More information : (SD 49966480) Castle Hill (NR) (1).
Castle Hill. A small motte and bailey castle situated at the extreme corner of a promontory. The motte is about 100ft in diameter at its base and rises 12ft above the level of the bailey, the top measuring about 35 ft across.
The ditch between the motte and bailey, almost filled in by ploughing, is still traceable. The crescentric shaped bailey lies to the north east, its interior has apparently been raised artificially about 4ft above its immediate surroundings. A rampart is still visible on the north and north west sides and is traceable on the north east - the ditch outside has been nearly filled by ploughing. Tracks made by grazing animals have tended to obliterate the previously ploughed defensive earthworks (2-6).
The above description is substantially correct. The motte is 3.2m above the level of the bailey and the flat top of the motte is 9.5m in diameter, its slopes merge with the natural slope of the hill on the south and south west sides Traces of the ditch between motte and bailey are visible but not surveyable. On the north side of the bailey there is a slight ditch 0.3m deep.
On top of the motte the foundations of a 1939/45 war lookout post are visible, and there are some undressed stones in the banks of the motte and bailey, but no structural remains. See photograph (7).
SD 4996 6480. Castle Hill motte and bailey, Halton. Scheduled
RSM No 13410 (8).
Listed by Cathcart King (9).
The site was mapped as part of the Lancashire NMP project. No additional detail to that mentioned by Authorities 1-9 was discernible from aerial imagery. The condition of the earthworks remains largely unchanged on the latest 2010 aerial photography.
A small area of post medieval narrow ridge and furrow ploughing (UID 1612194) is visible in the former area of the bailey, levelling some of the defensive earthworks on the south-eastern perimeter and any internal features (10-12). |