Ham Hill, Somerset
| Ham Hill | |
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Ham Hill summit and war memorial seen from Stoke-sub-Hamdon
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | c. 125 m (c. 410 ft) |
| Prominence | < 5 m |
| Coordinates | 50°57′6.42″N 2°44′27.89″W / 50.9517833°N 2.7410806°WCoordinates: 50°57′6.42″N 2°44′27.89″W / 50.9517833°N 2.7410806°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Somerset, England |
| OS grid | ST479172 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 183 |
Ham Hill is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Scheduled Ancient Monument, Iron Age hill fort, Roman site, Local Nature Reserve and country park, to the west of Yeovil in Somerset, England.
The hill has given its name to the distinctive quarried hamstone and also to two nearby villages: Stoke-sub-Hamdon and Norton Sub Hamdon, whose names mean "under-Ham-hill" (where "Ham" is Old English for a small settlement). The Mendip Hills, Blackdown Hills, and Dorset Downs are all visible from Ham Hill, especially from its war memorial. It is popular for picnicking, walking and mountain biking in the grassy hollows of the old quarry workings.
The geology supports a wide range of fauna including mammals, birds, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians living on lichens, fungi, ferns and flowering plants.
The hill is part of ridge of sandy limestone rock which is elevated above the lower lying clay vales and nearby Somerset Levels. The sedimentary rocks were laid down in the part of the early Jurassic known as the Toarcian Stage. They are given their colour by the weathering of the iron content of the stone and contain fossils such as the ammonite Dumortieria moorei.
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