Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWhitsbury hillfort

Whitsbury hillfort

England
List entry 1020316
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020316
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
12.31 hectares
Grid reference
SU 12782 19668
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Whitsbury is a hillfort located in Wiltshire, England, situated on the chalk downlands of the region. The site is defined by substantial defensive earthworks comprising a single bank and ditch arrangement, characteristic of Iron Age fortifications. The hillfort dates to the Iron Age period and occupies a commanding position typical of contemporary hillforts in southern England. The precise chronology and full extent of occupation at Whitsbury remain subjects for archaeological investigation, though its defensive architecture reflects the strategic settlement patterns of Iron Age communities in Wessex.

Whitsbury hillfort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020316. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Whitsbury hillfort?

Whitsbury is a hillfort located in Wiltshire, England, situated on the chalk downlands of the region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020316.

Who is responsible for protecting Whitsbury hillfort?

Whitsbury hillfort 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 1020316.

What other scheduled monuments are near Whitsbury hillfort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow in Plumley Wood, 630m east of decoy pond, on Cranborne Common (9.1 km), Bowl barrow on Pistle Down, 800m north east of Burrows Farm (9.5 km), Oval barrow on Pistle Down, 1010m north east of Stephen's Castle (9.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Whitsbury hillfort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Whitsbury hillfort'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 Whitsbury hillfort

Whitsbury hillfort stands on Lambeth Group, bedrock that formed in the Paleocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.