Quantock Hills

 The Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) lies in West Somerset, north of Taunton and west of Bridgwater. It is famous for its large population of red deer, and for its close associations with the romantic poets both Coleridge and Wordsworth lived on the eastern edge of the hills. The area contains not only open moorland but also wooded combes (steep sided valleys), a spectacular coastline and enclosed farmland. English Heritage's Landscape Investigation Team has recently started a survey of the historic environment of the Quantock Hills AONB, working closely with Somerset County Council, the AONB officer and the National Trust. Our colleagues in the Aerial Survey Team are playing a major role in the project, by mapping the area from air photographs as part of the National Mapping Programme.

Through the survey of the open commons, we are beginning to understand more about all kinds of archaeological sites. Bronze Age burial mounds are the most obvious features, like the large cairns on the summit of Beacon Hill, which form part of an impressive string of cairns along the western escarpment of the Quantock Hills. But a closer look, particularly at air photographs, reveals that a large portion of this land has been enclosed and ploughed, probably in the early post-medieval period. This means that other remains are less obvious from the air and need careful examination on the ground. Some of these are totally unexpected, like the 'pillow mounds' (artificial rabbit warrens, shaped like pillows) on Beacon Hill. Other circular earthworks are not prehistoric burial monuments, but ornamental tree-ring enclosures of 19th-century date.

The project also encompasses more detailed investigation of key monuments and landscapes. Some of the most impressive sites are the prehistoric enclosures. Dowsborough Camp is a large hillfort, now virtually invisible in dense oak woodland. A large scale survey has revealed the details of the earthworks, as well as recording features associated with the later use of the site. The Trendle Ring is a large prehistoric enclosure, perched on the steep western escarpment of the hills, above the village of Bicknoller. A detailed investigation of this site, together with a nearby linear earthwork, has raised questions about its function.

Pupils in Year Six at Nether Stowey Primary School  recently lent a helping hand  with our survey of the defensive earthworks of their town's castle. In the course of their day out, the young archaelogical detectives found out all about the story of Nether Stowey, including the Norman castle, and were taken on a voyage of discovery around the intriguing humps and bumps that can be seen on the surface. But they went on to ask the experts a lot of very difficult questions about what they'd seen: proof that a sharp eye and a bit of clever thinking are often all you need to find out more about your history!

 Our investigation at Nether Stowey is the first detailed analysis and large-scale survey of the castle earthworks and has already thrown up lots of interesting new questions about the development of the town and its place in local history. In due course, our discoveries will be presented in an English Heritage report. But even big earthworks like the defences of the castle don't always show up well in photographs, so the whole class helped out by lining up on the bank of the castle's bailey enclosure, so that it would show up clearly. Thanks very much to everyone involved!

The findings of our wider research into the heritage of the Quantock Hills have recently been published as an English Heritage monograph entitled The Historic Landscape of the Quantock Hills by Hazel Riley. This book can be ordered online from the English Heritage Bookshop. For further information, contact Hazel Riley in English Heritage's Exeter Office on 01392 824901 or hazel.riley@english-heritage.org.uk