Gold Hill, Shaftesbury facts for kids
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Gold Hill is a very steep street in the town of Shaftesbury, located in Dorset, England. It's famous for its old, rounded stones called cobbles. Many people say the view looking down this street is one of the most beautiful sights in England.
At the top of Gold Hill, you'll find St Peter's Church. This church was built in the 1300s. It is one of the few buildings in Shaftesbury that is older than 200 years. Next to the church is the old Priest's House. This building is now part of the Gold Hill Museum and has a shop inside.
Gold Hill: A Famous Street
This old cobbled street runs alongside some very strong walls. These walls support the land around the ancient Shaftesbury Abbey. King Alfred the Great built this abbey a very long time ago. The walls themselves are a special protected site called a scheduled monument.
Nobody knows exactly when these walls were built. But people think they were put up around the 1360s. At that time, the abbess (the head nun) or another leader was allowed by the king to build defenses for the town.
Each year, the town of Shaftesbury holds the Gold Hill Fair. This event helps to raise money for local charities.
Gold Hill in Movies and TV
Gold Hill has been used as a background for many films and TV shows. It appeared in the 1967 movie version of Far from the Madding Crowd. This film was based on a book by Thomas Hardy.
The street is most famous for a 1973 TV advertisement for Hovis bread. This ad showed a boy pushing a bike up the steep hill. It has been voted Britain's favorite advertisement of all time. The famous director Ridley Scott made the ad. The music in the ad is from Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. Because of this, Gold Hill is sometimes called "Hovis Hill." The comedy duo The Two Ronnies also made a funny version of the Hovis ad in 1978, filmed right on Gold Hill.
