An Iron Age Site at Groundwell West, Wiltshire

Excavation results from Groundwell West, Wiltshire.

Excavation of a cropmark site revealed four phases of Iron Age activity, dating to the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The first phase comprised an unenclosed settlement of up to five roundhouses and associated pits. After abandonment, the focus of activity shifted southwards to a large carafe-shaped enclosure bounded on three sides by substantial ditches and alignments of large posts. A roundhouse was centrally positioned within the enclosure, with another outside it to the north. The third phase was marked by the extension of the enclosure to the north and east, with the scale of the boundaries and entrances suggesting that the large enclosure retained significance. Two roundhouses were associated with this phase: one external to the north-west of the enclosure, and the other positioned in the neck of the enclosure. The final phase comprised a single roundhouse within an enclosure, with an external fence line and cluster of rubbish pits.