Herefordshire Beacon
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.
| Herefordshire Beacon | |
|---|---|
 Herefordshire Beacon | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 338 m (1,109 ft)[1] |
| Geography | |
  Herefordshire Beacon | |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 150 |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Pre-Cambrian |
| Mountain type | Igneous, Metamorphic |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hiking |
On the eastern slope of Herefordshire Beacon, there is a disused reservoir, British Camp Reservoir, which holds approximately 213,000 cubic metres (7,500,000 cu ft) of water.
Geography
Herefordshire Beacon represents one of the Malvern Hills, 1,109 feet (338 m) high,[1] and is the second highest summit in the hills.[2] It is within the county of Herefordshire, but is directly adjacent to the border with Worcestershire to the east.
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 213,000 cubic metres (7,500,000 cu ft), 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 8,000 cubic metres (280,000 cu ft) pond.[5]
References
- "Herefordshire Beacon/". Peakery. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- Wainwright, Martin (6 May 2010). "Britain's best views: The British Camp, Malvern Hills". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- "Herefordshire Beacon Camp". Historic England. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- Gravenor, Emily (3 September 2018). "Walk: Malvern Hills, Worcestershire and Herefordshire". Country File. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- Hale, Robert (22 September 2017). "Malvern Hills to lose landmark reservoir on Herefordshire Beacon?". Worcester News. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
