Castlesteads, Greater Manchester

Castlesteads is a late Iron Age promontory fort on the east bank of the River Irwell in Bury, Greater Manchester. Occupied from the 5th century BC into the Roman period, the fort exploits steep natural slopes on three sides, with a 6-metre-wide, 120-metre-long defensive ditch protecting the eastern approach. Excavations in the 1960s-1990s uncovered postholes from Iron Age roundhouses and pottery consistent with Brigantian wares from the 1st century AD. The fort likely survived the Roman invasion because Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes was a Roman client ruler. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal confirmed occupation around 2,000 years ago.