Dumpdon castle hill fort, near Honiton
Restoration work due to start at Dumpdon Castle
Work will be starting soon on an exciting project to safeguard the archaeology of Dumpdon castle Hill fort, just north of Honiton.
Working closely with the Luppitt Commoners, who have common rights over the castle and supported by a Higher Level Stewardship grant from Natural England, we are starting a three year project to remove encroaching scrub, restore the Beech grove on the top, and to carry out a geophysical survey to find out more about the history of the Hillfort, and ensure that the archaeology is protected for future generations.
This is a fantastic opportunity to both improve the hillfort for today’s users but also to ensure that the historical landscape and wildlife are there for our children to enjoy. and we are very grateful to Natural England for their generous support of this project and to English Heritage and The Forestry commission who have given us all the necessary permissions and advice
We are doing all the scrub clearance work in winter months over the next three years so as to prevent it having an impact on nesting birds, and minimise disruption for visitors. Bracken control is timed for late summer to avoid interfering with the famous display of bluebells on the west slope. The hillfort will remain open for public access throughout the work though access to small areas of the ramparts maybe restricted for safety reasons while work is actually being done on the ground.
We will regularly update this page with progress reports, and you can join a walk with our Head Ranger on Sunday 11 December starting from the Trust car park next to the ‘rough’ at 10am if you would like to find out more in person, or give us a call on 01297 680507
