Old Oswestry

Old Oswestry Hill Fort

An easternly view of the western entrance to Old Oswestry hill fort
Location of Old Oswestry Hill Fort within Shropshire
Location	Oswestry, Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Coordinates	52°52′22″N 3°02′56″W / 52.87273°N 3.04886°W / 52.87273; -3.04886
OS grid reference	SJ 2957 3103
Altitude	165 m (541 ft)
Type	Hillfort
Area	25 ha (62 acres)
Diameter	500 m (550 yd)
Circumference	1,600 yd (1,500 m)
Height	27 m (89 ft)
History
Material	earth and wood
Founded	8th century BCE
Abandoned	Roman conquest of Britain
Periods	Iron Age Roman Britain
Cultures	Celtic people of Iron Age Britain
Associated with	Cornovii or Ordovices
Site notes
Excavation dates	1939
Archaeologists	William J Varley
Management	English Heritage
Public access	free

Old Oswestry (Welsh: Hen Ddinas) is a large early Iron Age hill fort in the Welsh Marches near Oswestry in north west Shropshire, England. The earthworks, which remain one of the best preserved hill forts in the UK, have been described as "The Stonehenge of the Iron Age Period". After the hill fort was abandoned, it was incorporated into Wat's Dyke by the Mercians during the Early Medieval period.^[1]

The hill fort was designated as a scheduled monument in 1934. The site is now managed by English Heritage. The accessible hill fort, at 160 metres (520 ft) ordnance datum,^[2] gives panoramic views across North and Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.