Mendip Hills AONB NMP

Mendip AONB location The Mendip Hills AONB NMP project forms part of English Heritage's National Mapping Programme (NMP). It is also part of a multidisciplinary Mendip Hills landscape research project being carried out by various teams from within English Heritage, also including Archaeological Survey and Investigation and Architectural Investigation. This is the first full NMP project to utilise lidar data simultaneously with the examination of aerial photographs. The aim of the project is to enhance understanding of the historic environment of the Mendip Hills AONB.
The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was designated in 1972 and covers 198 square kilometres. 121 square kilometres lie within the county of Somerset with the remainder divided between North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. The AONB includes the western and central area of the Mendip Hills range which extends from Bleadon in the west to Chewton Mendip in the East. The gently undulating Carboniferous Limestone plateau is the central feature of the AONB. The AONB area today is predominantly pastoral and is criss-crossed by dry stone walls which are partly the result of 18th century enclosure.

The Mendip Hills have a rich archaeological heritage, ranging from Mesolithic cave deposits to Second World War military features. The landscape appears to have had ritual importance in the Neolithic, with such field monuments as mortuary enclosures and the enigmatic Priddy Circles constructed during this period.

The landscape was exploited throughout the prehistoric as can be seen through the numerous Bronze Age barrows found throughout the Mendip AONB, often in linear cemeteries such as Priddy Nine Barrows, and Iron Age hill forts, for example at Dolebury.

Iron Age Settlement in the Mendip Hills

Enclosed, or defended, settlements of varying sizes were constructed throughout the Mendip Hills during the Iron Age.
Lead Mining on the Mendip Hills

The remains of lead mining have created distinctive patterns in the landscape of the Mendip Hills.
Medieval farming on the Mendip Hills

The aerial survey of the area has revealed traces of several different forms of Medieval farming on the Mendip Hills.
Military remains in the Mendip Hills

A variety of features were built on and around Mendip during the Second World War ranging from new buildings at Yoxter firing range to a bombing decoy complex on Black Down.

The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the NMR English Heritage's public archive.

For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact us at: AerialSurvey@english-heritage.org.uk.

Useful tools

Email this to a friend