AN ANCIENT Hampshire site has had a makeover thanks to a local charity.

Buckland Rings is an Iron Age hill fort on the outskirts of Lymington, with nothing to mark it out as a historic site.

But now mysterious figures loom out and there are seats made to look like Iron Age tools, while information boards tell visitors about the fort.

New Forest charity SPUD Youth – a workshop programme run for young people aged 12 and upwards who are interested in architecture, urban design and public art – worked on the project.

Last year members of SPUD Youth spent the morning at Lymington market researching the public’s knowledge of Buckland Rings, using questionnaires to find out who uses the site and how it can be improved so more people would be encouraged to visit.

The group then chose artists to work with on final designs.

Buckland Rings dates from the fourth century BC to first century AD, early historians believing it was Roman.

It has well preserved triple banks and double ditches, although it is likely that it started out with a single bank and ditch system.

This type of site is rare in lowland areas and as such is the best preserved and most important in the Hampshire/Dorset basin.

To get ideas, SPUD Youth visited the Andover Museum of the Iron Age, Danebury Hillfort, Figsbury Ring and Salisbury Museum.

The co-director of SPUD Youth, Mark Drury said: “People didn’t know which bit was the hill fort, where the gateway to it was or what it once looked like. Now people can know more about site and are more likely to visit the museum. People are now already using the site more.

“It is a unique site in Lymington with a special history; what was going in needed to be subtle. People have been talking about making Buckland Rings more engaging for 20 years.”

The most eye-catching addition is Guardians of the Gate, a sculpture London-based artist Katie Surridge.

These are three figures made of a durable Corten Steel body with plasma cut leaves and horns which were cast in bronze from three large sets of red deer antlers. The design was partly inspired by the horned Celtic god Cernunnos.

The seating is by Winchester-based artist Nicola Henshaw – the design inspired by the tools used in the Iron Age such as spear-heads and cutting tools.

Interpretation boards – one of which uses a 3D model using a LIDAR survey of Buckland Rings – were designed Harrison Alcock, a young artist from Bournemouth.

SPUD Youth will be launching two trails at Buckland Rings on Saturday, April 22 when there is a family open day. There will be an authentic display of Iron Age weapons, cooking and a chance for youngsters to have a mini battle. Prizes for the best Iron Age costumes will be awarded.

There is no parking at the site so visitors will need to walk or cycle. The entrance to Buckland Rings is on the A337 approach to Lymington between the railway bridge and the Monkey House pub.