Mystery Iron Age fort excavated for first time in decades in major new field school project

Archaeology students and academics from the University of Birmingham have begun excavating a rare Iron Age lowland fort in Shropshire for the first time since the 1980s.

The dig is part of a new 10-year research collaboration, which will see the Scheduled Monument become the new home for the University’s archaeology field school.

Known as the Wall Camp near Telford in the village of Kynnersley, the site is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of a low-lying ‘marsh fort’, a type rarely found in Britain, and features a series of puzzling structures, including causeways that appear to lead nowhere.

Normally, Iron Age forts are built on top of hills, but the Wall Camp is on a raised island ringed by as many as five concentric earthworks within the Weald Moors – an area that was once ancient, bog forest and is now drained peatland farmland.

More than 60 students took part in the first three-week dig in June, opening three trenches to explore the site’s layout, ancient features, and architecture – including its Iron Age banks, an elaborate entranceway and man-made ditches that fit with no known Iron Age industrial practices.

Led by University experts in collaboration with Historic England, the project aims to uncover how the site functioned and why its features challenge conventional understanding of Iron Age settlements.

The dig and field school is being led by Dr Theo Reeves, former Time Team presenter, Professor Henry Chapman, and Dr David Smith. They will not only use the school to hone their students’ fieldwork and excavation tool skills but also conduct research into the site and catalogue any artefacts and discoveries uncovered by the dig.

Dr Theo Reeves, Teaching Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, said: “Previous excavations uncovered Iron Age roundhouses, pottery linked to regional salt-trading networks and a rare blue glass bead of exceptional craftsmanship, yet many of the site's biggest questions remain unanswered. When was Wall Camp built? Why was so much labour invested in constructing its enormous earthworks? What role did the surrounding wetlands play in the monument's use and meaning?”

On top of remains of Iron Age roundhouses

The site is now occupied by Wall Farm, home to Georgina Edge, whose family has reared livestock and grown crops here for generations. The main farmhouse is built on top of the remains of Iron Age roundhouses and may preserve evidence for a previously unrecorded medieval settlement.

Georgina Edge, who lives at Wall Farm said: “We are delighted to welcome the University of Birmingham to the Wall Farm. As custodians of the site, we work hard to protect and preserve the earthworks for future generations. We can’t wait to find out more about how and why the fort was created and look forward to working with the university over the coming years.”

A planned programme of public engagement will also create opportunities for discovery and local community involvement, with St Lawrence CofE Primary School in Preston already invited to visit the site and hear a talk from a University of Birmingham researcher.

Henry Chapman, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to be conducting the dig at Wall Camp for the first time in 40 years. The site is a fascinating Iron Age fort with many intriguing features, and it will be wonderful to examine them up close. Our initial dig is to try to make sense of how people came in and out of the site and why certain features are where they are.

“This 10-year partnership will give our students crucial fieldwork experiences whilst studying at the University of Birmingham. This first dig has gone well, and our experts and students are looking forward to continuing the work.”

Read more information about the Archaeology Field School available to our students.