Rowley Hills
Encyclopedia
The Rowley Hills are located in the county of West Midlands
, England
. The hills are made up of Turners Hill
, the highest point in the West Midlands, Portway Hill and Darby's Hill. Falling under the councils of Sandwell (since 1974, having previously been part of Warley
and until 1966 Rowley Regis) and Dudley
, the main populated areas nearby are Dudley
, Rowley Regis
, Tividale
, Brickhouse and Springfield.
With its relatively high elevation, views from the summit include the Clee Hills
, Clent Hills
, Cannock Chase
and much of Birmingham
and the Black Country
. The height has also led to numerous radio, TV and mobile phone transmitters dotted over the top.
The most important 'export' from the hills is the quarried Rowley Rag
stone, a form of Dolerite notably used to make kerbstones used across much of Birmingham.
Over the centuries that the hills have been inhabited, there have been four churches located there, all named St. Giles, in the village of Rowley Regis
.
The ridge forms part of the east/west watershed
with rainfall on the western side going to the Bristol Channel via the River Severn
and rainfall on the eastern side ending up in the North sea via the Trent.
In 2011 the Rowley Hills nature reserve was established on the Bury Hill by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country.
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. 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. The...
, England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The hills are made up of Turners Hill
Turners Hill, West Midlands
Turners Hill or Turner's Hill is the highest hill in the West Midlands, England, at 271m above sea level. The hill is situated on the border of Dudley and Rowley Regis, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell , in a rural part of the predominantly industrial Black Country.The hill can be seen from...
, the highest point in the West Midlands, Portway Hill and Darby's Hill. Falling under the councils of Sandwell (since 1974, having previously been part of Warley
Warley
Warley is the name of several places in the United Kingdom:In the West Midlands:*County Borough of Warley*Warley, West Midlands*Warley *Warley High School*Warley WoodsIn Essex:*Great Warley*Little Warley...
and until 1966 Rowley Regis) and Dudley
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, the main populated areas nearby are Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
, Tividale
Tividale
- History :The village was in the parish of St Michael named after the church built there. It was created in 1878 as an extension of the town of Tipton in the county of Staffordshire, England...
, Brickhouse and Springfield.
With its relatively high elevation, views from the summit include the Clee Hills
Clee Hills
The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill...
, Clent Hills
Clent Hills
The Clent Hills lie 9⅓ miles southwest of Birmingham city centre in Clent, Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill, Clent Hill , and...
, Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
and much of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
. The height has also led to numerous radio, TV and mobile phone transmitters dotted over the top.
The most important 'export' from the hills is the quarried Rowley Rag
Rowley Rag
Rowley Rag was a volcanic dolerite stone quarried in the stone quarries of the Rowley Hills in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. During the 1980s and 1990s, the quarry on Rowley Hill in Rowley Regis was used as a landfill site...
stone, a form of Dolerite notably used to make kerbstones used across much of Birmingham.
Over the centuries that the hills have been inhabited, there have been four churches located there, all named St. Giles, in the village of Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
.
The ridge forms part of the east/west watershed
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
with rainfall on the western side going to the Bristol Channel via the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and rainfall on the eastern side ending up in the North sea via the Trent.
In 2011 the Rowley Hills nature reserve was established on the Bury Hill by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country.
See also
- Turners HillTurners Hill, West MidlandsTurners Hill or Turner's Hill is the highest hill in the West Midlands, England, at 271m above sea level. The hill is situated on the border of Dudley and Rowley Regis, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell , in a rural part of the predominantly industrial Black Country.The hill can be seen from...
- Turners Hill Transmitter