The Hunsbury Hill Heritage Trail was first publicised for the Heritage Open Days week in September 2025, although all three elements have been in place a lot, lot, longer.
Hunsbury Hill Iron Age Hillfort was originally constructed around 500 BC and was occupied for probably just over 500 years, probably being abandoned around the time the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD. Our hillfort has gained prominence amongst Britain’s other hillforts due to the artefacts discovered there during the ironstone quarrying that took place inside the hillfort between 1883 and 1887 (although Hunsbury Hill area generally was quarried from around 1873 to 1921).
Find out more about the Iron Age Hillfort and the Friends of West Hunsbury Parks at our website https://friendsofwesthunsburyparks.org.uk/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/502521888144712
Hunsbury Hill Farm was built in 1776 as “a model farm”, created specifically to utilise the latest farming methods of the period and to showcase the modern agricultural ideas of the late 18th century, although the land had been farmed probably since Roman times. Farming continued until 1977, when Northants ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) purchased the farm complex for their headquarters.
Learn more about NACRE from their website https://www.northantsacre.org.uk/about-northamptonshire-acre
NIRT (Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust) was established in 1974 to “preserve, restore and operate parts of the railway connected with the ironstone industry of Northampton” and to preserve and restore associated artefacts. The ironstone railway was built 1878-1880 and ran from Hunsbury Hill (including a branch into the hillfort) past Hunsbury Hill Farm to the blast furnace by the canal to the north of what is now Briar Hill. The NIRT railway line was completed with a loop round the Wild Flower Meadow and a line towards Tesco, in 1983. Since then, it has fallen into disrepair, but is now slowly being restored to its former glory by the volunteers of the Trust.
If you want to find out more about NIRT, visit their website https://www.northantsironstonerailway.co.uk/
or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/431224997843078
The Heritage Trail and hillfort are ‘open’ 24/7, but the best times to visit Hunsbury Hill Farm are weekday office hours (see poster) and the best times to visit NIRT are Sundays when they are running trains (details on their website). Artefacts recovered from the hillfort during the 19th century quarrying are now mostly in Chester House (viewing by appointment only), with some in Northampton Museum, but the Friends are currently negotiating the loan of some of them so that they can be viewed more easily.
Please do visit, and pick up a Heritage Trail leaflet that was prepared for Heritage Open Days 2025 from the Drovers’ Return café.
