Uffington Castle

Uffington is best known for its White Horse the earliest known hillside feature in Britain, which is very near to the castle.

Uffington Castle was first thought to have been built in 7th or 8th century BC, a large area surrounded by two banks separated by a ditch. Originally this was a smaller box shaped bank in front with a larger inner one, held up and topped with a wooden fence. Later the inner higher one was topped with Sarsen stones. Like other earthwork castles, and henges, today we have to imagine it twice as high with ditches, twice as deep, and with more sheer sides with slippery screed, rather than easy to climb grass banks.

It is thought, from excavations, to have been occupied throughout the Iron Age. The Romans are thought to have used it, with some Roman period remains found in the top level of the ditch screed.  The ramparts were remodelled to provide more entrances and a shrine seems to have been built in the early 4th century AD.

There is no evidence of buildings within the castle/fort, but there is evidence of isolated wooden post holes, finds of pottery, loom weights and animal bone suggest that it was used for more than defensive purposes.

A good description and the history of the fort can be found on the Royal Berkshire History website at:   www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/uffington_castle_hillfort.html

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Location: Uffington Castle, Oxfordshire Grid Reference: SU299864 Ceremonial County: Oxfordshire Map Link: StreetMap Aerial photo:  Google Getting there:  Signposted off the A420 Swindon to Oxford road, next to the B4507 between Ashbury and Wantage. 9 miles from J15 and 15 miles from J14 on the M4. Car park (NT) OS: SU293865, pay & display (NT members free). Access: From car park, or from Ridgeway path Website: English Heritage       National Trust Other Useful Websites:  Wikipedia        Pegasusarchive         Berkshirehistory Email: Address: Postcode: Telephone: Opening Times: Always Open Charges: None Nearby Locations: Uffington White Horse          Wayland Smithy Other Location Pages: Ridgeway Path     Other Relevant Pages: Notes:  Site owned and managed by the National Trust. Car park with pay and display. Right of way from The Ridgeway.

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By: Keith Park	Section: Heritage	Key:
Page Ref: Ufington_castle	Topic: Earthworks and Hill Forts	Last Updated: 01/2012

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