The fortified Iron Age town of Danebury had a turbulent history. Mass graves have been uncovered — some sacrificial — together with scorched wood that indicates burning defences, amid its hills, moats and ridges.'
At 469ft above sea level with commanding views, this is the highest point in the region and, in contrast to the peace enjoyed by the few Highland cattle now grazing there, it was home to a thriving farming community for some 500 years from 600 BC.
The manmade landscape has survived remarkably well and makes for fun exploration; archaeological finds are displayed at Andover’s Museum of the Iron Age.
See more of Secret Britain
Burrow Mump, Somerset: Alfred the Great's lookout point
The famed hill in Burrowbridge is today's Secret Britain spot.
Racton Folly, West Sussex: Flying bricks, faces in windows and a ghost tractor that sneaks up behind you
Our Secret Britain series continues with a look at a crumbling folly in Sussex.
Pont Minllyn, Gwynedd: The ancient pack-horse crossing that's four centuries old
A bridge coming up for four centuries old is today's Secret Britain find.
Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire: 'Rare chalk grassland humming with butterflies, wildflowers and grazing cattle'
The view from Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire, is Friday's Secret Britain selection.
Balnahard beach, Isle of Colonsay: A magical beauty spot with thousands of years of history
The white sand beach of Balnahard, on the Isle of Colonsay, is as fascinating as it is beautiful.
-
A 500-acre estate that spent 11 centuries in the same family, for sale for only the second time in its historyIn the beautiful hills of north Wales the Garthewin estate has come up for sale, including a great country house once restored by the architect who created Portmeirion. Penny Churchill takes a closer look.
-
‘They remain, really, the property of all of those who love them, know them, and tell them. They are our stories, the inheritance of the people of Scotland’: The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales
-
St Patrick’s Chapel ruins, Heysham: The mythical Lancashire ruins with a heavenly viewAnnunciata Elwes takes a look at St Patrick’s Chapel ruins, a Morecambe Bay landmark.
-
Suisnish, Isle of Skye: The atmospheric ruins of a Clearance villageBeauty now reigns in a tragic spot where hundreds of villagers suffered during the Clearance
-
Covehithe beach, Suffolk, where the cliffs crumble like cakeThe most eroded beach in Britain has a post-apocalyptic feel.
-
Clydach Ironworks, Monmouthshire: Ruins in the gorge that inspired ShakespeareAn oasis of quiet now stands where the steam hammers thudded at this Welsh ironworks, in a river valley that may have moved Shakespeare to write A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
-
Royston Cave, Hertfordshire: A mysterious site full of sacred energyOur Secret Britain series continues with a Hertofrdshire cave whose true nature remains unknown.
-
John Bunting War Memorial Chapel, Scotch Corner: The painstaking transformation of rubble to War MemorialAnnunciata Elwes celebrates the effort that turned a derelict house into a memorial.
-
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation: The surreal space where Lewis Carroll and Willy Wonka meet Capability BrownSurrealism, philosophy, nature and gardening come together at the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, as Annunciata Elwes explains.
-
The Airman’s Grave, Ashdown Forest: A touching and little-known memorial to victims of war and fateA wartime tragedy in East Sussex's Ashdown Forest is among our Secret Britain picks, as chosen by Annunciata Elwes.
