50°42′04″N 3°19′48″W / 50.701°N 3.330°W / 50.701; -3.330 Fire Beacon Hill is a Local Nature Reserve in East Devon, England.[1][2] It is registered as Common land and known as Harpford Common. Sidmouth Town Council are the current owners, and are responsible for the management of the site.

Purple moor grass at the top of the hill with heather and gorse to the right

Geology

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The site is part of the East Devon dissected plateau, composed of calcareous upper greensand capped by clay, Flints and chert, and overlying Keuper marls.

The north part of the site is 225 metres above sea level and the ground slopes steeply to the south down to 150 metres.

Ecological features

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The site contains

Historical

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  • Fire Beacon Hill was the site of one of the beacons set up to warn Elizabethan London of the approaching Spanish Armada
  • It was part of open heathland that once stretched from Honiton to Sidmouth. The rest of the land was taken for conifer plantations. The site is now seen by environmental organisations as a potential seed bank and species reservoir for future heathland restoration and re-creation projects.
  • An apple tree can be found on the southern side. Fruit trees were used as landmarks as far back as Saxon times.
  • Fire Beacon Hill was described in the Journals of the Reverend John Swete, who travelled through it on horseback in 1795. He describes for example a hedgerow of beech, which is now a remnant in the form of a few trees.
  • In June 1993 a balloon crashed into a power line above the site. The resulting intense fire sterilised the soil.

Public recreation and access

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East Devon way and footpath running through the site

The site is open to the public and is used for recreation and education. Being on top of a hill near the Jurassic coast (one of the World Heritage Sites), the fine views give the site a high aesthetic appeal.

The East Devon Way footpath runs from north to south across the site.

References

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  1. ^ "Fire Beacon Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
  2. ^ "Map of Fire Beacon Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
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