Panoramic view on top of the hill

Little Solsbury Hill (grid reference ST768679) (more commonly known as, Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to 188 m above the River Avon which is about 1 km to the south. It is within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Beauty. It gives impressive views of the city of Bath and the surrounding area. The hill was immortalized in 1976 by Peter Gabriel in his song 'Solsbury Hill'. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 220 pixelsFull resolution (5008 × 1376 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 220 pixelsFull resolution (5008 × 1376 pixel, file size: 1. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near Swifts Creek, Victoria A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. ... Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ... Batheaston is a village two miles east of Bath, England (which is believed to be where the name derived from (eastern of Bath), on the north bank of the River Avon. ... This article is about the county of Somerset in England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... The metre or meter is a measure of length. ... The Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. ... KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language KM Culture, Korean Movie Maker. ... Bath is a city in Somerset, England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... Solsbury Hill is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about spending a moment of reflection 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. Alternatively it may be connected with the Celtic god Sulis who is associated with nearby Bath. This article is about the plateau in southern England; Salisbury Plain is also an area on South Georgia Island. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Salisbury (IPA: , or — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. ...

History and Archaeology

Earthworks at Solsbury Hill

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. The rampart was 6 m (20 ft) wide and the outer face was at least 4 m (12 ft) 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. 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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 594 pixelsFull resolution (855 × 635 pixel, file size: 114 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 594 pixelsFull resolution (855 × 635 pixel, file size: 114 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. ... BC may stand for: Before Christ (see Anno Domini) : an abbreviation used to refer to a year before the beginning of the year count that starts with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus. ... Detail of a dry stone wall in the Yorkshire Dales. ... The metre or meter is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre or meter is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Categories: Stub | Construction ... The first recorded mention of Belgae, part of the mix that make up modern Belgians, was in the year 58 B.C.; Gaius Julius Caesar, departing from the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis (now Provence), decided to conquer the rest of the Gauls. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ...

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 which linked Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) in South West England, to Lincoln (Lindum) in the East Midlands, via Bath (Aquae Sulis), Cirencester (Corinium) and Leicester (Ratae Coritanorum). ... For the one-off TV Drama, see Roman Road (TV Drama) A Roman road in Pompeii. ... Batheaston is a village two miles east of Bath, England (which is believed to be where the name derived from (eastern of Bath), on the north bank of the River Avon. ... Bath is a city in Somerset, England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ...

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. 496, mentioned by the chroniclers Gildas and Nennius. Britain, c. ... A bronze Arthur in plate armour with visor raised and with jousting shield wearing Kastenbrust armour (early 15th century) by Peter Vischer, typical of later anachronistic depictions of Arthur. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... Events Battle of Tolbiac; Clovis I defeats the Alamanni accepts Catholic baptism at Reims. ... Gildas (c. ... Nennius, or Nemnivus, is the name 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. Binomial name Vicia sativa Vetch or tare is a nitrogen fixing leguminous plant. ... Binomial name Centaurea scabiosa L. Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) is a species of the genus Centaurea. ... Binomial name Ophrys apifera The Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera Hudson) is a rare and protected perennial, growing on semi-dry turf, on limestone, calcareous dunes or in open areas in woodland. ... Binomial name Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) Rich. ...

Insect species that may be present include the Six-spotted Burnet Moth and a number of butterflies including Chalkhill Blues and Meadow Fritillary.

The Grassland has not been improved through any agricultural practice. The Yellow Meadow Ant hills are evidence of this. These grassy mounds show that the site has not been ploughed for at least fifty years.

The Skylark nests on the hill. 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. Binomial name Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758 The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird. ...

The Skylarks' population has halved since during the 1990s. It is believed this is because of intensification of farm practises 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 title of 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. Solsbury Hill is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about spending a moment of reflection atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Contemporary Issues

People protesting against the building of an A46 bypass road have recently cut a small maze into the hill. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The A46 is a trunk road in England. ... Public hedge maze in the English Garden at Schönbusch Park, Aschaffenburg, Germany A small maze A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. ...

Coordinates: 51°24′34.58″N, 02°19′58.39″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...