Who built Simonsbath and why?

John Knight, a Worcestershire industrialist, built Simonsbath starting in 1818 after purchasing the former Royal Forest of Exmoor. He wanted to turn the windswept moorland into productive agricultural land through large-scale drainage, fencing, and farming—though the venture never became profitable despite decades of effort and enormous expense.

What are the beech hedges on Exmoor and why are they unusual?

The beech hedges are rows of beech trees planted by John Knight at high altitudes where beech doesn't normally thrive. They've survived for nearly 200 years, bent into dramatic shapes by moorland winds, and have become one of Exmoor's most distinctive and iconic landscape features—though their success was somewhat accidental.

Can you still see evidence of Knight's work on Exmoor?

Yes, everywhere around Simonsbath. The ruler-straight beech hedges marching across hillsides, isolated farmhouses in unlikely positions, and the network of tracks and boundaries are all visible reminders of Knight's attempt to impose order on moorland that naturally resists it.

The Exmoor Story

Simonsbath: When a Knight Built a Village on Empty Moorland and Called It Reclamation

John Knight bought the Royal Forest in 1818, planted beech hedges at altitude, built farms where nothing had grazed, and created a settlement that still feels like an experiment. The hedges are still there, mostly.

31 August 20268 min read