Maiden Castle

Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort two and a half kilometres southwest of Dorchester in Dorset. It stands on a ridge above the South Winterborne valley, rising forty metres above countryside that lies ninety metres above sea level. The earliest traces are a Neolithic causewayed enclosure cut into the hilltop around 4000 BC. A long earthen bank barrow was added later, then the hill was farmed during the Bronze Age before being abandoned for centuries. The first hill fort appeared in about 600 BC, covering sixteen acres with a single ditch and rampart. The site grew into the largest hill fort in Britain by 450 BC, when its enclosed area nearly tripled to forty-seven acres. Extra ramparts and ditches made the defences more complex, and elaborate timber gateways impressed visitors. Around 100 BC habitation shrank to the eastern end, where occupation continued into the Roman period. After the Roman conquest a temple was built in the late fourth century, then the hilltop was abandoned by the sixth century and used only for farming in the Middle Ages. Today the earthworks form grassy terraces and ramparts that stretch across the ridge. The highest point is Hog Hill, just one metre above the fort, and the views take in the surrounding Dorset countryside. Excavations by Mortimer Wheeler and Tessa Verney Wheeler in the 1930s revealed details of the defences and earlier phases. Further work by Niall Sharples repaired damage from heavy visitor traffic and added to understanding of the Neolithic enclosure and bank barrow. The site is protected as a Scheduled Monument and maintained by English Heritage.