Hardwell Castle
Hardwell Castle or Hardwell Camp is an Iron Age valley fort in the civil parish of Compton Beauchamp in Oxfordshire (previously Berkshire).[2]
Hardwell Castle | |
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Hardwell Camp | |
Type | Hillfort |
Location | Compton Beauchamp, Oxfordshire |
Coordinates | 51.57844°N 1.58723°W |
Official name | Hardwell Camp promontory fort |
Designated | 18 August 1958 |
Reference no. | 1017820[1] |
Location of Hardwell Castle in Oxfordshire |
Site nature
Like nearby Cherbury Camp, it is not clearly in a strategic or easily defended position. It lies halfway down the scarp slope of the White Horse Hills and is tucked away in a curve, invisible from most angles. This particular positioning suggests its builders had a specialist purpose in mind, although exactly what that may have been remains a mystery. It is 'multi-vallate', like Cherbury Camp. It is unexcavated and therefore very little is known about it. The site is described as a promontory fort by Historic England, and has been a Scheduled Monument since 1958.[1]
Location
The site is at grid reference SU287867 in the Vale of White Horse, very close to the small settlements of both Compton Beauchamp and Knighton, 2 miles from Uffington and 1 mile from the hilltop Uffington Castle.
References
- Historic England. "Hardwell Camp promontory fort (1017820)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- "Hardwell Camp [Hardwell Castle] Hillfort". The Megalithic Portal. 11 Mar 2011. Retrieved 5 Nov 2018.