Famously called Liddington Camp, it is a late Bronze Age hillfort, established in Wiltshire. The castle overlooks an area of 7.4 acres, roughly, and has a defensive ditch with two entrances, one on the eastern side and the other at its western corner, the latter was blocked off by lining it with sarsen stones. It is thought to be the site where King Arthur defeated the Saxon invaders.

Liddington Castle’s construction is divided into four different stages, starting from as early as 7-500 B.C. At that time, a soil rampart was dug, with a wooden palisade. Years later, chalk blocks were also added to increase the height. The pieces of pottery suggest that it was occupied by Romans at some point during its life.

Between 1896 and 1900, the site was subjected to intensive flint mining, and archaeologist A. D. Passmore took charge of collecting all human artifacts uncovered during this process. Later, in 1914, he wrote an account of these discoveries in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine and submitted the artifacts to Ashmolean Museum.

In 1976, an excavation took place, under the sponsorship of Lamar University and the University of Birmingham, ending with a shaking discovery of at least four fragments of human bone. Not just that, presence of portal gateways and internal features such as stone round houses, storage pits, postholes, gullies, and a large building with six posts were also uncovered.

The fort itself is 275 meters above sea level and is perhaps the highest point in the Borough of Swindon. In the Second World War, its height was strategically used as a bombing decoy, as a burning town or city. A commanding bunker is still present at about 1 kilometer from this site.

Today it is part of the National Heritage and is a scheduled monument under the protection of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act. It is not just an archeological wonder but also, a great place for history enthusiasts as well as nature lovers, who will surely enjoy the peace and quiet around the castle.

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TIMINGS:

It is open at all hours, throughout the week.

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Here’s a local business that supports the community!

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DIRECTIONS:

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goSimply Funerals Limited,

Regus House, Windmill Hill Business Park,

Swindon SN5 6QR, United Kingdom

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Make sure to check out this attraction as well!