Castercliff

En un regard

Le château en bref

Castercliff is an Iron Age fortified enclosure set on high ground at about 274 metres above sea level, east of Nelson and south of Colne, in the district of Pendle. The site overlooks the Calder valley system, on the western edge of the South Pennines. Its name, recorded as Castell Clif (1515) and Castyclyff (1533), means "the castle on the cliff". It is not a medieval castle but a prehistoric oval hillfort of about 0.8 hectares. An inner plateau of about 115 by 76 metres is surrounded by three concentric rubble ramparts and ditches cut into the rock. Excavations have yielded no clear trace of occupation, and part of the defences appears unfinished. Despite opencast mining, old mine shafts and 19th-century stone extraction, the monument remains clearly legible in the pastures. It is one of the few hillforts in Lancashire.