The Peak District National Park is the second most visited national park in the world, and is home to some of the most imposing, and yet little-known prehistoric enclosures in Britain; Fin Cop hillfort overlooking Monsal Dale is one such monument. Longstone Local History Group (LLHG) made a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to record and excavate the hillfort, trained and assisted by Archaeological Research Services Ltd (ARS Ltd). Desk-based assessment, geophysical survey and an in-depth topographic survey were undertaken as the initial phases of the project, ensuring that a rounded understanding of the site could be arrived at.
Following this, in the summers of 2009 and 2010, LLHG along with staff members from ARS Ltd, children from six local schools and hundreds of other volunteers excavated this enigmatic site.
What was uncovered during the course of the Fin Cop project has undoubtedly enriched our understanding of not only this site, but also of the hillforts of the Peak District as a whole.