Out & About November 2017

Aerial view showing the shape of Grimsbury Castle hill fort

Grimsbury Castle folly, 1905

With public access GRIMSBURY CASTLE HERMITAGE

Although nothing remains of any kind of building, it is clear to archaeologists that a fort once stood there and there is a defined area which shows the shape of the defence building. It is now almost entirely covered in trees, many of which were replanted in the 1950s. It is thought that Grimsbury was a ‘multiple enclosure’ hillfort occupied certainly between the thrid and second centuries BC. Triangular in shape it has three entrances and covers about eight acres. One of the entrances clearly led to a spring, to supply water to the fort. The name Grimsbury, is a nod to the chief

of the Saxon gods, Woden, also known as Grim. So impressed were the Saxons by the structure, that they believed Grim must have had a hand in its construction. Access to the land, which is on the Eling Estate, is via permissive paths, clearly marked. This leaflet, produced by the West Berkshire Countryside Society, lists the walks in the area www.westberkscountryside.org.uk/ Hermitage%20Parish%20Paths.pdf WALBURY CAMP Nr COMBE Walbury Camp is actually located on the

Walking through Fence Wood, between Hermitage and Cold Ash, you could be forgiven for not realising that you are actually in the middle of an ancient hill fort, dating back to the Iron Age. Grimsbury Castle, as it is known, was buiilt on a plateau overlooking the Kennet and Pang valleys. It benefits from having a natural spring, which has apparently never run dry.

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