Old Oswestry
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Old Oswestry is a hill fort from the Early Iron Age in the Welsh Marches in the market Oswestry in the northwest of the English county of Shropshire . According to Dr. Rachel Pope from the University of Liverpool as the " Stonehenge of the Iron Age". According to English Heritage , Old Oswestry is one of the best preserved hill fortes in the UK. It was built in the lowlands, is easily accessible and offers an impressive panoramic view of north Wales and the English counties of Cheshire and Shropshire. The castle is now managed by English Heritage and is a Scheduled Monument . After the hill fort was abandoned, it was integrated into Wat's Dyke , of which two sections connect to the castle.
Wall castle from the Iron Age
It was occupied by the Kornen tribe or the Ordivice tribe between the 8th century BC and the Roman conquest of Britain .
Different construction phases
The complexity of the defense facilities indicates different stages of development. Originally there were some unspecified round huts on the site. An area of 52,000 m² was then fenced in with a double wall with a moat. Entrances were then created to the east and west by opening the inner rampart there and bending the ends inward to create a more impressive gateway. These defenses were later renewed and the fort was given a third wall on all sides with the exception of the south-east side, on which a steep slope made further fortifications unnecessary. The western entrance was then rebuilt with unusual, rectangular gutters separated by ridges and protected with external works . Finally, two more ramparts and ditches were built around the facility and a flanking rampart was created at the east entrance.
Although Old Oswestry was one of the most heavily defended hill fortifications in Britain, there is no evidence that Roman legions ever tried to besiege it.
During the First World War , the Wallburg served as a training ground for Canadian troops . Many of the large pits and trenches that can be seen in aerial photographs are from these military activities.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d History of Old Oswestry Hill Fort . English Heritage.
- ↑ OLD OSWESTRY HILLFORT . Historic England.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 52 '21.8 " N , 3 ° 2' 55.9" W.