Scheduled Monuments›England›Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head

Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head

England
List entry 1014523
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1014523
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.6 hectares
Grid reference
TV 49473 97858
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Seaford Head Hillfort is a prehistoric fortified settlement located on the East Sussex coast near Seaford. The site comprises an Iron Age hillfort with associated Bronze Age bowl barrow, demonstrating occupation and use across multiple prehistoric periods. The hillfort is defined by defensive earthworks including a substantial ditch and bank system that exploits the prominent headland position for strategic advantage. The monument reflects the settlement patterns and territorial organisation of Iron Age communities in south-eastern England, whilst the bowl barrow indicates earlier Bronze Age ritual and burial practices on this commanding coastal location.

Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014523. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head?

Seaford Head Hillfort is a prehistoric fortified settlement located on the East Sussex coast near Seaford. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014523.

Who is responsible for protecting Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head?

Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head 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 1014523.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Martello tower no 74 on Seaford Esplanade (1.3 km), Medieval crypt, Church Street (1.7 km), Napoleonic Barracks 480m south-west of Foxhole Farm, Cuckmere Haven (2.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head'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.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Martello tower no 74 on Seaford Esplanade
1.3 km
Medieval crypt, Church Street
1.7 km
Napoleonic Barracks 480m south-west of Foxhole Farm, Cuckmere Haven
2.5 km
Remains of Exceat parish church: part of the former medieval settlement of Exceat, 690m south south west of Westdean Manor
3 km
Oval barrow 200m north east of Exceat Park Centre
3.1 km
Bowl barrow at Newbarn Bottom, 450m east of Foxhole
3.1 km
Remains of a medieval manor house and associated dovecote 130m and 110m north west of Westdean Manor
3.4 km
Bowl barrow north of Charleston Bottom, 1100m south east of Chamber's Court
4.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head

Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Hillfort and a bowl barrow on Seaford Head

Battle of Lewes 1264Battle (1264) · ~10.4 milesBattle of Hastings 1066Battle (1066) · ~19.1 miles
Domesday entry for Bishopstone, Sussex →
All Scheduled Monuments