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<< Our Photo Pages >> Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) - Hillfort in England in Gloucestershire

Submitted by TheCaptain on Monday, 17 January 2011  Page Views: 27461

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Country: England County: Gloucestershire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Bristol  Nearest Village: Winterbourne
Map Ref: ST652791  Landranger Map Number: 172
Latitude: 51.509749N  Longitude: 2.502835W
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.
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
4

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4clydesdale7 visited on 6th Sep 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 Needs proper management asap and to be cleared of unsightly detritus

TheCaptain have visited here

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Bury Hill Camp, near Winterbourne Down, South Gloucestershire. View of the ditch and ramparts of the eastern side. The inside of the fort is to the right of this picture (Vote or comment on this photo)
Much modified hillfort at Winterbourne Down, South Gloucestershire.

The fort today is generally a round cornered rectangle in shape, on an approximately north/south axis. The long western side of the fort is along a steep hill edge above the river Frome, which flows from the cotswold edge near Chipping Sodbury into Bristol. The other three sides are generally on fairly flat land.

A large proportion of the western side has been destroyed by quarrying into the hillside. The remaining 3 sides are made up of a central ditch, with ramparts built on both the inner and outer sides of the ditch, with strangely the outer rampart generally the higher.

It is thought that the Romans took over this fort, and modified it to suit their needs, which perhaps explains the slightly odd ditch and rampart arrangement.
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Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by durhamnature : 'British fortifications in the vicinity of Bristol'- most of these forts on on the Megalithic Portal. From "Journal of British Archaeology" via archive.org (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by 4clydesdale7 : The East Banks and Ditch looking S - note the encroaching bracken (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Bury Hill Camp, near Winterbourne Down, South Gloucestershire. View of the outside of the southern ramparts. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by 4clydesdale7 : The 'Green Horizon' on this photo of the Inner Camp looking from the S serves two purposes - to hide the horse corral system - to show the position of the 'step' (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by 4clydesdale7 : Pennant Stone from earlier quarrying - like Lego for a Long Barrow! On the W side above an old quarry

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Composite image of the inside of Bury Hill Camp, viewed here from the South. image stitched together using ICE.

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Composite image of the inside of Bury Hill Camp, viewed here from the northwest. image stitched together using ICE. (1 comment)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Composite image of the inside of Bury Hill Camp, viewed here from the Southeast. image stitched together using ICE.

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Inside the eastern ramparts, April 2011, and all rather overgrown. (1 comment)

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Bury Hill Camp, near Winterbourne Down, South Gloucestershire. View of the ramparts of the southern side.

Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)
Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne) submitted by TheCaptain : Bury Hill Camp, near Winterbourne Down, South Gloucestershire. View of the inside of the camp, and ramparts of the eastern side, from the northern banks.

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"Bury Hill Camp (Winterbourne)" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Bury Hill Camp by 4clydesdale7 on Tuesday, 06 September 2011
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Oh! and I forgot to mention the incessant noise from the M4
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Re: Bury Hill Camp by 4clydesdale7 on Tuesday, 06 September 2011
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I am afraid this Hill Camp was something of a disappointment - it is suffering from a lack of care and worse still fly tipping - add to that the fact that not only has the old quarrying seriously defaced the W side but, more modern earth removal on that side and elsewhere along the ramparts is having a detrimental effect too on the aura of the whole Camp -

The inner parts of the Camp have been cordoned off very untidily to divide the area into 'paddocks' (to limit where the horses graze and where visitors might wander) - large substantial plastic bale wrappings litter the site as do informal plastic water buckets of varying colours, let alone the usual detritus you get anywhere these days near to where many people live - to be fair I did not see a supermarket trolley - but worse still the bracken is starting to envelop the southern third of the fortifications (camp, banks and ditch) - evidence that pasture management is seriously lacking -

Evidence of the large hut, the platform and other previous excavations may readily be seen - South Gloucestershire Council states that it is proud of its archaeological record but it really will have to carry out better management than just organise a Walk for Health -

One aspect intrigued me - the Inner Camp is on two levels one about 1m above the other with a clear 'step' between the two - was there an 'extension' at some time?
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Free guided rural walk - Bury Hill Fort , Tuesday 18th January 2011 by coldrum on Monday, 17 January 2011
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Tuesday 18th January 2011
Free guided rural walk - Bury Hill Fort
10.20am, meet at Golden Heart, Down Road, Winterbourne Down/Kendleshire

Interesting, varied scenery: woodland, Frome Valley Walkway, pretty lanes, fields, 4 stiles & 32 steps. Choose 3 miles (includes steep climb) or 1½ miles. Can be muddy & slippery - sturdy footwear advised. Refreshments at pub.

The walks are all part of the Walking to Health programme. For more information please email below or the contact the Leisure and Libraries helpdesk on 01454 868 006.
Email: foodandhealth@southglos.gov.uk

http://www.myyate.co.uk/event/free_guided_rural_walk_bury/6E28113
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    Re: Free guided rural walk - Bury Hill Fort , Tuesday 18th January 2011 by TheCaptain on Monday, 17 January 2011
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    That sounds interesting - much better than sitting here at work in the office (with a view over to Bury Hill). But, if anyone is reading this who intends to go, please take note that along with so much of Englands heritage, our rural pubs are closing at an alarming rate, and the Golden Heart closed a couple of weeks ago, and is now boarded up and fenced off. So I suggest calling the info number given above.

    You could od worse than use the Cross Hands, lovely range of real ales and ciders, but then again, they don't do much in the way of food.
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Re: Bury Hill Camp by coldrum on Monday, 29 March 2010
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Street View


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Re: Bury Hill Camp by Andy B on Tuesday, 11 October 2005
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A synopsis based on the report by JA Davies and CW Phillips of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society 1926
Davies J.A. & Phillips C.W. Percy Sladen Memorial Fund Excavations at Bury Hill Camp, Winterbourne Down, Gloucestershire, 1926 Vol 3 (1) pp 8 - 24 (P)
Copy to be found at Bristol Reference Library

Bury Hill is situated about 5 miles North East of Bristol near the village of Winterbourne. It is about 210 feet above sea level and situated on an eminence overlooking the river Frome on its North and West sides. It is about 100 feet above and 100 feet from the river. There is level ground to the South and East.

It is said that Bury Hill is an univallate Iron Age contour fort originally built by Celtic people and later used by the Romans from about 47 AD to the 3rd and 4th centuries as a fortified camp in a line of forts stretching from the Cotswolds to the Mendips. It is said to have features similar to the forts on Hadrians Wall. The camp is 51/2 acres in extent, the dimensions of the enclosed space being 220 yards North to South by 120 yards West to East. The ramparts on the Western side have disappeared due to quarrying activity although at the time the site was investigated this was not as extensive as it is now.

JA Davies and CW Phillips of the University of Bristol splaeological society excavated the site in 1926 and as far as I am aware this is the only excavation carried out on this site. The excavation was prompted by news that quarrying works were to be extended (the camp stood on pennant stone). The report has sections on the large hut site, the ramparts, platform excavation and the well with sections on findings of stone implements, pottery, coins etc.

The Large Hut Site
There was a rectangular mound (named Long Mound on the map) 75 foot long, 17 foot wide and surrounded by a 4-foot wide ditch. Remains of foundation walls were found on which it was conjectured walls of timber or sods were raised. It is thought that the Romans in their campaign of 47 AD built the hut.

Platform excavation
The site at 1c (see map) was excavated, as there was a sinking there. Remains of 18th century pottery and clay pipes suggest that this was a small shaft sunk by prospectors for iron ore. Pot sherds were plentiful and were Roman wheel made culinary wear mainly dated 3rd and 4th century. This suggests a return to the site by the civilian population perhaps because of unsettled conditions around the time of Emperor Probus reign.

The Ramparts
There are two ramparts enclosed by a ditch apart from the west side with entrances at the South East, North East, North West and West according to a 1915 OS map (i.e. before quarrying). It appears that the ramparts were raised in three courses (see diagram). The way in which slabs of Pennant stone were laid rather than dumped suggests that the ramparts were not put up in haste



The Well
This remained intact and was “of the class of well which never fails” being fed by a spring. There was no indication as to its age.

Stone Implements
A half of a polished Ovoid mace head was found prior to the dig estimated to be early Bronze Age. This is apparently a rare find for the Cotswolds. Several flints, probably Romano-British and querns of the early Iron Age were found.

Minerals and Mining
Iron Ore and calcinated limestone was abundant except in the ramparts which suggests that iron smelting took place after the ramparts were raised

Pottery
There were many potsherds found ranging from early Iron Age to 4th century Romano British

General conclusions are that the site was constructed in the Iron Age, taken over by the Romans and later resettled by a civilian population
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