Walton and Ivythorn Hills
{{Short description|Hills in Somerset, England}}
{{about|the hills in Somerset, England|the hill in Worcestershire, England|Walton Hill}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox SSSI
|image=Image:Viewpoint on Walton Hill.jpg
|name=Walton and Ivythorn Hills
|aos=Somerset
|interest=Biological
|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|ST475346}}
|coordinates = {{coord|51.10828|-2.75129|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|displaymap=Somerset
|area={{convert|34.9|ha|km2 sqmi}}
|notifydate=1953
|enref=1001144
}}
Walton and Ivythorn Hills is a {{convert|34.9|ha}} biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Street at the south-eastern end of the Polden Hills in the English county of Somerset. Walton Hill is south of the village of Walton, and Ivythorn Hill is south of Street. Notified in 1953, the site is now owned and managed by the National Trust who acquired the freehold in 1988.
The hills which rise to {{convert|80|m}} above Ordnance datum (mean sea level) are made up of limestone, rheatic clay and Keuper marl covered with calcareous grassland, scrubland and coppiced woodland. A quarry existed in the Middle Ages. This supports a variety of Butterflies, Leafhoppers, Spiders, Soldier Flies and Great Green Bush Crickets living on the vegetation. Notable buildings include Ivythorne Manor, which was originally built for Glastonbury Abbey, Walton windmill and a small sanatorium which became the first youth hostel in Somerset. In 1977 a short lived hippie camp was set up on Ivythorne Hill. The camp was a Free Festival to celebrate 7/7/77. The festival was attended by an estimated 3,000 people and was basically a one-day affair, with some people arriving early and the hangers on eventually evicted by the council.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/glasto77.html|title = Glastonbury free festival 1977}}
Geography
The Polden Hills a long, low ridge, extending for {{convert|10|mi|km}}, and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels. The ridge is underlain by Blue Lias with alternating strata of limestone, rheatic clay and Keuper marl.
At the highest point on Walton Hill, which reaches {{convert|80|m}} above Ordnance datum (mean sea level), there is a topograph or orientation stone used as a triangulation point and highlighting key features of the surrounding landscape including the Somerset Levels and the Admiral Hood Monument.{{cite web|title=TP9460 - Walton Hill|url=http://trigpointing.uk/trig/9460|publisher=Trig Pointing UK|access-date=24 May 2015}}{{cite web|title=Assessment of Special Landscape Features|url=http://www.mendip.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1022&p=0|publisher=Mendip District Council|access-date=25 May 2015}} It forms the starting point for the {{convert|6|mi}} long footpath known as the Polden Way.{{cite news|title=The heart of the West: a land of heroes and windmills|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/heart-West-land-heroes-windmills/story-12331991-detail/story.html|access-date=25 May 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=3 February 2011}}
History
File:The old mill on Walton Hill - geograph.org.uk - 1508528.jpg
A quarry on Ivythorn Hill produced stone for Street Manor in 1403. Ivythorne Manor is a Grade II* listed building which was built as a monastic dwelling in the medieval era and rebuilt in 1488 by John Selwood, Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey. It later became a country house and was revised and extended from the 16th to 20th centuries by the Marshall and Sydenham families which owned it.{{NHLE|desc=Ivythorn Manor|num=1176171|access-date=25 May 2015}} Within the grounds is a dovecote which was probably built around 1578 for John Sydenham.{{NHLE|desc=Dovecote in Grounds East of Ivythorn Manor|num=1345094|access-date=25 May 2015}}
Walton windmill on Walton Hill was described as "new-erected" in 1741, although there had been a mill erected on the site in 1342.{{cite web|last1=Siraut|first1=M.C|last2=Thacker|first2=A.T.|last3=Wliiamson|first3=Elizabeth|title=Parishes: Walton. A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 9, Glastonbury and Street|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol9/pp198-212|website=British History Online|publisher=Victoria County History|access-date=24 May 2015}} It was worked until 1906.{{cite book | first =and Watts, Martin| last = Coulthard, Alfred J| year = 1978| title = Windmills of Somerset and the men who worked them| pages= 62| publisher = The Research Publishing Co| location = London| isbn = 0-7050-0060-5}} It is now a Grade II listed building and private residence.{{NHLE |num=1058724 |desc=Walton Windmill |access-date=8 February 2009}}{{NHLE|desc=Walton Windmill|num=1058724|access-date=24 May 2015}} There was also a windmill on Ivythorne Hill.{{cite web|title=Windmill site, Ivy Thorn Wood, Street|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/24707|website=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=25 May 2015}}
The shoe manufacturer C. & J. Clark, through the Society of Friends, had a small sanatorium and convalescent home on Ivythorn Hill overlooking Street. In 1931, this chalet style building was leased to the Youth Hostel Association and became the first youth hostel in Somerset. It is still used for this purpose.{{cite web|title=Youth Hostel, Street|url=http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/Street/index.aspx|publisher=Youth Hostel Association|access-date=24 May 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Siraut|first1=M. C.|last2=Thacker|first2=A. T.|last3=Williamson|first3=Elizabeth|title=Parishes: Street In A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 9, Glastonbury and Street.|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol9/pp165-198|website=British History Online|publisher=Victoria County History|access-date=25 May 2015}}
File:Street Youth Hostel - geograph.org.uk - 1178893.jpg]]
This site is owned and managed by the National Trust. They acquired the freehold of {{convert|0.248|ha}} of Ivythorn Hill in 1988 from Street Estates, which followed {{convert|16.606|ha}} of Walton Hill in 1940 from Polden Farms Ltd and the initial {{convert|18.751|ha}} of Ivythorn Hill and Wood in 1919 from Baron St Audries.{{cite web|title=Acquisitions Up to December 2011|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadername2=MDT-Type&blobheadername3=Content-Type&blobheadervalue1=inline%3B+filename%3D297%252F965%252Fnt_acquisitions_dec2011-2%252C2.pdf&blobheadervalue2=abinary%3B+charset%3DUTF-8&blobheadervalue3=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1349117284549&ssbinary=true|publisher=National Trust|access-date=24 May 2015|format=PDF}}
In 1977 Ivythorne Hill was the site of a hippie camp following summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge. They were evicted by Mendip District Council.{{cite news|title=Looking Back: Calls for army to deal with Street Hill hippy invasion in 1977 |url=http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/army-deal-hippy-invasion/story-22872803-detail/story.html|access-date=25 May 2015|work=Central Somerset Gazette|date=7 September 2014}}
Ecology
Walton and Ivythorn Hills are covered by a variety of semi-natural habitats. These include unimproved calcareous grassland, scrubland and coppiced woodland including field maple and Ash. The range of habitats are home to many species of invertebrate. Butterflies, Leafhoppers, Spiders and Soldier Flies are particularly well represented. There is also a population of Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima).{{cite web | title=Walton and Ivythorn Hills SSSI citation sheet | publisher=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001144.pdf | access-date=24 May 2015}}
Between 2011 and 2013 a project was undertaken to increase the population of Large blue butterflies on the Polden Hills. This included planting Wild Thyme and managing the grazing on Walton Hill.{{cite web|title=Expanding the Large Blue Landscape in the Polden Hills. Project Update|url=http://butterfly-conservation.org/files/1.elbph_project-update-june2013.pdf|publisher=Butterfly Conservation|access-date=24 May 2015}}{{cite web|title=Large Blue butterfly at Collard Hill|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356396112443/|publisher=National Trust|access-date=25 May 2015}}
References
{{Commons category|Walton and Ivythorn Hills}}
{{reflist|30em}}
{{SSSIs Somerset biological}}
Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Category:National Trust properties in Somerset
Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1953