Badbury Hill is the site of an Iron Age hill-fort. Built at a time of unrest between communities of settlers near the Thames. It has not yet been excavated, but a number of Iron Age pot shards and Roman pot pieces have helped to date the continuous settlement of the hill.
It is likely that the fort was built and occupied from around 600 B.C. and was in continuous use until the first century A.D. The interior was largely occupied with storage including round huts, grain storage pits and stock pounds. Although it has not been fully investigated, it is likely that valuable evidence has been lost through farming, as the bank of the fort has been levelled and at some point ploughed.
Today, Badbury Hill is renowned for its spectacular beech trees and bluebell displays in spring and early summer. It is believed that prisoners of war planted the beech trees while they were held captive in the area.
The site is open to the public all year round and there is a car park from where you can explore the adjoining woodland.
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