Foxgloves on the side of Bigbury Camp

Image: © Marathon Taken: 28 Jun 2015

Bigbury Camp is the major prehistoric earthwork in the Canterbury area, and up until recently had been masked by the woodland of South Blean, part of one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in Kent. This hill fort was first recognised in 1874, following discoveries of Iron Age tools. Archaeological excavations since have revealed the extent of the site and shown it to have been occupied from at least the later part of the 1st Century BC. The hill fort is believed to have been the site of Julius Caesar's first battle in 54 BC as he led his forces in the Roman invasion of Britain. The illustrated view on the adjacent information board - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4547891 - depicts the hill fort in its prime. The large building on the skyline is a gate presumed to have given access from the lower working area to the defended hilltop. Kent Wildlife Trust has worked with English Heritage to restore this Iron Age hill fort to the historical landscape of two thousand years ago. The North Downs Way passes along the northern edge of the hill fort.

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