| Worcestershire Beacon | |
|---|---|
 Toposcope on Worcestershire Beacon, with North Hill beyond |
|
| Elevation | 425 m (1,395 ft) |
| Location | Malvern Hills, England |
| Prominence | c. 337 m |
| Parent peak | Great Rhos |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 150 |
| OS grid reference | SO768452 |
| Listing | Marilyn, County Top |
Worcestershire Beacon is a hill whose summit is the highest point of the Malvern Hills, a range of hills running some 13 kilometres north-south along the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, though Worcestershire Beacon itself lies entirely within Worcestershire. The hill lies within the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is managed by the Malvern Hills Conservators under the five Acts of Parliament of 1884, 1909, 1924, 1930, and 1995. Their aim is to preserve the characteristic landscape of the area and to protect it from encroachments. On the summit is a viewfinder or toposcope, identifying the hills to be seen on a clear day; it was erected in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The views are very extensive, including to The Wrekin and past Birmingham to Cannock Chase, as well as much of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, the Welsh borders, the Shropshire Hills and across the valleys of the Severn and Avon to the Cotswolds. The hill is a very popular walk and has a dense network of footpaths criss-crossing it. The name beacon comes from the use of the hill as a signalling beacon. Even in recent years it has been used for this purpose on special occasions such as the millennium night of December 31 1999 when a large fire was lit for a public celebration. This was part of a national network of hill top beacons.
External links
- Computer generated summit panoramas Worcestershire Beacon Index
- Panoramic view from BBC Hereford and Worcester
