Gorley Hill is the site of a former Iron Age

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...

 promontory hillfort located in Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

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The fort once occupied the southwestern corner of Gorley Common on Gorley Hill, a gravel-capped spur that points southwest into the Avon valley next to the hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 of North Gorley

North Gorley

North Gorley is a hamlet in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Fordingbridge, which lies approximately north of the hamlet.-Location:...

, between the towns of Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...

 and Ringwood

Ringwood

Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....

. The earthworks were destroyed in the 1950s and 60s when the common's new owners carried out large-scale gravel extraction works, effectively "scalping" the hill. The tall linear earthen banks present on the hill are a relic of the quarrying process and not prehistoric in origin. The site is now grass, with some gorse and silver birch. The area is now owned and managed by Hampshire County Council

Hampshire County Council

Hampshire County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Hampshire in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils...

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The site is mentioned in the Hampshire Treasures online resource, and Heywood Sumner carried out some excavation at the site which was published in his 1917 book "Ancient Earthworks of the New Forest".

Location

The site is located at , and lies between the hamlets of South Gorley

South Gorley

South Gorley is a hamlet in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately south-west of the hamlet....

 and North Gorley

North Gorley

North Gorley is a hamlet in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Fordingbridge, which lies approximately north of the hamlet.-Location:...

, in the county of Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

. Immediately to the South lies Huckles Brook, a tributary of the River Avon, which itself lies to the west. The hill has a summit of 70m AOD.