Everything about Mendip Hills totally explained
The Mendip Hills (commonly called
The Mendips) are a range of
limestone hills situated 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. The hills give their name to the local government district of
Mendip, which covers most of the area.
The hills are largely
carboniferous limestone, which is quarried at several sites. The higher, western, part of the Hills, has been designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which gives it the same level of protection as a
national park. The AONB is . The Mendip Hills AONB Service and Somerset County Council's outdoor education centre is at the
Charterhouse Centre near
Blagdon.
The Mendips are home to a wide range of outdoor sports and leisure activities, many based on the particular
geology of the area. It is recognised as a national centre for
caving and
cave diving. In addition to
climbing and
abseiling, the area is popular with
hillwalkers and those interested in
natural history.
Etymology
Several explanations for the name "Mendip" have been suggested. Its earliest known form is
Mendepe in 1185. One suggestion is that it's derived from the
mediaeval term "Myne-deepes". However, A D Mills derives its meaning from Celtic
*monith mountain or hill with an uncertain second element, perhaps Old English
yppe in the sense of upland, plateau .
An alternative explanation is that the name is cognate with
Mened (Welsh
mynydd), a
Brythonic term for upland moorland. The suffix may be a contraction of the
Anglo-Saxon hop meaning a valley. Two possible further meanings have been identified. The first is 'the stone pit' from the
Celtic meyn and
dyppa in reference to the collapsed cave systems of
Cheddar. The second is 'Mighty and Awesome' from the
Old English moen and
deop.
Geology
The Mendip Hills are the most southerly Carboniferous Limestone Upland in Britain. The rock
strata known as the
Carboniferous Limestone were laid down during the
Early Carboniferous Period, about 320–350 million years ago. Subsequently, much of northwestern Europe underwent
continental collision throughout the late
Paleozoic era, culminating in the final phases of the
Variscan orogeny near the end of the Carboniferous Period, 300 million years ago. This
tectonic activity produced a complex suite of mountain and hill ranges across what is now
southern Ireland, south western England,
Brittany, and elsewhere in
western Europe.
As a result of the Variscan mountain-building, the area now comprises three major
anticlinal fold structures, each with a core of older
Devonian sandstone and
Silurian volcanic rocks. The latter are quarried for use in road construction and as a
concrete aggregate. Since then, weathering has resulted in a range of surface features, including
gorges, dry valleys,
screes and
swallets. These are complemented underground by a large number of
caves, including
Wookey Hole, both beneath the
plateau and at the base of the southern
escarpment. There are also
limestone pavements and other
karst features. Karstic dissolution of the limestone produced many of the gorges including, most famously,
Cheddar Gorge and
Burrington Combe.
Springs, a number of which deposit
tufa, are a particular feature of the eastern part of the hills.
These areas were the centre of a major
mining industry in the past and this is reflected in areas of contaminated rough ground known locally as "gruffy". The word "gruffy" is thought to derive from the grooves that were formed where the lead ore was extracted from veins near the surface.
Other commodities obtained included
calamine,
manganese,
iron,
copper and
barytes.
The eastern area reaches into parts of the
Somerset coalfield.
North and east of the Mendips, the same Carboniferous Limestone layers are found in the subsurface and are exposed in
Avon Gorge, but younger strata overlie the Carboniferous Limestone in
Dundry Hill and the
Cotswolds, where the
Oolitic Limestone of
Jurassic age is found at the surface.
Climate
Along with the rest of
South West England, the Mendip Hills has a
temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of
England. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50 °F) and shows a
seasonal and a
diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F). In general December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England has a favoured location with respect to the
Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer.
Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and acts to reduce sunshine amounts. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours.
Rainfall tends to be associated with
Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower
clouds and a large proportion of rainfall falls from showers and
thunderstorms at this time of year. Average rainfall is around 800–900 mm (31–35 in). About 8–15 days of
snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean
wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the South West.
A combination of the rainfall and geology leads to an estimated average daily
runoff from
springs and
boreholes of some 330,000 m³ (72 million imperial gallons). Bristol Waterworks Company (now
Bristol Water) recognised the value of this resource and between 1846 and 1853 created a series of underground tunnels, pipes and
aqueducts called the "Line of Works" which still carry approximately 18,200 m³ (4 million imperial gallons) of water a day to
Barrow Gurney Reservoirs for
filtration and then on to Bristol and the surrounding areas. All this is done by
gravity as it collects and conveys water from the
Chewton Mendip and
East and
West Harptree areas.
A range of important small
mammals are found in the area including the
Hazel Dormouse (
Muscardinus avellanarius) which is restricted largely to
coppice woodland and scrub,
Bats including the nationally rare
lesser (
Rhinolophus hipposideros) and
Greater Horseshoe Bats (
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) which have a number of colonies in buildings, caves and mines in the area. A rare and endangered species, the greater horseshoe bat is protected under the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed in Annex II of the 1992
European Community Habitats Directive.
Amphibians such as the
Great crested newt (
Triturus cristatus) have a wide distribution across Mendip and are often found in flooded disused quarries.
Several rare
butterflies are also indigenous to the area. The
Large blue butterfly (
Maculinea arion) became extinct in the hills in the late 1970s, since which time a research project has been undertaken into the butterfly's ecology and reintroduction. Other species include the nationally scarce
Pearl-bordered Fritillary (
Boloria euphrosyne),
Duke of Burgandy (
Hamearis lucina) and
White-letter Hairstreak (
Satyrium w-album).
A well known Mendip feature is the
dry stone walls which fragment the pasture into fields. Constructed from local limestone and in an "A frame" design, the walls are strong yet contain no mortar. Unfortunately years of neglect are allowing many walls to disintegrate, being replaced or contained by a mix of barbed wire and sheep fencing. These dry-stone walls are of botanical importance, supporting important populations of the nationally scarce
Wall Whitlow-grass. Amongst the plants which occur in the area are the
Cheddar pink (
Dianthus),
Purple gromwell (
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum),
White rock-rose (
Helianthemum apenninum),
Somerset hair-grass and
Starved wood-sedge.
There have been large numbers of artefacts from
Neolithic,
Iron Age and
Bronze Age remains, including
barrows and
forts, such as those around
Priddy and at
Dolebury Warren.
There is good evidence for 286 definite examples of round barrows within the AONB.
There are at present over 1200 entries on the
National Monuments Record (NMR) for the Mendip Hills AONB and just over 600
listed building records,
including over 200
Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
The caves of Cheddar Gorge in particular have yielded many
archaeological remains as flood waters have washed artefacts and bones into the caves and preserved them in silt. The
Cheddar Man was found here.
Settlement on the Mendip Hills appears to fall into two types. The first, apparent in the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, and repeated on a small scale in the
medieval and post–medieval era, comprised occupation by self-sufficient groups in small communities or isolated farms. The second was represented in the Iron Age and
Roman periods by large sites with specialist functions, existing by virtue of their ability to exert power over lowland producers. From the Iron Age onward the ownership of land took on increasing importance, with large landholdings based on the mines or on stock grazing, denying settlers access to the plateau or forcing them off the hills.
the
Latin "EX ARG VEB" stamps on the Mendip
lead pigs specify a de-silvering process and cast silver ingots have been found. The silver
coinage of the
Dobunni and
Durotriges is also likely to reflect the availability of silver from the mines.
By the end of the medieval period a complex body of customary law had come into existence dealing with the four "Mendip mineries". That the medieval control was in the hands of the
monastic foundations may indicate some continuity of tenure of large scale holdings, focused on the mines, from the Roman period.
Over 300 "Mendip Motor Cars" were built by an engineering works based in
Chewton Mendip in the years immediately before and after
World War I.
Government and politics
The western end of the Mendip Hills have, since 1972, been designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) under the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Mendip Society which was formed in 1965, work to raise awareness of the designation and protect the area. The society now has 700 members and runs a programme of guided walks, educative talks and visits. The society also has a small grants fund to assist communities with the conservation and enhancement of the landscape and to encourage its enjoyment and celebration.
As they've 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 Mendip Hills Partnership, which has an administrative role, includes the five local authorities that cover the AONB, statutory bodies such as the
Countryside Agency and
English Nature together with parish councils and other organisations and groups that have an interest in the conservation and care of the area. The Mendip Hills AONB Service is the staff unit of the partnership, and is based at the
Charterhouse Centre in the heart of the AONB. The AONB Service consists of six staff, a manager, development officer, planning liaison officer, two wardens and a support officer. They are supported by 50 volunteer rangers who give approximately 3000 volunteer hours each year.
In 2005 a proposal was submitted to the
Countryside Agency to extend the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to
Steep Holm and
Brean Down in the west and towards
Frome in the east.
Many of the villages on the Mendips have their own
parish councils which have some responsibility for local issues. They also elect councillors to district councils for example
Mendip or
Sedgemoor and
Somerset County Council or unitary authorities for example
Bath and North East Somerset, or
North Somerset. Each of the villages is also part of a parliamentary constituency:
Wells,
Weston-super-Mare, or
Wansdyke (which will become
North East Somerset). The area is also part of the
South West England (European Parliament constituency) of the European Parliament.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary provides police services to the area.
Demographics
The population on the higher plateau is widely dispersed in small farms and hamlets, although many of the population in these settlements no longer work in
agriculture or
forestry but commute to surrounding cities and towns for employment. The largest villages on the plateau are
Priddy and
Charterhouse. The roads tend to follow the line of gorges and valleys as at
Cheddar Gorge.
More major roads often started as
turnpikes in the 16th century and are found avoiding the highest areas. To the north of the western part of the Mendips the
A368 separates the hills from the
Chew Valley, while on the southern edge the
A371 similarly runs along the bottom of the scarp slope between the hills and the
Somerset Levels. The western end of the hills is crossed by the
M5 motorway and
A38. Further east, and running almost north to south are the
A37 and
A39.
During the late
nineteenth and early twentieth century the
Bristol and North Somerset Railway ran roughly parallel to the A37 but this closed in 1965. Further south and west the
Cheddar Valley line and
Wrington Vale Light Railway, branches of the
Bristol and Exeter Railway, served towns and villages from
Cheddar to
Wells. In the east, the
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway ran south from
Bath into
Dorset, and also served
Wells. These have all now closed, although
Mendip Rail has freight lines to carry limestone from the
Quarries of the Mendip Hills. The
Somerset Coal Canal reached some of the pits of the
Somerset coalfield in the eastern end of the Mendips.
Quarrying
In recent centuries the hills, like the
Cotswolds to the north, have been quarried for stone to build the cities of Bath and Bristol, as well as smaller towns in Somerset. The quarries are now major suppliers of road stone to southern England, between them producing around twelve million tonnes of limestone a year, employing over two thousand people and with an annual turnover of £150million.
There are two main rock types on the Mendips: the
Devonian Sandstones visible around
Blackdown and
Downhead and the
Carboniferous Limestones, which dominate the hills and surround the older rock formations.
Sport, leisure and tourism
The Mendips are home to a wide range of outdoor sports and leisure activities, including
caving,
climbing and
abseiling. The rich variety of
fauna and
flora also makes it attractive for
hillwalking and those interested in
natural history. There are a range of tourist attractions including
Cheddar Gorge and Caves,
Wookey Hole and the small city of
Wells.
There is a
gliding club at Halesland Airfield between
Draycott and
Priddy. The Mendips Raceway is a popular venue for
stock-car racing near
Shipham. The Mendips are also home to several festivals including the
Big Green Gathering, and a
folk music festival and sheep fair in
Priddy.
Caving and cave diving
The particular geology, within which large areas of limestone have been worn away by water, makes the hills a national centre for caving. Some of the caves have been known about since the establishment of the Mendip
lead mining industry in
Roman times. However, many have only been discovered or explored in the 20th century.
The caves which are easily accessible to the public are at
Cheddar Gorge and Caves and
Wookey Hole, but specialist equipment and knowledge is required for the vast majority of the caves. The active Mendip Caving Group and other local caving organisations organise trips and continue to discover new caverns.
The Hills conceal the largest underground river system in Britain.
Attempts to move from one cave to another through the underground rivers led to the development of
cave diving, with
Swildon's Hole being the site of the first cave dive attempt in Britain, in 1934. The first successful cave dive in Britain was achieved the following year at
Wookey Hole Caves, where the last
sump is currently the deepest in Britain at 76 m (250 ft). The cave complexes at
St. Dunstan's Well Catchment,
Lamb Leer and
Priddy Caves have been identified as
geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Walking
Several sites on the Mendips are designated as
open access land and there are a myriad of
footpaths and
bridleways which are generally clearly marked.
Several long distance trails cross the area including:
Mendips in the arts
Thomas Hardy described the Mendips as "a range of limestone rocks stretching from the shores of the Bristol Channel into the middle of Somersetshire",
and several of his books refer to the Mendips or sites on the hills.
Augustus Montague Toplady was inspired to write the words of the hymn "
Rock of Ages" while sheltering under a rock in
Burrington Combe during a
thunderstorm in 1763.
In his 1995 novel
Our Game,
John le Carré uses
Priddy Pools as the site for the drowning of one of his characters.
The Mendips have been used as the location for various film and television filming including the use of
Cloford Quarry as the main location used for the planet Lakertya in the
Doctor Who story
Time and the Rani. The 2007 film
Hot Fuzz was largely filmed in
Wells and the surrounding area.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mendip Hills'.
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