Blackdown Hills
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| Blackdown Hills | |
|---|---|
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | |
 Blackdown Hills AONB near Dalwood, Devon
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| Country | England |
| Counties | Devon Somerset |
| Location | south-west England |
| Area | 370 km² (143 sq mi) |
| Highest point | |
| - location | Staple Hill |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 315 m (1,033 ft) |
| Geology | Upper Greensand |
| AONB | 1991 |
| Managed by | Blackdown Hills AONB |
| - location | St Ivel House, Hemyock, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 3SJ |
| - coordinates | |
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England. They were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1991.[1]
The plateau is dominated by hard chert bands of Upper Greensand with some remnants of chalk. River valleys cut into the landscape which together support an extensive range of wildlife leading to the designation of 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
There is evidence of human occupation since the iron age. Fortifications include the remains of ancient hill forts, Norman motte-and-bailey castles and World War II airfields. There are also religious buildings such as Dunkeswell Abbey and village churches. The hills are crossed by a network of minor roads with major transport routes including the M5 motorway running around the periphery.
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[edit] Geography
The Blackdown Hills AONB covers an area of 370 square kilometres (143 sq mi) straddling the borders of Somerset and Devon.
The hills are heavily cut with sharp valleys and reach 315 metres (1,033 ft) above sea level at Staple Hill, their highest point. To the south of the area near Honiton in Devon the hills are more gentle. The Blackdown Hills are a sparsely populated area, much of the land being used for dairy farming.
The River Culm rises in the at a spring (grid reference ST2205016050) near Culmhead and flows west through Hemyock, then Culmstock (in the Culm Valley) to Uffculme before joining the River Exe on the north-western outskirts of Exeter. The name of the river is thought to mean 'knot' or 'tie', in reference to the river's twists and loops[2]. The River Otter rises near Otterford, where a stream feeds the Otterhead lakes: (ST225152), then flows south for some 32 km through East Devon to the English Channel at the western end of Lyme Bay. The Permian and Triassic sandstone aquifer in the Otter Valley is one of Devon's largest groundwater sources, supplying drinking water to 200,000 people. The other rivers are the River Yarty and the Corry Brook.
The villages in the northern (Somerset) part of the hills include: Staple Fitzpaine, Buckland St Mary, Whitestaunton, Wambrook and Churchstanton. The larger southern area in Devon includes: Dunkeswell, Upottery, Smeatharpe, Hemyock, Blackborough, Yarcombe, Membury, Stockland, Sheldon and Cotleigh.
[edit] Geology
The geology of the Blackdown Hills together with the adjoining East Devon AONB is unique in Britain.[3]
The Blackdown Hills form a flat plateau dominated by hard chert bands of Upper Greensand with some remnants of chalk. The cretaceous rocks rest over eroded Jurassic and Triassic beds, with an outcrop of Rhaetian beds.[4]
[edit] Ecology
There are 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the Blackdown Hills ranging from the 156 hectare Black Down and Sampford Commons to Reed Farm pit at just less than 1 hectare. In total they cover 640 ha, or just under 2% of the AONB. Of these SSSIs 79% are deemed by English Nature to be being positively managed.[3]
Blackdown and Sampford Commons have extensive surviving examples of the heathland, carr woodland and marshy grassland habitats that have developed on the acidic soils overlying the Greensand and Keuper Marls of the Blackdown Hills. The heathland supports a typical invertebrate fauna, including a wide variety of butterfly species, and with spiders notably abundant. The site is regionally important for birds which favour heathland habitats.[5]
Quants, a grassland clearing in a forestry plantation well-known for its butterflies including Duke of Burgundy, Marsh Fritillary and Wood White,[6] is a candidate for Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). These are designated under the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as internationally important habitats.
[edit] History
Notable archaeological sites include the Iron Age hill forts at Membury Castle, Hembury and Castle Neroche. Hembury is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure near Honiton. It dates to the late fifth and early fourth millennia BC and is believed to have been the capital of the Dumnonii tribe. The fort is situated on a promontory to the North of and overlooking the River Dart at approx 178 Metres above Sea Level.[7] It has given its name to some of the earliest Neolithic pottery in southern Britain. An Iron Age hill fort[8] was later built on the same site. There has been archaeological evidence found on the site of Roman Military occupation, suggesting a Fort within the existing Iron Age site. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Castle Neroche is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle on the site of an earlier hill fort near Staple Fitzpaine. The hill rises to 260 metres (853 ft) on the northern escarpment of the Blackdown Hills. The castle was probably built by Robert of Mortain in the 11th century and probably went out of use in the 12th.[9] Around the crossroads at Staple Fitzpaine there are several large sandstone boulders. They are called devilstones and are said to have been thrown by the Devil from Castle Neroche. According to legend if you prick them with a pin they draw blood. English word 'Stapol' means pillar or post and it is thought likely that this gave the village the first part of its name.[10] The second part of the name comes from the Fitzpaine family who owned the manor between 1233 and 1393.[11]
Prehistoric remains,, from about 100 BC, have been found in Hemyock.
A Roman bath house and Edwardian folly in the village of Whitestaunton were excavated by the television series Time Team.[12]
In the Middle Ages local iron ores were smelted at Hemyock in small bloomeries (furnaces) to produce pure iron.
At Simonsburrow a battle between the native Britons and King Ine's Saxon army, put an end (temporarily) to the Kings expansion to the west. In 710, Ine and Nothhelm fought against Geraint of Dumnonia, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle;[13] John of Worcester states that Geraint was killed in this battle.[14] Ine's advance brought him control of what is now Devon, the new border with Dumnonia being the river Tamar.[15] The Annales Cambriae, a tenth century chronicle,[16]
Just to the north of Culmstock you will find Culmstock Beacon, which is believed to be one of a chain of Elizabethan beacons built to warn of possible invasion by the Spanish Armada.
On 5th November 1380, King Richard II granted Sir William and Lady Margaret Asthorpe a licence to crenellate the Hemyock manor house; meaning the permission to fortify it. Over the centuries, Hemyock Castle had many notable owners including Lord Chief Justice Sir John Popham. During the English Civil War it was held for Parliament, subjected to a brief but brutal siege and eventually slighted to destroy its military value. Parts of the castle walls, towers and moat still remain. They are a scheduled ancient monument and include displays of history and archaeology. The castle was also owned by and General Sir John Graves Simcoe the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada in 1792. He is buried at Wolford Chapel near Dunkeswell. The chapel is now owned by the Province of Ontario.
Cold Harbour Mill was built around 1800 to exploit the available water power of the River Culm and was used for wool and yarn production until its commercial closure in 1981. It is now managed by an educational trust and plays a role in telling the industrial history of the area.
The Wellington Monument is located on Wellington Hill at grid reference ST137171, 3km south of Wellington, Somerset. It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. Its design was inspired by an Egyptian obelisk, but in the shape of the type of bayonet used by Wellington's armies.[17] It is now owned by the National Trust, and is floodlit at night. The viewing platform is currently (2007) closed due to safety concerns.[18]
In World War II airbases were built at Dunkeswell, Upottery and Culmhead. Dunkeswell Aerodrome (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGTU) was built in the Second World War by the RAF, briefly used by the USAF, and then the Fleet Airwing 7 of the USN and is now a busy civilian airfield with a mix of light aircraft, microlights and parachuting. It was the only American Navy air base commissioned on UK soil during World War II.
[edit] Government and politics
The Blackdown Hills have, since 1991, been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.
As they have the same landscape quality, AONBs may be compared to the national parks of England and Wales. AONBs are created under the same legislation as the national parks, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Unlike AONBs, national parks have their own authorities, have special legal powers to prevent unsympathetic development. By contrast, there are very limited statutory duties imposed on local authorities within an AONB. However, further regulation and protection of AONBs was added by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
The total population of the AONB in 2001 was 13,300 of which 10,500 live in Devon and 2,800 within Somerset.[3]
Many of the villages have their own parish councils which have some responsibility for local issues. The Blackdown Hills AONB is managed by a partnership of public bodies, local organisations and voluntary groups with an active interest in the Hills. Funding is provided by Devon and Somerset County Councils, East Devon, Mid Devon, South Somerset and Taunton Deane Councils and Natural England.
Each of the villages is also part of a parliamentary constituency: Tiverton and Honiton, Tauntonor Yeovil. The area is also part of the South West England (European Parliament constituency) of the European Parliament.
[edit] Religious sites
Dunkeswell Abbey, was founded in 1201 by William de Briwere as a Cistercian monastery and offshoot of Forde Abbey. The abbey was closed in 1539 and granted to Lord Russell, and was mostly demolished quickly, though a section remained in domestic use until the 19th century. In 1842, a parish church was built over part of the site. Some surviving fragments of monastery include the partial end wall of the cellerars range and parts of a gatehouse. Some carved fragments survive within the Victorian era church.[19]
The Church of St Peter in Staple Fitzpaine is Norman in origin, and has a Norman doorway reset in the south aisle. The chancel dates from the 14th century. The north aisle was added and the church refenestrated in the 15th century. The tower dates from about 1500, however the south porch and vestry are much more recent dating form 1841. The crenellated 3-stage tower, has merlons pierced with trefoil headed arches set on a quatrefoil pierced parapet. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.[20]
[edit] Transport
The Blackdown Hills are crossed by a network on minor roads. The M5 motorway is at the northwestern boundary of the AONB. Several major roads including the A30, A303 and A35.
[edit] See also
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Dorset
[edit] References
- ^ What is an AONB. Blackdown Hills AONB. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Hesketh, Robert (2008). Devon Placenames. Launceston: Bossiney Books. ISBN 9781899383986.
- ^ a b c Blackdown Hills Plan 2004 – 2009 (PDF). Blackdown Hills AONB. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Hardy, Peter (1999). The Geology of Somerset. Bradford on Avon: Ex Libris Press. ISBN 0948578424.
- ^ Black Down and Sampford Commons. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ The Quantocks. English Nature. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
- ^ Sellman, R.R. (1985). "The Iron Age in Devon (ch.2)", Aspects of Devon History. Exeter: Devon Books, pg.11 (Map of Iron Age hill forts in Devon including Hembury Castle). ISBN 0861147561.
- ^ R.R.Sellman; Aspects of Devon History, Devon Books 1985 - ISBN 0861147561 - Chapter 2; The Iron Age in Devon. Map Page 11 of Iron Age hill forts in Devon includes Hembury.
- ^ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0946159947.
- ^ The villages of Staple Fitzpaine, Curland and Bickenhall,. Stoke St Mary.net. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimbourne: Dovecote press. ISBN 187433627X.
- ^ A Roman bath house and Edwardian folly. Time Team microsite. Channel 4 (11 January 2004). Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
- ^ Swanton, Michael (1996). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92129-5.
- ^ John of Worcester was a twelfth-century chronicler who had access to versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that have not survived to the present day. See Campbell (ed.), The Anglo-Saxons, p. 222. For the chronicle text, see Forester, Chronicle, p. 36.
- ^ Kirby, D.P. (1992). The Earliest English Kings. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-09086-5.
- ^ Higham, King Arthur, p. 170.
- ^ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books, 67. ISBN 0906456983.
- ^ Quantocks, Exmoor and South Somerset. National Trust website. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
- ^ Anthony New. 'A Guide to the Abbeys of England And Wales', p156-157. Constable
- ^ Church of St Peter. Images of England. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
[edit] External links
- Blackdown Hills AONB – official website
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