Brent Knoll, Somerset.
This wonderful steep sided, flat topped hill rises 450 feet out of the Somerset Levels not far from the sea in Bridgwater Bay. Legend has it that it was created by the Devil when he was carving out Cheddar Gorge, and threw a handful of rock out towards the sea. Geology has it that this limestone outcrop of the Mendip hills dates from the Jurassic times of 300 million years ago. Personally, I always think it looks like the hill out of Close Encounters, and is a landing pad for Alien craft !
I have been meaning to get to the top of this hill for the best part of thirty years now, having passed it on the M5 a multitude of times, but never making time to stop and explore.
Over the years the knoll has been sculpted and adapted my man for various uses. Bronze Age and Iron Age people set up forts and encampments on the summit which became a focus for religious activity. The Romans built a temple and fortifications there, and referred to the hill as “The Mount of Frogs”. Roman coins of the Emperor Trajan (AD98 -117) and Septimus Severus (AD145 - 211) have been found on the Knoll. Legend claims this hill to be the site of Mons Badonicus, with its King Arthur connections. The Anglo-Saxons made good use of the Knoll, and on its eastern slopes is the site of a battle in AD875 when the Saxons drove away the Vikings. Hence, the "Battleborough Grange" Hotel, and Battleborough Lane. The Knoll was even used during the last world war as a look out post, and modifications and the remains of gun emplacements built by the Home Guard can be seen. Today it is still used for celebratory purposes, such as jubilee beacons, and indeed the name Brent is probably derived from an old word for beacon. I like the name Frog Island better !
The view from the top of the Knoll is exceptional, with a massive view in all 360 degrees. To the west is the Bristol Channel, with its islands, and Wales over on the far shore. In the foreground can be seen Burnham-on-Sea, Brean Down and up to Weston-Super-Mare further north. Round to the north, and the Mendip Hills come into view, with Crooks Peak and Cheddar Gorge standing out. Then to the east over the Somerset levels in the distance can be seen Glastonbury Tor and the Polden Hills which come round to the south. Then it’s round to Bridgwater Bay, with the Quantock Hills and Exmoor beyond that.
As for the ancient remains on the top of the hill, the top has probably been slightly flattened, with stone and rubble built ramparts completely surrounding the summit, and although these are not particularly large, they are very steep on the outer face, no doubt helped by the steepness of the hillside. Within these ramparts, are all sorts of lumps, bumps and hollows, which includes a large crescent shaped mound roughly in the middle. The entrance to the fortifications would have been, and still is, from the north east, and external fortifications for these can be seen.
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road