Hensbarrow is a
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...
in the county of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England, UK, that has been recognized as
National Character Area 154 by
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
.
Hensbarrow is an upland region covering an area of just under 12,000
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s immediately north of
St Austell
St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon.
St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958.
History
St Austell wa ...
. It is bounded in the north by the
A30 road
The A30 is a major road in England, running WSW from London to Land's End.
The road has been a principal axis in Britain from the 17th century to early 19th century, as a major coaching route. It used to provide the fastest route from Londo ...
and runs from
Retew
Retew was a village near St Austell in Cornwall, England, UK, that was mostly demolished in the early 1960s when the nearby Wheal Remfrey china clay quarry and waste heaps were expanded.
The village was small, containing 24 houses and a facto ...
and
Treviscoe
Treviscoe ( kw, Trevosker) is a village south of St Dennis in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. There are large Imerys china clay
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important indu ...
in the west to
Redmoor and
Penpillick
Penpillick is a hamlet in Cornwall, England, UK. It is about two miles north of St Blazey on the A390 road.Ordnance Survey ''One-inch Map of Great Britain; Bodmin and Launceston, sheet 186''. 1961.
References
Hamlets in Cornwall
{{Co ...
in the east. It is the remnant of a much larger exposed and windswept heather moorland. Its lower, more sheltered areas are covered by irregular livestock fields enclosed by Cornish hedges of stone walls, with scattered hamlets and farmsteads.
China clay
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
pits, sand tips and mica dams occupy much of the central area. Its highest point is
Hensbarrow Beacon
Hensbarrow Beacon is a hill in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated a mile north-west of Stenalees village at . It is the highest natural point of the Hensbarrow uplands, a natural region and national character area.
The natural s ...
(1025 ft).
''NCA 154: Hensbarrow. Key Facts & Data.''
at www.naturalengland.gov.uk. Accessed on 2 Sep 2013
References
Further reading
* Collins, Joseph Henry ''The Hensbarrow Granite District'', 1878, republished 1992,
Natural regions of England
Moorlands of Cornwall
Geography of Cornwall
{{Cornwall-geo-stub