Highdown Hill is a prominent hill in the South Downs

South Downs

The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...

, as its name suggests, reaching a height of 81 metres (265.7 ft). The summit of the hill and its western slopes lie in the parish of Ferring

Ferring

Ferring is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is part of the built-up area of Worthing and is located on the A259 road west of the town. The parish has a land area of 430.6 hectares...

 in the Arun

Arun

Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...

 district, while its eastern slopes lie in the borough of Worthing

Worthing

Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...

. It is a popular spot for picnickers, dog-walkers and local riders. It overlooks Littlehampton

Littlehampton

Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....

, Angmering

Angmering

Angmering is a large village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is located approximately two miles north of the English Channel; Worthing and Littlehampton are about four miles to the east and west respectively.Angmering railway station is miles away...

, Ferring and Worthing with views, when the weather is good, east as far as the Seven Sisters

Seven Sisters, Sussex

The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel. They form part of the South Downs in East Sussex, between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne in southern England. They are within the Seven Sisters Country Park...

 and west to the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

. It is the property of the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

. To the north the ancient hill forts of Cissbury Ring

Cissbury Ring

Cissbury Ring is a hill fort on the South Downs, in the borough of Worthing, and about from its town centre, in the English county of West Sussex.-Hill fort:...

 and Chanctonbury Ring

Chanctonbury Ring

Chanctonbury Ring is a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, on the border of the civil parishes of Washington and Wiston in the English county of West Sussex. A ridgeway, now part of the South Downs Way, runs along the hill...

 can be seen.

Early history

Human occupation of the hill seems to have started in the Late Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 (around 1000 BC) when an enclosure was built. By the Early Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

 (around 600 BC) this had been replaced by a 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...

 composed of a single rampart and ditch. An Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

 cemetery was created on the site around 450 AD which has produced an unusual number of glass objects, which can now be seen in Worthing Museum

Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

Worthing Museum and Art Gallery is in the centre of Worthing near the grade II* listed St Paul's and is the largest museum in West Sussex. It celebrated its centenary in 2008.-Collections & Displays:...

. This cemetery was discovered by accident in the 1890s when local landowner Edwin Henty undertook tree planting inside the hillfort. His workmen had unfortunately discarded or stolen much material before a full excavation could begin.

Excavations continued for the next 2 seasons under guidance from Charles Hercules Read, the Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries at the time. 86 Anglo-Saxon graves were uncovered between 1893 and 1894 and the contents of all of these grave cuts were listed and several of them drawn. A plan of the cemetery was never drawn up. At the time, several skeletons were left in their graves whilst others were uncovered, meaning that a lot of bones and artefacts were passed around various local museums and a lot of these have since been lost.

18th century

In the 18th century, the miller John Oliver had his tomb built on the hill 27 years before his death in 1793. It is said that he was in fact the leader of local smugglers and used the tomb to store contraband. He would set the sails of his windmill at different angles to indicate the absence of customs men to his followers out at sea. The remains of the mill can still be seen on the west side of the hill. Local legend has it that a runaway millstone from this mill is the source of the name Roundstone for the farm at the foot of the hill, which was subsequently used for the nearby pub and prominent garden centre

Garden centre

A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business. It is open to the public, with facilities to care for and display plants.- UK :...

.

20th century

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 a radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

 station was built on the hill and considerable damage was done to the archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 during its construction. Further damage was done as trees were uprooted following the Great Storm of 1987

Great Storm of 1987

The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...

 leading to a rescue dig in 1988.

Highdown Hill today

Highdown Gardens

Highdown Gardens

Highdown Gardens is a garden on the western edge of the town of Worthing, close to the village of Ferring and the National Trust archaeological site Highdown Hill in West Sussex, England. Overlooking the sea from the South Downs the gardens contain a collection of rare plants and trees,...

 lie in a former chalk pit below the hill. Highdown Vineyard is a working vineyard producing English Wines on the southern slope of the hill. Roundstone is the name associated with a farm, pub and several local businesses below Highdown Hill. Based on local legend, the name derives from a runaway millstone from the mill on the hill.