British Camp

British Camp Hillfort or Herefordshire Beacon Hillfort

A very large and impressive hillfort with excellent views over the surrounding country and a good network of footpaths to explore.

Extract from Record of Scheduled Monuments

This monument includes the remains of a large univallate hillfort, a medieval ringwork, bailey and pillow mound situated in a commanding position on the Beacon and Millennium Hills, west of the River Severn. The monument survives as the visible earthworks and buried features of an irregular elongated enclosure encompassing the top of two hills that is orientated north to south, approximately 870m long and up to 270m wide tapering near the centre. The enclosure is denoted by a bank up to 3m high with an associated external quarry ditch up to 21m wide with four inturned entrance gaps on the east, west, south and north eastern sides. About 120 hut circles have been identified within the hillfort and these are between 4.5m and 12m in diameter. Within the northern half of the enclosure is a sub circular ringwork measuring approximately 225m in diameter defined by a scarped mound, rampart and surrounding ditch. The ringwork has entrance gaps on the south western and northern sides. The south western entrance was the site of the main gate and is denoted by two mounds that flank the gap. A bailey is located to the east of the ringwork and is denoted by a bank and ditch. The pillow mound is situated to the south of the fort and survives as a sub-rectangular mound measuring 25m long by 7m wide with external ditches on the south, east and western sides.

Excavations have revealed Iron Age and Roman pottery in the outer ditch of the hillfort and medieval structures from within the ringwork and bailey. A 10th century golden coronet inlaid with precious stones was found at the northern edge of the fort. The site is known as both Herefordshire Beacon Camp and British Camp and the ringwork is known as The Citadel. Further archaeological features survive in the vicinity of the monument, but are not currently protected because they have not been formally assessed. The Shire Ditch abuts the hillfort on the south eastern side and is protected separately as scheduled monument 1003812 (HE244).

British Camp is in Malvern Hills AONB, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Created: 27  November  2016  Edited: 29  November  2023