Oldbury Camp: an Iron Age fort at Oldbury-on-Severn

Reasons for Designation

The site is one of a small and poorly understood group of hillforts peripheral to a major group situated in the Cotswolds. The site is important because of its unusual character, lowland setting and its excellent condition. It also has evidence for continued use into the Roman and Medieval periods, the plan of the medieval village being largely determined by the plan and extent of the hillfort.

Details

Oldbury Camp, also known as "The Toot", consists of a fort of probable Iron Age date (1500-50 BC) with a double bank and ditch on its north and east sides and a single bank to the west. At their highest, the inner and outer ramparts stand to a height of 1.9m and 1.5m respectively. The site occupies a strategic but low-lying prominence overlooking the Oldbury Pill some 200m to the north. Traces of the inner rampart have been noted to the south of the monument although these do not appear on the OS map. Instead the southern half of the site is fronted by a large earthwork platform c.150m x 75m in extent. This has been suggested as representing the remains of a wharf structure although it is more likely the result of later agricultural activity levelling the rampart in this area. The site continued in use beyond the Iron Age; a considerable number of Roman coins have been recovered while the layout of the medieval village was determined by the structure of the earlier fort. All modern buildings are excluded from the scheduling; however, with the exception of the ground beneath the new development south of Wisteria House, the ground beneath these buildings 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:

12005

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Witts, G B, Archaeology Handbook for Gloucestershire, (1883)
O'Neil, H, Trans Bristol Gloucs Archaeological Society in Trans Bristol Gloucs Archaeological Society, Vol. 93, (1974)

Other
OSAD, ST 69 SW 1, (1968)

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