Bury Ditches
Encyclopedia
Bury Ditches is a British Iron Age
hill fort
between Clun
and Bishop's Castle
in the Shropshire Hills of central England
.
pine plantations but storms in the 1970s and 1980s led to the removal of woodland from the hill fort site on the crown of the hill, from which, today, the views are open in all directions.
There is a car park within an easy uphill walk of the summit.
shape and is situated on the crown of a hill called Sunnyhill and comprises up to four multi-vallate ditches and rampart banks as part of its defensive earthworks
and two well preserved entrance ways.
From the summit views are clear to the Long Mynd
, Corndon Hill
and the Shropshire Hills.
Waymarked walks cross the site and pass through the woodlands below. The Shropshire Way
and Jack Mytton Way
pass below the site and Wild Edric's Way
crosses adjacent to it also.
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks 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 and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
between Clun
Clun
Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town...
and Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun...
in the Shropshire Hills of central England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Site
The site in encompassed by Forestry CommissionForestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
pine plantations but storms in the 1970s and 1980s led to the removal of woodland from the hill fort site on the crown of the hill, from which, today, the views are open in all directions.
There is a car park within an easy uphill walk of the summit.
Description
Bury Ditches is often rated as a spectacular example of a surviving hill fort as it forms a neat oval or ellipticalEllipse
In geometry, an ellipse is a plane curve that results from the intersection of a cone by a plane in a way that produces a closed curve. Circles are special cases of ellipses, obtained when the cutting plane is orthogonal to the cone's axis...
shape and is situated on the crown of a hill called Sunnyhill and comprises up to four multi-vallate ditches and rampart banks as part of its defensive earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
and two well preserved entrance ways.
From the summit views are clear to the Long Mynd
Long Mynd
The Long Mynd in Shropshire, England, is a part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury, and has an area of over 22 square kilometres , most of which takes the form of a heathland plateau. Most of the land on the Long Mynd is owned by...
, Corndon Hill
Corndon Hill
Corndon Hill is a hill in Powys, Mid Wales, whose summit rises to 513 m above sea level.It is surrounded on three sides by the English county of Shropshire and forms a prominent landmark in the Wales-England border...
and the Shropshire Hills.
Waymarked walks cross the site and pass through the woodlands below. The Shropshire Way
Shropshire Way
The Shropshire Way is a waymarked long distance footpath running through the English county of Shropshire. It runs 224 kilometres / 139 miles around the interior of the county in a large loop.- The Waymarked Route :...
and Jack Mytton Way
Jack Mytton Way
The Jack Mytton Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway for horseriders, hillwalkers and mountain bikers in mid and south Shropshire, England. It typically takes a week to ride on horseback....
pass below the site and Wild Edric's Way
Wild Edric's Way
Wild Edric's Way is a waymarked long distance footpath running wholly within the county of Shropshire in England. The path runs for , mostly sharing the route of the Shropshire Way.-The route:...
crosses adjacent to it also.