{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox Islands
| name = Steep Holm
| image name = stholm2.jpg
| image caption =
| locator map = Bristol Channel map.svg
| map_custom = no
| native name =
| native name link =
| nickname =
| location = [[Bristol Channel]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|20|23|N|3|06|35|W|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago =
| total islands =
| major islands =
| area_km2 =
| length_km = 1 
| width_m = 400 
| coastline_km =
| highest mount = {{convert|78|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| elevation_m =
| country = England
| country admin divisions title = Unitary Authority
| country admin divisions = [[North Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 1 = Ceremonial County
| country admin divisions 1 = [[Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 2 = Civil Parish
| country admin divisions 2 = [[Weston-super-Mare]]
| country capital city =
| country largest city =
| country largest city population =
| country leader title =
| country leader name =
| country 1 =
| country 1 admin divisions title =
| country 1 admin divisions =
| country 1 capital city =
| country 1 largest city =
| country 1 largest city population =
| country 1 leader title =
| country 1 leader name =
| country 2 =
| country 2 admin divisions title =
| country 2 admin divisions =
| country 2 capital city =
| country 2 largest city =
| country 2 largest city population =
| country 2 leader title =
| country 2 leader name =
| population =
| population as of =
| density_km2 =
| ethnic groups =
| additional info =
}}

'''Steep Holm''' ({{lang-cy|Ynys Rhonech}}) is an English island lying in the [[Bristol Channel]]. The island covers {{convert|48.87|acre}} at high tide, expanding to {{convert|63.26|acre|abbr=on}} at mean low water.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} At its highest point it is {{convert|78|m}} above mean sea level. It lies within the [[Historic counties of England|historic boundaries]] of [[Somerset]] and administratively, it forms part of [[North Somerset]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iv.pdf | format=PDF | page= 7 | work= [[Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)|The Boundary Commission for England]] | title= Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities | date= 26 February 2007 | accessdate= 6 September 2007 }}</ref> Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was administered as part of [[Avon (county)|Avon]].{{sfn|Legg|1995}} Nearby is [[Flat Holm]] island ({{lang-cy|Ynys Echni}}), part of [[Wales]].

The [[Carboniferous Limestone]] island rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} and serves as a wind and wave break, sheltering the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel. The island is now uninhabited, with the exception of the wardens, and protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) with a a large bird population and plants including [[Paeonia mascula|wild peonies]]. There was a signal station or watchtower on the island in Roman times, but there may have been human habitation as early as the [[Iron Age]]. In the 6th century it was home to [[Gildas|St Gildas]] and to a small [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] priory in the 12th and 13th centuries. An inn was built in 1832 and used for holidays in the 19th century. A [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] was established in 1931 and since 1951 has been leased to charitable trusts. It is now owned by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.

In the 1860s the island was fortified with ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] as one of the [[Palmerston Forts]] for the coastal defence of the Bristol Channel until it was abandoned in 1898. The infrastructure was reused in World War I and II when [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] and search lights were installed. To enable the movement of materials soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] initially used mules and then installed a cable-operated winched switchback railway.

==Geology and ecology==
The island is formed of [[Carboniferous Limestone]] and is geologically a continuation of the [[Mendip Hills]] at [[Brean Down]].{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=2}} It covers {{convert|49|acre}} and rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} from the surrounding sea.<ref name=victorianforts>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island|url=http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf|publisher=Victorian Forts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> There are at least three caves on the island one of which is known as Jubilee Cave.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=75-76}}

It is protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), [[SSSI notification|notification]] having taken place in 1952.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002935.pdf | format= PDF | work= English Nature | title= Citation – Steep Holm | accessdate= 6 September 2007}}</ref> There is a large bird population, particularly [[European herring gull]]s ''(Larus argentatus)'' and [[Lesser black-backed gull]]s ''(Larus fuscus)''.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Stanley|title=Birds of the Island of Steep Holm|journal=British Birds|date=1936|volume=xxx|pages=219–223|url=http://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V30/V30_N07/V30_N07_P219_223_A038.pdf}}</ref> The island is the only site in the UK on which [[Paeonia mascula|Wild Peoies]] ''(Paeonia mascula)'' grow,<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island, Somerset|url=http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/who-we-are/history/rothschild-reserves/steep-holm-island-somerset|publisher=The Wildlife Trusts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> although these have been damaged by the fungus [[Botrytis (fungus)|botrytis]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014/> The Wild Peony was [[introduced species|introduced]] to the island of Steep Holm, possibly by monks,{{sfn|Payne|2011}} or brought from the Mediterranean by the Romans.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Steep Holm Peony|url=http://www.wanhs.org/SteepholmePeony.html|publisher=Wston-super-Mare Archaeological and Natural History Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm: A peony mystery|url=http://www.martin-page.com/thepeonysociety.org/Steep_Holm.html|publisher=Peony Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> [[Smyrnium olusatrum|Alexanders]] ''(Smyrnium olusatrum)'' are also common along with [[Golden samphire]] ''(Golden samphire)'' and [[Plantago coronopus|buck's-horn plantain]] ''(Plantago coronopus)''.{{sfn|Atthill|1976|p=44}} The only reptiles on the island are [[Anguis fragilis|slow worms]] ''(Anguis fragilis)''.{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=127}}

==History==
[[File:Steepholm, old inn from path - geograph.org.uk - 93819.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The ruins of the old inn.]]
Roman remains, possibly a signal station or watchtower, have been identified on the islands by [[electrical resistance survey]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014>{{cite news|title=Discover Steep Holm and its history|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Discover-Steep-Holm-history/story-21082702-detail/story.html|accessdate=11 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=10 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Roman watchtower on Steep Holm discovered by Bristol University archaeologists |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Holm-sweet-home-Romans-island/story-21011217-detail/story.html|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=25 April 2014}}</ref> A carved stone head found on the island in 1991 is likely to be a Celtic head from the [[Romano-British]] era,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Green|first1=Miranda|title=Notes|journal=Britania|date=1993|volume=24|pages=241–242|doi=10.2307/526730|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8283215}}</ref> but may be from the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Monument No. 1456111|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456111|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

According to legend in the 6th century [[Gildas|Saint Gildas]] lived on Steep Holm visiting his friend [[Cadoc|Saint Cadoc]], who lived on Flat Holm as a hermit.{{sfn|Rutter|1829|p=95}} Gildas supposedly left the island, after pirates from the [[Orkney]]s carried off his servant and furniture, to become [[Abbot of Glastonbury]].{{sfn|Clay|1914|p=9}}{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=64}} At the end of the `12th century there was a small [[priory]] on the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bleadon Hills, Brean Down and Steep Holm|url=http://m.mendip.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1883&p=0|publisher=Mendip Council|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Priory of St Michael was abandoned after 1260 by monks from [[Studley Priory, Warwickshire|Studley Priory]]. The site was used again by [[Warren (domestic)|warreners]] in the 14th and 15th centuries.{{sfn|Murphy|2009|p=174}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Steepholme Priory|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=191342|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

In 1832 the island was leased to Colonel Tynte who established an inn for sailors, run by the Harris family, using rum and tobacco bought from ships, claiming that the island was outside the juristiction of the [[Tax collector|excise men]] until a court case in 1884. After the Harris family the inn was run by Mr W. L. Davies who offered fishing, shooting and boating holidays.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=69-70}} In 1931 the island was developed into a [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] by Mr Harry Cox.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=71}} In 1953 the island was leased by the Steep Holm Trust supported by four local organisations: the [[Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society]], Bristol Naturalists Society, Mid-Somerset Naturalists and the Bristol Folk House Archaeological Club. They repaired some the buildings and established a bird ringing programme. In 1974 their lease expired and was taken over by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=76}}

===Former military uses===
[[File:Split Rock Battery, Steep Holm (geograph 2105599).jpg|thumb|Split Rock Battery]]
Both Steep Holm and Flat Holm were fortified in the 1860s as a defence against invasion. They form part of a [[Palmerston Forts, Bristol Channel|line of defences]], 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 by John Perry of [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{Cite document | last1 = Worrall | first1 = D. H. | last2 = Surtees | first2 = P. R. | title = Flat Holm  – an account of its history and ecology | publisher = South Glamorgan County Council | pages = 18–19 | year = 1984}}</ref>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=19}} The facilities installed included a master-gunners house, small inn and a water tank holding {{convert|49,000|impgal}} of rainwater.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=41-42}} Armaments included ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] Mk III spread between six batteries.<ref name=victorianforts/>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=14}} These were later replaced with [[Armstrong Gun|Armstrong]] 6-inch RML guns.{{sfn|Phillips|2013}} Some of the gun batteries are [[Scheduled Ancient Monuments]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/steep%20holm.pdf|publisher=Severn Estuary Partnership|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Two Palmerstonian gun batteries on Steep Holm|url=http://list.historicengland.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1005415|website=National Heritage List for England|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> and a there are the remains of a centralised group of brick-built [[barracks|barrack]] blocks. In 1898 test firing by [[HMS Arrogant (1896)]], an [[Arrogant-class cruiser]] on Rudder Rock battery showed that the fixed gun emplacements used on Steep Holm and other sites were susceptible to modern warships and the site was no longer maintained.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=42-43}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The Bombardment of the Steep Holm|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000526/18980824/045/0007|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser|date=24 August 1898| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|subscription=yes}}</ref>

[[File:Steepholm, the old barracks. m.v. Balmoral at anchor - geograph.org.uk - 93821.jpg|thumb|{{MV|Balmoral||6}} in front of the old barracks.]]

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. In 1940 the island's warden Harry Cox, was appointed as a coastguard and was supported by [[Local Defence Volunteers]] from [[Weston-super-Mare]]. In 1940 and 1941 the battery was refortified by soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] using mules to transport guns and equipment up the steep cliffs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.willys-mb.co.uk/steep-holm.htm|publisher=Willys-MB WW2 Transport|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The armament included [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] taken from World War I naval vessels which had been scrapped and [[Lewis gun]]s against air attack. The Garden Battery was built over two Victorian stone gun emplacements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Garden Battery (Steep Holm South)|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456114|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> Engineers from the [[Royal Pioneer Corps]] improved the infrastructure including importing sheep to feed the soldiers and, after a case of [[typhoid]], shipping drinking water from south Wales.{{sfn|Brown|1999|pp=23-31}} To enable the movement of equipment the engineers built a jetty and linked this to the plateau with a cable-operated winched switchback railway using prefabricated {{convert|60|cm}} gauge lines which had been captured from the Germans in World War I.{{sfn|Holland|2010|p=100}} 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.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|p=101}}

===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 Allsop]], and purchased it in 1976.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} 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."<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

Visits can be made to the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Explore the Bristol Channel's Holm Islands|url=http://mwmarine.org/index.php/services|publisher=M W Marine|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> The trust runs day-long boat trips from [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Getting to Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/getting_to_steep_holm.html|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> One barrack block is in use to provide visitor facilities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Atthill |first=Robin |title=Mendip: A new study |year=1976 |publisher=[[David & Charles]] |isbn= 978-0715372975|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Donald|title=Somerset v Hitler: Secret Operations in the Mendips, 1939-45|date=1999|publisher=Countryside Books|isbn=978-1853065903|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.historyfish.net/anchorites/clay_anchorites_one.pdf|title=The Hermits and Anchorites of England. |last=Clay|first=Rotha Mary |year=1914|publisher=Methuen & Co. London|page=9|accessdate=23 January 2010|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Coysh|first1=A. W.|last2=Mason|first2=E. J.|last3=Waite|first3=V.|title=The Mendips|date=1977|publisher=Robert Hale|edition=4|ref=harv|asin=B00AXGVL1I}}
* {{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=Julian|title=Amazing & Extraordinary Railway Facts|date=2010|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=9780715334294|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fSxxhsVVuiIC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=lFP7kKG_cf&sig=dQT5Wby9IrOpI1qFtmCc-vNTIjE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Payne|first1=John|title=The West Country: A Cultural History|date=2011|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781908493514|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4MC_BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT146&lpg=PT146&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=HeMT4nyq-t&sig=T494TpoPhVZ2-_y2R1sj0mSUjpA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Alan|title=Castles and Fortifications of Wales|date=2013|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=9781445624846|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kEeIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110&lpg=PT110&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=WjRltcB5bn&sig=pi_jSgIgjhNVpjudFj_6fsLLu7U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Wild Life|date=1989|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699115}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm at War|date=1991|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699603}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep holm Allsop Island|date=1992|publisher=Wincanton Press|isbn=978-0948699610}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Legends and History|date=1993|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699597}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Guide|date=1995|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699498|edition=2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=Peter|title=The English Coast: A History and a Prospect|date=2009|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781847251435|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DeW9hRZ_yPUC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=Priory+of+St.+Michael+of+Steepholm&source=bl&ots=5phP3XvIuD&sig=BOpON51LEaUNhkY_Nw6iIOkn6Lk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tE6iVY2nHMGyUa_IoogN&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Priory%20of%20St.%20Michael%20of%20Steepholm&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rendell|first1=Stan|last2=Rendell|first2=Joan|title=Steep Holm: The Story of A Small Island|date=1993|publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0750903233}}
* {{cite book|last=Rutter|first=John|title=Delineations of the north western division of the county of Somerset.|publisher=G. Olms|year=1829|url=http://books.google.com/?id=V6wHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=flat+holm+saint+cadoc|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Saunders|first1=A.|title=Guns Across the Severn|date=2000|publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales|isbn=9781871184259|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Toulson|first=Shirley|title=The Mendip Hills: A Threatened Landscape|year=1984|publisher=[[Victor Gollancz Ltd]]|isbn=978-0-575-03453-2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last=van der Bijl | first=Nicholas |year=2000 | title=Brean Down Fort: Its History and the Defences of the Bristol Channel|location= Cossington|publisher=Hawk Editions | isbn=978-0-9529081-7-3|ref=harv}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.steepholm.org.uk: Steep Holm Island and the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust]
*[http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf Victorian Forts data sheet]

{{SSSIs Avon biological}}

[[Category:Islands of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Islands of England]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1952]]
[[Category:Hills of Somerset]]
[[Category:Scheduled Ancient Monuments in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Coastal artillery]]
[[Category:Palmerston Forts]]
[[Category:Weston-super-Mare]]

Steep Holm

2015-07-15T23:18:56Z

Lineagegeek: Copyedited

{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox Islands
| name = Steep Holm
| image name = stholm2.jpg
| image caption =
| locator map = Bristol Channel map.svg
| map_custom = no
| native name =
| native name link =
| nickname =
| location = [[Bristol Channel]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|20|23|N|3|06|35|W|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago =
| total islands =
| major islands =
| area_km2 =
| length_km = 1 
| width_m = 400 
| coastline_km =
| highest mount = {{convert|78|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| elevation_m =
| country = England
| country admin divisions title = Unitary Authority
| country admin divisions = [[North Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 1 = Ceremonial County
| country admin divisions 1 = [[Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 2 = Civil Parish
| country admin divisions 2 = [[Weston-super-Mare]]
| country capital city =
| country largest city =
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| country leader title =
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}}

'''Steep Holm''' ({{lang-cy|Ynys Rhonech}}) is an English island lying in the [[Bristol Channel]]. The island covers {{convert|48.87|acre}} at high tide, expanding to {{convert|63.26|acre|abbr=on}} at mean low water.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} At its highest point it is {{convert|78|m}} above mean sea level. It lies within the [[Historic counties of England|historic boundaries]] of [[Somerset]] and administratively, it forms part of [[North Somerset]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iv.pdf | format=PDF | page= 7 | work= [[Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)|The Boundary Commission for England]] | title= Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities | date= 26 February 2007 | accessdate= 6 September 2007 }}</ref> Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was administered as part of [[Avon (county)|Avon]].{{sfn|Legg|1995}} Nearby is [[Flat Holm]] island ({{lang-cy|Ynys Echni}}), part of [[Wales]].

The [[Carboniferous Limestone]] island rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} and serves as a wind and wave break, sheltering the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel. The island is now uninhabited, with the exception of the wardens, and protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) with a a large bird population and plants including [[Paeonia mascula|wild peonies]]. There was a signal station or watchtower on the island in Roman times, but there may have been human habitation in the [[Iron Age]]. In the 6th century it was home to [[Gildas|St Gildas]] and a small [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Priory in the 12th and 13th centuries. An inn was built in 1832 and used for holidays in the 19th century. A [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] was established in 1931 and since 1951 has been leased to charitable trusts. It is now owned by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.

In the 1860s the island was fortified with ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] as one of the [[Palmerston Forts]] for the coastal defence of the Bristol Channel until it was abandoned in 1898. The infrastructure was reused in World War I and II when [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] and search lights were installed. To enable the movement of materials soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] initially used mules and then installed a cable-operated winched switchback railway.

==Geology and ecology==
The island is formed of [[Carboniferous Limestone]] and is geologically a continuation of the [[Mendip Hills]] at [[Brean Down]].{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=2}} It covers {{convert|49|acre}} and rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} from the surrounding sea.<ref name=victorianforts>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island|url=http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf|publisher=Victorian Forts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> There are at least three caves on the island one of which is known as Jubilee Cave.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=75-76}}

It is protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), [[SSSI notification|notification]] having taken place in 1952.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002935.pdf | format= PDF | work= English Nature | title= Citation – Steep Holm | accessdate= 6 September 2007}}</ref> There is a large bird population, particularly [[European herring gull]]s ''(Larus argentatus)'' and [[Lesser black-backed gull]]s ''(Larus fuscus)''.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Stanley|title=Birds of the Island of Steep Holm|journal=British Birds|date=1936|volume=xxx|pages=219–223|url=http://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V30/V30_N07/V30_N07_P219_223_A038.pdf}}</ref> The island is the only site in the UK on which [[Paeonia mascula|Wild Peoies]] ''(Paeonia mascula)'' grow,<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island, Somerset|url=http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/who-we-are/history/rothschild-reserves/steep-holm-island-somerset|publisher=The Wildlife Trusts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> although these have been damaged by the fungus [[Botrytis (fungus)|botrytis]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014/> The Wild Peony was [[introduced species|introduced]] to the island of Steep Holm, possibly by monks,{{sfn|Payne|2011}} or brought from the Mediterranean by the Romans.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Steep Holm Peony|url=http://www.wanhs.org/SteepholmePeony.html|publisher=Wston-super-Mare Archaeological and Natural History Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm: A peony mystery|url=http://www.martin-page.com/thepeonysociety.org/Steep_Holm.html|publisher=Peony Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> [[Smyrnium olusatrum|Alexanders]] ''(Smyrnium olusatrum)'' are also common along with [[Golden samphire]] ''(Golden samphire)'' and [[Plantago coronopus|buck's-horn plantain]] ''(Plantago coronopus)''.{{sfn|Atthill|1976|p=44}} The only reptiles on the island are [[Anguis fragilis|slow worms]] ''(Anguis fragilis)''.{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=127}}

==History==
[[File:Steepholm, old inn from path - geograph.org.uk - 93819.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The ruins of the old inn.]]
Roman remains, possibly a signal station or watchtower, have been identified on the islands by [[electrical resistance survey]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014>{{cite news|title=Discover Steep Holm and its history|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Discover-Steep-Holm-history/story-21082702-detail/story.html|accessdate=11 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=10 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Roman watchtower on Steep Holm discovered by Bristol University archaeologists |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Holm-sweet-home-Romans-island/story-21011217-detail/story.html|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=25 April 2014}}</ref> A carved stone head found on the island in 1991 is likely to be a Celtic head from the [[Romano-British]] era,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Green|first1=Miranda|title=Notes|journal=Britania|date=1993|volume=24|pages=241–242|doi=10.2307/526730|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8283215}}</ref> but may be from the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Monument No. 1456111|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456111|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

According to legend in the 6th century [[Gildas|Saint Gildas]] lived on Steep Holm visiting his friend [[Cadoc|Saint Cadoc]], who lived on Flat Holm as a hermit.{{sfn|Rutter|1829|p=95}} Gildas supposedly left the island, after pirates from the [[Orkney]]s carried off his servant and furniture, to become [[Abbot of Glastonbury]].{{sfn|Clay|1914|p=9}}{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=64}} At the end of the `12th century there was a small [[priory]] on the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bleadon Hills, Brean Down and Steep Holm|url=http://m.mendip.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1883&p=0|publisher=Mendip Council|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Priory of St Michael was abandoned after 1260 by monks from [[Studley Priory, Warwickshire|Studley Priory]]. The site was used again by [[Warren (domestic)|warreners]] in the 14th and 15th centuries.{{sfn|Murphy|2009|p=174}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Steepholme Priory|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=191342|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

In 1832 the island was leased to Colonel Tynte who established an inn for sailors, run by the Harris family, using rum and tobacco bought from ships, claiming that the island was outside the juristiction of the [[Tax collector|excise men]] until a court case in 1884. After the Harris family the inn was run by Mr W. L. Davies who offered fishing, shooting and boating holidays.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=69-70}} In 1931 the island was developed into a [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] by Mr Harry Cox.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=71}} In 1953 the island was leased by the Steep Holm Trust supported by four local organisations: the [[Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society]], Bristol Naturalists Society, Mid-Somerset Naturalists and the Bristol Folk House Archaeological Club. They repaired some the buildings and established a bird ringing programme. In 1974 their lease expired and was taken over by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=76}}

===Former military uses===
[[File:Split Rock Battery, Steep Holm (geograph 2105599).jpg|thumb|Split Rock Battery]]
Both Steep Holm and Flat Holm were fortified in the 1860s as a defence against invasion. They form part of a [[Palmerston Forts, Bristol Channel|line of defences]], 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 by John Perry of [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{Cite document | last1 = Worrall | first1 = D. H. | last2 = Surtees | first2 = P. R. | title = Flat Holm  – an account of its history and ecology | publisher = South Glamorgan County Council | pages = 18–19 | year = 1984}}</ref>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=19}} The facilities installed included a master-gunners house, small inn and a water tank holding {{convert|49,000|impgal}} of rainwater.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=41-42}} Armaments included ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] Mk III spread between six batteries.<ref name=victorianforts/>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=14}} These were later replaced with [[Armstrong Gun|Armstrong]] 6-inch RML guns.{{sfn|Phillips|2013}} Some of the gun batteries are [[Scheduled Ancient Monuments]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/steep%20holm.pdf|publisher=Severn Estuary Partnership|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Two Palmerstonian gun batteries on Steep Holm|url=http://list.historicengland.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1005415|website=National Heritage List for England|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> and a there are the remains of a centralised group of brick-built [[barracks|barrack]] blocks. In 1898 test firing by [[HMS Arrogant (1896)]], an [[Arrogant-class cruiser]] on Rudder Rock battery showed that the fixed gun emplacements used on Steep Holm and other sites were susceptible to modern warships and the site was no longer maintained.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=42-43}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The Bombardment of the Steep Holm|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000526/18980824/045/0007|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser|date=24 August 1898| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|subscription=yes}}</ref>

[[File:Steepholm, the old barracks. m.v. Balmoral at anchor - geograph.org.uk - 93821.jpg|thumb|{{MV|Balmoral||6}} in front of the old barracks.]]

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. In 1940 the island's warden Harry Cox, was appointed as a coastguard and was supported by [[Local Defence Volunteers]] from [[Weston-super-Mare]]. In 1940 and 1941 the battery was refortified by soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] using mules to transport guns and equipment up the steep cliffs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.willys-mb.co.uk/steep-holm.htm|publisher=Willys-MB WW2 Transport|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The armament included [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] taken from World War I naval vessels which had been scrapped and [[Lewis gun]]s against air attack. The Garden Battery was built over two Victorian stone gun emplacements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Garden Battery (Steep Holm South)|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456114|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> Engineers from the [[Royal Pioneer Corps]] improved the infrastructure including importing sheep to feed the soldiers and, after a case of [[typhoid]], shipping drinking water from south Wales.{{sfn|Brown|1999|pp=23-31}} To enable the movement of equipment the engineers built a jetty and linked this to the plateau with a cable-operated winched switchback railway using prefabricated {{convert|60|cm}} gauge lines which had been captured from the Germans in World War I.{{sfn|Holland|2010|p=100}} 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.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|p=101}}

===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 Allsop]], and purchased it in 1976.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} 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."<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

Visits can be made to the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Explore the Bristol Channel's Holm Islands|url=http://mwmarine.org/index.php/services|publisher=M W Marine|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> The trust runs day-long boat trips from [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Getting to Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/getting_to_steep_holm.html|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> One barrack block is in use to provide visitor facilities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Atthill |first=Robin |title=Mendip: A new study |year=1976 |publisher=[[David & Charles]] |isbn= 978-0715372975|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Donald|title=Somerset v Hitler: Secret Operations in the Mendips, 1939-45|date=1999|publisher=Countryside Books|isbn=978-1853065903|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.historyfish.net/anchorites/clay_anchorites_one.pdf|title=The Hermits and Anchorites of England. |last=Clay|first=Rotha Mary |year=1914|publisher=Methuen & Co. London|page=9|accessdate=23 January 2010|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Coysh|first1=A. W.|last2=Mason|first2=E. J.|last3=Waite|first3=V.|title=The Mendips|date=1977|publisher=Robert Hale|edition=4|ref=harv|asin=B00AXGVL1I}}
* {{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=Julian|title=Amazing & Extraordinary Railway Facts|date=2010|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=9780715334294|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fSxxhsVVuiIC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=lFP7kKG_cf&sig=dQT5Wby9IrOpI1qFtmCc-vNTIjE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Payne|first1=John|title=The West Country: A Cultural History|date=2011|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781908493514|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4MC_BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT146&lpg=PT146&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=HeMT4nyq-t&sig=T494TpoPhVZ2-_y2R1sj0mSUjpA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Alan|title=Castles and Fortifications of Wales|date=2013|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=9781445624846|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kEeIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110&lpg=PT110&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=WjRltcB5bn&sig=pi_jSgIgjhNVpjudFj_6fsLLu7U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Wild Life|date=1989|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699115}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm at War|date=1991|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699603}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep holm Allsop Island|date=1992|publisher=Wincanton Press|isbn=978-0948699610}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Legends and History|date=1993|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699597}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Guide|date=1995|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699498|edition=2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=Peter|title=The English Coast: A History and a Prospect|date=2009|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781847251435|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DeW9hRZ_yPUC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=Priory+of+St.+Michael+of+Steepholm&source=bl&ots=5phP3XvIuD&sig=BOpON51LEaUNhkY_Nw6iIOkn6Lk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tE6iVY2nHMGyUa_IoogN&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Priory%20of%20St.%20Michael%20of%20Steepholm&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rendell|first1=Stan|last2=Rendell|first2=Joan|title=Steep Holm: The Story of A Small Island|date=1993|publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0750903233}}
* {{cite book|last=Rutter|first=John|title=Delineations of the north western division of the county of Somerset.|publisher=G. Olms|year=1829|url=http://books.google.com/?id=V6wHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=flat+holm+saint+cadoc|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Saunders|first1=A.|title=Guns Across the Severn|date=2000|publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales|isbn=9781871184259|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Toulson|first=Shirley|title=The Mendip Hills: A Threatened Landscape|year=1984|publisher=[[Victor Gollancz Ltd]]|isbn=978-0-575-03453-2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last=van der Bijl | first=Nicholas |year=2000 | title=Brean Down Fort: Its History and the Defences of the Bristol Channel|location= Cossington|publisher=Hawk Editions | isbn=978-0-9529081-7-3|ref=harv}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.steepholm.org.uk: Steep Holm Island and the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust]
*[http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf Victorian Forts data sheet]

{{SSSIs Avon biological}}

[[Category:Islands of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Islands of England]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1952]]
[[Category:Hills of Somerset]]
[[Category:Scheduled Ancient Monuments in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Coastal artillery]]
[[Category:Palmerston Forts]]
[[Category:Weston-super-Mare]]

Steep Holm

2015-07-15T23:18:10Z

Lineagegeek: Copedited

{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox Islands
| name = Steep Holm
| image name = stholm2.jpg
| image caption =
| locator map = Bristol Channel map.svg
| map_custom = no
| native name =
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| location = [[Bristol Channel]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|20|23|N|3|06|35|W|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago =
| total islands =
| major islands =
| area_km2 =
| length_km = 1 
| width_m = 400 
| coastline_km =
| highest mount = {{convert|78|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| elevation_m =
| country = England
| country admin divisions title = Unitary Authority
| country admin divisions = [[North Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 1 = Ceremonial County
| country admin divisions 1 = [[Somerset]]
| country admin divisions title 2 = Civil Parish
| country admin divisions 2 = [[Weston-super-Mare]]
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}}

'''Steep Holm''' ({{lang-cy|Ynys Rhonech}}) is an English island lying in the [[Bristol Channel]]. The island covers {{convert|48.87|acre}} at high tide, expanding to {{convert|63.26|acre|abbr=on}} at mean low water.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} At its highest point it is {{convert|78|m}} above mean sea level. It lies within the [[Historic counties of England|historic boundaries]] of [[Somerset]] and administratively, it forms part of [[North Somerset]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iv.pdf | format=PDF | page= 7 | work= [[Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)|The Boundary Commission for England]] | title= Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities | date= 26 February 2007 | accessdate= 6 September 2007 }}</ref> Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996 it was administered as part of [[Avon (county)|Avon]].{{sfn|Legg|1995}} Nearby is [[Flat Holm]] island ({{lang-cy|Ynys Echni}}), part of [[Wales]].

The [[Carboniferous Limestone]] island rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} and serves as a wind and wave break, sheltering the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel. The island is now uninhabited, with the exception of the wardens, and protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) with a a large bird population and plants including [[Paeonia mascula|Wild Peonies]]. There was a signal station or watchtower on the island in Roman times, but there may have been human habitation in the [[Iron Age]]. In the 6th century it was home to [[Gildas|St Gildas]] and a small [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Priory in the 12th and 13th centuries. An inn was built in 1832 and used for holidays in the 19th century. A [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] was established in 1931 and since 1951 has been leased to charitable trusts. It is now owned by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.

In the 1860s the island was fortified with ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] as one of the [[Palmerston Forts]] for the coastal defence of the Bristol Channel until it was abandoned in 1898. The infrastructure was reused in World War I and II when [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] and search lights were installed. To enable the movement of materials soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] initially used mules and then installed a cable-operated winched switchback railway.

==Geology and ecology==
The island is formed of [[Carboniferous Limestone]] and is geologically a continuation of the [[Mendip Hills]] at [[Brean Down]].{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=2}} It covers {{convert|49|acre}} and rises to about {{convert|200|ft}} from the surrounding sea.<ref name=victorianforts>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island|url=http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf|publisher=Victorian Forts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> There are at least three caves on the island one of which is known as Jubilee Cave.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=75-76}}

It is protected as a [[nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), [[SSSI notification|notification]] having taken place in 1952.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002935.pdf | format= PDF | work= English Nature | title= Citation – Steep Holm | accessdate= 6 September 2007}}</ref> There is a large bird population, particularly [[European herring gull]]s ''(Larus argentatus)'' and [[Lesser black-backed gull]]s ''(Larus fuscus)''.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Stanley|title=Birds of the Island of Steep Holm|journal=British Birds|date=1936|volume=xxx|pages=219–223|url=http://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V30/V30_N07/V30_N07_P219_223_A038.pdf}}</ref> The island is the only site in the UK on which [[Paeonia mascula|Wild Peoies]] ''(Paeonia mascula)'' grow,<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm Island, Somerset|url=http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/who-we-are/history/rothschild-reserves/steep-holm-island-somerset|publisher=The Wildlife Trusts|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> although these have been damaged by the fungus [[Botrytis (fungus)|botrytis]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014/> The Wild Peony was [[introduced species|introduced]] to the island of Steep Holm, possibly by monks,{{sfn|Payne|2011}} or brought from the Mediterranean by the Romans.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Steep Holm Peony|url=http://www.wanhs.org/SteepholmePeony.html|publisher=Wston-super-Mare Archaeological and Natural History Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm: A peony mystery|url=http://www.martin-page.com/thepeonysociety.org/Steep_Holm.html|publisher=Peony Society|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> [[Smyrnium olusatrum|Alexanders]] ''(Smyrnium olusatrum)'' are also common along with [[Golden samphire]] ''(Golden samphire)'' and [[Plantago coronopus|buck's-horn plantain]] ''(Plantago coronopus)''.{{sfn|Atthill|1976|p=44}} The only reptiles on the island are [[Anguis fragilis|slow worms]] ''(Anguis fragilis)''.{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=127}}

==History==
[[File:Steepholm, old inn from path - geograph.org.uk - 93819.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The ruins of the old inn.]]
Roman remains, possibly a signal station or watchtower, have been identified on the islands by [[electrical resistance survey]].<ref name=westerndailypress2014>{{cite news|title=Discover Steep Holm and its history|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Discover-Steep-Holm-history/story-21082702-detail/story.html|accessdate=11 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=10 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Roman watchtower on Steep Holm discovered by Bristol University archaeologists |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Holm-sweet-home-Romans-island/story-21011217-detail/story.html|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Western Daily Press|date=25 April 2014}}</ref> A carved stone head found on the island in 1991 is likely to be a Celtic head from the [[Romano-British]] era,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Green|first1=Miranda|title=Notes|journal=Britania|date=1993|volume=24|pages=241–242|doi=10.2307/526730|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8283215}}</ref> but may be from the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Monument No. 1456111|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456111|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

According to legend in the 6th century [[Gildas|Saint Gildas]] lived on Steep Holm visiting his friend [[Cadoc|Saint Cadoc]], who lived on Flat Holm as a hermit.{{sfn|Rutter|1829|p=95}} Gildas supposedly left the island, after pirates from the [[Orkney]]s carried off his servant and furniture, to become [[Abbot of Glastonbury]].{{sfn|Clay|1914|p=9}}{{sfn|Toulson|1984|p=64}} At the end of the `12th century there was a small [[priory]] on the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bleadon Hills, Brean Down and Steep Holm|url=http://m.mendip.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1883&p=0|publisher=Mendip Council|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Priory of St Michael was abandoned after 1260 by monks from [[Studley Priory, Warwickshire|Studley Priory]]. The site was used again by [[Warren (domestic)|warreners]] in the 14th and 15th centuries.{{sfn|Murphy|2009|p=174}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Steepholme Priory|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=191342|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

In 1832 the island was leased to Colonel Tynte who established an inn for sailors, run by the Harris family, using rum and tobacco bought from ships, claiming that the island was outside the juristiction of the [[Tax collector|excise men]] until a court case in 1884. After the Harris family the inn was run by Mr W. L. Davies who offered fishing, shooting and boating holidays.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|pp=69-70}} In 1931 the island was developed into a [[Animal sanctuary|bird sanctuary]] by Mr Harry Cox.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=71}} In 1953 the island was leased by the Steep Holm Trust supported by four local organisations: the [[Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society]], Bristol Naturalists Society, Mid-Somerset Naturalists and the Bristol Folk House Archaeological Club. They repaired some the buildings and established a bird ringing programme. In 1974 their lease expired and was taken over by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust.{{sfn|Coysh|Mason|Waite|1977|p=76}}

===Former military uses===
[[File:Split Rock Battery, Steep Holm (geograph 2105599).jpg|thumb|Split Rock Battery]]
Both Steep Holm and Flat Holm were fortified in the 1860s as a defence against invasion. They form part of a [[Palmerston Forts, Bristol Channel|line of defences]], 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 by John Perry of [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{Cite document | last1 = Worrall | first1 = D. H. | last2 = Surtees | first2 = P. R. | title = Flat Holm  – an account of its history and ecology | publisher = South Glamorgan County Council | pages = 18–19 | year = 1984}}</ref>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=19}} The facilities installed included a master-gunners house, small inn and a water tank holding {{convert|49,000|impgal}} of rainwater.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=41-42}} Armaments included ten [[RML 7 inch gun|7-inch rifled muzzle loaders]] Mk III spread between six batteries.<ref name=victorianforts/>{{sfn|Saunders|2000|p=14}} These were later replaced with [[Armstrong Gun|Armstrong]] 6-inch RML guns.{{sfn|Phillips|2013}} Some of the gun batteries are [[Scheduled Ancient Monuments]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/steep%20holm.pdf|publisher=Severn Estuary Partnership|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Two Palmerstonian gun batteries on Steep Holm|url=http://list.historicengland.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1005415|website=National Heritage List for England|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> and a there are the remains of a centralised group of brick-built [[barracks|barrack]] blocks. In 1898 test firing by [[HMS Arrogant (1896)]], an [[Arrogant-class cruiser]] on Rudder Rock battery showed that the fixed gun emplacements used on Steep Holm and other sites were susceptible to modern warships and the site was no longer maintained.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|pp=42-43}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The Bombardment of the Steep Holm|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000526/18980824/045/0007|accessdate=12 July 2015|work=Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser|date=24 August 1898| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|subscription=yes}}</ref>

[[File:Steepholm, the old barracks. m.v. Balmoral at anchor - geograph.org.uk - 93821.jpg|thumb|{{MV|Balmoral||6}} in front of the old barracks.]]

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. In 1940 the island's warden Harry Cox, was appointed as a coastguard and was supported by [[Local Defence Volunteers]] from [[Weston-super-Mare]]. In 1940 and 1941 the battery was refortified by soldiers from the [[Indian Army Service Corps]] using mules to transport guns and equipment up the steep cliffs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.willys-mb.co.uk/steep-holm.htm|publisher=Willys-MB WW2 Transport|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> The armament included [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI|Mark VII 6'' breech-loading guns]] taken from World War I naval vessels which had been scrapped and [[Lewis gun]]s against air attack. The Garden Battery was built over two Victorian stone gun emplacements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Garden Battery (Steep Holm South)|url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1456114|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref> Engineers from the [[Royal Pioneer Corps]] improved the infrastructure including importing sheep to feed the soldiers and, after a case of [[typhoid]], shipping drinking water from south Wales.{{sfn|Brown|1999|pp=23-31}} To enable the movement of equipment the engineers built a jetty and linked this to the plateau with a cable-operated winched switchback railway using prefabricated {{convert|60|cm}} gauge lines which had been captured from the Germans in World War I.{{sfn|Holland|2010|p=100}} 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.{{sfn|van der Bijl|2000|p=101}}

===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 Allsop]], and purchased it in 1976.{{sfn|Legg|1995}} 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."<ref>{{cite web|title=Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust|accessdate=12 July 2015}}</ref>

Visits can be made to the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Explore the Bristol Channel's Holm Islands|url=http://mwmarine.org/index.php/services|publisher=M W Marine|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> The trust runs day-long boat trips from [[Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Getting to Steep Holm|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/getting_to_steep_holm.html|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref> One barrack block is in use to provide visitor facilities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome|url=http://www.steepholm.org.uk/|publisher=Steep Holm|accessdate=11 July 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Atthill |first=Robin |title=Mendip: A new study |year=1976 |publisher=[[David & Charles]] |isbn= 978-0715372975|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Donald|title=Somerset v Hitler: Secret Operations in the Mendips, 1939-45|date=1999|publisher=Countryside Books|isbn=978-1853065903|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.historyfish.net/anchorites/clay_anchorites_one.pdf|title=The Hermits and Anchorites of England. |last=Clay|first=Rotha Mary |year=1914|publisher=Methuen & Co. London|page=9|accessdate=23 January 2010|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Coysh|first1=A. W.|last2=Mason|first2=E. J.|last3=Waite|first3=V.|title=The Mendips|date=1977|publisher=Robert Hale|edition=4|ref=harv|asin=B00AXGVL1I}}
* {{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=Julian|title=Amazing & Extraordinary Railway Facts|date=2010|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=9780715334294|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fSxxhsVVuiIC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=lFP7kKG_cf&sig=dQT5Wby9IrOpI1qFtmCc-vNTIjE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Payne|first1=John|title=The West Country: A Cultural History|date=2011|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781908493514|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4MC_BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT146&lpg=PT146&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=HeMT4nyq-t&sig=T494TpoPhVZ2-_y2R1sj0mSUjpA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Alan|title=Castles and Fortifications of Wales|date=2013|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=9781445624846|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kEeIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110&lpg=PT110&dq=Steep+Holm+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=WjRltcB5bn&sig=pi_jSgIgjhNVpjudFj_6fsLLu7U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0WOiVc25C4e9UdCPiqgN&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Steep%20Holm%20world%20war%20I&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Wild Life|date=1989|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699115}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm at War|date=1991|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699603}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep holm Allsop Island|date=1992|publisher=Wincanton Press|isbn=978-0948699610}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Legends and History|date=1993|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699597}}
* {{cite book|last1=Legg|first1=Rodney|title=Steep Holm Guide|date=1995|publisher=Dorset Publishing Company|isbn=978-0948699498|edition=2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=Peter|title=The English Coast: A History and a Prospect|date=2009|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781847251435|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DeW9hRZ_yPUC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=Priory+of+St.+Michael+of+Steepholm&source=bl&ots=5phP3XvIuD&sig=BOpON51LEaUNhkY_Nw6iIOkn6Lk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tE6iVY2nHMGyUa_IoogN&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Priory%20of%20St.%20Michael%20of%20Steepholm&f=false|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rendell|first1=Stan|last2=Rendell|first2=Joan|title=Steep Holm: The Story of A Small Island|date=1993|publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0750903233}}
* {{cite book|last=Rutter|first=John|title=Delineations of the north western division of the county of Somerset.|publisher=G. Olms|year=1829|url=http://books.google.com/?id=V6wHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=flat+holm+saint+cadoc|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Saunders|first1=A.|title=Guns Across the Severn|date=2000|publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales|isbn=9781871184259|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Toulson|first=Shirley|title=The Mendip Hills: A Threatened Landscape|year=1984|publisher=[[Victor Gollancz Ltd]]|isbn=978-0-575-03453-2|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last=van der Bijl | first=Nicholas |year=2000 | title=Brean Down Fort: Its History and the Defences of the Bristol Channel|location= Cossington|publisher=Hawk Editions | isbn=978-0-9529081-7-3|ref=harv}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.steepholm.org.uk: Steep Holm Island and the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust]
*[http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/steepholm.pdf Victorian Forts data sheet]

{{SSSIs Avon biological}}

[[Category:Islands of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Islands of England]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1952]]
[[Category:Hills of Somerset]]
[[Category:Scheduled Ancient Monuments in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of the Bristol Channel]]
[[Category:Coastal artillery]]
[[Category:Palmerston Forts]]
[[Category:Weston-super-Mare]]