Cronk ny Merriu, Iron Age promontory fort in Santon, Isle of Man
Cronk ny Merriu is a promontory fort on a headland near Santon on the Isle of Man. The structure consists of earth banks, a deep ditch, and a stone-reinforced rampart that overlooks Port Grenaugh below.
The site began as a Celtic Iron Age fortification and was later modified by Scandinavian settlers in the 8th and 9th centuries with additional defensive works. These changes show how different cultures used this location across different periods.
The fort sits on a headland where visitors can see how people positioned this defensive point to watch the waters below and the landscape around it.
You can reach the fort by following the coastal footpath that connects several ancient lookout points near Santon. The walk passes through an area with multiple archaeological sites worth exploring.
Excavations uncovered a rectangular building with three doorways and a central hearth that later inspired archaeologists to reconstruct similar structures in exhibits at the House of Manannan museum in Peel.
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