Cannington Park is a county wildlife site which comprises two wooded hills and pasture that is grazed by sheep,the larger of the hills is known as Castle Hill,this being an Iron age fort in occupation until Norman times,the smaller hill is known as Rising Wood by local residents. The hills are composed of carboniferous limestone that support a rich variety of trees, fauna and wildlife.HOW TO GET THERE: From the centre of the village at the Post Office, go right along the High street and then right again into Chads hill(Chad is old English for warrior), at the top of the hill go left at the crossroads into Sandy lane, follow the road for half a mile, where you will come to a five bar gate and a finger post pointing to the two hills of Cannington park,climb over the gate or the stile at the side and you are there! Please keep dogs on leads.
Spring has arrived in Cannington park
The white violet can easily be seen on the woodland floor, purpleviolet not so abundant as the white.On the slopes leading to the hillfort, limestone juts out of the short grass,forming a natural enclave for the native thistle that grows so well here, in the summer it will send up flower spikes a metre high with a 6cm pink thistle head. I do not know the botanical name of this plant or it`s common name, does anyone know?Hazel catkins are shimmering beautifully in the sunshine, they mirror the lambs tails that are leaping for joy in the fields surrounding the hill.The white blossom of Blackthorn has begun it`s long flowering, the trees can flower for up to a month.
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Cannington Council Website
The white violet can easily be seen on the woodland floor, purpleviolet not so abundant as the white.On the slopes leading to the hillfort, limestone juts out of the short grass,forming a natural enclave for the native thistle that grows so well here, in the summer it will send up flower spikes a metre high with a 6cm pink thistle head. I do not know the botanical name of this plant or it`s common name, does anyone know?Hazel catkins are shimmering beautifully in the sunshine, they mirror the lambs tails that are leaping for joy in the fields surrounding the hill.The white blossom of Blackthorn has begun it`s long flowering, the trees can flower for up to a month.
Archaeology
The earthworks in Cannington Park appear to date from the last millennium BC but there have been finds of earlier material on the hill. The only modern excavation was in 1963 and was limited to a small trench near the SE area of the park ,also exstensive excavation of the cemetery hill which lies east of the hillfort was done at this time. The cemetary was shown to date (approximately) from the Roman period until the Noman conquest which suggests that settlement in the area continued until then.There was a smaller hillfort with settlements on it`s slopes, north of the remaining hillfort, local residents found numerous pieces of pottery here, before the quarry moved in, this hill has gone completely now.
So the remaining hilllfort and it`s settlements on the southern slopes are of great archaeological importance as it is one of the few places in Britain where a cemetary covering this crucial period between 400 and 1000AD is known in asssociation with a settlement.
This has been acknowledged by the designation of both the hillfort itself and the settlements on the slopes below as Scheduled Monuments.
So the remaining hilllfort and it`s settlements on the southern slopes are of great archaeological importance as it is one of the few places in Britain where a cemetary covering this crucial period between 400 and 1000AD is known in asssociation with a settlement.
This has been acknowledged by the designation of both the hillfort itself and the settlements on the slopes below as Scheduled Monuments.
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Cannington Council Website
