New Forest Iron Age Hill Forts

	The view from Castle Hill, Burley

Standing high on Castle Hill are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort dating back about 2,500 years. Parts have been destroyed by later development, but eroded banks and silted ditches continue to recall ancient tribes and ways of life before the Romans came.

Other similar forts can be found at Buckland Rings and Ampress, both near Lymington, at Exbury, near the mouth of the Beaulieu River; at Malwood near Minstead; at Tatchbury, not far from Calmore; and finally, close to Fordingbridge, where the fort is known as Frankenbury.

No evidence of prolonged occupation has been found, and it’s been suggested that these forts may have been used to control the movement of people and goods along the coast and inland waterways.

References:
Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society, Volume 54 – The Earthwork Remains of Enclosure in the New Forest: Nicola Smith