Caesar's camp
Encyclopedia
Caesar's Camp is an Iron Age
hill fort
thought to be around 2600 years old. It is located just in Crowthorne
civil parish
(formerly Easthampstead
), to the south of Bracknell
in the English
county of Berkshire
.
crown plantation and is located off Nine Mile Ride
approximately ¾ mile from the Look Out visitor centre. On clear days, central Bracknell
and Crowthorne
, including Broadmoor hospital
, are visible from its highest points. The camp falls within the Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths
Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
It is considered to be an entirely hand built complex. The camp has suffered bad erosion, both natural and man made, unsurprisingly for a site which is well over 2000 years old. Efforts have been made by the local council to try to restore some of the natural parts because as well as being a historic site it is also home to a number of wildlife species.
There is a second Caesar's Camp to be found in Aldershot
where King Alfred was supposed to have camped when driving the Danes towards the Thames. The camp, like the one at Bracknell, was built in the Iron Age. The British Telecom Tower and Canary Wharf
can be seen from there on clear days with binoculars.
s in 1978, after the forced removal of those attempting to attend the People's Free Festival, in Windsor Great Park
, by police.
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
thought to be around 2600 years old. It is located just in Crowthorne
Crowthorne
Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South AfricaCrowthorne is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. It has a population of 6,711...
civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
(formerly Easthampstead
Easthampstead
Easthampstead is today a southern suburb of the town of Bracknell in the English county of Berkshire, although the old village can still be easily identified around the Church of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene...
), to the south of Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Description
The layout consists of a number of steep banks and viewing areas. It is within the Crowthorne Woods part of Swinley ForestSwinley Forest
Swinley Forest is a large expanse of English Crown Estate woodland mainly within the civil parishes of Windlesham in Surrey and Winkfield and Crowthorne in Berkshire.-Coverage:...
crown plantation and is located off Nine Mile Ride
Nine Mile Ride
Nine Mile Ride is a length of the B3430 road in the English county of Berkshire, running from the south of Bracknell to Finchampstead, near Wokingham.-Character:...
approximately ¾ mile from the Look Out visitor centre. On clear days, central Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
and Crowthorne
Crowthorne
Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South AfricaCrowthorne is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. It has a population of 6,711...
, including Broadmoor hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
, are visible from its highest points. The camp falls within the Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths
Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths
Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire and Surrey.One feature of note within the site is an Iron Age hill fort called Caesar's Camp.-Source:*...
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
It is considered to be an entirely hand built complex. The camp has suffered bad erosion, both natural and man made, unsurprisingly for a site which is well over 2000 years old. Efforts have been made by the local council to try to restore some of the natural parts because as well as being a historic site it is also home to a number of wildlife species.
There is a second Caesar's Camp to be found in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
where King Alfred was supposed to have camped when driving the Danes towards the Thames. The camp, like the one at Bracknell, was built in the Iron Age. The British Telecom Tower and Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
can be seen from there on clear days with binoculars.
1978 People's Free Festival
The site was recamped between 29 August and 8 September 1978 as it became the relocation of the last of the Windsor Free FestivalWindsor Free Festival
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival held in Windsor Great Park from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression...
s in 1978, after the forced removal of those attempting to attend the People's Free Festival, in Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
, by police.