Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0370 Arley Wood Camp, Worcestershire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Worcestershire MWR1274 (WSM02962)

NMR:  SO 88 SW 14 (116774)

SM:  1005335

NGR:  SO803823

X:  380360  Y:  282376  (OSGB36)

Summary

Iron Age hillslope fort, possibly reused as Roman fort, located on a NE-facing spur at the confluence of two small streams which surround it to the E, W and S. Sub-rectangular, measuring c. 130m long by 70m wide, with internal area 1.4ha. High precipitous banks from stream bed to summit. Double banks and ditches on the N side and triple elsewhere, with inner ditch 1.2m deep, 7.9m wide. Passageway entrance to N. Small sub-rectangular enclosure situated to NW of hillfort and in area between series of hollow ways. Afforested.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -254961  Y:  6879889  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.290357699115564  Latitude:  52.43896791307108  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Worcestershire

Historic County:  Worcestershire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Arley

Monument Condition

Fair condition. Forestry Commission site.

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Afforested.

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

Hillslope fort located on a NE-facing spur at the confluence of two small streams which surround it to the E, W and S. High precipitous banks, 24m high, from stream bed to summit.

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Spur

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  140.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   Possible Romano-British reuse of site.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Surveyed by C.I. Walker at instigation of Forestry Commission 1960.

Investigations:
Other (1960):   Surveyed by C.I. Walker at instigation of Forestry Commission.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

Passageway entrance to N.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Passage-way/Corridor (North):   None

Enclosing Works

Double banks and ditches on the N side and triple elsewhere, with inner ditch 1.2m deep, 7.9m wide.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.4ha.
Total:   1.4ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   3

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   Inner ditch 1.2m deep, 7.9m wide.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Page, W. and Willis-Bund, J.W. (eds) 1913. Victoria History of the Counties of England: a history of the County of Worcestershire, 3, London: St Catherine Press.



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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