St Catherine's Hill, Dorset
| St Catherine's Hill | |
|---|---|
 St Catherine's Hill seen from the Avon Valley |
|
 St Catherine's Hill
|
|
| St Catherine's Hill shown within Dorset | |
| OS grid reference | SZ 14441 95299 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Christchurch |
| Postcode district | BH23 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
St Catherine's Hill is a 53-metre (174 ft) hill in the borough of Christchurch which, together with Ramsdown and Blackwater hills, forms a ridge between the Avon and Stour valleys. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with some areas additionally designated as Special Protection Areas and/or Special Areas of Conservation. The hill provides a range of habitats with both wet and dry heathland, coniferous and broadleaf woodland and scrubland; and is home to some rare flora and fauna including the sand lizard, smooth snake, silver-studded blue butterfly and two types of carnivorous plant.
Humans have been visiting the hill as far back as the Bronze Age and there are a number of ancient monuments sited there including several tumuli, a Roman signal station and what is thought to be an Iron Age animal pound. The military have made extensive use of the area since at least the Roman occupation; it served as training ground for troops during the Crimean War and both World Wars, and was the site of a nuclear bunker during the Cold War. Most visitors today use the hill as an area to exercise their dogs or for other recreational activities such as cycling, jogging and horse riding.
It is largely thought that the hill takes its name from the chapel that once stood on it which in turn was named after the 4th-century Christian martyr who was imprisoned, tortured and condemned to death for her beliefs. At one time the hill known as Katterns and this has prompted speculation that the name pre-dates the chapel and is linked to a Pagan deity. A document from 1332 describes "St Catherine's chapel on the hill of Rishton", although other records indicate that a hill further north was known as Rishton. This other hill was also the site of a chapel but dedicated to St Leonard.
...
Wikipedia