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<< Text Pages >> Holmbury Camp - Hillfort in England in Surrey

Submitted by Andy B on Sunday, 21 July 2002  Page Views: 13180

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Holmbury Camp
Country: England County: Surrey Type: Hillfort

Map Ref: TQ105430  Landranger Map Number: 187
Latitude: 51.175570N  Longitude: 0.420655W
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
3 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
4

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Hillfort in Surrey

Holmbury Camp is a small Iron Age multivallate hillfort. The defences consist of double ramparts and ditches to the north and west, triple scarping to the south and double scarping to the east; the north-west and south-west angles have been eroded by quarrying. Finds included La Tene III pottery, flints, beehive quern stone fragments and sling pebbles.

More at Exploring Surrey's Past
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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TQ1043 : Holmbury Camp by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2011(licence)
TQ1042 : Holmbury Hill by Ian Capper
by Ian Capper
©2023(licence)
TQ1042 : Hill Fort on Holmbury Hill by Colin Smith
by Colin Smith
©2008(licence)
TQ1042 : Greensand Way along the ramparts by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2011(licence)
TQ1042 : Inside the fort, Holmbury Hill by Hugh Venables
by Hugh Venables
©2016(licence)

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 1.8km NNE 12° Felday* Hillfort (TQ10824475)
 2.8km ESE 105° Leith Hill Place* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (TQ1324542344)
 2.9km NNE 15° Abinger Manor* Ancient Village or Settlement (TQ112458)
 4.7km ENE 59° Mag's Well (Abinger Forest)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TQ145455)
 4.9km E 79° Anstiebury Camp* Hillfort (TQ1534244008)
 5.2km NNE 16° Deerleap Wood* Round Barrow(s) (TQ118480)
 6.1km NW 317° Albury Park Mound* Round Barrow(s) (TQ062474)
 7.1km NW 323° The Silent Pool* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TQ0606148582)
 7.2km NW 315° Albury Fishponds* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (TQ053480)
 7.2km NW 319° Weston Woods Cromlech* Standing Stones (TQ05644839)
 7.3km NW 319° Weston Wood Platform Mound* Round Barrow(s) (TQ055484)
 7.6km NE 40° Milton Heath* Round Barrow(s) (TQ15294890)
 8.6km NE 51° Glory Wood Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (TQ1712248542)
 8.6km NW 308° Lid Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TQ03554815)
 9.4km NW 305° St Martha's on the Hill Earth Circles* Misc. Earthwork (TQ027482)
 10.0km NW 305° Tyting Farm Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (TQ02124857)
 10.4km WSW 246° The Dragonstones Modern Stone Circle etc (TQ0105038489)
 11.0km WSW 248° Hascombe Hill* Hillfort (TQ004386)
 11.1km NE 44° Box Hill Bowl Barrow 1* Round Barrow(s) (TQ18065121)
 11.6km NE 45° Box Hill Bowl Barrow 2* Round Barrow(s) (TQ18575132)
 12.2km WNW 296° Artington Spring* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SU994482)
 12.5km WNW 301° Guildford Museum* Museum (SU9968349258)
 12.7km WSW 239° St Mary the Virgin's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SU997363)
 12.9km WNW 299° St. Edward's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SU9949)
 13.2km SSE 162° Wickhurst Green* Ancient Village or Settlement (TQ14953060)
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"Holmbury Camp" | Login/Create an Account | 5 News and Comments
  
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Acres of Holmbury Hill destroyed by fire as overnight blaze rips through woodland by Andy B on Saturday, 11 April 2020
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Photos here
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gallery/holmbury-hill-fire-cause-photos-18078071

I don't know if this includes any of the hillfort area, if so it could be a good chance to get a look at the earthworks if you are local
[ Reply to This ]

Holmbury Hillfort survey report by Andy B on Sunday, 27 September 2009
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Fieldwork at Holmbury Hillfort, TQ 105430



Holmbury is one of three hillforts located on the scarp edge of the greensand ridge between Guildford and Dorking, of which only Anstiebury has been subjected to an analytical survey (). Clearance of the interior of Holmbury gave access to this enclosure and its immediate surroundings.



The level approaches to north and west are addressed by a substantial array of double banks and ditches, that to the north apparently having been constructed in two, or possibly, three stages. The eastern and southern limits of the hillfort are positioned atop steep slopes. On the east side an inner bank is separated from its ditch by a berm and a vertical, rock cut face, the latter exposed beneath the root plate of a wind-felled tree. Outside this ditch there appears to have been a second bank, now largely destroyed, and below it, cut into the steep hillside, a further vertical face. To the south the scarp face at the end of the spur appears to have been sculpted into a series of three terraces, separated by vertical faces, which stretch round the protruding ‘nose’ at the south western corner of the enclosure. This ‘nose’, formed by one of a number of bands of harder chert running from the north towards the scarp edge, stands higher than any of the enclosure banks, at least in their present, eroded, form, and has a viewshed across the Weald to the South Downs – only to the immediate east is the view blocked by the higher ground of Leith Hill.



Quarrying, mainly during the 19th and early 20th centuries, has damaged the north-west corner, the probable site of the original entrance, and an area of the south-west corner. A number of small platforms have been cut into the south-western and south-eastern slopes below the hillfort; these may represent later lookout points, or planting postions for specimen trees, but the possibility that their construction was contemporary with the enclosure should not be ignored.


The results of this survey emphasise the skill with which the original builders utilised the existing topography, and also their concern that the monument should be visible from, and overlook, the expanse of the Weald to the south. The enclosure occupies a position such that its western and eastern boundaries overlie chert strata and a further two strata abut the northern boundary, although only one of these continues as a scarp across the interior. To the east the ground falls away steeply whilst to the west a number of these ridges, relatively closely spaced, cover the remaining high ground. Thus the enclosure was positioned to take advantage of the widest areas of flat ground available. The break in slope noted along most of the length of the central scarp may result from the cutting back of its lower levels to increase the width of the flat area to its east. Indeed, it is not impossible that the original intention was to use this scarp as the base for the western boundary, but a requirement to include the high point and the southernmost ‘nose’ resulted in its inclusion within the interior and the staged increases in height of the inner and outer northern banks. Terracing of the southern flanks of the hill would have resulted in the exposure of an area of sandstone some 80m across and 50m deep; whether vertical cuts into the hillside or revetted banks the sandstone, greenish / gold when freshly cut would have weathered to a brilliant gold. Facing into the sun, this would have been visible from any clearing within the Wealden woods for a considerable distance and, perhaps saliently, from the ridge which forms the watershed between the Wey and Arun basins. This ridge, which could have provided the only east / west route into the western Weald, would have had view of both Holmbury and Hascombe to the north and Chanctonbury on the South Downs. Looking up at the greensand ridge from the Weald the central scarp produces a distinctive profile and would

Read the rest of this post...
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Re: Holmbury hillfort damage report by Andy B on Sunday, 14 June 2009
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Mountain bikers are apparently causing damage as well.

"English Heritage has asked, not-so-nicely, that the landowner stop people riding over the banks of the hill fort, as it's a scheduled ancient monument. If the landowner doesn't stop it, then EH will buy the land in a compulsory purchase order, and forcibly put the entire thing beyond use. They're not kidding, hence all the work last year to build a new line over the old quarry workings further down the hill. If you see someone riding the old line, please let them know about this."

More details and photos of the site are at

http://www.muddymoles.org.uk/2009/05/holmbury_iron_age_fort.html

The local ranger writes:

We’ve re-graded part of the main path that leads from Holmbury Hill towards car park no.1. This has removed all the mud and made it more attractive for bikes to stay off The Greensand Way path that’s used by so many families. We’ve also added some new “Pedestrian Only barriers”. This helps to make it clear the paths that we particularly don’t want bikers to use.resurface-muddy1

Unfortunately bikes have been using the banks on the Iron Age Hill Fort. This is already starting to cause some erosion, so I’ve had to add some barricades along with notices.

http://hurtwoodranger.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/april-what-happened/
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Holmbury hillfort damage report by Andy B on Wednesday, 23 July 2008
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Summary:
Felling of a number of trees after vegetation clearance in 2006 and the concomitant damage caused by the uplift of their root plates high-lighted the need for an assessment of the condition of the Scheduled Ancient Monument, Holmbury Hillfort. This report details damage by this and other agencies and also recognises that some information about the construction of the eastern ramparts has been gained through exposure of intact archaeology.

Background
Holmbury Hillfort is set on a south-facing spur atop the scarp slope of the greensand ridge which runs west/east through central Surrey. Although harder bands of chert run north/south across the ridge the soils are in general dry, acid, infertile podzols vulnerable to erosion by both natural and human agency. Cartographic evidence from the 19th and early 20th centuries shows the hillfort covered with heathland vegetation, but by the 1960s the interior had become infested with Rhododendron ponticum. Some of the tree growth is likely to have resulted from reduced use of the heathland for grazing, but deliberate planting is also recorded. However, none of the trees in the immediate vicinity of the hillfort appear to be over 100-150 years old.

By 2000 it was recognised that roots from the vegetation within the interior of the hillfort and over the ramparts presented a threat to the underground archaeology which, since only a small proportion has been excavated, should be intact. In 2005 most of the vegetation was removed but a number of trees remained. It may be that removal of the surrounding vegetation left these trees particularly vulnerable - certainly high winds during winters 2006/7 and 2007/8 resulted in at least 11 being toppled, giving rise to concern that pulling up the root plates may have damaged underlying, intact archaeological remains.

This report details any such damage and also comments on damage caused by other agencies.

Read more at Surrey Archaeological Society
http://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/node/125
[ Reply to This ]

Link to a pdf file on the Hill fort by coldrum on Tuesday, 19 June 2007
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http://www.hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk/_files/Fort_on_Holmbury_Hill.pdf

http://www.hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk/iron-age_hill_fort.php
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