Arbury Hill | |
---|---|
Arbury Hill from the west | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) [1] |
Listing | County top |
Coordinates | 52°13′27″N 1°12′36″W / 52.2243°N 1.2101°W |
Geography | |
Location | Northamptonshire, England |
OS grid | SP540587 |
Topo map | OS Explorer 206 |
Arbury Hill, at 225 m (738 ft), is the joint highest point in the English county of Northamptonshire. [1] [2] It is 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of the town of Daventry.
The slopes of Arbury Hill are a drainage divide between three major river catchment areas, with the Nene to the north, east and south, the Cherwell (a tributary of the Thames) to the south-west and the Leam (a tributary of the Severn) to the west and north-west. [2] There are fine views with Rugby and Coventry visible to the northwest and Northampton to the east. The River Nene rises in a swampy hollow on the northwestern flanks of the hill. [3]
On the summit of Arbury Hill there are the vestiges of an Iron Age Fort ( grid reference SP540587), although its date and origin are disputed. The remains are in the form of a square ditch and embankment about 200 metres (yards) across. [4] Although little trace remains of this fort, the outer bank encloses an area of about 12 acres (4.9 ha). It is mentioned as one of the boundary marks in a land grant of Edmund the Elder, as being the place where the three parishes of Badby, Dodford and Everdon meet. [3]
The summit of Arbury Hill was one in a series of points used for triangulation in 1784 to determine the exact diameter and magnitude of the Earth, in a sequence of measurements undertaken by the British Government. [5] There is a Triangulation station on the summit. [6]
There is a motor-cross track on the east side and top of the hill that is used for competitions about three times a year. The soil is clayey, the site is steeply sloping and there are plenty of elevation changes, some off camber turns and a few smallish jumps. [7]
Arbury Hill | |
---|---|
Arbury Hill from the west | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) [1] |
Listing | County top |
Coordinates | 52°13′27″N 1°12′36″W / 52.2243°N 1.2101°W |
Geography | |
Location | Northamptonshire, England |
OS grid | SP540587 |
Topo map | OS Explorer 206 |
Arbury Hill, at 225 m (738 ft), is the joint highest point in the English county of Northamptonshire. [1] [2] It is 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of the town of Daventry.
The slopes of Arbury Hill are a drainage divide between three major river catchment areas, with the Nene to the north, east and south, the Cherwell (a tributary of the Thames) to the south-west and the Leam (a tributary of the Severn) to the west and north-west. [2] There are fine views with Rugby and Coventry visible to the northwest and Northampton to the east. The River Nene rises in a swampy hollow on the northwestern flanks of the hill. [3]
On the summit of Arbury Hill there are the vestiges of an Iron Age Fort ( grid reference SP540587), although its date and origin are disputed. The remains are in the form of a square ditch and embankment about 200 metres (yards) across. [4] Although little trace remains of this fort, the outer bank encloses an area of about 12 acres (4.9 ha). It is mentioned as one of the boundary marks in a land grant of Edmund the Elder, as being the place where the three parishes of Badby, Dodford and Everdon meet. [3]
The summit of Arbury Hill was one in a series of points used for triangulation in 1784 to determine the exact diameter and magnitude of the Earth, in a sequence of measurements undertaken by the British Government. [5] There is a Triangulation station on the summit. [6]
There is a motor-cross track on the east side and top of the hill that is used for competitions about three times a year. The soil is clayey, the site is steeply sloping and there are plenty of elevation changes, some off camber turns and a few smallish jumps. [7]