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The Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · South West England

Cadbury Castle

Free admission

Cadbury Castle — hillfort in Somerset, England, UK.

Cadbury Castle, hill forts in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Nearest railway station
Templecombe · 8.4 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Cadbury Castle is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "hillfort in Somerset, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.0242°, -2.5317°.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Cadbury Castle is a Bronze and Iron Age hillfort in the parish of South Cadbury in the English county of Somerset. It is a scheduled monument and has been associated with King Arthur's legendary court at Camelot. The hillfort is formed by a 7.28 hectares (18.0 acres) plateau surrounded by ramparts on the surrounding slopes of the limestone Cadbury Hill. The site has been excavated in the late 19th and early 20th century by James Bennett and Harold St George Gray. More recent examination of the site was conducted in the 1960s by Leslie Alcock and since 1992 by the South Cadbury Environs Project. These have revealed artifacts from human occupation and use from the Neolithic through the Bronze and Iron Ages. The site was reused by the Roman forces and again from c. 470 until some time after 580. In the 11th century, it temporarily housed a Saxon mint. Evidence of various buildings at the site has been unearthed, including a "Great Hall", round and rectangular house foundations, metalworking, and a possible sequence of small rectangular temples or shrines.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Hillforts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron ages, around the start of the 1st millennium BC. The reason for their emergence in prehistoric Britain and their purpose has been a subject of debate. It has been argued that they could have been military sites constructed in response to invasion from continental Europe, sites built by invaders, or a military reaction to social tensions caused by an increasing population and consequent pressure on agriculture. The dominant view since the 1960s has been that the increasing use of iron led to social changes in Britain. Deposits of iron ore were located in different places from the tin and copper ore necessary to make bronze and, as a…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.0242, -2.5317
District
Somerset
Parish
South Cadbury and Sutton Montis
Postcode
BA22 7HE
Parliamentary constituency
Glastonbury and Somerton
Nearest railway station
Templecombe8.4 km
Official site
www.pastscape.org

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Cadbury Castle?
Cadbury Castle is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode BA22 7HE), in the parish of South Cadbury and Sutton Montis.
Is Cadbury Castle a listed building?
Cadbury Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Is Cadbury Castle free to visit?
Yes, Cadbury Castle is free to enter.
How do I get to Cadbury Castle?
Drivers can navigate to postcode BA22 7HE. It sits within the Glastonbury and Somerton parliamentary constituency.