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Barbury Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort situated in Wiltshire, England. It is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route, and is now managed as a country 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 the Cotswolds and the River Severn. It has deep defensive ditches. The Old Ridgeway runs close by and the modern Ridgeway crosses through the castle.
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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 of Wessex, 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.
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 and Chiseldon. More options are available by foot or horseback, including the Ridgeway, which runs west to east along the edge of the downs, and a byway south across the downs to Marlborough.
Position: grid reference SU149762
Nearby towns and cities: Swindon, Marlborough
Nearby villages: Wroughton, Chiseldon