Castercliff is an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
multivallate hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
situated close to the towns of
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and
Colne
Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds.
The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...
in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
,
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
.
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It is located on a hilltop overlooking the valley system of the
River Calder and its tributaries, on the western edge of the
South Pennines
The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester co ...
. On the upper part of the hill, triple rubble
ramparts up to high, separated by ditches of similar depth, surround the site on all sides except the north. On this side the defences consist mainly of a single rampart and ditch, but some short lengths of triple rampart and ditch are also found here. The inner rampart may have been timber-laced and
revetted
A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water a ...
with stone and enclosed an oval area measuring approximately .
The summit of the hill is above sea level and the surrounding ground falls rapidly on all sides except the south east. Here a neck of land, dropping from the summit, connects it to similarly high ground about away. Streams spring from either side of the ridge and the deep valleys which they have cut, especially on the south, offer additional defence.
Excavations during the 1970s appear to show that the site was not completed, and no evidence of occupation was unearthed. The site is a
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
Lancashire County Council
The hillfort has been damaged by coal mining with old bell pit
A bell pit is a primitive method of mining coal, iron ore, or other minerals lying near the surface.
Operation
A shaft is sunk to reach the mineral which is excavated by miners, transported to the surface by a winch, and removed by means of a b ...
s evident both inside and around the site.
Media gallery
File:Castercliff plan.png , Published in The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster Vol 2 (1906)
File:Castercliff Camp Hillfort - geograph.org.uk - 718864.jpg , One of the many bell pit circles on top of the fort
File:Castercliff - geograph.org.uk - 720940.jpg , The view from the summit toward Walton's Spire to the southeast
File:Castercliff hillfort 04.jpg , On the eastern slope looking southwest, showing a section of the ramparts
See also
*Scheduled monuments in Lancashire
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This is a list of scheduled monuments in the English county of Lancashire.
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauth ...
References
External links
Aerial view and description
Hill forts in Lancashire
Scheduled monuments in Lancashire
Buildings and structures in the Borough of Pendle
Nelson, Lancashire
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