Free Sites with Audio Tours to Download
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The remains of four 13th century stone farmsteads, on land originally farmed in the Bronze Age. This isolated Dartmoor hamlet was probably abandoned in the early 15th century. -
Beautifully sited on the fringe of Dartmoor, Lydford boasts three defensive features. Near the centre is a 13th-century tower on a mound, built as a prison. It later became notorious for harsh punishments - 'the most annoyous, contagious and detestable place within this realm'. To the south is an earlier Norman earthwork castle: to the north, Saxon town defences. -
Among the largest and most complex of Iron Age hillforts in Europe, Maiden Castle’s huge multiple ramparts enclose an area equivalent to 50 football pitches, protecting several hundred residents. Excavations in the 1930s and 1980s revealed the site’s 4,000-year history, reaching its apogee at a time of inter-tribal rivalry in the 2nd century BC. They also produced evidence of an extensive late Iron Age cemetery. Many of the burials had suffered horrific injuries in attacks or skirmishes, perhaps at the time of the Roman invasion.
Free Sites with Further Information
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In a spectacular cliff-edge position, this unique Bronze Age tomb had a long and complex history as a sacred site. Seen as excavated in 1878 by Cornish antiquarian William Borlase. -
Below an Iron Age hillfort, enclosing a much earlier long barrow, stands the Westbury White Horse. Cut into the hillside in 1778, this replaced an older horse, possibly commemorating King Alfred's nearby victory over the Vikings. -
Among the best preserved ancient villages in the South-West, occupied from Iron Age until late Roman times. It includes the foundations of stone houses, and an intriguing 'fogou' underground passage. -
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The remains of Christchurch Castle include parts of the mound-top keep, and more unusually the 12th-century riverside chamber block or 'Constable's House'. This very early example of domestic architecture includes a rare Norman chimney. -
Roofed and walled in stone, this complex of passages is the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious underground tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements. The purpose of such 'fogous' - a Cornish-language word meaning 'cave' - is unknown. Refuges, storage chambers or ritual shrines have all been suggested. Free entry to the fogou. Entry to the rest of the Trelowarren Estate is charged. -
The ruins and earthworks of a royal castle dating mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries, frequently used as a hunting lodge. The remains of the medieval cross stand in the centre of the village. -
The striking and picturesque moated castle of Nunney was built in the 1370s by Sir John de la Mere, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Extensively modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was held for the King during the Civil War, but quickly fell to Parliamentarian cannon in 1645: not until Christmas Day 1910, however, did the gun-damaged portion of the wall finally collapse. -
The largest man-made mound in Europe,mysterious Silbury Hill compares in height and volume to the roughly contemporary Egyptian pyramids. Probably completed in around 2400 BC, it apparently contains no burial. Though clearly important in itself, its purpose and significance remain unknown. There is no access to the hill itself. Find out more about the recent conservation project at www.english-heritage.org.uk/silbury Part of the Avebury World Heritage site
