<< Our Photo Pages >> St Catherine's Hill (Hampshire) - Hillfort in England in Hampshire
Submitted by Jimit on Tuesday, 24 February 2004 Page Views: 57453
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: St Catherine's Hill (Hampshire)Country: England County: Hampshire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Winchester
Map Ref: SU48422766 Landranger Map Number: 185
Latitude: 51.046258N Longitude: 1.310663W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Couplands saw from a distance on 15th Sep 2023 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 3
SolarMegalith visited on 24th Jun 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4
Rulebritannia visited on 1st Apr 2013 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 3
JimChampion have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.33 Ambience: 3.33 Access: 3.33
The defences of this early Iron Age hillfort consist of two banks with a ditch inbetween, and an original entrance to the northeast. There is evidence that the defences were periodically improved as times of war and peace came and went. The hillfort was left deserted after it was sacked in the first century BC.
The Miz Maze lies within the hillfort, close to the original entrance through the ramparts. St. Catherines Chapel stood in the middle of the clump of beech trees on the summit (no remains).
The whole area is a managed Nature Reserve and has beautiful views to the east over the Itchen flood plain, Winchester and St. Cross.
Access There are several ways to approach the hillfort.
1. The Tun Bridge parking area on the small road going west just after going under the disused railway. [From junction 10 of the M3, follow the brown sign for 'St Catherine's Hill' viewpoint]. A steep path with steps leads back under the railway and leads to the north-west entrance to the hillfort, where the Miz Maze is.
2, Take the Morestead Road to Morestead (south off the A31 next to junction 10 of the M3), where the road turns sharply SE, there is a small lay-by. Walk over the footbridge and into the nature reserve. As you descend into the 'Plague Pits Valley' the hill is on your right.
3, Coming south on the M3, take Marwell Zoo sign at junction 11, turn right (under M3) and then left. Park near the viaduct and follow the blue footpath signs. The path back to the hill diverges, to the left is a delightful walk by the Itchen Navigation Canal (one of the earliest) which will lead you back to 1. Divert to the right by the waterfall to climb Plague Pits Valley and the hill.
From parking place 2 if you keep to the left (east) the Dongas are a series of deeply cut tracks made by Prehistoric and Mediaeval travellers going to the site of the Itchen ford - now Winchester.
Further on, overlooking the M3 is a standing stone about 2 metres high. It is inscribed with the names of the b******s who allowed this rape of Twyford Down and was erected as an indictment and a memorial.
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