- Bredon Hill
Infobox Mountain
Name = Bredon Hill
Photo = Bredon_Hill.jpg
Caption = "Parsons Folly" & the inner rampart of "Kemerton Camp" on top of Bredon Hill
Elevation = 299 m (981 ft)
Location =Worcestershire ,England
Range =
Prominence = 257 m
Parent peak =The Wrekin
Coordinates =
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 150
Type =
Age =
Easiest route =
Grid_ref_UK = SO958402
Listing = Marilyn
Translation =
Language =
Pronunciation =Bredon Hill is a hill in
Worcestershire ,England , south-west ofEvesham in theVale of Evesham . The summit of the hill is in the parish ofKemerton and it extends over parts of eight other parishes (listed below). The hill is geologically part of theCotswolds and lies within the CotswoldsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty , although as the result of erosion over millions of years it now stands isolated in theVale of Evesham At the summit, adjacent to "Kemerton Camp", is a small stone tower called "Parsons Folly" which stands at GPS coordinates (52.059963, -2.064606). The tower was built in the mid-18th century for John Parsons, MP (
1732 –1805 ), squire ofKemerton Court and intended as a summer house, from which a more extensive view of the surrounding countryside could be seen. The 981 feet natural height of the hill may have contributed to the final height of the tower, whose top now reaches 1000 feet. A similar tower onLeith Hill increases the overall height from 965 feet to 1029 feet. The folly became a well-known county landmark, and was believed to have inspired the building ofBroadway Tower . The current owners, Overbury Estate, lease out the tower as amobile phone base station, and a number of large aerials have been fitted to its exterior.History
At the summit of the hill are the remains of earthworks from an
Iron Age hill fort known as "Kemerton Camp", which is believed to have been abandoned in the 1st century A.D. after a considerable battle.There are also Roman earthworks and a number of ancient standing stones on the hill. One large stone at the summit is called the "Banbury Stone", deriving from 'Baenintesburg', a name for the fort in the 8th century. It is known colloquially as the 'Elephant Stone' because of its resemblance to that animal. Another pair of stones below the summit are known as the "King and Queen Stones". Local legend tells that if you pass between them you will be cured of illness.
At
Elmley Castle on the north side of the hill are the remains of a considerablemedieval castle , once the chief stronghold of the powerful Beauchamp family, who becameEarls of Warwick . The castle fell into disrepair during the 16th century, and stone from it was used in the construction of the bridge atPershore .A fair and summer games were held every
Whitsun at the summit of Bredon Hill until c.1876.Nature & Geography
Bredon Hill is one of the most important wildlife sites in England. Part of it has been designated a
Special Area of Conservation under the European Commission Habitats Directive and aNational Nature Reserve . The hill contains a range of habitats includinglimestone grassland , scrub andancient woodland . It is most important as habitat for rareinvertebrates , such as theviolet click beetle .Natural England andKemerton Conservation Trust are among those organisations participating in wildlife management on the hill.Several parts of the hill are managed for wildlife under
DEFRA 'Countryside Stewardship' schemes. This includes the area around the summit, which is managed as grassland with open public access.A large number of public footpaths and bridleways cross the hill from the villages circling its base, and allow for a variety of circular routes to be devised. The
Wychavon Way passes over the hill, but does not reach the summit itself, passing close by (necessitating a short easy detour).The
Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 map has for many years shown the top as 229 metres high. That this is a typographical error is obvious from the contours; the 1:25,000 map shows the spot height as 299 metres. It may be an intentional error, intended to discourageplagiarism ofcopyright -protected Ordnance Survey map design.Literature
Bredon Hill is well known as the birthplace of Fred Archer (1915–1999), whose many books describe in vivid prose life on the farms and in the villages in past years, particularly the first part of the 20th century.
The author John Moore described life on and around Bredon Hill in the early 20th century in the 'Brensham Trilogy'.
The hill is immortalised in poem 21 of A. E. Housman's "
A Shropshire Lad ".:"In summertime on Bredon":"The bells they sound so clear;":"Round both the shires they ring them":"In steeples far and near,":"A happy noise to hear."
:"Here of a Sunday morning":"My love and I would lie,":"And see the coloured counties,":"And hear the larks so high":"About us in the sky."
:"The bells would ring to call her":"In valleys miles away;":"Come all to church, good people;":"Good people come and pray.":"But here my love would stay."
:"And I would turn and answer":"Among the springing thyme,":"Oh, peal upon our wedding,":"And we will hear the chime,":"And come to church in time."
:"But when the snows at Christmas":"On Bredon top were strown,":"My love rose up so early":"And stole out unbeknown":"And went to church alone."
:"They tolled the one bell only,":"Groom there was none to see,":"The mourners followed after,":"And so to church went she,":"And would not wait for me."
:"The bells they sound on Bredon,":"And still the steeples hum,":"Come all to church, good people.":"O noisy bells, be dumb;":"I hear you, I will come."
Incidental Information
When
Worcester Cathedral was damaged in theEnglish civil war , it was repaired with stone brought fromBredon .The name "Bredon Hill" is unusual in that it combines the name for "
hill " in three different languages. The word "bre" is of Celtic origin, and "don" is an Old English usage.A well-known local saying, which predicts bad weather, goes: "When Bredon Hill has on his hat, men of the vale beware of that".
Villages
The hill is made up from land belonging to 9 parishes. Working clockwise from the summit these are:
*Kemerton
* Bredon & Bredon's Norton
* Eckington
*Great Comberton
*Little Comberton
* Elmley Castle, Bricklehampton & Netherton
*Ashton under Hill
* Beckford
* Overbury & CondertonArts and crafts
There is a lively local arts scene around the hill such as the
Bredon Hill Open Studios group of artists, designers and craftspeople who open up their studios to the public. This group includes the artistSamantha Dadd ,Conderton Pottery ,Beckford Silk-printing workshop andBredon Pottery . Contemporary artists painting the local area includeNick Holdsworth andTony Whitehouse .References
* Page, W. ed. (1913). "Victoria County History: A History of the County of Worcester", Volume III
*Elrington, C.R. ed. (1968). "Victoria County History: A History of the County of Gloucester", Volume VIII.External links
* [http://www.bredon.info Local Information about Bredon Hill area]
* [http://www.ashtonunderhill.org.uk/ Ashton-Under-Hill Community Site]
* [http://www.overbury.org Overbury Community Site]
* [http://www.beckford-village.org Beckford Community Site]
* [http://www.kemerton.org Kemerton Conservation Trust]
* [http://www.fredarcher.co.uk/ Fred Archer website]
* [http://www.roman-britain.org/places/celtic/kemerton_camp.htm Kemerton Camp]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3757909 photos of Bredon Hill on geograph]
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