Beacon Hill, Norfolk

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Beacon Hill
The summit of Beacon Hill.
Elevation	103 metres above sea level
Location	Norfolk, England
Range	Cromer Ridge
Prominence	c. 79[1]
Topo map	OS Explorer 25
Type	Prominent hill
Easiest route	Sandy Lane
OS grid reference	TG186413
Listing	County top

Beacon Hill is the highest point in the English county of Norfolk.^[2] The hill is located ¾ mile south of the village of West Runton on the North Norfolk coast. At its summit the hill is 103 meters (338 feet) above sea level. The hill is also known as Roman Camp. The summit and surrounding woodlands are now in the care of the National Trust. A lane running west from Sandy Lane leads to a car park which is maintained by donations made to the National Trust collection box provide on the edge of the car park. Litter bins and benches make Beacon Hill an ideal location for picnics. There are several footpaths to follow across the area.

[edit] Formation

Beacon Hill is a part of the Cromer Ridge which is a ridge of old glacial moraines (terminal moraine) that stands next to the coast above Cromer.^[3] The Cromer Ridge seems to have been the front line of the ice sheet for some time at the last glaciations, which is shown by the large size of the feature. All the material that was dredged up from the North Sea was poured out of the glaciers to form Beacon Hill and the rest of the ridge. The Ridge is the highest land of East Anglia and stretches for 14 km along the North Norfolk coast. It is characterized by its irregular, undulating, intimate and well-wooded topography and by substantial areas of heather in the west. Small, enclosed arable fields, hedge banks, sunken lanes such as Sandy Lane which leads up Beacon Hill are common characteristic features all along the ridge.

[edit] Features

On the summit of Beacon Hill there is an earthwork enclosure. This area is known as Roman camp, a name which it is believed was coined around the turn of the 19th century by local horse drawn cab drivers as a suitably romantic picnic spot for an afternoon’s drive. Maps from the 18th century have the site marked as a rounded enclosure ‘termed’ as the old Beacon and watch tower.^[4] The Ordnance Survey map of 1838 calls the site a Signal Station and calls it Black Beacon Hill.^[5] It is understood the banks located here today are the remains of a signal station built during the time of the Napoleonic Wars and was part of a chain of signals stretching from Devon and as far north as Edinburgh.^[6] The signal sites from Norfolk downwards were abandoned from November 1841.

[edit] References