Membury Camp

Membury Camp is an Iron Age hill fort on a small plateau near Lambourn, split between Wiltshire and Berkshire. The earthworks form a circle of 390 m by 490 m enclosed by a single ditch and bank. Inside, most of the 14-hectare site is farmland, while the Berkshire quarter is covered by Walls Copse. The southern and western slopes drop steeply, giving a natural defence, and the eastern side was partly cut through by the wartime airfield RAF Membury. Several gaps appear in the banks, one likely an original entrance though now overgrown and damaged. The camp has never been excavated, yet prehistoric finds have been made nearby. Mesolithic flint artefacts and Neolithic tools have been recognised, along with pottery collections in 1977, 1980 and 1987. A possible hut circle shows as a cropmark at the southern end. The site is scheduled as an ancient monument and lies close to the M4 motorway and Membury services. A public footpath crosses the fort, and bridleways run along the east and south sides. The motorway runs immediately north and northeast, while the airfield remains just beyond the earthworks. Visitors walk through the wooded sections and open fields, following the old ramparts and spotting the surviving entrance. The contrast between the quiet farmland inside and the busy motorway nearby makes the place striking.