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Midsummer Hill is situated in the range of 
The rampart and ditch were built around 390 BC and it is thought that the settlement was occupied by 1500 people until it was destroyed by fire in AD 48.
Midsummer Hill Camp Monument DetailAerial view of Midsummer Hill
Marilyns of England Hills of Worcestershire Malvern Hills Hill forts in Herefordshire Former populated places in Herefordshire {{Herefordshire-struct-stub
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit aff ...
that runs approximately north-south along the Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...
-Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
border. It lies to the south of Herefordshire Beacon
The Herefordshire Beacon is one of the highest peaks of the Malvern Hills, and is high enough to be classified as a mountain. It is surrounded by a British Iron Age hill fort earthwork known as British Camp. The fort subsequently had a ringwor ...
with views to Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle, Eastnor, Herefordshire, is a 19th-century mock castle. Eastnor was built for John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers, who employed Robert Smirke, later the main architect of the British Museum. The castle was built between 1811 and 1820. ...
.
It has an elevation of .
To the north is Swinyard Hill.
It is the site of an Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
which spans Midsummer Hill and Hollybush Hill. The hillfort is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
and is owned by Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
. It can be accessed via a footpath which leads south from the car park at British Camp on the A449 or a footpath which heads north from the car park in Hollybush on the A438.
Midsummer Hill Camp
The hillfort is very unusual in that the ramparts enclose two hills and the intervening valley. Bowden speculates that the spring within the valley "enhance the position of the hillfort as a site of symbolic value".
The rampart and ditch were built around 390 BC and it is thought that the settlement was occupied by 1500 people until it was destroyed by fire in AD 48.
Midsummer Hill in cultural life
In ''The Ley Hunter's Companion''Paul Devereux
Paul Devereux (born 1945) is a British author, researcher, lecturer, broadcaster, artist and photographer based in the UK. Devereux is a co-founder and the managing editor of the academic publication ''Time & Mind – the Journal of Archaeology, C ...
theorised that a 10-mile alignment he called the "Malvern Ley" passed through St Ann's Well, the Wyche Cutting, a section of the Shire Ditch, Midsummer Hill, Whiteleaved Oak, Redmarley D'Abitot and Pauntley.
References
Further reading
* * *External links
Midsummer Hill Camp Monument Detail
Marilyns of England Hills of Worcestershire Malvern Hills Hill forts in Herefordshire Former populated places in Herefordshire {{Herefordshire-struct-stub