- Barbury Castle
Barbury Castle is an
Iron Age hill fort situated inWiltshire ,England . It is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route, and is now managed as acountry park by Swindon Borough Council. It is situated on Barbury Hill, a local vantage point, which, under ideal weather conditions, commands a view across to theCotswolds and theRiver Severn . It has deep defensive ditches. The Old Ridgeway runs close by and the modern Ridgeway crosses through the castle.History
The site was first occupied some 2500 years ago, and was then in use during the Roman occupation of the area. Archaeological investigations at Barbury have shown evidence of a number of buildings, indicating a village or military garrison at this time.
In the
6th century , the site became part of the Saxon kingdom ofWessex , following the defeat of the Romano-British at the Battle of Beranburgh.A reconstruction of an
Iron Age roundhouse is being built on the site.Location
Barbury Castle is about five miles south of
Swindon and the M4, on the northern edge of the Marlborough Downs within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Other than a couple of nearby farms, there is no current settlement near the site.By road the site can only approached by a single road ascending the scarp slope of the downs from midway along the B4005 between
Wroughton andChiseldon . More options are available by foot or horseback, including the Ridgeway, which runs west to east along the edge of the downs, and abyway south across the downs toMarlborough .Position: gbmapping|SU149762
Nearby towns and cities:
Swindon , MarlboroughNearby villages:
Wroughton ,Chiseldon See also
*
List of places in Wiltshire
*List of hill forts in England
*List of hill forts in Scotland
*List of hill forts in Wales External links
* [http://www.pegasusarchive.org/ancientbritain/barbury_castle.htm Ancient Britain - Barbury Castle]
* [http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/parksandgardens/barbury.htm Swindon Borough Council web page on Barbury Castle]
* [http://www.acorneducation.com Acorn Education]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
