| Barr Beacon | |
|---|---|
Barr Beacon War Memorial in February 2009 |
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| Elevation | 236 m (774 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | West Midlands, England |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 139 |
| OS grid | SP060973 |
Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr (the Beacon borders the Pheasey area of Great Barr) and to the local school Barr Beacon Language College. It is historically the site of a beacon where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on celebratory occasions.[1] Barr Beacon is the highest point between itself and the Ural mountains. The site is on green belt land and is of local importance for nature conservation, as defined by Walsall Borough Council, who have designated some 60 acres (25 ha) of it as a Local Nature Reserve.
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Barr Beacon was formerly owned by the Scott family of Great Barr Hall, nearby.[2] Following the death of Lady Mildred Scott in 1909, the estate was auctioned off in 1918. Birmingham's Lord Mayor made a plea for the site to be secured as a public park.[2] Colonel J. H. Wilkinson of the Staffordshire Volunteer Infantry Brigade responded by purchasing it, then transferring it to a trust.[2] It opened to the public on Easter Monday, 21 April 1919.[2] In 1972, the trusteeship of Barr Beacon passed to Walsall Council.[2] The council now manages Barr Beacon on behalf of the Barr Beacon Trust.,[3][4] with a management committee comprising local councillors and representatives of interest groups.[2] During both 2002 and 2003 the site attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors.
Visible from Barr Beacon are the Lickey Hills, Clent Hills, Malvern Hills, Turners Hill near Tividale, Clee Hills, Long Mynd, The Wrekin, Cannock Chase, Hednesford Hills, Peak District, Sutton Park, and on very clear days, Beacon Hill, Loughborough. One can also see as far as Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, and Wales. [5]
On one summit is Barr Beacon Reservoir, a South Staffordshire Waterworks Company covered drinking water reservoir with radio masts and on the other a war memorial consisting of a raised dais, covered by a copper-covered wooden[6] dome supported by eight columns.[1] On the night of 5 March 2010, thieves stole some of the copper roofing, damaging much more in the process;[6] this happened again twice in 2011.
