Herefordshire Beacon Explained

Herefordshire Beacon
Elevation M:338
Elevation Ref:[1]
Location:Malvern Hills, England
Topo:OS Landranger 150
Type:Igneous, Metamorphic
Age:Pre-Cambrian
Easiest Route:Hiking
Map:Herefordshire

The Herefordshire Beacon is one of the highest peaks of the Malvern Hills. It is surrounded by a British Iron Age hill fort earthwork known as British Camp. The fort subsequently had a ringwork and bailey castle built inside its boundary and there is evidence of 120 huts in the area. British Camp has been a scheduled monument since 1923.

On the eastern slope of Herefordshire Beacon, there is a disused reservoir, British Camp Reservoir, which holds approximately of water.

Geography

Herefordshire Beacon represents one of the Malvern Hills, high,[1] and is the second highest summit in the hills. It is within the county of Herefordshire, but is directly adjacent to the border with Worcestershire to the east.

British Camp

See main article: British Camp. Atop Herefordshire Beacon, there is an Iron Age hill fort, known as British Camp,[2] and would have held a settlement between 4th century BCE and 1st century CE. A ringwork and bailey castle was built within the site of the hill fort, and there is evidence of 120 huts having been built within the boundaries of the fort. The hill fort received scheduled monument status on 10 August 1923.[3]

Nearby to British Camp, on the eastern slope of Herefordshire Beacon, there is a reservoir called British Camp Reservoir.[4] It has a capacity of, although it has not been used for many years. In 2017, Severn Trent proposed to dismantle the treatment plant associated with the reservoir and drain it, leaving an pond.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Herefordshire Beacon/. Peakery. 9 August 2015.
  2. News: Wainwright . Martin . Britain's best views: The British Camp, Malvern Hills . 21 March 2020 . The Guardian . 6 May 2010.
  3. Web site: Herefordshire Beacon Camp . Historic England . 21 March 2020.
  4. News: Gravenor . Emily . Walk: Malvern Hills, Worcestershire and Herefordshire . 21 March 2020 . Country File . 3 September 2018.
  5. News: Hale . Robert . Malvern Hills to lose landmark reservoir on Herefordshire Beacon? . 21 March 2020 . Worcester News . 22 September 2017.