Steep Holm
Encyclopedia
Steep Holm is an English
island
lying in the Bristol Channel
. The island covers 48.87 acres (19.8 ha) at high tide, expanding to 63.26 acre (25.6 ha) at mean low water. At its highest point it is 78 metres (255.9 ft) above mean sea level. It lies within the historic boundaries
of Somerset
and administratively, it forms part of North Somerset
. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was administered as part of Avon
.
The island serves as a wind and wave break, sheltering the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel. The island is formed of carboniferous limestone
and is geologically a continuation of the Mendip Hills
at Brean Down
. The island is now uninhabited, with the exception of the wardens, and protected as a nature reserve
and Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI), notification having taken place in 1952. Nearby is Flat Holm
island, part of Wales
.
According to legend in the 6th century Saint Gildas
lived on Steep Holm visiting his friend Saint Cadoc
, who lived on Flat Holm as a hermit. Gildas supposedly left the island to become Abbot of Glastonbury.
, known as Palmerston Forts
, built across the channel to protect the approaches to Bristol
and Cardiff
.
The island was fortified following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
to France
, where they had been concerned at the strength of the French Navy. The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
, under direction of Lord Palmerston recommended fortification of the coast and the island formed part of this strategic coastal defence system. Construction began in 1865 and was completed in 1869.
Steep Holm has several gun batteries, some of which are Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and a centralised group of brick-built barrack
blocks.
These facilities were updated in both World War I
and World War II
; in World War II, search light batteries were built on Steep Holm. The Steep Holm batteries were also connected, by underwater telegraph cable, to the Brean Down Fort
batteries, but parts of the cable were stolen for scrap after the end of World War II.
, and purchased it in 1976. The mission statement of the Trust is: "To protect, preserve and enhance for the benefit of the public the landscape, antiquities, flora, fauna, natural beauty and scientific interest of the island of Steep Holm in the County of North Somerset and to advance the education of the public in the natural sciences."
Visits can be made to the island. The trust runs day-long boat trips from Weston-super-Mare
. One barrack block is in use to provide visitor facilities.
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...
island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
lying in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
. The island covers 48.87 acres (19.8 ha) at high tide, expanding to 63.26 acre (25.6 ha) at mean low water. At its highest point it is 78 metres (255.9 ft) above mean sea level. It lies within the historic boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and administratively, it forms part of North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was administered as part of Avon
Avon (county)
Avon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England.The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. It was formed from parts of the historic counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, together with the City of Bristol...
.
The island serves as a wind and wave break, sheltering the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel. The island is formed of carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
and is geologically a continuation of the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
at Brean Down
Brean Down
Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset standing high and extending into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea....
. The island is now uninhabited, with the exception of the wardens, and protected as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
and Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI), notification having taken place in 1952. Nearby is Flat Holm
Flat Holm
Flat Holm is a limestone island lying in the Bristol Channel approximately from Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan, but in the City and County of Cardiff. It includes the most southerly point of Wales....
island, part of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
According to legend in the 6th century Saint Gildas
Gildas
Gildas was a 6th-century British cleric. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during this period. His renowned learning and literary style earned him the designation Gildas Sapiens...
lived on Steep Holm visiting his friend Saint Cadoc
Cadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
, who lived on Flat Holm as a hermit. Gildas supposedly left the island to become Abbot of Glastonbury.
Former military uses
Both Steep Holm and Flat Holm were fortified in the 1860s as a defence against invasion. They form part of a line of defencesPalmerston Forts, Bristol Channel
The Palmerston Forts along the Bristol Channel include:*Brean Down Fort, Weston-super-Mare*Flat Holm Battery, Flat Holm*Lavernock Battery, Penarth*Nell's Point Battery, Barry Island*Steep Holm Battery, Steep Holm...
, known as Palmerston Forts
Palmerston Forts
The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures, around the coast of Britain.The forts were built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, following concerns about the strength of the French Navy, and...
, built across the channel to protect the approaches to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
The island was fortified following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Prince Albert
Prince Albert was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria.Prince Albert may also refer to:-Royalty:*Prince Albert Edward or Edward VII of the United Kingdom , son of Albert and Victoria...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they had been concerned at the strength of the French Navy. The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
In 1859 Lord Palmerston instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom because of serious concerns that France might attempt to invade the UK...
, under direction of Lord Palmerston recommended fortification of the coast and the island formed part of this strategic coastal defence system. Construction began in 1865 and was completed in 1869.
Steep Holm has several gun batteries, some of which are Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and a centralised group of brick-built barrack
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
blocks.
These facilities were updated in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; in World War II, search light batteries were built on Steep Holm. The Steep Holm batteries were also connected, by underwater telegraph cable, to the Brean Down Fort
Brean Down Fort
Brean Down Fort was built above sea level on the headland at Brean Down, south of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England.The site has a long history, because of its prominent position...
batteries, but parts of the cable were stolen for scrap after the end of World War II.
Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust
The island is owned by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust, a charity which took over the administration of Steep Holm in 1974 in memory of the broadcaster and naturalist Kenneth AllsopKenneth Allsop
Kenneth Allsop was a British broadcaster, author and naturalist. He was a regular reporter on the BBC current affairs programme "Tonight" during the 1960s. He also was Rector of Edinburgh University and won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize...
, and purchased it in 1976. The mission statement of the Trust is: "To protect, preserve and enhance for the benefit of the public the landscape, antiquities, flora, fauna, natural beauty and scientific interest of the island of Steep Holm in the County of North Somerset and to advance the education of the public in the natural sciences."
Visits can be made to the island. The trust runs day-long boat trips from Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
. One barrack block is in use to provide visitor facilities.
Further reading
- Legg, Rodney (1992). Steep Holm, Allsop Island. Wincanton Press. ISBN 0-94869-961-2.
- Legg, Rodney (1992). Steep Holm Legends and History. Wincanton Press. ISBN 0-94869-959-0.
- Legg, Rodney (1990). Steep Holm Wildlife. Wincanton Press. ISBN 0-94869-911-6.
- Legg, Rodney (1991). Steep Holm at War. Wincanton Press. ISBN 0-94869-960-4.
- Legg, Rodney (1985). The Steep Holm Guide. Dorset Publishing. ISBN 0-94869-949-3.
- Brown, Donald (1999). Somerset v Hitler: Secret Operations in the Mendips 1939–1945. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-590-0.
- Rendell, Stan and Joan (1993). Steep Holm: The Story of a Small Island. Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0323-6.