Arbury Hill
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Arbury Hill
| photo = Arbury Hill, Northamptonshire 17th April 2008 (1).JPG
| photo_caption = Arbury Hill from the west
| elevation_m = 225
| prominence =
| listing = County top
| location = Northamptonshire, England
| coordinates = {{coord|52.2243|N|1.2101|W|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map = United Kingdom Northamptonshire
| map_caption = Arbury Hill in Northamptonshire
| map_size = 300
| label_position = right
| grid_ref_UK = SP540587
| topo = OS Explorer 206
| type =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Arbury Hill, at {{convert|225|m|ft|abbr=on}}, is the joint highest point in the English county of Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map 207: Newport Pagnell & Northampton South (1:25 000) {{ISBN|0319 46387 7}} It is {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of the town of Daventry.
The slopes of Arbury Hill are a drainage divide between three major river catchment areas, with the Nene to the north, east and south, the Cherwell (a tributary of the Thames) to the south-west and the Leam (a tributary of the Severn) to the west and north-west. There are fine views with Rugby and Coventry visible to the northwest and Northampton to the east. The River Nene rises in a swampy hollow on the northwestern flanks of the hill.
History
On the summit of Arbury Hill there are the vestiges of an Iron Age Fort ({{gbmapping|SP540587}}), although its date and origin are disputed. The remains are in the form of a square ditch and embankment about 200 metres (yards) across.[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/northants/vol3/pp7-12 'Badby', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire, Volume 3: Archaeological Sites in North-West Northamptonshire (London, 1981), pp. 7-12.] British History Online, accessed 25 October 2017. Although little trace remains of this fort, the outer bank encloses an area of about {{convert|12|acre|1|abbr=on}}. It is mentioned as one of the boundary marks in a land grant of Edmund the Elder, as being the place where the three parishes of Badby, Dodford and Everdon meet.{{cite book|author=John Murray|title=Handbook for Travellers in Northamptonshire and Rutland ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cLnHMmQoWtEC&pg=PA116 |year=1878 |publisher=J. Murray|page=116}}
The summit of Arbury Hill was one in a series of points used for triangulation in 1784 to determine the exact diameter and magnitude of the Earth, in a sequence of measurements undertaken by the British Government.{{cite book|author=Hugh Murray|title=The Encyclopedia of All Nations: Comprising a Complete Physical, Statistical, Civil and Political Description of the World ... Including the Late Discoveries and Travels of Dr. Kane, Dr. Barth and Dr. Livingston|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJERZqUGwpMC&pg=PA140 |year=1861|publisher=H. Bill|pages=140–143}} There is a Triangulation station on the summit.{{cite book|title=Philosophical Transactions, Giving Some Account of the Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8FeAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP226|year=1828|publisher=Royal Society of London|page=226}}
There is a motor-cross track on the east side and top of the hill that is used for competitions about three times a year. The soil is clayey, the site is steeply sloping and there are plenty of elevation changes, some off camber turns and a few smallish jumps.{{cite web |url=http://www.totalmx.co.uk/tracks/Badby-(Arbury-Hill)-Motocross-Track.php |title=Badby (Arbury Hill) Motocross Track |publisher=Total MX |accessdate=23 March 2020}}
Gallery
File:Arbury Hill Digital Terrain Model.jpg
Image:Headwater of the River Nene near Arbury Hill 17th April 2008 (1).JPG|The headwater of the River Nene, on the north east slope of Arbury Hill in 2008
Image:Arbury Hill from the south 17th April 2008 (1).JPG|The southern side of the hill in 2008
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311041643/http://www.northamptonshirewildlife.co.uk/ntonpics/arburyhillandthesourceofthenene.htm Photo of Arbury Hill and the main source of the River Nene]
{{commons category|Arbury Hill|position=left}}
Category:Hill forts in Northamptonshire