The Wrekin

From one landscape feature to another now - only this one is much more obvious in terms of its archaeology!

Today, I'm taking you to the Wrekin.  It forms a prominent landmark in the area around Shrewsbury (more of this tomorrow!).  Limited excavation of the site has revealed evidence of occupation for over 4,000 years, with finds of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age flints recovered.

But the most prominent features are the ramparts which were built around the contours of the hill.  The earliest fortifications date to the Late Bronze Age, marking the first phase in a series of increasingly elaborate fortifications.  These reached their most complex form in the Iron Age, when this hillfort was thought to be occupied by an Iron Age group known as the Cornovii.

The ramparts are much denuded, but still impressive.  There's two sets of ramparts - one enclosing the summit of the hill, the other surrounding the base.  Here's a view of the north entrance to the inner ramparts, known as Heaven Gate (the lower gateway being called Hell Gate).  The double bumps are the ramparts, with the entrance between them:-

You will note, too, the elegant and visually enlightening (note the sarcasm!!!) mobile phone mast which has been unceremoniously plonked down on this magnificent ancient monument....

WIthin the inner enclosure, some traces of Iron Age occupation are still apparent.  The circular grass bank shown below probably represents the footings of a roundhouse:-

The views from the summit are stunning:-

Whether this commanding aspect and lofty location had any practical use in the Iron Age is uncertain.  Archaeologists who study the Iron Age still hotly debate whether these sites were built primarily as defensive structures, or as statements of power.  The ramparts require a massive amount of labour in order to build them, therefore the chieftain who can command such manpower (and provide them with enough food and drink to sustain) is worthy of respect.  Shropshire is littered with the things - perhaps providing evidence of aggressive posturing as opposed to actual warfare.

But one military force did conquer this particular fortification.  Finds of Roman javelin points have been recovered both from the site itself and from the surrounding area.

And on the summit itself, there appears to be evidence of a more recent attempt to repel invaders:-

An innocuous piece of concrete, perhaps.  But its location on the summit of this hill, and presence of the iron holdfasts upon it, suggests to me that this particular structure has its origins in World War II.  The site of a searchlight, perhaps?  Or even the location of a light anti-aircraft battery?  I'm not enough of a WWII archaeology geek to tell you. 

And on the descent, a peaceful woodland view:-

This pleasant vista is at odds with the dreadful tale which we stumbled across on the ascent.  A laminated sheet attached to a fencepost alerting dog-walkers of the tragic fate which had befallen two dachshunds.  They'd been walking on the hill with the owners the week before when they were attacked by a couple of Staffordshire Bull Terrier type dogs that had been allowed to run riot by their moronic owners.  Both dachshunds were badly injured, and one later died. 

My heart went out to their poor dogs and their owners...  Where's a farmer with a shotgun and an excellent aim when you need him?