Barr Beacon is a
hillA hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit A hill is a landform that extends above the...
on the edge of
WalsallWalsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation, and is sometimes described as part of the Black Country.Walsall...
,
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, very near the border with
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
. It gives its name to nearby
Great BarrGreat Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall, West Midlands, England...
and to the local school
Barr Beacon Language CollegeBarr Beacon Language College is a mixed secondary school in Aldridge, Walsall, England. It takes its name from the adjacent hill, Barr Beacon. The school has been a specialist Language College since 2003 and has a sixth form of approximately 180 pupils....
. It is historically the site of a
beaconA beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on celebratory occasions. Barr Beacon is the highest point between itself and the Ural mountains. The site is on
green beltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land and is of local importance for nature conservation, as defined by
Walsall Borough CouncilThe Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough of the county of West Midlands, England. It is named after Walsall, its administrative headquarters....
.
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Barr Beacon is a
hillA hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit A hill is a landform that extends above the...
on the edge of
WalsallWalsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation, and is sometimes described as part of the Black Country.Walsall...
,
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, very near the border with
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
. It gives its name to nearby
Great BarrGreat Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall, West Midlands, England...
and to the local school
Barr Beacon Language CollegeBarr Beacon Language College is a mixed secondary school in Aldridge, Walsall, England. It takes its name from the adjacent hill, Barr Beacon. The school has been a specialist Language College since 2003 and has a sixth form of approximately 180 pupils....
. It is historically the site of a
beaconA beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on celebratory occasions. Barr Beacon is the highest point between itself and the Ural mountains. The site is on
green beltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land and is of local importance for nature conservation, as defined by
Walsall Borough CouncilThe Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough of the county of West Midlands, England. It is named after Walsall, its administrative headquarters....
. During both 2002 and 2003 the site attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors. Barr Beacon borders the
PheaseyPheasey is a residential area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.It is situated in the east of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and is located near to the Sutton Coldfield district of Birmingham. Prior to 1974, it was part of Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District Council...
area of Walsall.
The site has recently gained a reputation as a site for
dogging-Slang:* Dogging , a British euphemism for engaging in public sex* Dogging, in Scotland, refers to truancy-Technology:* Dogging or dog tracking, a problem with vehicle wheel alignment where the vehicle moves a few degrees to the left or right of its longitudinal axis* Dogging, the use of a...
. This has led to reports of violent incidents on the hill, and subseqeuntly to the installation of gates preventing vehicular access at night.
On the summit is a peace memorial consisting of a raised dais, covered by a dome supported by eight columns.
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