Heiferlaw defended settlement and Second World War Zero Station, 100m north of Holywell

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Heiferlaw defended settlement and Second World War Zero Station is a complex monument sited approximately 100 metres north of Holywell in Northumberland, comprising two distinct phases of defensive construction spanning over two millennia. The earlier defended settlement dates to the Iron Age and represents a hillfort or enclosed settlement typical of the prehistoric period in northern Britain, whilst the later Zero Station was constructed during the Second World War as part of Britain's air defence infrastructure. The site's dual significance reflects both its strategic location and its successive use by occupants across different historical periods. The monument survives as earthwork remains and structural evidence of both phases, providing archaeological evidence of settlement and military installation practices separated by nearly two thousand years.

Heiferlaw defended settlement and Second World War Zero Station, 100m north of Holywell is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014080. View the official record →

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