Black Down, Somerset

Black Down is an area of Open Access common on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The hill is largely of a moorland characteristic, with dense cover of associated vegetation, including Heather and Bracken.

The summit of Black Down is Beacon Batch, the highest point of the Mendip Hills. The summit is a popular site and is marked with a Ordnance Survey trig point, the base of which was recently rebuild by the Mendip Hills AONB authority.

During World War II a decoy town was constructed on Black Down which was intended to represent the blazing lights of a town which had omitted to follow black out regulations. The success of this endeavour is questionable, with no ground indications that the hills were used as targets.

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