Preliminary archaeological evaluation trenching within the grounds of Holwood House, on behalf of the Crest Nicholson Group, has traced part of the southern defences of the Iron Age hillfort. The position of the outer ditch and counterscarp bank along this part of its circuit was revealed to be located outside the current Scheduled Ancient Monument perimeter but exactly where indicated by a 1790 survey. During the investigations, the opportunity was taken to excavate a small section across the outer ditch-line with a view to retrieving new environmental samples from its basal deposits. Whilst offering an excellent opportunity to examine the hillfort's primary environmental setting, the sampling strategy may also offer up an interesting comparison with the pioneering environmental archaeology carried out in the late 50's by Nancy Piercy-Fox and colleagues elsewhere around the hillfort's circuit. Further south another small ditch, containing small abraded pieces of Iron Age pot and occasional pieces of burnt flint, was identified and found to be of the same alignment as the southern boundary of the hillfort. Its location, north-east of the Redwood Building, places the ditch in the vicinity of an Iron Age ditch spotted in 1979 when the same building was under construction, although that is reported as much greater in size. Otherwise, the majority of the trenching programme produced no significant archaeological deposits indicating that much of the investigated area is not archaeologically sensitive.