Beacon Hill in

Sedgley Sedgley is a town in the north of the Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, Sedgley is on the A459 road between Wolverhampton and Dudley, and was formerly the seat of an ancient ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, is one of the highest points in the West Midlands, at above sea level. From the summit,

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

are all visible, as is the

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

and Welsh countryside to the west. The hill is so named as historically it was one in a series of prominent locations with beacons on top, where a fire would be lit as a signal during times of war or turmoil. The Sedgley beacon lies between beacons at

Barr Beacon Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr (the Beacon borders the Pheasey area of Great Barr) and to the local secon ...

and

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...

. At the highest point, a Grade II listed tower erected in 1846 by Lord Wrottesley for astronomy, stands on the site of an earlier tower, which sits on the spot of the original beacon. When the tower was climbable (today a fence restricts access as the steps inside were removed by the council to prevent access), it was often said the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

was visible on a clear day.. However, these claims are false as the website www.viewfinderpanoramas.org shows the southern view to extend only as far as Stinchcombe Hill near Dursley, Gloucestershire. Approximately half of Beacon Hill was situated in the urban district of

Coseley Coseley ( ) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is situated north of Dudley itself, on the border with Wolverhampton and Sandwell. It f ...

, which was created in 1897 from the eastern half of the old Sedgley manor. This section included the Beacon Tower. However, the local government reorganisation of 1966 (which saw the bulk of Sedgley and approximately half of Coseley incorporated into

Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...

) resulted in the creation of post code districts, with all of Beacon Hill being included in the new Sedgley DY3 post code district.

Today

The Beacon housing estate sits near the tower monument on Beacon Hill. It was initially developed by Sedgley UDC in the 1920s, with a further section being added in the 1930s and the final section being developed after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. By 2024, the area was being plagued with anti social behaviour, vandalism and car thefts. The ''Beacon Hill Tenants & Residents Association'' look after and clean up the hill, and have been responsible for the erection of gates and fences in an effort to prevent vandalism and fly tipping in the area.

References

External links

Beacon Hill, Sedgley - Tenants & Residents Association

Computer generated panorama
{{Authority control Napoleonic beacons in England Hills of the West Midlands (county) Sedgley