Melbury Hill, whose summit is also called Melbury Beacon,[2] is a prominent hill, 263 metres high,[1] on the high chalk escarpment of the North Dorset Downs above the village of Melbury Abbas in the county of Dorset in southern England.
| Melbury Hill | |
|---|---|
 View from Melbury Hill. To the right is the locator pillar of Melbury Beacon | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 263 m (863 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 66 m (217 ft)[1] |
| Parent peak | Win Green[1] |
| Listing | Tump |
| Coordinates | 50°58′36″N 2°10′55″W / 50.9767°N 2.1820°W |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Parent range | Cranborne Chase |
| OS grid | ST873197 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 183, Explorer 118N |
From Melbury Beacon there are superb panoramic views of Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase, as well as the Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury less than 2 miles to the north.[2]
In 1588 an Armada beacon sited here formed part of a chain of signal beacons from London to Plymouth.[2]
There is a trig point on the summit and a National Trust-owned wood on its western flank above the A350 from Blandford Forum to Shaftesbury.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Jackson, Mark. "More Relative Hills of Britain" (PDF). Relative Hills of Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ a b c Melbury Hill, Compton Abbas and Fontmell Down at DorsetLife. Accessed on 26 Mar 2013.
- ^ Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger series, No. 183.