About

Oldbury Hill is located on the north side of the A25 in Kent 3km SE of Borough Green, 4.5 km east of Sevenoaks.

155.5 acres were acquired in 1945 under the will of Mr H A Hooker, of which 153.46 acres were declared inalienable in 1946. (It is believed that the undeclared part was kept for future road improvements to the A25). A further strip (2.1 acres) to the northern edge was purchased in 1974 and declared inalienable in 1975. In 1967 and 1975 approx. 4 acres were compulsorily purchased by KCC to carry out improvements to the A25 which runs to the south of the property.

Oldbury Hill is a prominent sandy ridge occupied by one of the finest Iron Age hill forts in the Medway Valley. Evidence suggests that it was first fortified in c100BC although never permanently occupied. Later occupation, probably by a Romanised native population, may have been connected with quarrying activities. The small caves and shallow rock shelters in the sandstone ridge were probably used by palaeolithic man. This site is a designated Scheduled Ancient Monument.

National Trust owns the southern part of  this roughly diamond shaped hill fort and Styants Wood on the western side of Styants Bottom Rd.

Hasted’s map of 1798 (above) indicates that the ‘Waggon Road’ crossing the hill fort was still the main road from Seal to Ightham, while the ‘new road’ passes by the southern foot of Oldbury camp. At this period it appears that all the land inside of the ramparts of the camp was wooded.

It is quite difficult to see that you are on the ramparts of the fort, as over time they have be eroded, the diagram below shows what they would have possibly looked like.

Oldbury Hill Rampart Diagram

The surrounding woodlands support oak, birch and Scots pine with a variety of fungi and plants colonising from the former heathland, including heather and bilberry. Sizeable areas of oak coppice are systematically being recoppiced, making this one of the few Kentish woods where this traditional Wealden management is being practised.

Since 1946 the whole of the property has been leased to Kent County Council and managed as a country park. Approximately 4 acres of Styants Wood is let on annual licence to the Camping and Caravanning Club. The property is part of the Oldbury and Seal Chart SSSI, is a Greensand Ridge Special Landscape Area and considered to be of considerable biological interest.

The property has a car park situated on Styants Bottom Rd and is crossed by public footpaths, bridleways and permissive footpaths and used by ramblers, campers, horse riders and orienteering groups.