Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Caesars Camp
Hob Uid: 407826
Location : Greater London Authority Bromley Non Civil Parish
Grid Ref : TQ4210064000
Summary : Earthwork remains of an Iron age hillfort, first recorded in 1790, now partly destroyed by landscaping for Holwood House. Excavations in the late 1950s confirmed the assumed Iron Age date. More recent excavations near the hillfort uncovered a ditch terminal which has been suggested to form part of a substantial ditched enclosure, although the information published to date makes any further comment impossible. Part of the hillfort was surveyed by RCHME in 1997.
More information : (TQ 421640) Caesar's Camp (NR). (1) Caesar's Camp, or Holwood Camp, this hillfort originally enclosed 43 acres, as shown on Thomas Milne's plan of 1790 (2), but today only parts of the W and N sides remain the N and E sides having been destroyed by landscape gardening for William Pitt the Younger who lived in Holwood House. The S side had been levelled a century earlier. On the W side the massive ramparts are closely- set; the two banks and ditches cover about 120 ft. and in some parts there is a counterscarp bank. The ditch is 14 ft.9 in. deep and 29 ft.wide. The rampart today stands more than 9 ft. above the original ground surface. The inner fortifications were excavated in 1956 and 1957. Three stages in construction of the rampart were discovered each adding greater strength. The principal entrance was on the western side; the inturn was exaggerated by the siting of the gateway in a small natural valley which runs into the interior of the fort. Other breaks shown in Milne's plan are probably not original. All the pottery is of Iron Age B type, Belgic pottery being entirely absent. (2-4) Survey of 1961 checked, and correct. (5) Brief discussion of earthworks plus diagram of main entrance. (6) Resue excavations before and during office construction in Holwood Park close to the hillfort resulting in the discovery of ditch c. 5m wide and 3m deep. The fill included a few sherds of pottery dated to the late Iron Age. It appears the ditch terminal was excavated. No further details appear to have been published. It is suggested that the excavated feature formed part of substantial ditched enclosure probably covering several acres. In the absence of any further information, including the NGR, it is not possible to comment further on this suggestion. (7-8) In July 1997, the RCHME carried out a topographic survey in the south-eastern part of the fortification, at centre TQ 4235 6365, an area of around 2 hectares spanning the presumed line of the levelled ramparts. Three very low earthwork scarps and banks on parallel alignments are possibly the remains of the defences along the natural scarp edge but geophysical survey in the same area, by Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, revealed no supporting evidence. A full report and survey plan at 1:1000 scale, plus a copy of the geophysical survey report, are contained in the archive. (9)

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Source Number : 1
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Source details : OS 6" 1961
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Source Number : 2
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Source details : (N P Fox)
Page(s) : 185-199
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Vol(s) : 84, 1969

Source Number : 3
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Source details : "Vetusta Monumenta" 4 1815 plate X.
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Source Number : 4
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Source details :
Page(s) : 242-4
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Vol(s) : 126, 1969

Source Number : 5
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Source details : F1 CFW 10-SEP-64
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Source Number : 6
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Source details : J Forde-Johnson (1976) Hillforts of the Iron Age in England and Wales, pp24, 146, 222, figs 12, 124
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Source Number : 7
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Source details : (P Grant)
Page(s) : 143
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Vol(s) : 66, 1981

Source Number : 8
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Source details :
Page(s) : 46
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Vol(s) : 4, 1981

Source Number : 9
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Source details : RCHME: CAESAR'S CAMP SURVEY July 1997 Paul Pattison
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Iron Age
Display Date : Iron Age
Monument End Date : 43
Monument Start Date : -800
Monument Type : Bivallate Hillfort
Evidence : Earthwork

Monument Period Name : Late Iron Age
Display Date : Late Iron Age
Monument End Date : 43
Monument Start Date : -100
Monument Type : Ditched Enclosure, Ditch
Evidence : Conjectural Evidence, Sub Surface Deposit

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : LO 101
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : TQ 46 SW 5
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Associated Monuments :
Relationship type : General association

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1956-01-01
End Date : 1960-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1964-09-10
End Date : 1964-09-10

Associated Activities :
Activity type : DESK BASED ASSESSMENT
Start Date : 1996-01-01
End Date : 1996-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 1997-07-01
End Date : 1997-07-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EVALUATION
Start Date : 1999-01-01
End Date : 1999-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : DESK BASED ASSESSMENT
Start Date : 1999-01-01
End Date : 1999-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Caesars Camp