Hardwell Castle
 | This article needs more citations. (April 2018) |
| Hardwell Castle | |
|---|---|
| Hardwell Camp | |
.jpg) | |
  Location within Oxfordshire | |
| 51°34′42″N 1°35′14″W / 51.57844°N 1.58723°W | |
| Type | Hillfort |
| Location | Compton Beauchamp, Oxfordshire |
Official name | Hardwell Camp promontory fort |
| Designated | 18 August 1958 |
| Reference no. | 1017820 |
Hardwell Castle or Hardwell Camp is an Iron Age valley fort in the civil parish of Compton Beauchamp in Oxfordshire (previously Berkshire).
Position
Like nearby Cherbury Camp, Hardwell Castle 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.
Description
According to Historic England's scheduling record, the fort encloses an area of roughly 200 m2 (2,150 sq ft), using a combination of rampart banks, ditches and enhanced natural features. An 1872 travellers' handbook described the site's double vallum as 140 by 180 feet (40 by 50 m) in dimension (working out to 25,200 sq ft (2,340 m2)). It is 'multi-vallate', like Cherbury Camp.
Status
The site is unexcavated and therefore very little is known about it. It is described as a promontory fort by Historic England, and has been a Scheduled Monument since 1958.
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 (3.2 km) from Uffington and 1 mile (1.6 km) from the hilltop Uffington Castle.
References
- 1 2 3 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 March 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ↑ A Handbook for Travellers in Berks, Bucks, and Oxfordshire: Including a Particular Description of the University and City of Oxford and the Descent of the Thames to Maidenhead and Windsor. London: J. Murray. 1872. p. 52.