Giant's Castle, Isles of Scilly

Iron Age promontory fort on the Isles of Scilly, England

49°54′42″N 6°17′7″W / 49.91167°N 6.28528°W / 49.91167; -6.28528OS grid referenceSV 925 101TypePromontory fortArea0.4 hectares (1 acre)HistoryPeriodsIron Age

Scheduled monument

Designated7 October 1976Reference no.1011935

The Giant's Castle is a promontory fort of the Iron Age, on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, England. It is a scheduled monument.^[1]

Description

The fort is situated in the south-east of St Mary's, near St Mary's Airport and on the edge of Salakee Down. The rocky promontory, area 0.4 hectares (1 acre), is defended by sea cliffs, 15 to 25 metres (49 to 82 ft) high, on the east, south and south-west sides. To the north there are three banks and ditches, 8 to 12 metres (26 to 39 ft) apart; these occupy most of the steep northern slope linking the promontory to the mainland. The castle, on almost level ground within the promontory, has an internal area of about 25 by 20 metres (82 by 66 ft).^[1]^[2]

During the Second World War, a practice firing target for military aircraft was made in the western end of the outermost rampart. This survives as an unroofed rectangular structure up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) high. Fragments of early Iron Age pottery were recovered from cuttings made by the army.^[1]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Historic England. "The Giant's Castle cliff castle, St Mary's (1011935)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
^ ^a ^b Wainwright, Richard (1978). A Guide to the Prehistoric Remains in Britain. Vol. 1: South and East. Constable and Robinson. p. 65. ISBN 978-0094603202.