Blackdown, Sussex
Encyclopedia
Blackdown, or Black Down, is the highest hill in the historic county of Sussex
, at 280 metres (919 feet), and is second only to Leith Hill
(294 metres, 965 feet) in southeastern England.
It is also the highest point in the South Downs National Park. The pine and heather-covered slopes are owned by the National Trust
, and are a favourite walking spot. Blackdown has strong literary associations with the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson
.
The great black mass of Blackdown looms over much of the Low Weald
of west Sussex and south-west Surrey. Geologically part of the Greensand Ridge
and lying on the western margins of the Weald, Blackdown nevertheless lies within the South Downs National Park
. It is situated about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Haslemere
, and its northern slopes in fact lie within the county of Surrey
. There are no villages on Blackdown, but Fernhurst
is just to the southwest, and Lurgashall to the southeast.
There are National Trust car parks on Tennyson's Lane, which runs up Haste Hill from Haslemere
, and a footpath from the town centre. It is also possible to walk to Blackdown from Lurgashall
, although this means walking up the steep southern escarpment. Blackdown is crossed by the Sussex Border Path
and The Serpent Trail
.
The secluded sunken lane
that runs from Haslemere past Aldworth is named Tennyson's Lane in memory of the poet. It is little changed from Arthur Paterson's description in 1905:
The acid sandstone of Blackdown limits the range of plants. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Blackdown was a grazed common where trees were kept down by sheep, and heather dominated. After the end of regular grazing Scots Pine became the dominant species. The National Trust now carries out a programme of tree-felling and controlled burning to maintain and regenerate areas of open heath. The reserve has been fenced so that conservation grazing
with cattle can be used as a management tool. Blackdown is an important habitat for insects and birds.
A geological relief model of Blackdown, and much information on its natural history, can be found in the Haslemere Educational Museum.
in Yorkshire
.) Blackdown is managed by the National Trust, with guidance and financial assistance from the Blackdown Committee of the National Trust.
As well as Aldworth House (just visible from the footpath leading down to Roundhurst) and Foxholes (which together formed the estate of Alfred Lord Tennyson), a number of other interesting private houses will be passed by walkers. These include Blackdown House, to the west, surrounded by daffodils in the spring, and Old Manor Farm (previously Upper Roundhurst Farm) on Tennyson's Lane.
Because of its elevation, from 1796 to 1816 Blackdown hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London
to its naval ships in Portsmouth
.
Aside from its height and its wild beauty, Blackdown is best known as the site of the poet's house, Aldworth. Keen to escape the summer 'trippers' who came to his Isle of Wight home, Faringford, Tennyson purchased Blackdown, and built Aldworth in 1869. The French-style Gothic house was designed by Sir James Knowles
and is built of local sandstone. It stands on a ridge overlooking the Weald, with magnificent views. Lord Tennyson used Aldworth as his summer residence, taking long walks over Blackdown. He died in the house on 6 October 1892.
Helen Allingham
was a frequent visitor to Aldworth in Tennyson's time, and her charming illustrations to The homes of Tennyson vividly capture the landscape of Blackdown.
Despite some air noise from (high) planes climbing westwards from Gatwick, Blackdown is an exceptionally tranquil, wild and beautiful place. There are superb views over the Weald from the Temple of the Winds, at the southern end of Blackdown. The English Channel can be seen on a clear day through the River Arun gap in the South Downs. The dry, sandy paths of Blackdown are ideal for children. In the autumn bilberries and blackberries can be picked.
At about 10.02 p.m. on Saturday, 4 November 1967, a Caravelle Airliner No. EC-BDD, owned by Iberia Airlines
of Spain, crashed; the aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Malaga, Spain, to Heathrow Airport, and was piloted by Captain Hernando Maura. It then broke through a large hedge and parts of the aircraft fell off destroying a garage, and damaging parts of the roof of Upper Black Down House as the aircraft disintegrated.
The victims on the scheduled flight, Iberia 062, were the all-Spanish crew, and the passengers comprising 25 British, mostly returning from holiday in Spain, 2 Americans, 2 Spaniards and 2 Australians. The British actress June Thorburn
who was pregnant was amongst the passengers.
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, at 280 metres (919 feet), and is second only to Leith Hill
Leith Hill
Leith Hill to the south west of Dorking, Surrey, England, reaches above sea level, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge, and is the second highest point in south-east England, after Walbury Hill near Hungerford, West Berkshire, high....
(294 metres, 965 feet) in southeastern England.
It is also the highest point in the South Downs National Park. The pine and heather-covered slopes are owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and are a favourite walking spot. Blackdown has strong literary associations with the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
.
Location
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
of west Sussex and south-west Surrey. Geologically part of the Greensand Ridge
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge is an extensive, prominent, often heavily wooded, sandstone escarpment and range of hills in south-east England. It runs in a horseshoe shape around the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It reaches its highest elevation, , at Leith Hill in Surrey—the second highest point...
and lying on the western margins of the Weald, Blackdown nevertheless lies within the South Downs National Park
South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest National Park, having become fully operational on 1 April 2011. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex...
. It is situated about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, and its northern slopes in fact lie within the county of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. There are no villages on Blackdown, but Fernhurst
Fernhurst
Fernhurst is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the A286 Guildford to Chichester road, three miles south of Haslemere...
is just to the southwest, and Lurgashall to the southeast.
There are National Trust car parks on Tennyson's Lane, which runs up Haste Hill from Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, and a footpath from the town centre. It is also possible to walk to Blackdown from Lurgashall
Lurgashall
Lurgashall is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is 6.5 km north west of Petworth and just inside the new South Downs National Park. The church of St Laurence, The Noah's Ark pub, the old school and several old houses are built around a picturesque...
, although this means walking up the steep southern escarpment. Blackdown is crossed by the Sussex Border Path
Sussex Border Path
The Sussex Border Path is a 256 kilometres long-distance footpath in southern England that connects Thorney Island to Rye.The footpath uses existing rights of way to follow the Sussex county border and is waymarked....
and The Serpent Trail
The Serpent Trail
The Serpent Trail is a 64 mile long distance footpath. It runs from Haslemere to Petersfield by a circuitous route and is designed to join up the many heathland areas on greensand in the western Weald...
.
The secluded sunken lane
Sunken lane
A sunken lane is a road which has over time fallen significantly lower than the land on either side. They are created incrementally by erosion, by water and traffic...
that runs from Haslemere past Aldworth is named Tennyson's Lane in memory of the poet. It is little changed from Arthur Paterson's description in 1905:
Trees meet overhead, copsewood surrounds it, and later, it is hedged by high sandy banks thickly overgrown with plant and scrub; squirrels and rabbits, and all other small woodland creatures, disport themselves over it. It twists and turns, and to the stranger appears to lead nowhere in particular.
Natural history
Conservation grazing
Conservation grazing is the use of semi-feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats....
with cattle can be used as a management tool. Blackdown is an important habitat for insects and birds.
A geological relief model of Blackdown, and much information on its natural history, can be found in the Haslemere Educational Museum.
History
Although common land, Blackdown was the property of various landowners until W. E. Hunter donated it to the National Trust in 1948, as a memorial to his wife. The Hunters are remembered by an inscribed stone seat at the Temple of the Winds. Flint artefacts show there has been settlement on Blackdown since the mesolithic period, around 6000BC. The name of an ancient track, pen-y-bos, indicates links with the Celtic world long since lost in more accessible parts of south-east England. (The name "pen-y-bos" comes from the Brythonic language of the ancient Britons that lived in the area - rather like the well-known pen-y-ghentPen-y-ghent
Pen-y-ghent is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Whernside. It lies some 3 km east of Horton in Ribblesdale...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.) Blackdown is managed by the National Trust, with guidance and financial assistance from the Blackdown Committee of the National Trust.
As well as Aldworth House (just visible from the footpath leading down to Roundhurst) and Foxholes (which together formed the estate of Alfred Lord Tennyson), a number of other interesting private houses will be passed by walkers. These include Blackdown House, to the west, surrounded by daffodils in the spring, and Old Manor Farm (previously Upper Roundhurst Farm) on Tennyson's Lane.
Because of its elevation, from 1796 to 1816 Blackdown hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to its naval ships in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
Lord Tennyson
James Knowles
Sir James Knowles was an English architect and editor.-Life:He was born in London, the son of architect James Thomas Knowles and himself trained in architecture at University College and in Italy...
and is built of local sandstone. It stands on a ridge overlooking the Weald, with magnificent views. Lord Tennyson used Aldworth as his summer residence, taking long walks over Blackdown. He died in the house on 6 October 1892.
Helen Allingham
Helen Allingham
__NOEDITSECTION__Helen Allingham was an English watercolour painter and illustrator of the Victorian era.-Biography:...
was a frequent visitor to Aldworth in Tennyson's time, and her charming illustrations to The homes of Tennyson vividly capture the landscape of Blackdown.
Attractions
Blackdown air crash
In November 1967 a passenger jet bound for London's Heathrow airport crashed into the southern slopes of Blackdown, resulting in the death of all 30 passengers and 7 crew on board.At about 10.02 p.m. on Saturday, 4 November 1967, a Caravelle Airliner No. EC-BDD, owned by Iberia Airlines
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
of Spain, crashed; the aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Malaga, Spain, to Heathrow Airport, and was piloted by Captain Hernando Maura. It then broke through a large hedge and parts of the aircraft fell off destroying a garage, and damaging parts of the roof of Upper Black Down House as the aircraft disintegrated.
The victims on the scheduled flight, Iberia 062, were the all-Spanish crew, and the passengers comprising 25 British, mostly returning from holiday in Spain, 2 Americans, 2 Spaniards and 2 Australians. The British actress June Thorburn
June Thorburn
June Thorburn was a popular English actress whose career was cut short by her death in an air crash.-Early life:Thorburn was born in Karachi when the city was still in a non-independent India...
who was pregnant was amongst the passengers.
Further reading
Well-written book on the many writers (including Tennyson) who settled around Haslemere after the coming of the railway in 1859.External links
- National Trust: Black Down, Marley Common & Hunter Basecamp
- Haslemere Educational Museum
- Fernhurst Society Blackdown Air Crash
- Iberia crash record at the Aviation Safety NetworkAviation Safety Network-External links:**...
- Iberia crash record at airdisaster.com