<< Our Photo Pages >> Oldbury Rock Shelters - Cave or Rock Shelter in England in Kent

Submitted by ocifant on Wednesday, 18 February 2004  Page Views: 17465

Natural PlacesSite Name: Oldbury Rock Shelters
Country: England County: Kent Type: Cave or Rock Shelter
 Nearest Village: Igtham
Map Ref: TQ5848056439  Landranger Map Number: 188
Latitude: 51.285045N  Longitude: 0.271158E
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.
 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
 3

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Oldbury Rock Shelters
Oldbury Rock Shelters submitted by ocifant : I had no tripod on me this day, and light levels were low, hence the evident camera shake. On the eastern fringe of the public part of the hillfort is a footpath leading down towards Oldbury Lane. This cave is just off that footpath. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Rock Shelter in Kent. On the eastern fringe of the public part of the hillfort is a footpath leading down towards Oldbury Lane. This cave is just off that footpath.

Note: Hand axes found here are in the British Museum, London and Maidstone Museums.
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Oldbury Rock Shelters
Oldbury Rock Shelters submitted by Jonik : View from inside the rock shelter looking out at the surrounding woodland. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Oldbury Rock Shelters
Oldbury Rock Shelters submitted by Jonik : Rock shelter with figure included for scale. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TQ5856 : Large house, Oldbury Lane by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2008(licence)
TQ5856 : Muddy byway by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2021(licence)
TQ5856 : Steps on a steep path, Oldbury Woods by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2008(licence)
TQ5856 : Byway, Oldbury Hill by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2024(licence)
TQ5856 : The Coach House by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
©2024(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
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Re: Oldbury Rock Shelters by Jonik on Sunday, 01 March 2015
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I was unable to find the site using the given GPS coordinates. I found it at 51.2850421 N 0.2711557 E [updated, thanks]. From inside the fort, go as far north as you are allowed to go; head east until you see a footpath down with a concrete marker. This is right along the edge of the public and private land. The site is then just to the left of the short flight of steps, a little way down the path.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Oldbury Rock Shelters by coldrum on Sunday, 03 January 2010
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The following is from the Pastscape website and gives a bit more detail about the shelters.

"The caves or shelters on the eastern face of Oldbury Hill were excavated by B. Harrison in 1890 when 49 Palaeolithic implements and 648 flakes were found. (2-3)

A series of small caves and shallow rock shelters in an outcropping shelf of sandstone, just below the summit of Oldbury. Some of the caves have been blocked up with cemented stone walling. Harrison's collection is in store in Maidstone Museum but it is impossible to distinguish individual finds. (4)

Description of rock shelters. (5)

Many Palaeoliths were collected from the east side of the hill during the 19th century and it was believed that they originally came from "shelters" formed by the hollows in the sandstone, which it was suggested, were habitation sites. These, however, have been eroded in post-glacial times and it seems that the Palaeoliths were not associated with them. (6)

Excavations at Oldbury in Kent: The Palaeolithic Occupation. Although excavations were carried out at Oldbury by Harrison in 1890, there remains some uncertainty surrounding the exact position of the excavation. In 1965 further excavations were carried out in the area TQ 5856 5653. As a result of these excavations it was concluded that the rock shelters on the east edge of Oldbury Hill were not likely to have been occupied by Pleistocene man. Their present form may be very different from their Pleistocene form, and unless all trace of occupation was removed by erosion before the commencement of sedimentation, no cultural debris of Pleistocene man was left near them. A highly characteristic series of stone tools was found in situ both by Harrison and the 1965 excavators at point N (see Illustration Card). Extensive quarrying has altered the configuration of the spur, but it was once capped by hard rock which was weathered by frost shattering to form the stony cultural layer of site N. The excavators suggest that a rock overhang existed at the end of the spur in Pleistocene times and that it afforded protection from the south-west and west and possibly the north as well. The site is a vantage point looking east towards the Medway valley. The lithic assemblage from Oldbury N is typical of the Mousterian of Acheulian tradition, and it is the richest Mousterian assemblage in Britain. In comparison to French sites it seems that occupation here was less concentrated, perhaps seasonal. There is no geological means of dating the Oldbury site, but it would seem most likely to belong to the ??????? interstadial or conceivably the succeeding interstadial. (7-8)

Flint implements and rock shelters at Oldbury Hill. (9)

Harrison's excavations in 1890 at Oldbury Hill. (Authority not consulted.) (10)

Oldbury Hill as a "Handaxe Mousterian" occupation site with Levalloisian flakes and a number of "bout coupe" handaxes. About 31 Palaeolithic axes have been found at Oldbury altogether, they are now in the British Museum (21); Maidstone Museum (8); and Manchester Museum (2). (11)

Palaeoliths, rock shelters and Neolithic implements. (12)

TQ 584565 Findspot of 45 Lower Palaeolithic handaxes, three cores, 21 retouched flakes, 494 flakes and eleven Levallois flakes in Head geology. (13)"

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=409496
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Re: Oldbury Rock Shelters by coldrum on Monday, 15 June 2009
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Campsite website:

http://www.siteseeker.co.uk/aspx/details.aspx?id=7220
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Oldbury Rock Shelters by coldrum on Friday, 15 June 2007
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Link:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-south_east/w-south_east-countryside/w-south_east-places-north_kent/w-south_east-places-north_kent-oldbury_styants_one_tree.htm

http://www.magic.gov.uk/rsm/23018.pdf
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