Bigbury Iron Age Hillfort's Secrets Explored!

Bigbury Iron-Age Hillfort; an ancient site, said to be where Caesar’s first battle in Britain took place.

Approximately two hundred and fifty people turned up to listen to talks and take part in guided tours around Bigbury Camp, the Iron Age Hillfort in Howfield Wood, near Canterbury. This event was part of the two week long Festival of British Archaeology, organised by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA).

There was a programme of 4 sets of talks and walks throughout the day, with talks & displays held in No Man’s Orchard, a traditional Bramley orchard owned by the local community. An introduction by Mike Enfield about the site and Kent Wildlife Trust’s involvement was followed by a short talk about LiDAR from Kathryn Barton. A recent LiDAR survey of the whole of the Blean has stimulated new interest in the ancient history of the area, especially around Bigbury. Then there was a longer, more detailed talk about the history of the site, excavations and finds from either Christopher Sparey-Green from Canterbury Archaeological Trust or Dr Steve Willis from the University of Kent. The archaeologist who had given the talk then led the group on a guided walk around the earthworks, with either John Wilson or Neil Morris, from KWT, to talk about the conservation of the site.

Children’s activities were popular on the day, with an archaeological treasure hunt, where children went into the orchard, armed with a map, to find clues which told the story of the Roman invasions of Britain. Children who completed the trail were rewarded with a reproduction Roman coin. There was also a wildlife activity, ‘Critters in Litter’, where the children had to hunt in a tub of straw to find plastic insects, which were then identified on a tick sheet. Also available were colouring activities and coin rubbing.

The day was a great success and there really was something for all the family.

The event was organised by Kent Wildlife Trust, who own and manage Howfield Wood, in partnership with Canterbury Archaeological Trust, the University of Kent’s Classical and Archaeological department and No Man’s Orchard.

Between the partners there’s a huge amount of knowledge and expertise about this little-known but important site. Bigbury Camp is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, requiring careful management and conservation. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant means that Kent Wildlife Trust can carry out necessary work and open up the site to the public.

The site of Bigbury Camp, the Iron-Age Hillfort is managed as part of Kent Wildlife Trust’s Blean Project, which manages woodlands in three areas; East Blean National Nature Reserve, West Blean and Thornden Woods, Near Herne, and areas of the South Blean, including Howfield Wood, the site of Bigbury Camp. See here for more infomration: The Blean - Canterbury’s Ancient Woodland