Protesters take next step in Oswestry Hillfort homes battle
Campaigners fighting plans to build more than 100 homes that would be seen from the top of the Old Oswestry Hillfort were due at Shirehall in Shrewsbury today to put their case to a government inspector.
The Hands off Old Oswestry Hillfort (HoooH) group has the support of expert archaeologists who were giving evidence to the inspector who is examining Shropshire Council's SAMDev plan, its development vision to 2026.
Objectors say the land off Whittington Road on the edge of Oswestry should not been including for housing in the plan because of its closeness to the ancient monument.
Kate Clarke, from HoooH, said the development is strongly opposed by senior academics in British Archaeology.
The construction of the hillfort can be seen to best effect when it is covered in snow, as above.
Oswesty's Iron Age hillfort is a stunning monument at any time of the year, but in winter, when the snow falls, the details of the earthworks can be seen even better.
This amazing image of the hillfort, which stands just to the north of the town, has been chosen by archaeology business DigVentures as the best example of a snow-covered hillfort across the UK.
Maiya Pina-Dacier, community manager at DigVentures, said: "Hillforts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age – approximately 3,000 years ago from about 1,000 BC – and were in use by the ancient Britons until the Roman conquest. There are around 3,300 of these defended enclosures in Britain, and from the ground, they're a pretty impressive sight.
"But cover them in snow and take a picture from the air and they'll probably leave you as breathless as a climb to the top. Buzzing over the landscape in a light aircraft, or sleigh at this time of year, is a brilliant way to spot archaeological features, but in the snow, they stand out even more."
The picture of Old Oswestry hillfort, which was taken in February this year, was picked as the best example of a snow-covered hillfort by Mrs Pina-Dacier.
She said: "Old Oswestry is one of Britain's most impressive early Iron Age hillforts. Covering 40 mighty acres, its inhabitants would have kept warm in stone-kerbed roundhouses. Excavations also uncovered furrowed pottery imported from the Wiltshire area and salt containers from Cheshire, indicating that they traded with (relatively) distant neighbours. It was built almost 3,000 years ago and occupied for up to 1,000 years."
Castle Bank, near Llandrindod Wells, was also included in the top ten and its unusual shape was highlighted by the fallen snow.
