article] tells us that the Palisaded enclosure is the largest in Britain and second largest of its period in Europe.

Castleden writes: (quote)

"A spectacular enclosure, a huge oval of tall posts, was created at Hindwell at the centre of the Walton basin surrounded by the moorlands of Radnor Forest. It seemed no one lived round the edge, on the hills; everyone lived on the fertile low ground, most of them right in the centre, the area shown in the map, on a central spinal ridge. Although low, this commanded views across the whole basin and it had been the natural choice for a settlement site for over a thousand years.
The people at Hindwell built round houses 5-15m in diameter, each with a central hearth. On lower ground to the south they built their monuments: two cursus monuments near streams, then a palisade enclosure marking off the narrow spur between the Summergill and Riddings Brooks. A round barrow and a large mound of Silbury type were added near the Walton Enclosure.
North of Summergill Brook, on the lower ground below the settlement, the inhabitants built a small stone circle and a huge enclosure made of close-set oak posts nearly a metre thick and probably 7m tall. The posts had first been scorched to weather-proof them, then left to disintegrate in position, as was often the neolithic way.
Its story rooted in the middle stone age and reaching on into the bronze age, Hindwell was a major ceremonial complex rivalling Avebury."

A brilliant source of information on this area is from website:http://www.rgreen.org.uk/Radnor.html.
About halfway through the article 'The Walton Basin also called the Radnor Valley', is the part on its Prehistory.
Mr Green tells us how the site of the palisaded enclosure was found:
(quote from this section only)

"This was the view [an aerial photo accompanies this] which sparked the first major excavations in the Walton Basin and revealed an extraordinary find. But it was not the only one: other crop marks were discovered and the finds they enabled are described below. The photograph shows the western end of an enclosure near to Hindwell Farm. On excavation it was found to consist of post holes which had been occupied by regularly spaced oak posts about 700 cm (about 28 inches) to 1 metre in diameter spaced on average 800 cm from edge to edge, each post hole being about 2 metres deep. The enclosure was of about 34 hectares (84 acres) with a circumference of over 2 km (1.24 miles), and is the largest in Britain and second largest enclosure of the period in Europe. Radiocarbon dating suggests a time of 4000BP (2050BC), roughly contemporary with Stonehenge, and is confirmed by similar results from each posthole. Each post would have weighed about four and a half tonnes involving the felling of 6300 tonnes of oak - there would it is calculated have been 1410 posts - and required not only the manpower to fell and dress the timber but also arrangements for its transport and erection. The enclosure's purpose is unclear, but it is likely that the posts which were so close together were linked by a fence which would make the area suitable for keeping animals - but in enormous bulk. Was it defensive, to keep things out or was it to keep things in?"
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