Scheduled MonumentsEnglandKidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

England
List entry 1019961
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1019961
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.4 hectares
Grid reference
TL 96972 21445
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Kidman's Dyke is a linear earthwork located in Walk Wood near Colchester, Essex, forming part of the defensive circuit of Camulodunum, one of Britain's most significant Iron Age oppida. The dyke comprises a substantial bank and ditch system that dates to the late Iron Age, likely constructed during the 1st century BC as part of the territorial fortifications protecting this major settlement and trading centre. The earthwork represents the physical infrastructure of pre-Roman Britain's most prominent urban and political centre, which later became the site of the Roman town of Colchester following the conquest of AD 43. Kidman's Dyke survives as an important archaeological monument demonstrating the engineering capabilities and settlement organisation of Iron Age communities in south-eastern Britain.

Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019961. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Kidman's Dyke is a linear earthwork located in Walk Wood near Colchester, Essex, forming part of the defensive circuit of Camulodunum, one of Britain's most significant Iron Age oppida. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1019961.

Who is responsible for protecting Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum 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 1019961.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Remains of St Mary's Church (2.1 km), Tumulus NW of East Donyland Hall (5.6 km), Great Wigborough henge (7.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

ColchesterRoman town · ~2.9 milesBattle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~11.6 miles