Large multivallate hillfort on St George's Hill

Reasons for Designation

Large multivallate hillforts are defined as fortified enclosures of between 5ha and 85ha in area, located on hills and defined by two or more lines of concentric earthworks set at intervals of up to 15m. They date to the Iron Age period, most having been constructed and used between the sixth century BC and the mid-first century AD. They are generally regarded as centres of permanent occupation, defended in response to increasing warfare, a reflection of the power struggle between competing elites. Earthworks usually consist of a rampart and ditch, although some only have ramparts. Access to the interior is generally provided by two entrances although examples with one and more than two have been noted. These may comprise a single gap in the rampart, inturned or offset ramparts, oblique approaches, guardrooms or outworks. Internal features generally include evidence for intensive occupation, often in the form of oval or circular houses. These display variations in size and are often clustered, for example, along streets. Four- and six-post structures, interpreted as raised granaries, also occur widely while a few sites appear to contain evidence for temples. Other features associated with settlement include platforms, paved areas, pits, gullies, fencelines, hearths and ovens. Additional evidence, in the form of artefacts, suggests that industrial activity such as bronze- and iron-working as well as pottery manufacture occurred on many sites. Large multivallate hillforts are rare with around 50 examples recorded nationally. These occur mostly in two concentrations, in Wessex and the Welsh Marches, although scattered examples occur elsewhere. In view of the rarity of large multivallate hillforts and their importance in understanding the nature of social organisation within the Iron Age period, all examples with surviving archaeological potential are believed to be of national importance.

Despite some disturbance caused by the construction of houses, the large multivallate hillfort on St George's Hill survives comparatively well with extensive parts of the interior remaining largely undisturbed. The monument is of an unusual form and rare in the south east of England in having an additional defended area. Partial excavation has demonstrated that the monument contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to its construction, its inhabitants, their economy and the nature of the landscape in which they lived.

Details

The monument includes a large multivallate hillfort of Iron Age date, situated on the crest of a hill on the Bagshot gravels which overlooks the valleys of the Thames, Wey and Mole rivers. The earthwork ramparts, which enclose an area of the hilltop of c.5.5ha, follow the 75m contour and generally take the form of an inner bank with an external ditch and outer counterscarp bank. To the west, however, the ramparts were constructed with three banks and two ditches across an area of the hilltop which was more vulnerable to attack. To the north east an additional D-shaped rampart encloses an area in which a stream formerly ran, protecting the water source. This was also constructed as an additional defence for an entrance way into the main enclosure. The inner bank of the main rampart survives up to 10m wide and 2.2m high. The surrounding ditch, which has become partially infilled over the years, measures between 4m and 7m wide and is up to 4m below the crest of the inner bank. In places the erosion of the rampart has caused the ditch to become completely infilled. Here it survives as a buried feature, visible as a terrace, between 2.5m and 3.5m below the level of the hilltop. Beyond the ditch is the counterscarp bank which survives to 1m in height and 10m wide. The additional defences to the west include a second, internal ditch, now completely infilled and surviving as a buried feature c.3m wide, with an inner bank, up to 0.3m high and 7m wide. The ditch of the main rampart has also become infilled in this area and survives as a buried feature, with an additional external earthwork bank beyond it, up to 2.2m high and 12m wide. Two sections of this, to the north and south of Camp End Road, survive to 35m and 32m long respectively. The rampart surrounding the D-shaped earthwork has an inner bank up to 1.8m high and between 5m and 8m wide. The outer ditch survives up to 7m wide and 2m deep. The entrance way is a gap in the inner rampart with the terminals of the bank increased in height and width. A short section of bank, 7m wide, 0.3m high and 30m long, runs into the interior from the northern terminal at right angles to the main rampart. Aligned with this, running out from the D-shaped addition, is a length of bank 7.5m wide and 0.9m high with a ditch to the north 6m wide and 0.3m deep; both are 45m long. These follow the line of an ancient trackway. Previously considered to be a Roman camp, an investigation in 1911 recognised the site as an Iron Age defended enclosure, pre-dating Caesar's invasion. A short time after this work, during the building of houses in the south west of the monument, Early and Late Iron Age pottery was found, as well as iron slag, a by-product of iron smelting. A small area of the defences was excavated in 1981 demonstrating that there had been two phases of construction: the first relating to the original construction of the main enclosure, with the second possibly occurring at the same time as the addition of the D-shaped rampart. Excluded from the scheduling are all houses and modern structures, but the ground beneath all these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

23001

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Gardner, E, The British Stronghold of St George's Hill, Weybridge, (1911)
Manning, , Bray, , The History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey, (1804), 581
Bird, D G, Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin in Note, Vol. 100, (1973)
Lowther A W G, , Surrey Archaeological Collections in Surrey Archaeological Collections, Vol. 51, (1950), 144-7
Poulton, R, O'Connell, M, Surrey Archaeological Collection in St George's Hill Fort: Excavations in 1981, Vol. 83, (1982)

Other
Chadburn, A,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.