Rampisham Down
Encyclopedia
Rampisham Down is a steep chalk
hill
in the Dorset Downs
, eight miles north west of Dorchester in west Dorset
, England
. The highest part of the hill is 221 metres (720 feet). To the north east of the hill is the Frome valley
and the village of Rampisham
, to the south west is the Hooke valley
and the village of Hooke
. The A356 road between Dorchester and Crewkerne
cuts across the down.
The hill is the location of one of the main transmitters of the BBC World Service
in Europe
. There are 26 transmitter pylons on the down.
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
in the Dorset Downs
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger Chalk Formation which also includes Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Hampshire Downs, Chiltern Hills, North Downs and South Downs.The Dorset...
, eight miles north west of Dorchester in west Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The highest part of the hill is 221 metres (720 feet). To the north east of the hill is the Frome valley
River Frome, Dorset
The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. At 30 miles long it is the major chalkstream in southwest England. It is navigable upstream from Poole Harbour as far as the town of Wareham.-Geography:...
and the village of Rampisham
Rampisham
Rampisham is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 102...
, to the south west is the Hooke valley
River Hooke
The River Hooke in Dorset, England, runs from its source at Toller Whelme through the villages of Hooke, Kingcombe, Toller Porcorum, and Toller Fratrum to join the Frome at Maiden Newton, a course of some 6 miles...
and the village of Hooke
Hooke, Dorset
Hooke is a small village in west Dorset, England, 13 kilometers northwest of Dorchester. The village has a population of 118 . The village is situated in the valley of the short River Hooke, a tributary of the River Frome, in the Dorset Downs chalk hills...
. The A356 road between Dorchester and Crewkerne
Crewkerne
Crewkerne is a town in Somerset, England, situated south west of Yeovil and east of Chard in the South Somerset district close to the border with Dorset. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Woolminstone and Henley...
cuts across the down.
The hill is the location of one of the main transmitters of the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. There are 26 transmitter pylons on the down.