Scheduled Monuments›England›Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon

Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon

England
List entry 1015340
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1015340
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.58 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 33147 13033
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Ditchling Beacon is a hillfort of Iron Age date situated on the South Downs in East Sussex. The site is defined by substantial defensive earthworks comprising a single rampart and ditch that enclose an irregular polygonal area on the high ground of the beacon. The beacon structure itself, a later addition of post-medieval date, represents the repurposing of the hillfort location for maritime signalling purposes. A dewpond, a shallow artificial water storage feature characteristic of downland management, also survives on the site, reflecting the continued agricultural use of the defended enclosure in later periods.

Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015340. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon?

Ditchling Beacon is a hillfort of Iron Age date situated on the South Downs in East Sussex. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015340.

Who is responsible for protecting Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon?

Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1015340.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hillfort, the possible remains of a Romano-Celtic temple and a group of three bowl barrows at Hollingbury (5.2 km), Linear earthwork S of village (6 km), Medieval enclosure W of Newmarket Plantation (6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Hillfort, the possible remains of a Romano-Celtic temple and a group of three bowl barrows at Hollingbury
5.2 km
Linear earthwork S of village
6 km
Medieval enclosure W of Newmarket Plantation
6 km
A cross-ridge dyke and part of an adjoining cross-ridge dyke meeting at Juggs Road near Falmer Bottom
6.8 km
Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon barrow cemeteries south of Juggs Road
7 km
Bowl barrow south of Newmarket Bottom
7.3 km
Bowl barrow 670m south west of Saxondown Farm: part of a round barrow cemetery
7.5 km
Bowl barrow 640m SSW of Saxondown Farm: part of a round barrow cemetery
7.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon

Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon

Battle of Lewes 1264Battle (1264) · ~4.2 miles
Domesday entry for Westmeston, Sussex →
All Scheduled Monuments