Hensbarrow Beacon
| Hensbarrow Beacon | |||
| Cornwall | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hensbarrow Beacon | |||
| Range: | St Austell Downs | ||
| Summit: | 1,023 feet SW996575 | ||
Hensbarrow Beacon is a hill in Cornwall, to be found a mile northwest of Stenalees village. It is the highest natural point of the Hensbarrow uplands, a natural region listed as a 'national character area'.[1]
The natural summit of Hensbarrow Beacon is 1,023 feet above sea level and is marked by a trig point. It can be reached by a short walk from the road to the west. However, the summit is overtopped by several large spoil heaps from the nearby china clay workings, the highest of which rises to 1,165 feet, therefore creating an 'artificial' summit 141 feet higher than the natural one.
Geographically, the hill is also the highest point of the St Austell Downs, a large region of downland to the north-west of St Austell. (The large degree of separation between the St Austell Downs and Bodmin Moor to the northeast gives Hensbarrow Beacon a significant relative height and it is accordingly listed as a 'Marilyn' hill[2]
The mediæval Blackmoor Stannary was centred at Hensbarrow Beacon, with its records stored at the church in Luxulyan.
References
- ↑ Hensbarrow - Natural England
- ↑ Hensbarrow Beacon at the Database of British and Irish Hills.
