Brean Down
Brean Down | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 97 m (318 ft) |
Prominence | 91 m (299 ft) |
Coordinates | 51°19′32″N 3°01′44″W / 51.3256°N 3.0290°W |
Geography | |
Location | Mendip Hills, England |
OS grid | ST284590 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 182 |
Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, England, standing 318 feet (97 m) high and extending 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of
Brean Down is now owned by the
Geology
The
Brean Down is just over two kilometres (1+1⁄4 mi) long and runs in an east-west direction near the mouth of the
History
Human occupation dates back to the
In the 1860s plans were laid for a deep-water harbour on the northern shore of Brean Down.[19] It was intended that this harbour would replace Bristol as a port on embarkation for transatlantic crossings and the export of minerals and agricultural produce from the Mendip Hills and the rest of Somerset.[20]
The foundation stones of the pier were laid, but the project was later abandoned after a large storm destroyed the foundations.
On the outbreak of
In 1954 the former
Various proposals have been put forward to construct a Severn Barrage for tidal electricity production from Brean Down to Lavernock Point in south Wales.[31][32] The proposals, which go back over 100 years, have never been successful so far, however Peter Hain and others are still working on further proposals and trying to persuade the government to fund either the barrage or tidal lagoons.[33]
Ecology
In addition to the geological interest of the site, the range of plants growing on Brean Down has led to it being designated as a
The birds seen on Brean Down include peregrine falcon, jackdaw, kestrel, collared and stock doves, common whitethroat, common linnet, stonechat, dunnock, rock pipit and – in 2007 – Britain's first and only Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross was discovered in a garden nearby.[37] There are also several species of butterfly, including chalkhill blue, dark green fritillary, meadow brown, marbled white, small heath, and common blue.[38]
See also
References
- ^ Historic England. "Multi-period site on Brean Down (1008211)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Faulkner 1989, pp. 93–106.
- ^ "GCR block – Variscan Structures of South-West England". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ Kellaway & Welch 1948, pp. 7, 10–11, 16 & 34–38.
- ^ Haslett 2010, pp. 25–28.
- ^ Coysh, Mason & Waite 1977, p. 67.
- ^ Prudden, Hugh. "Somerset Geology – a good rock guide" (PDF). Bath Geological Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Haslett 2010, pp. 128–132.
- ^ Atthill 1976, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Goldberg 2009, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Adkins 1992, pp. 27–29.
- ^ Quinn 2008, pp. 21–22.
- ^ ApSimon 1958, pp. 106–109.
- ^ ApSimon 1965, pp. 195–258.
- ^ Aston & Burrow 1991.
- ^ Atthill 1976, pp. 72–73.
- ^ "Hillfort, Brean Down". Somerset Historic Environment Record. South West Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Victorian artillery battery, Brean Down". Somerset Historic Environment Record. South West Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- ^ Newton, Chris (27 January 2010). "Exploring the Secrets of Brean Down, Western extremeties of the Mendips on the River Axe Estuary". Somerset Life. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ "Brean Down". Western Daily Press. British Newspaper Archive. 6 October 1862. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ Dunning 2003, p. 116.
- ^ "Marconi: Radio Pioneer". BBC South East Wales. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ "Marconi at Brean Down (near Bristol)". International Marconi Day. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Garratt 1994, p. 86.
- ^ "Brean Down". Gloucester Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 14 September 1912. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ van der Bijl 2000, pp. 119–123.
- ^ "Birnbeck Pier". The Heritage Trail. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ^ "Experimental weapon rails, Brean Down". Somerset Historic Environment Record. South West Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- ^ Evans 2004, pp. 5–11.
- ^ a b c "Acquisitions Up to December 2011". National Trust. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Brooke, Gerry (4 August 2008). "Back to the drawing board". Western Daily Press. This is Bristol. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
- WalesOnline. Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ^ Evans, Bethan (9 September 2012). "Barrage bid to be looked at — again". The Weston & Somerset Mercury. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Brean Down" (PDF). English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ Twist 2001.
- ^ Green, Green & Crouch 1997.
- ^ "1st Sighting of a Molly in Britain – A Mega Event for Twitchers". Tristan da Cunha. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ "Brean Down Butterflies". Brean Down Fort. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
Bibliography
- Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0-946159-94-7.
- ApSimon, A.M. (1958). "The Roman temple on Brean Down, Somerset: An Interim Report on the 1957 Excavations" (PDF). UBSS Proceedings. 8 (2): 106–109.
- ApSimon, A.M. (1965). "The Roman Temple on Brean Down, Somerset" (PDF). UBSS Proceedings. 10 (3): 195–258.
- Aston, Mick; Burrow, Ian (1991). The Archaeology of Somerset. Taunton: Somerset County Council. ISBN 978-0-86183-028-2.
- Atthill, Robin (1976). Mendip: A New Study. David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-7297-5.
- Coysh, A.W.; Mason, E.J.; Waite, V. (1977). The Mendips. London: Robert Hale Ltd. ISBN 0-7091-6426-2.
- Dunning, Robert (2003). A History of Somerset. Tiverton: Somerset Books. ISBN 0-86183-476-3.
- Evans, Roger (2004). Somerset tales of mystery and murder. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-863-8.
- Faulkner, T.J. (1989). "The early Carboniferous (Courceyan) Middle Hope volcanics of Weston-super-Mare: development and demise of an offshore volcanic high". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 100 (1): 93–106. .
- Garratt, G.R.M. (1994). The Early History of Radio: From Faraday to Marconi. IET. ISBN 978-0-85296-845-1.
- Goldberg, Paul (2009). Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-1225-6.
- Green, Paul R.; Green, Ian P.; Crouch, Geralidine R. (1997). The Atlas Flora of Somerset. P.R. Green, I.P. Green, and G.A. Crouch. ISBN 978-0-9531324-0-9.
- Haslett, Simon K. (2010). Somerset Landscapes: Geology and Landforms. Usk: Blackbarn Books. ISBN 978-1-4564-1631-7.
- Kellaway, G. A.; Welch, F. B. A. (1948). Bristol and Gloucester District. British Regional Geology (Second ed.). London: ISBN 0-11-880064-7.
- Quinn, Tom (2008). Hidden Britain. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84773-129-6.
- Twist, Colin (2001). Rare Plants in Great Britain – a site guide. Colin Twist.
- van der Bijl, Nicholas (2000). Brean Down Fort: Its History and the Defences of the Bristol Channel. Cossington: Hawk Editions. ISBN 978-0-9529081-7-3.
External links