Iron Age Settlement in the Meon Valley

500 BC

The Meon Valley was inhabited during the Iron Age, with evidence of settlement and farming activity in the area around what would become Wickham. The fertile river valley provided good conditions for agriculture, and the chalk stream offered a reliable water supply. Archaeological finds in the wider area suggest a network of small farming communities along the valley, cultivating crops and keeping livestock on the gentle slopes above the river. The Iron Age inhabitants laid the groundwork for the agricultural landscape that would persist for millennia.