Cissbury Ring

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Cissbury Ring is on the South Downs about 5 km north of Worthing, West Sussex. It is the largest hill fort in Sussex and among the largest in Britain overall. The earthworks that form the fortifications were built around the beginning of the Middle Iron-Age but abandoned in the period 50 BC - 50 AD. Long before the hill was fortified, flint mines were being worked on in the area. Some shafts went down as far as 40 feet. This process was done using only antler horns as tools. The present day ditches and banks are what is left of a great defensive wall that enclosed 65 acres of land; the inner band of the wall is over a mile around. The ditches are said to be as deep as three meters and were filled with loosened chalk and covered with timber palisade. The 600 foot hill is open to the public but the climb is said to be "not for the faint hearted." From the top, one is able to see Selsey, Chichester Cathedral and the Spinnaker Tower

The ring has many ghostly legends surrounding it and has been a haunt for ghost hunters over the years.

External links

[Cissbury Ring]
[Cissbury Ring]
[Aerial photo] of Cissbury Ring. Other [map and aerial photo sources].

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