Woodbury Castle
Encyclopedia
Woodbury Castle is an Iron Age
hill fort
near the village of Woodbury
in the English
county of Devon
, some eight miles southeast of the city of Exeter
.
The fort is situated on a high point of Woodbury Common
, at approximately 185 metres (607 ft) above sea level, in a commanding position with views up and down the Exe
Estuary and across Lyme Bay
in both directions. The structure is a prehistoric military type of earthwork
.
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...
near the village of Woodbury
Woodbury, Devon
Woodbury is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon, south east of the city of Exeter. It is a commuter village and is primarily residential, since the majority of the workforce commute to Exeter. It has a population of 3,466....
in the English
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...
county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, some eight miles southeast of the city of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
.
The fort is situated on a high point of Woodbury Common
Woodbury Common, Devon
Woodbury Common in East Devon is an area of common land that is predominantly heathland adjacent to the village of Woodbury, Devon.Within the common is Woodbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort situated on a viewpoint overlooking westwards the villages of Woodbury and Woodbury Salterton and across the...
, at approximately 185 metres (607 ft) above sea level, in a commanding position with views up and down the Exe
River Exe
The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon...
Estuary and across Lyme Bay
Lyme Bay
Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay,-Geology:...
in both directions. The structure is a prehistoric military type of earthwork
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...
.