Dolebury Warren

Dolebury Warren
Dolebury Camp
LocationChurchill, Somerset
Coordinates51°19′39″N 2°47′01″W / 51.32750°N 2.78361°W / 51.32750; -2.78361
Governing bodyAvon Wildlife Trust
OwnerNational Trust
Official nameDolebury Camp
Designated19 December 1929[1]
Reference no.1008184
Dolebury Warren is located in Somerset
Dolebury Warren
Location of Dolebury Warren in Somerset

Dolebury Warren (also known as Dolebury Camp) is a 90.6-hectare (224-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and ancient monument near the villages of Churchill and Rowberrow in North Somerset, part of South West England. It is owned by the National Trust, who acquired the freehold in 1983, and managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust.

Standing on a limestone ridge on the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, it was made into a hill fort during the Iron Age and was occupied into the Roman period. The extensive fort covers 9.1 hectares (22 acres) with single or double defensive ramparts around it. The name Dolebury Warren comes from its use during the medieval or post medieval periods as a rabbit warren. The topography and differing soil types provide a habitat for an unusually wide range of plants, attracting a variety of insects, including several species of butterfly.

  1. ^ Historic England. "Dolebury Camp: a large univallate hillfort and associated and later earthworks on Dolebury Warren (1008184)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 September 2014.