The fort, perched on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, is enclosed on three sides by two parallel earthworks, and is open to the west, commanding an impressive view of the Frome Valley, Severn Vale and the Welsh mountains.

The earth walls enclose an area of 11 acres (45,000 m2), and are usually kept mown by the local farmer (the fort is in private hands, but accessible).

In 888 the covenant failed; however, the land was granted to Eadnoth in perpetuity for the rent of 15 shillings, payable to the See of Worcester yearly at Tetbury.

King Edward IV camped here in 1471 before attacking the army of Margaret of Anjou at the Battle of Tewkesbury, which he won decisively.

Just outside the churchyard on the hillside is a topograph (a large stone with an engraving), installed to commemorate the second millennium, that shows Old Sodbury in relation to its geographical surroundings.

There is a crenellated tower resembling a rook chess piece on the escarpment immediately above and to the east of the village, visible from the main road.

It performs the function of a ventilation shaft (the first of six) for the Chipping Sodbury Tunnel on the main railway line from South Wales, via Bristol Parkway to London Paddington.

In 1927, Diana, Countess of Westmorland contracted George Herbert Kitchin (1870–1951) to restore the house and lay out the formal gardens.