Trundle

Trundle is a prehistoric hillfort on St Roche's Hill with substantial earthwork defenses and two entrances. Within the ramparts sit fifteen identified house platforms, showing how people organized their living spaces on the site.

The hill shows evidence of occupation spanning thousands of years, with a Neolithic enclosure from around 3700 BC underlying the later Iron Age fortress built between 500 and 100 BC. This layering reveals how the location attracted settlements across different periods of prehistory.

The place serves as a learning ground where students gain hands-on experience in archaeological fieldwork. This connection between education and the site has helped build understanding of how ancient communities lived in this region.

The site sits at 206 meters elevation and offers expansive views across the surrounding landscape. Wear sturdy footwear when visiting, as the ramparts and earthworks invite exploration of the site's terrain.

Aerial photography from 1925 revealed hidden Neolithic structures that lay beneath the Iron Age ramparts and had gone unnoticed on the ground. This discovery showed that stone age people had occupied the hilltop long before the later fortress was built.