Ham Hill is situated west of Yeovil, overlooking the villages of Stoke-sub-Hamdon and Norton-sub-Hamdon. At the north-western end of the hill is a War Memorial commemorating 53 local servicemen, 44 of whom were lost in WW1, 8 in WW2 and 1 in Ireland in 1988. 21 were members of the Somerset Light Infantry.
From the site of the memorial views reach to the Blackdown Hills and Quantock Hills 15 miles away to the west and Exmoor 40 miles away on the horizon. To the north are the Mendip Hills. Both the Burton Pynsent Monument near Curry Rivel and the Hood Monument near Butleigh, in the parish of Compton Dundon, can also be seen.
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| Ham Hill War Memorial. |
Ham Hill is also the site of an Iron Age hill fort, hardly surprising given the way it dominates the area. Quarries on the hill have provided the local hamstone for 2000 years and two are still being worked today. South Somerset District Council manages the area as a country park, consequently there are around 250,000 visitors a year so parking the car can be difficult. I prefer to park in the lay-by on the southern side of the hill overlooking Norton-sub-Hamdon. From there you can enjoy the view while watching the Buzzards, sometimes eye to eye, soaring in the thermals - and visit the ice-cream van usually parked there too.
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| The view to the north-east. |
Hello! Somehow I found your website recently. I had a chance to visit Ham Hill in May 2017. John Chant kindly met us in Wells and drove us here. It was the highlight of my trip to Europe/Britain as a relative of mine is on the memorial: George Palmer, known to us as Alfred George Palmer. He is my 1st cousin, 2xs removed. It was simply thrilling to visit this area, where my Palmer family has lived for hundreds of years. My Grandma's family moved to Canada in 1927, 90 years ago, and that's where we still are.
ReplyDeleteHello Loretta,
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed your visit to Somerset and were able to make the journey to Ham Hill and its war memorial. It has one of the finest views in the county. I have a family connection with Canada: a great uncle of mine emigrated to Canada in 1910. He came back to Europe with the Canadian Army in the First World War, was fortunate enough to survive, and returned to British Columbia where he lived the rest of his life.
Best wishes, Steve
Steve, that's very interesting about your great uncle. My Grandpa Williams moved to Canada in 1910, to Alberta, but he never was in WWI. He moved to SK then to Vancouver BC in 1941, and we are now here too in BC. I'm so glad he relocated.
ReplyDeleteLoretta, I understand that your relative George Palmer was killed in action serving on the destroyer HMS Broke at the Battle of Jutland. I will mention in him in my next post on Jutland or the Ham Hill memorial.
DeleteBest regards, Steve