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Little Solsbury Hill

England · 2nd century BC

Little Solsbury Hill in England
The site today · Photo: Neil Owen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Little Solsbury Hill (or simply Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill and the site of an Iron Age hillfort, above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to 191 metres (627 ft) above the River Avon, which is just over 2 kilometres (1 mi) to the south, and gives views of the city of Bath and the surrounding area. It is within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The hill is one of several possible locations of the Battle of Badon and shows the remains of a medieval field system. Part of the hill was quarried in the 19th century. In 1930, it was acquired by the National Trust. The hill was the inspiration of the Peter Gabriel song "Solsbury Hill", recorded in 1977. A small turf labyrinth was cut into the turf by protesters during the widening of the A46 in 1994.

Text adapted from “Solsbury Hill” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Little Solsbury Hill ranks #1,547 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #100 of the 360 mapped in England. Founded c. 200 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 12 atlas entries founded in the 2nd century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 6,889 times in the last 60 days, more than 90% of the atlas. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Bristol, 19 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Little Solsbury Hill?

Little Solsbury Hill stands in England, at 51.4102°, -2.33428°.

When was Little Solsbury Hill built?

The atlas dates its founding to c. 200 BC. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.

How famous is Little Solsbury Hill?

In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,547 of 9,079 worldwide, and #100 in England. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.

What is the nearest castle to Little Solsbury Hill?

Farleigh Hungerford Castle, about 11 km away.

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