Hill forts · London
Beech Bottom Dyke
Beech Bottom Dyke — Iron Age ditch in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
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Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- St Albans City · 2.0 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Beech Bottom Dyke is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Iron Age ditch in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.7688°, -0.3274°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Chilterns
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Beech Bottom Dyke, is a large ditch running for almost a mile at the northern edge of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England flanked by banks on both sides. It is up to 30 m (98 ft) wide, and 10 m (33 ft) deep, and it can be followed for three quarters of a mile between the "Ancient Briton Crossroads" on the St Albans to Harpenden road until it is crossed by the Thameslink/Midland mainline railway at Sandridge. Beyond the railway embankment it continues, to finish just short of the St Albans to Sandridge road. This part is not accessible to the public.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The dyke was constructed towards the end of the Iron Age, probably between 5 and 40 AD. This, and other similar earthworks in the district, may have been built by the powerful Celtic tribe established in this area, the Catuvellauni, probably by King Cunobelinus to define areas of land around their tribal centre at Verlamion - the predecessor of the Roman city of Verulamium. Beech Bottom Dyke is thought to have originally been part of a defensive system for a Belgic settlement. Other defences are the Devil's Dyke and another ancient earthwork known as "The Slad". These may have created a defensive earthwork running from the River Lea to the River Ver enclosing a very large area.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.7688, -0.3274
- County
- Hertfordshire
- District
- St Albans
- Parish
- St Albans, unparished area
- Postcode
- AL3 6NA
- Parliamentary constituency
- St Albans
- Nearest railway station
- St Albans City — 2 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q4879564 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Beech Bottom Dyke (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Beech Bottom Dyke?
- Beech Bottom Dyke is in Hertfordshire, London, United Kingdom (postcode AL3 6NA), in the parish of St Albans, unparished area.
- Is Beech Bottom Dyke a listed building?
- Beech Bottom Dyke is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Beech Bottom Dyke a protected site?
- Yes — Beech Bottom Dyke is part of the Chilterns National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Beech Bottom Dyke free to visit?
- Yes, Beech Bottom Dyke is free to enter.
- How do I get to Beech Bottom Dyke?
- The nearest railway station is St Albans City, about 2.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode AL3 6NA.