Archaeologists from Gloucestershire County Council, with funding from Natural England, have repaired damage to a historic Iron Age hill fort eroded by thousands of walkers on the edge of the scarp on Cleeve Common.
     Under the guidance of the county council's archaeologist Andrew Armstrong, they made a record of what was exposed. Staff from the council's estates team, led by Alan Watson, were then called in to lay soil and turf, and a wire mesh was laid over the top to keep the earthworks in place.
     County archaeologist Jan Wills says the area of high ground on the top of the common is a very important settlement site, occupied from 400 BCE up to the Roman occupation in 43 CE. "There are sites like this along the Cotswold escarpment, including one at Crickley Hill."
     The common is of national importance for the quality of its landscape, geology, archaeology, nature conservation and scientific interest. It is the largest area of unimproved limestone grassland in Gloucestershire. Almost all of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which means it is overseen by Natural England.

Edited from Gloucestershire Echo (28 November 2011)