This article is about the hill called Solsbury near the city of Bath. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. For the Peter Gabriel song, see Solsbury Hill (song). " Solsbury Hill " is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a Spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England

Little Solsbury Hill (more commonly known as Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Batheaston is a village two miles east of Bath, England (which is believed to be where the name derived from on the north bank of the River Avon. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The hill rises to 625 feet (191 m)^[1] above the River Avon which is just over 1 mile (2 km) to the south. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The River Avon is a River in the south west of England. Because of a number of other River Avons in England this river is often also known as the Lower A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand It is within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. See also Cotswold The Cotswolds is a range of Hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England" An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB is an area of countryside with significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland It gives impressive views of the city of Bath and the surrounding area. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. The hill was immortalized in 1976 by Peter Gabriel in his song 'Solsbury Hill'. Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950 in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English Musician and Songwriter. " Solsbury Hill " is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a Spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England

It is sometimes misspelled as Salisbury, or Solisbury, perhaps because of confusion with Salisbury Plain (a plateau in southern England), or the city of Salisbury. Salisbury Plain is a Chalk Plateau in central southern England covering. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the Alternatively it may be connected with the Celtic god Sulis who is associated with nearby Bath. Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands In localised Celtic polytheism practiced in Britain Sul or Sulis was the deification of the thermal spring-water of Bath Somerset, where she was worshipped Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol.

Contents 1 History and Archaeology 2 Wildlife 3 Cultural references 4 Contemporary Issues 5 References

History and Archaeology

The hill was an Iron Age hill fort occupied between 300 BC and 100 BC, comprising a triangular area enclosed by a single univallate rampart, faced inside and out with well-built dry stone walls and infilled with rubble. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together The rampart was 20 feet (6 m) wide and the outer face was at least 12 feet (4 m) high. The top of the hill was cleared down to the bedrock, then substantial huts were built with wattle and daub on a timber-frame. Wattle and daub (or wattle-and-daub) is a Building material used for making walls in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed After a period of occupation, some of the huts were burnt down, the rampart was overthrown, and the site was abandoned, never to be reoccupied. This event is probably part of the Belgic invasion of Britain in the early part of the 1st century BC. The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul in the 1st century BC and later also attested in Britain. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC.

The hill is near the Fosse Way Roman Road as it descends into Batheaston on its way to Aquae Sulis. The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter ( Isca Dumnoniorum) in South West England to Lincoln The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Batheaston is a village two miles east of Bath, England (which is believed to be where the name derived from on the north bank of the River Avon. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol.

Solsbury Hill is a possible location of the Battle of Mount Badon, fought between the Britons (under the legendary King Arthur) and the Saxons c. In the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( English Mount Badon, Welsh Mynydd Baddon) Romano-British Celts defeated King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. 496, mentioned by the chroniclers Gildas and Nennius. Events By Place Europe Battle of Tolbiac: Clovis I defeats the Alamanni, and is baptized into the Catholic Saint Gildas (c 494 or 516 – c 570 was one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during the sixth century Nennius, or Nemnivus, is either of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales.

Wildlife

The slopes are a classic example of limestone grassland reflecting the underlying geology of the area. This limestone habitat supports a wide range of specialist plants and animals, including some rare species. Examples of plant species found here are Bird's Foot Trefoil, vetches, Greater Knapweed, and Bee and Pyramidal Orchids. Lotus corniculatus is a common Flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Vicia ( Vetches) is a large genus of about 140 species of Flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Centaurea scabiosa or Greater Knapweed is a Perennial plant of the genus Centaurea. The Bee Orchid ( Ophrys apifera) is a perennial, temperate climate species of Orchid generally found growing on semi-dry turf, on limestone The pyramidal orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an Orchid native to central and southern Europe.

Insect species that may be present include the Six-spotted Burnet Moth and a number of butterflies including Chalkhill Blues and Meadow Fritillary. The Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae is a day-flying Moth of the family Zygaenidae. The Chalkhill Blue ( Polyommatus coridon) is a Butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

The Grassland has not been improved through any agricultural practice. The Yellow meadow ant hills are evidence of this. The Yellow Meadow Ant, Lasius flavus, is one of the most common Ants in Central Europe, although it also occurs in Asia, These grassy mounds show that the site has not been ploughed for at least fifty years.

The skylark nests on the hill. The Skylark ( Alauda arvensis) is a small Passerine Bird species Its liquid warbling of short trills is usually the first thing to be expected by the observer. This is followed by the sight of a small fluttering and hovering speck high in the sky. This is the song-flight of the Skylark, lasting up to an hour and reaching heights of up to 300m.

The skylark population has halved since 1990. It is believed this is because of intensification of farm practices leading to the loss of habitat and available food supply. The management of grassland and scrub is important to allow these birds to flourish.

Cultural references

Solsbury Hill is also the inspiration for rock musician Peter Gabriel's first solo single in 1977, which reached the 13th and 68th positions on the UK and US record charts respectively. Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950 in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English Musician and Songwriter. " Solsbury Hill " is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a Spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays

Contemporary Issues

People protesting against the building of an A46 bypass road cut a small maze into the hill during its construction in the mid-1990s. The environmental direct action movement in the United Kingdom started in 1990 with the forming of the first UK Earth First! group The A46 is a Trunk road in England. It largely follows the course of the Roman Fosse Way, from Lincoln to south Devon. A maze is a complex Tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route

References

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