Whenever I see the Field Club’s Facebook banner (above) – a sparkling panorama of Danebury Hillfort’s east gate, it reminds me that it no longer looks anything like that today. Irrepressible nature, the decay of wooden steps and creation of a mountain bike scar have resulted in a messy picture that doesn’t show the Iron Age fortifications at their best.

I’m not one for ‘tidy ruins’ per se, but there are advantages to keeping the scrub under control. As well as being able to see things clearly, it deters burrowing animals and opens up areas for ease of conservation. There have been periods of maintenance, of course, from the Hampshire County Council Environment section, but they have dwindled in number through staff cuts and they have a dozen other sites to look after, so there is a reliance on volunteer assistance in many locations.

Last winter the HCC crew were augmented by the CBA Wessex ‘Foam’ volunteers (Friends of Ancient Monuments) to tackle some of the undergrowth, one Sunday a month. A decent impression was made, but at the same time it showed how much work will be required to return the site to the well-kept appearance of the Facebook banner. When that is done, we can perhaps think about providing some information and interpretation, even if it’s via a set of strategically-placed QR codes.

In the meantime, here’s a view of what the gate passage looked like during Professor Barry Cunliffe’s excavations in the late 1960s! As the earth is peeled away to reveal chalk and flint revetting, a monorail barrow is on hand to cart the spoil away and there’s clear evidence of the pre-hillfort pits found in the area.

Danebury scrub clearance work won’t start up again until October, but we’ll make sure that there’s advanced notice of any opportunities to get involved.