| Maiden Castle | |
|---|---|
 Maiden Castle surmounting Bickerton Hill | |
  Location within Cheshire | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Iron Age hill fort |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°04′17″N 2°45′00″W / 53.071418°N 2.749951°W |
| Construction started | 600 BC |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 1.66 acres (6,700 m2) interior 3 acres (12,000 m2) including defences |
Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort, one of many fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age, but one of only seven in the county of Cheshire in northern England. The hill fort was probably occupied from its construction in 600 BC until the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD. At this time the Cornovii tribe are recorded to have occupied parts of the surrounding area but, because they left no distinctive pottery or metalworking, their occupation has not been verified.[1] Since then it has been quarried and used for military exercises. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is owned by the National Trust. The hill fort is open to visitors, but unrestricted access to the site has resulted in it being classified as "at high risk" from erosion.
- ^ Higham (1993)