Horse Cliff Camp

Iron Age Hillfort

Horse Cliff Camp is an Iron Age defended enclosure located on a narrow coastal promontory above the sea. It is believed to date back to the period between 800 BC and AD 43. The promontory is aligned east-west and is characterized by steep cliffs on the west and south sides, reaching heights of up to 60 meters. The defended area is approximately 65 meters long and varies in width from 18 meters to about 40 meters, enclosing an area of around 0.4 hectares.

The defenses of Horse Cliff Camp consist of a single bank made of limestone rubble, which runs in a curve convex to the east. The bank is grass-grown and measures 5.5-6.5 meters in width and about 0.5 meters in height internally, while externally it reaches nearly 2 meters in height. The inner scarp of the bank has a stepped appearance, which may suggest the presence of a rampart walk, although similar features at another site called the Knave (Gm 128) are likely the result of stone-robbing.

The northern side of the bank is eroded, but its curve can be traced to the cliff edge. On the southern side, the bank ends abruptly about 5 meters short of the cliff edge, indicating the presence of an entrance. The termination of the bank is inturned, and there is a suggestion of a guard-chamber within the turn, indicating possible defensive features.

The ditch associated with the defenses of Horse Cliff Camp is only preserved at the southern end, where it appears to have been fairly wide (5 meters) and shallow. Quarry hollows have destroyed the ditch in other areas. There are no signs of structures within the interior of the site.

Sites near Horse Cliff Camp