White Meldon facts for kids
Part of a rampart on the north-east side of the summit
|
|
 Location in Scottish Borders
|
|
| Location | Near Lyne, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°40′22″N 3°14′34″W / 55.67278°N 3.24278°W |
| Altitude | 427 m (1,401 ft) |
| Type | Hillfort |
| History | |
| Periods | Iron Age |
| Reference no. | SM114 |
White Meldon is an ancient hillfort located in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It's a special historic site near the village of Lyne, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Peebles. This site is protected as a Scheduled Monument, meaning it's an important place from the past.
Another hillfort, on the nearby Black Meldon hill, is about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west. It sits across the Meldon Burn, a small stream.
Contents
What is White Meldon?
White Meldon is a large hill that stands 427 meters (1,401 feet) tall. From its top, you can look down over the Meldon Burn valley to the west. This hill was once home to an ancient fort, built long ago in the Iron Age.
Defenses of the Fort
The fort at White Meldon had four main lines of defense, like giant rings around the top of the hill. These were built to protect the people living inside.
- The two innermost defense lines were not fully completed.
- The third line was a continuous wall, though it is now mostly in ruins. This wall was about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide. It measured about 260 meters (853 feet) from north to south and 167 meters (548 feet) from west to east. This large area, about 2.9 hectares (7.2 acres), was where people lived.
- There are also small parts of an outermost wall, which might not have been finished.
Historians think the fort might have been built in different stages, starting from the center and expanding outwards. However, the exact order of how it was built is still a bit of a mystery!
Homes Inside the Fort
Inside the main fort area, archaeologists have found signs of at least 29 round-houses. These were circular homes where people lived during the Iron Age. You can still see some of their well-defined platforms, which are like the flat bases where the houses once stood.
Other Ancient Sites Nearby
At the bottom of White Meldon's western side, there's another ancient fortified area. It's an oval-shaped enclosure, about 68 meters (223 feet) long and 52 meters (171 feet) wide. It has a single wall that is up to 2.1 meters (6.9 feet) high. Later, another settlement was built inside this enclosure, using parts of the older wall. This site is also a protected monument.
Further up the north-western slope of the hill, there's a group of nine more house platforms. These platforms are between 11 and 18 meters (36 and 59 feet) across. This group of ancient homes is also a protected historic site.
