Polden Hills facts for kids
The Polden Hills are a long, low ridge in Somerset, England. They stretch for about 10 miles (16 km). These hills are separated from the Mendip Hills by a marshy area called the Somerset Levels. Today, the Polden Hills are cut through at their western end by the M5 motorway and a railway line. This railway is part of the Great Western main line.
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Where are the Polden Hills?
The Polden Hills run from Puriton in the west, near Bridgwater, all the way to Street in the east. Long ago, a Roman road used to run along the ridge of these hills. This road connected Ilchester to the port of Combwich.
Many Roman and Iron Age items have been found here. These items are part of what is known as the "Polden Hill Hoard." You can see some of these ancient treasures at the British Museum.
The old Roman road crossed the River Parrett at a shallow place called a ford. This crossing was near a spot called the White House. It was part of an Anglo-Saxon travel route. People could only use this river crossing for a few hours each day when the tide was low. The famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge used it in the 1790s. He traveled this way between Nether Stowey and Bristol.
Over time, other roads improved, and this ford was no longer used. The White House, which used to be a public house, is now just a ruin. The main road today, the A39, crosses the area on a raised road called a causeway. This causeway runs from the King's Sedgemoor Drain at Bawdrip to Bridgwater.
What are the Polden Hills Made Of?
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The Polden Hills are a low, narrow ridge. They are mostly made of mudstone and limestone. These rocks formed during the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods.
The steep side of the hills, facing south-southwest, shows different layers of rock. The lowest layers are mudstones. Above these are more mudstones and thin layers of limestone. The top layer, which forms the gentle slope facing north-northeast, is called the Blue Lias.
People have been quarrying, or digging out, Blue Lias rock from the Polden Hills for a long time. It was used in the 15th century. Later, from the early 1800s until 1973, it was quarried in Puriton for a local cement factory.
At the eastern end of the hills, Dundon Hill stands out. It is a separate hill made of the same higher rock layers. The flat land around the Polden Hills, both to the north and south, is covered by thick layers of alluvial deposits (river mud) and peat (decayed plant matter).
Wildlife and Nature
Great Breach and Copley Woods are located near Compton Dundon. This area is a special woodland site. The Somerset Wildlife Trust owns and manages it. It has been named a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the many different invertebrates (creatures without backbones) that live there.
Helping Butterflies Thrive
In April 2017, the National Lottery gave money to Butterfly Conservation. This grant helps to increase the numbers of two special butterflies: the brown hairstreak and the large blue. They are working to help these butterflies grow across sixteen different sites.
Brown Hairstreak Butterfly Life Cycle
The brown hairstreak butterfly likes hedges, bushes, and the edges of woodlands. It especially loves blackthorn bushes. The easiest way to find these butterflies is to look for their tiny white eggs. You can spot them on the black twigs of blackthorn bushes in winter.
One reason these butterflies have declined is because hedges are often cut every year. This removes the places where they lay their eggs. By changing how hedges are managed, from yearly cutting to more traditional methods, the number of eggs has gone up at six sites. Over three winters, the brown hairstreak population has stayed steady there. Eggs have also increased at three other sites and returned to two more. This change in hedge care has created more suitable young blackthorn growth for the female butterflies to lay their eggs on.
Large Blue Butterfly Life Cycle
The large blue butterfly has a very interesting and complex life cycle. When they are young, the larvae (caterpillars) first eat thyme and marjoram plants. Later, they trick certain red ants (called Myrmica sabuleti) into thinking they are escaped ant grubs. The butterfly larvae then live in the ant nests. They feed on the ant grubs! The caterpillars turn into pupae (like a chrysalis) in early June.
To help the large blue butterfly, people have improved its habitat at thirteen locations. Workers and volunteers have restored 8 hectares (about 20 acres) of limestone grassland. They did this by cutting back bushes. The butterflies have since started breeding in much of this restored area.
To make sure there was enough food for the butterflies, 2,500 young thyme plants were grown. These were planted at five of the sites. Marjoram seeds were also collected and planted in the areas where bushes had been cleared. In 2019, the large blue butterfly was found at ten of the sites. This was an increase of four sites since 2017.
Villages of the Polden Hills
Long ago, in the Middle Ages, there was a planned town called Caput Montis at the western end of the Polden Hills. This town did not succeed. Today, you can only see the earthworks of a Motte and Bailey castle. This is in the small settlement of Downend, which is now part of Puriton.
There was also a railway halt (a small stop), a hotel, a post office, and a wharf at Dunball. This wharf was part of the port of Bridgwater.
Many small villages are located on both sides of the Polden Hills. Many of these villages are mentioned in the Domesday Book, a very old survey of England. Most of the villages in the eastern part, from Street to Cossington, and possibly Woolavington, were part of planned parishes in medieval times. These areas once belonged to the estates of Glastonbury Abbey.
Villages on the Polden Hills (from west to east)
- Puriton
- Bawdrip
- Woolavington
- Cossington
- Stawell
- Chilton Polden
- Edington
- Catcott
- Shapwick
- Ashcott
- Walton
- Street
