Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

Gold Hill is a hill and a famous street in Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset. It is a steep cobbled street featured on the cover of countless books about Dorset and rural England, and in television commercials.

Gold Hill features in the 1973 "Boy on Bike" television advertisements for Hovis bread, that has been voted Britain's favourite advertisement of all time. It was directed by Ridley Scott, and includes the distinctive music of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. [Andrew O'Hagan, "The future sounds rosier with Hovis", "The Daily Telegraph", 03 May 2006. Retrieved 9 Oct 2009]

Gold Hill was also featured in a recent advert for Morrisons. At the top of the street is the 14th century St Peter's church, one of the few pre-18th century buildings remaining in Shaftesbury. This ancient cobbled street, running beside the walls of King Alfred's abbey, also features on countless chocolate boxes and calendars.

Each year, Shaftesbury plays host to the Gold Hill Fair, named after the town's famous landmark, to raise money for local charities. It is the largest free event in Dorset and attracts over 12,000 visitors.

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