Castle Folds

Castle Folds or Castlesteads was a Romano-British walled settlement on Great Asby Scar – an area of limestone pavement in the parish of Asby, Cumbria [1]. In medieval times, it was used as a shieling – a temporary summer shelter [1]. It is now in ruins but is protected as a scheduled monument [1]. The settlement covered most of a small knoll on the limestone pavement of the scar [1]. A walled enclosure surrounded most of the knoll and, on the western side, the eight-foot thick walls extended the steep escarpment of the knoll to form a significant obstacle [1]. The area enclosed is about 1.25 acres [1]. There were about a dozen stone huts built into the walls of the enclosure so that the central space was open [1]. The wall was constructed from orthostats which enclosed rubble [1].