thesweetcheat wrote:
It's not volcanic rock. The geology is primarily limestone, and was presumably a sea bed at one time. It has probably been cut off from the main body of the nearby Cotswold escarpment by water wearing away surrounding clays (as the water sinks through the limestone level but washes clay away). So rather than being thrust upwards (by a volcano), the surrounding land has been worn down, leaving the conical hill behind.
Thanks for the replies TSC and Resonox, it is certainly interesting.