Churchdown Hill
| Churchdown Hill | ||
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| height | 155 m ASL | |
| location | near Churchdown , Borough of Tewkesbury , Gloucestershire , England | |
| Mountains | Cotswolds | |
| Coordinates | 51 ° 52 '5 " N , 2 ° 10' 33" W | |
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| Normal way | Churchdown access road, footpath | |
The Churchdown Hill , locally known as Chosen Hill to German about Church Downer mountain or Chosen Mountain is an official 154-meter-high (according to a plaque on the summit but 155 meters) mountain in Gloucestershire . On topographic maps there is a 164 meter high point next to the above-mentioned "summit". The mountain is located immediately south-west of the eponymous village Churchdown , almost exactly between the cities of Gloucester and Cheltenham . In the south is the village of Hucclecote , which is now largely incorporated into Gloucester and has grown together with the city in terms of urban planning. Churchdown Hill is the scenic center of the so-called green belt around the villages of Churchdown and Innsworth, which stretches between the two major cities and has recently been struggled to preserve by the residents there.
From the summit, but only from individual vantage points due to the trees, one has a good view over the Severn Valley and the Cotswolds , Gloucester, Cheltenham, the Malvern Hills and as far as Worcestershire . Although Churchdown Hill is quite isolated and rises prominently from a rather flat area, it is geologically considered a foothill of the Cotswolds.
Administratively, the mountain lies in the area of the localities of Churchdown and Hucclecote. Although England has no parishes below the borough level, the historical border between the Counties Churchdown and Hucclecote runs exactly, relatively centrally, over the mountain through the grounds of the church, so that around half of the forests on the mountain can be assigned to Churchdown and Hucclecote are.
Buildings / access roads
On the mountain are the historic sites of the Mussell nunnery, the Romanesque St. Bartholomew's Church. The latter was until 1851 the parish for both villages Churchdown and Hucclecote, which were united in one parish until then. In the area of the summit there is also an analog DAB radio transmitter from BBC Radio Gloucestershire and two covered reservoirs from the utility Severn Trent Water, which were built in the 1940s and 1950s. Noteworthy is an archaeological site - an Iron Age fortification known as Churchdown Hill Camp, located below the main reservoir. Churchdown Hill is supported by a local group called The Friends of Churchdown Hill . These friends helped found the Woodland Trust's Churchdown Hill Nature Reserves and published a walking guide and map of the hill. Churchdown Hill has a secondary peak, Tinker's Hill. On the slopes of the mountain there is mainly grassland, large areas of the summit area are forested, with deciduous forest dominating. The mountain is a popular recreational area in the surrounding villages. An approximately 850-long road leads from Churchdown directly to a parking lot next to the cemetery of St. Bartholomew's Church, i.e. at peak level. From there, a hiking trail about a hundred meters long leads to the summit. Also from the south from Hucclecote, from Churchdown Lane , not far from Noak Court Farm , a driveway leads into the mountain, but, although significantly longer at 1.5 kilometers, only to the houses on the edge of the forest, the Oystershell Cottages . In addition, so-called “public footpaths” lead to the summit. The mountain forest itself also has a relatively close-knit network of hiking trails and paths, which, however, are mostly not or very poorly paved. One such path is the 'coffin way' (literally translated as "Sargweg", but in German rather "Kirchweg") from St. Bartholomew's Church at the top of the hill, or the cemetery next to the church, towards Hucclecote.
Nature / vegetation
The hill is surrounded by four nature reserves which can in fact be considered a nature reserve and are managed by the Woodland Trust and also by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. The total area of the protected area is around 11.5 hectares. The total forest area on the mountain is approximately 25 to 30 hectares.
Trees
The largest conifers were planted about 120 years ago. The last plantings date from the 1940s. Large and older trees include Scots pines , Austrian pines and the coastal redwood . The newer plantings include larch and pine. The old forest area consists of oak, ash, hazel and maple. Hawthorn, blackthorn, crab apple, wild cherry and holly also grow there.
More plants
The reserve is known for the spring bloom of bluebell , along with archangel , wood anemone and canine violet . In general, as in the rest of the Cotswolds, there is a range of limestone-loving plants.
Agriculture
The slopes are mainly used as grassland, but above all as pastureland, unless there is a forest. Cattle graze on the slopes in the north and south, and there are paddocks for horses in the east. In particular, the cattle pastures pull up to the heights of the mountain, z. B. also except for Tinker's Hill. Pasture and woodland are relatively intertwined on the mountain. The western slope of the mountain, however, is used as arable land.
Residents
Although the mountain is primarily a natural and recreational area, it is not free from residentsː the residential area of the village of Churchdown extends with a so-called better residential area on the north slope in the course of the access road to the summit up to approx. 95 meters above sea level. On the summit plateau itself, about 50 meters east of the summit, is the Chosen Hill Cottage , an inhabited house. In the west and south there are some residential buildings, the so-called Oystershell Cottages (Buscombe Noake) up to a height of 95 meters above sea level; one of these cottages used to be a "tea garden" and a popular meeting place for the residents of Churchdown and Hucclecotes. In the west, at the foot of the mountain, there is another farm worth mentioning in this context, the Zoons Court Farmhouse .
Cultural history
Until the outbreak of World War I , the Churchdowner golf course existed on the north slope of the mountain. It was above the railway line and the clubhouse was on Pirton Lane , near Sugarloaf Bridge . Today this area is taken up by grassland and building plots.
Chosen Hill was a favorite of early twentieth century composers Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells - it is the direct inspiration for Howell's 'Piano Quartet in A minor' and his 'Chosen Tune' (the latter dedicated to his fiancée who lived at Churchdown).
In 2010 the BBC reported that the artist and sculptor Willard Wigan , famous for his microscopic art, had sculpted a model of Chose Hills St. Bartholomew's Church on a grain of sand he had taken from his churchyard. He'd done this as a sort of response to a challenge from his girlfriend, who then called the result "absolutely fantastic".
References and comments
- ↑ In English, elevations that are less than 1,000 feet high are referred to as "hill", which literally means "hill". In German, however, such prominent elevations are usually not referred to as "hill", but as "mountain"
- ^ Justin Munro: Green belt Churchdown, Gloucestershire. Joint core strategy | Sitemap. Retrieved June 23, 2017 (English).
- ^ Historical Maps. Retrieved June 23, 2017 (English).
- ↑ The value was estimated using Google Earth
- ↑ Map (route sketch) and comments from THE FRIENDS OF CHURCHDOWN HILL, footnotes ( memento of the original from March 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
