Woolsbarrow Hillfort is a

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

Bloxworth Heath Bloxworth Heath is a four-square-mile area of heathland north of the town of Wareham, Dorset, Wareham in the county of Dorset, England. It is part of Wareham Forest.Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It dates to the period from the

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

to the

Early Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progr ...

(8th–5th centuries BC) and is classed as an

ancient monument An ancient monument can refer to any early or historical manmade structure or architecture. Certain ancient monuments are of cultural importance for nations and become symbols of international recognition, including the Baalbek, ruins of Baalbek ...

. Despite the hillfort only being at an altitude of it is said to "dominate the surrounding heathland."

Location

Woolsbarrow Hillfort is located in a clearing in the forests of

Bloxworth Heath Bloxworth Heath is a four-square-mile area of heathland north of the town of Wareham, Dorset, Wareham in the county of Dorset, England. It is part of Wareham Forest.Bere Regis Bere Regis () is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated north-west of Wareham. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 1,745. The village has one shop, a family-owned cheese barn, a post office, and two pub ...

, about to the west-northwest of the hillfort.''Woolsbarrow: Hillfort''
at www.themodernantiquarian.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016. The heath is a popular walking area and the site can be reached by

public footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide va ...

Description

Woolsbarrow is a slight

univallate hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late European Bronze Age and Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Roman period. The fortif ...

on a flat-topped

knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, ...

on the plateau of Bloxworth Heath, which separates the rivers Sherford to the east and Piddle to the west. The hillfort is marked by a single rampart about below the top of the gravel knoll and covers an area of around . The eastern part of the hillfort has been damaged by sand and gravel extraction, but much of it survives well and has the potential for further archaeological evidence to be uncovered. It is one of only about 150 slight univallate hillforts nationally and is of national importance.

References

External links

Hill forts in Dorset {{Dorset-geo-stub