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Grovely Castle facts for kids

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Grovely Castle
Grovely Castle - panoramio.jpg
Grovely Castle is located in Wiltshire
Grovely Castle
Location in Wiltshire
Location Wiltshire
Region Southern England
Coordinates 51°07′16″N 1°55′55″W / 51.1211°N 1.932°W / 51.1211; -1.932
Type possible hill fort
Area 13 acres (5.3 ha)
History
Periods Iron Age
Site notes
Archaeologists P.F.Ewence
Grinsell

Grovely Castle is an amazing ancient site located in Wiltshire, England. It's thought to be an Iron Age hill fort, which was like a fortified village or town built on a hill. People lived here a very long time ago, during the Iron Age. This was a period in history when people started using iron to make tools and weapons.

The remains of the old walls, called ramparts, still stand about 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) high. There are also ditches around them that are about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) deep. Even though farming has caused some damage over the years, you can still see these impressive earthworks. During digs, archaeologists found the skeletons of five people inside the old walls. The hill fort had entrances in its southwest and northeast corners.

From pictures taken from above, you can see a round area inside the fort, about 35 to 40 meters (115 to 131 feet) across. There's also a later bank and ditch that cuts through the hill fort from southwest to northeast. This is probably part of a much larger system of fields used by the Celts, an ancient group of people who lived in Europe.

Discovering the Hill Fort's Location

This historic site is found at 51°07′16″N 1°55′55″W / 51.1211°N 1.932°W / 51.1211; -1.932. It's just south of the small village of Little Langford. The highest point of the site is about 156 meters (512 feet) above sea level. This means it sits quite high up, giving a good view of the surrounding area.

Nearby Ancient Sites and Nature

Close to Grovely Castle, you can find other interesting places. To the east, there's another Iron Age site called Ebsbury. To the south, you'll find Grovely Wood, which is the biggest forest in all of Wiltshire. Imagine what it must have been like to live in this area thousands of years ago, surrounded by forests and other ancient communities!

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