The speaker at the latest Henley Archaeological and Historical Group meeting on 1st April was Dr Wendy Morrison, Heritage and Archaeology Manager at Chilterns National Landscape. Wendy told us about the follow-up from the ‘Beacons of the Past’ project. This project used Lidar laser mapping of the landscape, which showed the shapes of archaeological features which were previously unknown.
With the help of citizen scientists, over 500 significant features were identified, perhaps the most interesting being hillforts.They date from the late Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age – from 1100 to 200 BCE. Despite the suggestion in their name, these “hillforts” had a wide range of sizes, structures and functions – not just military. The Chilterns area is home to 20 hillforts, although this is a relatively low concentration compared with some other surveyed areas.
The nearest hillforts to Henley are at Medmenham, Danesfield, Bozedown camp near Pangbourne and Castle Grove camp near Gallowstree Common. In 2020 ‘Beacons of the Past’ identified a previously unknown fort in the Chilterns. The location of this is kept secret to prevent unauthorised excavation. Wendy also described on-going work on a number of different sites arising out of the project and now at Chilterns National Landscape.
For more information, visit: https://www.chilterns.org.uk/