Yarnbury Castle

Yarnbury Castle stands on a low hill near Steeple Langford in Wiltshire. It is an Iron Age hillfort with three ramparts and deep ditches, built in stages from about 300 BC. The site covers 11.5 hectares and once held around 130 structures, including round houses and storage pits. Archaeologists found Iron Age and Roman coins, pottery, and human remains here. The hillfort was given legal protection as a scheduled monument in 1925. The earthworks rise up to 3.5 metres high and stretch about 17 metres wide. The main entrance lies on the eastern side, with a smaller one to the north. Inside, large compounds contain the remains of circular buildings up to 15 metres across. Romano-British finds show the site remained in use into the 2nd century AD. Nearby sheep folds date from the 19th century, when Winterbourne Stoke held an annual fair on the land. Yarnbury Castle sits on chalk grassland rich in wildflowers and rare plants. Sixteen kinds of grass grow here, along with orchids and chalk-loving herbs. Butterflies like the marsh fritillary flutter over the slopes, while skylarks and grey partridges nest in the turf. The site is quiet now, but once a year it echoed with sheep bells and horse trading. The old fair is gone, yet the hill still guards its ancient past.