The Friends of West Hunsbury Parks
TV’s Graham Stothard described West Hunsbury’s Iron Age Hillfort as ‘a real hidden gem’.
West Hunsbury has three parks: Hunsbury Hill Country Park, which includes the Iron Age Hillfort and a heritage railway, as well as evidence of ironstone quarrying carried out in the late 19th/early 20th centuries; Wootton Brook Park which includes Shelfleys Lake and weir; and Ladybridge Park which includes Wootton Brook and a number of football pitches.
There is also a Roman villa and bath-house (now no longer visible) located near the top of Hunsbury Hill and a Neolithic causewayed enclosure (also no longer visible) located on the flanks of the Hill in Briar Hill estate. Many artefacts were recovered from Hunsbury Hill during the ironstone quarrying and the archaeological digs in the 1970s/80s. These are now mostly in the Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) at Chester House with some in Northampton Museum.
Talks/tours offered
Available on request
Hillfort explanation sign
Hillfort earthworks
Iron Age rotary quern diagram (©Andy Chapman)
The hillfort c.1970 in use as a hay field
Rotary quern (©Andy Chapman)
Opening times
Always open for walkers, mobility scooters, etc. Car Park gates closed overnight. Seasonal details signposted on gates. Refreshments and toilet facilities available in onsite Drovers Return Café (open daily).
Admission
Free.
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Contact us
Telephone
07860 880961