Whitsbury Castle, or Whitsbury Castle Ditches, is the site of an Iron Ageunivallate hillfort located near the village of Whitsbury in Hampshire. The fort is roughly pear-shaped, located on a chalk outcrop, and covering approximately sixteen acres. The defenses comprise two large ramparts with outer ditches and an additional counter scarp bank on the northern half.[1] The original entrance was at the southwestern corner but has been destroyed by the construction of a post-medieval manor house. The site has been in use throughout the ages, with excavation revealing mesolithic activity, an association with a Bronze Age ranch boundary, an Iron Age hillfort settlement, followed much later by Anglo-Saxon renovation and reuse of the defences.[2] The site is privately owned but is flanked externally on all sides but east by public bridleways.
The site was designated a scheduled monument in 1925,[3] giving it protection and recognition as a nationally important archaeological site.[4]
Location
The site is located at grid referenceSU127196, and to the north of the village of Whitsbury, in the county of Hampshire. The site lies at a level of 115m to 120 AOD.
