Bratton Camp and White Horse

The original Iron Age Hillfort defences were built at Bratton Camp over 2000 years ago. These earthworks protected a settlement containing round houses, granaries, stores and workshops. The design and construction showed the effectiveness of the hillfort to its enemies.

The site was excavated in the 18th century. However, three thousand years earlier a Neolithic long barrow existed on this hill, and later excavations in the 19th century uncovered human skeletons and cremations.  

Today, this extensive chalk grassland supports herb and grass species that provide a habitat for a diverse range of insects, including the rare Adonis Blue butterfly and the scarce forester moth.

The White Horse is visible from afar and is a famous local landscape.  It is believed to have been cut into the hillside in the 16th century to celebrate the supposed Battle of Ethandun in AD 878.