Berry Mound facts for kids

Berry Mound is an ancient hill fort from the Iron Age. It is located in Worcestershire, England, close to Shirley, West Midlands. Experts believe it was built a very long time ago, possibly between 200 and 100 years before the year 0!

Discovering Berry Mound

Berry Mound is a special kind of ancient fort built on a hill. It was created by people during the Iron Age, a time when tools and weapons were made from iron. This fort covers about 11 acres, which is like the size of 11 football fields! It measures about 450 feet from north to south and 200 feet from east to west.

The Fort's Strong Defenses

To protect the people inside, Berry Mound was surrounded by a huge earth wall, called a rampart, which was about 24 feet wide.

Around the rampart, there were deep ditches:

• On the north side, there was a V-shaped ditch about 15 feet wide and 6 feet deep.
• On the south side, another ditch was 22 feet wide and 7 feet deep.

Some people in the past thought there were even more walls and ditches, but we can't see them today.

How to Enter the Fort

The main way to get into Berry Mound was through an entrance on the east side. It's possible there was another entrance on the opposite side, just like other similar hill forts.

What We Learned from Digging

In 1959, archaeologists carefully dug up parts of Berry Mound. They found signs that the earth walls might have been strengthened with timber, which means wood was used to make them even stronger!

The History of Berry Mound

Berry Mound has had a few different names over time, like "Danes camp field" and "Danes bury field." The word "Berry" or "Bury" comes from an old English word, "Burgh," which means a defensive place or a fort. This shows that even early English people knew it was a place of protection.

There are old local stories that say King Alfred once fought battles with the Danes right here at Berry Mound! Interestingly, when people dug at the site, they found clues that the fort was made stronger again at a later time. This could fit with the old stories about King Alfred and the Danes.

Nature Around Berry Mound

Not far from Berry Mound, there's a special natural area called Berry Mound Pastures. It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which means it's protected because it has important plants and animals. This area is about 29 acres of fields where horses graze and beautiful meadows.

It became a protected site in 1994 because of its amazing variety of natural grasslands. You can also find a small stream and a pond there, along with many different kinds of plants and animals. It's a great place to see nature!

Images for kids

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  Defensive ditch