Pen Hill
| Pen Hill | |||
| Somerset | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Pen Hill and the Mendip TV Mast | |||
| Range: | Mendip Hills | ||
| Summit: | 1,001 feet ST564488 51°14’12"N, 2°37’33"W | ||
Pen Hill forms part of the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The hill is located in the parish of 'St Cuthbert Out'.
The name Pen is believed to be from the British language or Old Welsh: 'Pen' means "head" and hence "hilltop".
The summit is 1,001 feet above sea level and is marked by an Ordnance Survey trig point. It is the second highest point on the Mendip Hills. On Pen Hill stands the Mendip TV Mast which is 922 feet high. On the ground, ignoring the mast, Pen Hill provides spectacular views in all directions, particularly to the south, with excellent views down to the City of Wells and Wells Cathedral (approximately two miles distant). On clear day it is often possible to see across Somerset to the Blackdown Hills, Quantock Hills and Brendon Hills.
There are ancient remains on the hill, in the form of a Neolithic Long barrow,[1] which has been listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a post mediæval pillow mound thought to have been built specifically for rabbit breeding.[2]
The hill gives its name to one of the four periclines which underlie the geology of the hills.[3]
References
- ↑ Pen Hill Longbarrow - Megalithic Portal
- ↑ Firth, Hannah (2007). Mendip from the air. Taunton: Somerset County Council. ISBN 978-0-86183-390-0.
- ↑ Cave Life of Mendip - Cambrian Caving Council