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<< Our Photo Pages >> Stokeleigh Camp - Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle in England in Somerset

Submitted by theCaptain on Tuesday, 10 December 2002  Page Views: 12418

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Stokeleigh Camp
Country: England County: Somerset Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle
Nearest Town: Bristol  Nearest Village: Abbotsleigh
Map Ref: ST560733  Landranger Map Number: 172
Latitude: 51.456958N  Longitude: 2.634668W
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

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I have visited· I would like to visit

Mikesee visited on 12th Aug 2020 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 5 Access: 3

TheCaptain visited on 28th Aug 2011 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Iron age promontary hillfort on a spur overlooking the Avon Gorge from the high plateau at the western side of the Gorge, now a part of the large Leigh Woods nature reserve. This is one of three iron age forts here probably guarding a ford crossing of the river Avon at the bottom of the Avon Gorge, below where is now the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The promontary points towards the east, with the steep sided Nightingale valley marking the southern edge, where the hillside has been sculpted, with another smaller steep sided valley making the northeastern edges of the camp. The camp is completed around its northwestern sides by a double arc of massive ditch and bank ramparts, both once topped with stone walling. The main entrance was probably at the northern edge of the plateau, beside the steep cliff edge, where there is a third row of ditch and bank to help gaurd. I decided on a walk round Leigh Woods and to take in Stokeleigh Camp, on a showery bank holiday afternoon. Several things took my notice since my last visit here many years ago, firstly that it has all been tidied up by National Trust and much of the woodland cleared around the ramparts, making them very visible (I wasn't expecting to really be able to see them or get any decent pictures at all). I was most impressed with the massive size of the main ramparts, the inner bank being about 5 metres above the ground level inside, while the ditch outside must be almost of equal depth, making a top to bottom height of between 8 and 10 metres! Massive! Outside the inner bank and ditch is a second ring of bank and ditch, this time the relative heights and depth being about +/- 2 metres. At places around the top of the major rampart, there are places where stretches of vertical stone walling can be seen. In order to keep the vegetation down, NT and English Nature have decided to graze half a dozen Devon Red cattle around the camp.



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 3.5

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : The camp is completed around its northwestern sides by a double arc of massive ditch and bank ramparts, both once topped with stone walling. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Iron age promontary hillfort on a spur overlooking the Avon Gorge from the high plateau at the western side of the Gorge, now a part of the large Leigh Woods nature reserve. This is one of three iron age forts here probably guarding a ford crossing of the river Avon at the bottom of the Avon Gorge, below where is now the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The promontary points towards the east, with the steep sided Nightingale valley marking the southern edge, where the hillside has been sculpted, with another smaller steep sided valley making the northeastern edges of the camp.

The camp is completed around its northwestern sides by a double arc of massive ditch and bank ramparts, both once topped with stone walling. The main entrance was probably at the northern edge of the plateau, beside the steep cliff edge, where there is a third row of ditch and bank to help gaurd.

I decided on a walk round Leigh Woods and to take in Stokeleigh Camp, on a showery bank holiday afternoon. Several things took my notice since my last visit here many years ago, firstly that it has all been tidied up by National Trust and much of the woodland cleared around the ramparts, making them very visible (I wasn't expecting to really be able to see them or get any decent pictures at all).

I was most impressed with the massive size of the main ramparts, the inner bank being about 5 metres above the ground level inside, while the ditch outside must be almost of equal depth, making a top to bottom height of between 8 and 10 metres! Massive!

Outside the inner bank and ditch is a second ring of bank and ditch, this time the relative heights and depth being about +/- 2 metres. At places around the top of the major rampart, there are places where stretches of vertical stone walling can be seen.

In order to keep the vegetation down, NT and English Nature have decided to graze half a dozen Devon Red cattle around the camp.
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Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : the sign at the site (Vote or comment on this photo)

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : view to the north along the Avon Gorge from Stokeleigh Camp (Vote or comment on this photo)

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by camperman : Rampart, ditch and counterscarp facing West. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by camperman : The rampart and ditch facing West. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by camperman : Northern rampart as it runs to the egde of Avon Gorge.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by camperman : The Avon Gorge looking North as it winds its way to the Bristol Channel. The ancient ford which the camps of Stokeleigh, Burgh Walls and Clifton were potentially protecting is below this photo. The ford comprising a ridge of rock which was exposed at low tide was destroyed in the 19th century to allow the port of Bristol to develop and take larger vessels.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by camperman : Stokeleigh Camp looking from the East from above Clifton Camp. The promontory the Camp is built on is visible with Nightingale Valley to the left with the other steep sided combe to the right.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : I was most impressed with the massive size of the main ramparts, the inner bank being about 5 metres above the ground level inside, while the ditch outside must be almost of equal depth, making a top to bottom height of between 8 and 10 metres! See people for scale. Massive!

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : I was most impressed with the massive size of the main ramparts, the inner bank being about 5 metres above the ground level inside.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : Outside the inner bank and ditch is a second ring of bank and ditch, this time the relative heights and depth being about +/- 2 metres.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : The camp is completed around its northwestern sides by a double arc of massive ditch and bank ramparts, both once topped with stone walling.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : At places around the top of the major rampart, there are places where stretches of vertical stone walling can be seen.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : The steep sided Nightingale valley marking the southern edge, where the hillside has been sculpted, once with stone walling.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by theCaptain : View of the steep sided valley making the northeastern edges of the camp from near the northern entrance

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : part of sign at the site

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : Stokeleigh Camp as seen from Ciifton Down Camp

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : Stokeleigh Camp as seen from the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : view to the southeast from Stokeleigh Camp

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : The latest invaders of Stokeleigh Camp, barging in through the entrance of the inner rampart. (8 comments)

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : The latest invaders to Stokeleigh Camp, mounting their attack on the inner ramparts.

Stokeleigh Camp
Stokeleigh Camp submitted by TheCaptain : Plan of Stokeleigh Camp from Notes on the Clifton, Burwalls and Stokeleigh Camps by Professor C. Lloyd Morgan, Clifton Antiquarian Club 1900.

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Re: Stokeleigh Camp by TheCaptain on Thursday, 15 September 2011
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Streetview of Stokeleigh Camp as seen from the River Avon below.


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