Polden Hills
Encyclopedia
The Polden Hills in Somerset
, England are a long, low ridge, extending for 10 miles (16.1 km), and separated from the Mendip Hills
, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels
. They are now cut at their western end by the M5 motorway
and a railway, the Bristol and Exeter Railway
, part of the Great Western Main Line
.
, near Bridgwater
, in the west, to Street
, in the east. The ridge of the hill once accommodated a Roman road
, from Ilchester
to the port of Combwich
. Roman remains from the "Polden Hill Hoard" are now in the British Museum
. This road crossed the River Parrett
by means of a ford
, at the White House (White House Rhyne), on the Pawlett Hams. This western extension forms part of a Saxon
route. The river crossing could only be used a few hours per day at low tide
and was used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
in the 1790s when he stayed at Nether Stowey
, to travel to and from Bristol
. It went out of use as other roads were improved and the White House, a former public house
, is now just a ruin. The modern road, now the A39
, is carried on a causeway
from the King's Sedgemoor Drain
, at Bawdrip
, to Bridgwater.
with alternating bands of limestone and clay. Blue Lias is believed to have been quarried on the Polden Hills in the 15th century; and was quarried in Puriton
from the early 19th century until the 1973, when the local cement works closed.
near Compton Dundon
is a Nature Conservation Review Woodland Site, owned and managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust
. It has been designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the invertebrate population.
planned town of Caput Montis was located at the western end of the Polden Hills. Caput Montis failed as a planned town and now exists as the earth works of a Motte and Bailey in the hamlet
of Downend, now a detached part of the village
of Puriton.
There was also at Dunball
a railway Halt, a Hotel
, a Post Office
and a Wharf
- part of the Port
of Bridgwater.
There are a number of small villages situated on both slopes of the ridge, many of which are named in the Domesday Book
. Most of the eastern villages, from Street to Cossington
, and possibly Woolavington
, (which are also parish
es) are located in medieval planned-parishes. They once formed parts of the Estates of Glastonbury Abbey
.
-
Bawdrip
-
Woolavington
-
Cossington
-
Stawell
-
Chilton Polden
-
Edington
-
Catcott
-
Shapwick
-
Ashcott
-
Walton
-
Street
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England are a long, low ridge, extending for 10 miles (16.1 km), and separated from the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
. They are now cut at their western end by the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
and a railway, the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
, part of the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
.
Location
The hills stretch from PuritonPuriton
Puriton is a village and a parish, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK. The parish has a population of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael...
, near Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, in the west, to Street
Street, Somerset
Street is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, south-west of Glastonbury. The 2001 census records the village as having a population of 11,066...
, in the east. The ridge of the hill once accommodated a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, from Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
to the port of Combwich
Combwich
Combwich is a village in the parish of Otterhampton within the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.The village lies on Combwich Reach as the River Parrett flows to the sea and was the site of an ancient ferry crossing. In the Domesday book it was known as...
. Roman remains from the "Polden Hill Hoard" are now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. This road crossed the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
by means of a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
, at the White House (White House Rhyne), on the Pawlett Hams. This western extension forms part of a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
route. The river crossing could only be used a few hours per day at low tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
and was used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
in the 1790s when he stayed at Nether Stowey
Nether Stowey
Nether Stowey is a large village in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills , just below Over Stowey...
, to travel to and from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. It went out of use as other roads were improved and the White House, a former public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, is now just a ruin. The modern road, now the A39
A39 road
The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset and Devon through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Stratton, Camelford, Wadebridge and St...
, is carried on a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
from the King's Sedgemoor Drain
King's Sedgemoor Drain
King's Sedgemoor Drain is an artificial drainage channel which diverts the River Cary in Somerset, England along the southern flank of the Polden Hills, to discharge into the River Parrett at Dunball near Bridgwater. As the name suggests, the channel is used to help drain the peat moors of King's...
, at Bawdrip
Bawdrip
Bawdrip is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The village is on the south side of the Polden Hills about north-east of Bridgwater. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 498. The parish includes the hamlets of Bradney and Horsey...
, to Bridgwater.
Geology
The Poldens are a low narrow ridge of Blue LiasBlue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
with alternating bands of limestone and clay. Blue Lias is believed to have been quarried on the Polden Hills in the 15th century; and was quarried in Puriton
Puriton
Puriton is a village and a parish, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK. The parish has a population of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael...
from the early 19th century until the 1973, when the local cement works closed.
Ecology
Great Breach and Copley WoodsGreat Breach and Copley Woods
Great Breach and Copley Woods is a 64.8 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest 1 km south of Compton Dundon and 5 km south-east of Street in Somerset, England, notified in 1972....
near Compton Dundon
Compton Dundon
Compton Dundon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated beside King's Sedge Moor and the Polden Hills, south of Glastonbury and north of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 710...
is a Nature Conservation Review Woodland Site, owned and managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust
Somerset Wildlife Trust
Somerset Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Somerset, England.The trust, which was established in 1964, aims to safeguard the county's wildlife and wild places for this and future generations and manages almost 80 nature reserves. Examples include Fyne Court, Westhay Moor,...
. It has been designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the invertebrate population.
Centres of population
The former medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
planned town of Caput Montis was located at the western end of the Polden Hills. Caput Montis failed as a planned town and now exists as the earth works of a Motte and Bailey in the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Downend, now a detached part of the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Puriton.
There was also at Dunball
Dunball
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.Located on the A38, adjacent to...
a railway Halt, a Hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and a Wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
- part of the Port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of Bridgwater.
There are a number of small villages situated on both slopes of the ridge, many of which are named in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. Most of the eastern villages, from Street to Cossington
Cossington, Somerset
Cossington is a village and civil parish close to Woolavington and north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district in Somerset, England. The village lies on the north side of the Polden Hills.-History:...
, and possibly Woolavington
Woolavington
Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is north east of Bridgwater, south east of Burnham on Sea and west of Glastonbury...
, (which are also parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es) are located in medieval planned-parishes. They once formed parts of the Estates of Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
.
Villages of the Polden Hills (west to east)
PuritonPuriton
Puriton is a village and a parish, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK. The parish has a population of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael...
-
Bawdrip
Bawdrip
Bawdrip is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The village is on the south side of the Polden Hills about north-east of Bridgwater. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 498. The parish includes the hamlets of Bradney and Horsey...
-
Woolavington
Woolavington
Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is north east of Bridgwater, south east of Burnham on Sea and west of Glastonbury...
-
Cossington
Cossington, Somerset
Cossington is a village and civil parish close to Woolavington and north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district in Somerset, England. The village lies on the north side of the Polden Hills.-History:...
-
Stawell
Stawell, Somerset
Stawell is a village and civil parish miles north east of Bridgwater, and north west of Moorlinch, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.The parish includes the village of Sutton Mallet.-Governance:...
-
Chilton Polden
Chilton Polden
Chilton Polden is a rural village and civil parish, situated close to Edington on the Somerset Levels to the north of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.-History:...
-
Edington
Edington, Somerset
Edington is a rural village, situated on the north side of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.Either side of it lie the villages of Chilton Polden and Catcott, and north of it is the small village of Burtle...
-
Catcott
Catcott
Catcott is a rural village and civil parish, situated close to Edington to the east of Bridgwater on the Somerset Levels to the north of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.-History:...
-
Shapwick
Shapwick, Somerset
Shapwick is a village on the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It is situated to the west of Glastonbury.-History:Shapwick is the site of one end of the Sweet Track, an ancient causeway dating from the 39th century BC....
-
Ashcott
Ashcott
Ashcott is a small village and civil parish located in the Sedgemoor area of Somerset in the south-west of England. The village has a population of 1,280. The parish includes the hamlets of Buscott, Berhill and Ashcott Corner....
-
Walton
Walton, Somerset
Walton is a village and civil parish, on the Polden Hills, south west of Glastonbury in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Asney.-History:...
-
Street
Street, Somerset
Street is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, south-west of Glastonbury. The 2001 census records the village as having a population of 11,066...