Maiden Castle

Among the largest and most complex of Iron Age hillforts in Europe, Maiden Castle still dominates the local landscape

Maiden Castle’s huge multiple ramparts once protected several hundred residents. Excavations in the 1930s and 1980s revealed the site’s 4,000-year history, from a Neolithic causewayed enclosure to a small Roman temple built on the site in the 4th century AD. They also produced evidence of an extensive late Iron Age cemetery, where many of the burials had suffered horrific injuries in attacks or skirmishes. Look out for the information panels that guide you around the hillfort and illustrate its long history.