Featured: Explore Scotland (and everywhere else) with our Megalithic Portal iPhone app

Explore Scotland (and everywhere else) with our Megalithic Portal iPhone app

Sign the Petition to protest against building a Hotel on Castle Hill hillfort

Sign the Petition to protest against building a Hotel on Castle Hill hillfort

Who's Online

There are currently, 489 guests and 2 members online.

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

Sponsors

<< Our Photo Pages >> Beacon Hill (Burghclere) - Hillfort in England in Hampshire

Submitted by tatterdemalion on Wednesday, 17 March 2004  Page Views: 39673

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Country: England County: Hampshire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Newbury  Nearest Village: Burghclere
Map Ref: SU45785727  Landranger Map Number: 174
Latitude: 51.312708N  Longitude: 1.344557W
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.
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

Internal Links:
External Links:

I have visited· I would like to visit

Harmudge visited on 1st Jan 2018 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 2

custer visited on 25th Apr 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Some hill steps halfway up fantastic views from the top

h_fenton JimChampion TheCaptain myf have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2 Ambience: 3.5 Access: 3

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by h_fenton : Beacon Hill from the south, showing the entrance to the hillfort. I couldn't get a photo that showed the whole fort because it is rather an awkward shape. Kite Aerial Photograph 20 March 2011 (Vote or comment on this photo)
Hillfort in Hampshire. This is a lovely hill fort, with spectacular views all around. The way up is very steep, and I suspect that the Iron Age people would have come up an easier way, on a promontory (where there are remains of ancient field systems) because the main entrance faces towards it. But this promontory is probably private land because it's fenced off.

We found what we thought were the remains of a barrow very close to the highest point of the hillfort (where there is now an ordnance survey triangulation point), and also we thought we could see the remains of pits and of a possible round house (or round barrow?) recorded by bumps and dents in the soil.

There is a railed modern grave in the fort, belonging to Lord Carnarvon (of Tutankhamun note). The noise from the A34 is horrendous but fortunately on the far side of the hillfort cannot be heard. Unfortunately the picnic area is very close to the A34!

Access There is a small car park by the picnic area, which is signposted from the A34.
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by h_fenton : Beacon Hill viewed from the north east. Kite Aerial Photograph 20 March 2011 (2 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by Hunanuk : Beacon hill from drone. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : The northeast-facing side of Beacon Hill hillfort. This side of the hill is the steepest, with the best natural defences. The ditch between the inner and outer ramparts has filled in over the years. In the distance to the right is Highclere Castle. (2 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : February 2005. Composite image of the entrance to Beacon Hill camp, looking out along the chalk ridge (private grazing land). The ends of both banks and the ditch are in-turned, and there are also slight outworks. The present-day visitor access is to the opposite corner of the hillfort, up a ridiculously steep slope from the car park. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by redscoobystu : looking down the seriously steep footpath over the A34

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : Looking out of the hillfort through the original entrance at the southeastern corner, where the ramparts are inturned. Down in the valley below are the "Seven Barrows" although they are a bit far away to be seen clearly without binoculars.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : Earthworks at the northeastern corner of the hourglass-shaped hillfort on Beacon Hill. The eroded path over the outer rampart shows where most modern-day visitors access the fort's interior, coming up from the car park next to the A34 road in the valley below. The fort's original entrance is at the southeast corner where Beacon Hill slopes away much more gently along a long ridge.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : Panoramic photo of the earthworks to the west of the original entrance at the southeast corner of the hourglass-shaped hillfort. The inner rampart turns in at the entrance and the outer rampart also turns inwards and meets the inner rampart. (2 comments)

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : Panoramic photo of the eastern side of the hillfort, with the ramparts and ditch to the right. Immediately to the left of the inner rampart the ground has many shallow hollows - probably infilled quarry pits from the construction of the ramparts. There are remains of hut circles elsewhere within the hillfort's interior.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : Evening, Feburary 2005. Walking the inner rampart at Beacon Hill. Just above the two figures on the right (Doug and Deb) is Ladle Hill, an unfinished Iron Age hillfort. The white scar on the rampart to their right is the well-trodden path up from the car park and picnic area. This is a very steep climb, and not the original way in to the fort.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : A view of Beacon Hill from Ladle Hill, caught in a patch of sunshine. Its vast proportions are not really done justice from this angle. The original entrance to the hillfort is on the left of the earthworks. The modern entrance is visible on the right as a chalky path over the ramparts.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : February 2005. Looking at the south-western ditch and rampart on Beacon Hill from the corner occupied by Lord Carnarvon's grave. The earthworks enclose about 12 acres and give the camp an 'hourglass' shape, with the entrance on the southern corner.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by JimChampion : February 2005. Looking south-east from the trig point on top of Beacon Hill. In the foreground is the most obvious of the many circular hut hollows within the ramparts. Aerial photographs reveal hut circles dotted about within the camp, suggesting that it was occupied permanently by an Iron Age tribe.

Beacon Hill (Burghclere)
Beacon Hill (Burghclere) submitted by thecaptain : Hillfort at Beacon Hill, SU458573, Hampshire. Kite flying on top of Beacon Hill. Its a wonderful place for kite flying for all ages. View looking north towards Newbury.

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
 301m SSE 165° Beacon Hill Barrow South Spur Round Barrow(s) (SU45865698)
 398m NNW 332° Beacon Hill Barrow North Spur Round Barrow(s) (SU45595762)
 430m NNW 330° Beacon Hill Cross Dyke Misc. Earthwork (SU45565764)
 2.0km SSE 169° Seven Barrows (Hampshire)* Barrow Cemetery (SU462553)
 2.0km SSW 194° Lower Woodcott Down* Misc. Earthwork (SU453553)
 2.1km ESE 102° Ladle Hill* Hillfort (SU47885683)
 2.3km SSE 161° Great Licthfield Down Misc. Earthwork (SU46525513)
 3.8km E 98° Nuthanger Down* Round Barrow(s) (SU49605676)
 5.8km SSE 162° Peak House Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU47645179)
 5.8km SSE 161° Peak House Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SU47705179)
 6.2km SE 142° Ridgeway Farm* Long Barrow (SU496524)
 6.2km ESE 119° Polhampton Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU5123554299)
 6.5km S 175° Larks Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU46355082)
 6.8km SE 134° Willesley Warren Long Barrow (SU507526)
 6.8km E 95° Bowry Walls* Hillfort (SU52605676)
 7.2km ESE 111° Tidgrove Warren* Round Barrow(s) (SU5253054807)
 7.6km N 358° Wash Common* Barrow Cemetery (SU45446484)
 7.8km E 93° Cottington's Hill Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU53615695)
 8.7km SW 236° Severals Copse Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU38615227)
 9.5km WNW 298° Walbury Camp* Hillfort (SU374617)
 9.5km S 179° All Hallows (Whitchurch) Early Christian Sculptured Stone (SU45994775)
 9.9km N 9° West Berkshire Museum Museum (SU472671)
 10.2km NNW 340° Hampstead Marshall Mottes Artificial Mound (SU42156685)
 10.5km WNW 299° Inkpen Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SU365623)
 10.6km N 358° The Ladywell* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SU454679)
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< The Aubreys

Great Hetha Camp >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Footprints in Stone

Footprints in Stone

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Beacon Hill (Burghclere)" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re: Beacon Hill (Burghclere) by Anonymous on Saturday, 31 August 2013
The Post Office Postcode for this location is RG20 9LR
[ Reply to This ]

Beacon Hill by coldrum on Thursday, 30 June 2011
(User Info | Send a Message)
Pastscape entry.

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=232559
[ Reply to This ]

Street View by coldrum on Saturday, 27 March 2010
(User Info | Send a Message)

View Larger Map
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Beacon Hill (Burghclere) by coldrum on Wednesday, 20 February 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Hampshire County Council Website has a page on the Hill fort:

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hampshire-countryside/beacon-hill.htm

[ 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.