Wilbury Hill Camp facts for kids

Wilbury Hill Camp is an ancient hill fort located southwest of Letchworth in Hertfordshire, England. It was first built a very long time ago, around 700 BC, during the late Bronze Age. This special place is one of six similar hill forts found along the northern Chiltern Hills. Today, it is protected as a scheduled ancient monument, which means it's an important historical site.

Wilbury Hill Camp: An Ancient Fort

What is a Hill Fort?

A hill fort is a type of ancient fortress built on top of a hill. People in the past, like those in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, built these forts for protection. They would dig ditches and build up earth banks to create strong walls around their settlements. Wilbury Hill Camp has two circular defenses, which are like two big rings made of banks and ditches.

A Look Back in Time: The Bronze Age

Wilbury Hill Camp was first created around 700 BC. This was during the late Bronze Age. At that time, people built two circular defenses. These were made of single banks of earth and ditches outside them. Today, you can't easily see these on the ground. But special aerial photography has shown their shapes. This is because the buried ditches and banks create different cropmarks in fields. These marks have been seen from the air since the 1950s.

Changes in the Iron Age

Later, during the Middle Iron Age, around 400 BC, the fort was made even stronger. People built more substantial banks. This shows that the site was important for a long time. It was likely used by different groups of people.

Roman Discoveries

Many Roman coins were found at Wilbury Hill Camp. These coins were collected in the mid-1800s. A local person interested in old things, named William Ransome, found them. This happened when the northern part of the fort was dug up. The earth was used for railway ballast, which helps hold train tracks in place. Some of these Roman coins are now on display. You can see them at the Letchworth Museum.

Protecting History: Scheduled Monument

Wilbury Hill Camp is a scheduled ancient monument. This means it is a nationally important archaeological site. The government protects it by law. This helps make sure that the site and its history are preserved for future generations. It's important that we protect these ancient places. They help us learn about how people lived long ago.