Shropshire's mystery Iron Age fort dug up after 40 years, its secrets still unclear

An unusual Iron Age fort hidden in the former wetlands of Shropshire is being excavated again after almost four decades, giving archaeologists a rare opportunity to investigate one of Britain’s most enigmatic lowland forts. Wall Camp, near Kynnersley and Telford, has been selected as the new home of the University of Birmingham’s Archaeology Field School under a 10-year research partnership. More than 60 students joined academics for the first three-week excavation in June 2026, opening three trenches across the Scheduled Monument. The project is examining the fort’s banks, ditches, entrance and unusual internal layout, including causeways that appear to lead nowhere. The University of Birmingham, which announced the excavation on 23 July, says the site is among the largest and best-preserved examples of a low-lying “marsh fort” in Britain.Why is Wall Camp such an unusual Iron Age fort?Wall Camp stands in an unexpected setting for an Iron Age fort. Rather than occupying a prominent hilltop, it was constructed on a slightly raised island within the Weald Moors, an area that was once characterised by boggy woodland and wetlands. The fort is surrounded by as many as five concentric ea...