Clan Rising
Cadbury Castle today

England · Partial ruin

Cadbury Castle

Cadbury Castle is a large Bronze- and Iron-Age hillfort on the limestone summit of Cadbury Hill in Somerset, England. The site consists of a 7.28-hectare plateau encircled by multiple earthen ramparts and ditches and shows long sequences of occupation from the Neolithic through post-Roman (sub-Roman) periods. It is a scheduled monument long associated in local tradition with the Arthurian court of Camelot.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

550

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 550

What Cadbury Castle looked like in its prime.

A broad, grassy limestone summit plateau ringed by multiple concentric earthen banks and deep ditches, with timber palisades and wooden gateways set on the inner crest. The hilltop is dotted with clusters of low roundhouses and several rectangular timber-framed buildings with thatched roofs, including a long timber Great Hall. Tracks and penning areas cut across the turf; scattered postholes and terrace lynchets mark past cultivation on the slopes. The surrounding lowlands are open pasture and hedgerows.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 550.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Cadbury Castle, including 3 interiors: great hall interior, cluster of roundhouses, sequence of small rectangular shrine buildings. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the north lowland fieldsNorthwest outer ramparts and ditchesSouthwest gate approachInner bank crest (rampart walkway)Summit plateau overviewGreat Hall exteriorGreat Hall interiorCluster of roundhousesSequence of small rectangular shrine buildings

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Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Cadbury Castle.

Glastonbury Tor, EnglandLandmarkGlastonbury Tor18 km awayAvalon, EnglandLandmarkAvalon19 km awayGlastonbury Abbey, EnglandMonasteryGlastonbury Abbey19 km away

Questions about Cadbury Castle

What is the history of Cadbury Castle?

Cadbury Castle’s history begins with Neolithic settlement, followed by Bronze- and Iron-Age occupation and the development of a hillfort. Additional banks and ditches were constructed in the first century BC, while Roman forces took the fort in the first century AD. It was reused from about 470 until after 580, then temporarily housed a Saxon mint between 1010 and 1020.

What is inside Cadbury Castle?

Inside Cadbury Castle, visitors can see the remains of a Great Hall, roundhouses and rectangular buildings. The site also contains evidence of metalworking and a possible sequence of small rectangular temples or shrines. The Great Hall measured 20 by 10 metres, while the plateau contains postholes, house foundations and traces of former activity.

Why was Cadbury Castle built, and what was it used for?

Cadbury Castle was built as a defended hillfort, with banks, ditches and timber defences enclosing the hilltop. Its purpose changed over time: it became a Roman military site, a defended post-Roman centre associated with a Brythonic ruler, and later a temporary Saxon mint. Earlier settlement also included a small agricultural community.

Where is Cadbury Castle?

Cadbury Castle is on the summit of Cadbury Hill in Somerset, 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Yeovil. It stands on the southern edge of the Somerset Levels, with flat lowland to the north. The site is in the parish of South Cadbury and is located in South Cadbury and Sutton Montis.

When was Cadbury Castle built?

Cadbury Castle was developed in several phases rather than built in a single year. Human occupation began in the Neolithic period, the site was occupied in the Late Bronze Age, and it became a hillfort when additional banks and ditches were constructed in the first century BC. Its major timber defences were built and strengthened over the following centuries.

Was Cadbury Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Cadbury Castle was violently taken by Roman forces in the first century AD. Excavations at the south-west gate found evidence of severe violent episodes involving weapons and destruction by fire. The exact date is disputed within the first century: one interpretation places it around AD 70, while another links it to the initial invasion around AD 43 or 44.

What did Cadbury Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Cadbury Castle was a broad, grassy limestone summit plateau surrounded by multiple concentric earthen banks and deep ditches. Timber palisades and wooden gateways stood on the inner crest, while clusters of roundhouses and rectangular thatched buildings, including a long timber Great Hall, occupied the hilltop. Tracks and penning areas crossed the turf.

Is Cadbury Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Cadbury Castle survives as a partial ruin. Its 7.28-hectare plateau and extensive earthwork defences remain, including ramparts, ditches and the inner bank. The site has also been added to the Heritage at Risk Register because of scrub and tree growth.

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