Eggardon Hill
Eggardon Hill is the site of an Iron Age Hillfort located in the county of Dorset in southern England. The hillfort is situated on a chalk ridge overlooking the English Channel. It is one of a number of hillforts located in the area known as the Wessex Downs.
Eggardon Hill covers an area of approximately 21 hectares and is surrounded by a system of ditches and banks. The main defensive earthworks are located on the north and west sides of the site. There is also an inner ditch which may have served as a second line of defence. The entrances to the hillfort are located on the east and south sides.
The hillfort was probably built around 500 BC and was occupied until around AD 43. It is thought that it was abandoned after the Roman conquest of Britain.
Eggardon Hill is one of the best preserved hillforts in Britain and is a scheduled monument. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its chalk grassland habitat.
The site is open to the public and can be accessed via a public footpath from the nearby village of Burton Bradstock. There is a small car park and an information board at the start of the footpath.
Eggardon Hill is a large multivallate hillfort, situated on the summit of the hill and enclosed by three ramparts on three sides. On the north side there are extra, outer banks and ditches.
The hillfort also encloses two bowl barrows.
There are a number of mounds and depressions on the enclosed area of the fort which represent contemporary buildings. In 1900 five of the circular hollows were excavated and found to contain a flint knife, saw, scrapers and numerous flakes and a broken quern.
There are also the remains of two, linear earthworks which are older than the fort and have been dated to the Bronze Age due to pottery found during excavations which began in 1963.
Eggardon Hill Postcode:
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