Scheduled Monuments›England›Promontory fort on Seaton Down

Promontory fort on Seaton Down

England
List entry 1017776
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017776
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.98 hectares
Grid reference
SY 23440 91882
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Promontory Fort on Seaton Down is a prehistoric hillfort located on the Devon coast near Seaton in East Devon. The fort occupies a naturally defensive promontory position overlooking the English Channel, utilising the steep coastal cliffs as natural defences on three sides whilst a substantial defensive bank and ditch cross the narrow landward approach. It dates to the Iron Age period, typical of the widespread hillfort construction across southwestern England during this era. The site represents an important example of coastal fortification strategy, combining topographic advantage with constructed earthwork defences characteristic of late prehistoric settlement and territorial control in Devon.

Promontory fort on Seaton Down is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017776. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Promontory fort on Seaton Down?

Promontory Fort on Seaton Down is a prehistoric hillfort located on the Devon coast near Seaton in East Devon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017776.

Who is responsible for protecting Promontory fort on Seaton Down?

Promontory fort on Seaton Down 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 1017776.

What other scheduled monuments are near Promontory fort on Seaton Down?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman and earlier settlement at Honeyditches (1 km), The Axe Boat, 22m north of the Axmouth Road Bridge (2.6 km), Axmouth Bridge (2.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Promontory fort on Seaton Down

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Promontory fort on Seaton Down'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

Roman and earlier settlement at Honeyditches
1 km
The Axe Boat, 22m north of the Axmouth Road Bridge
2.6 km
Axmouth Bridge
2.6 km
Hawkesdown Camp and associated outwork
3.1 km
Bowl barrow at Bovey Fir Cross, 500m south of Bovey House
3.3 km
Cross ridge dyke extending north and south of The Three Horse Shoes Inn
4.6 km
Blackbury Castle hillfort
4.8 km
Musbury Castle
5.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Promontory fort on Seaton Down

Promontory fort on Seaton Down stands on Gault Formation And Upper Greensand Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.

The wider landscape

Around Promontory fort on Seaton Down

ExeterRoman town · ~19.5 miles
Domesday entry for Gatcombe, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments