Breidden Hill facts for kids
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Breidden Hill is a special hill in Powys, Wales. It's near the town of Welshpool. This hill used to be a volcano, but it's not active anymore. It's surrounded by small villages like Trewern, Middletown, Criggion, Crew Green, and Llandrinio.
The very top of Breidden Hill is about 367 meters (1,204 feet) high. If you walk up the paths to the top, you get amazing views all around. You can see across Powys and even over the border into England towards the Shropshire Plain.
Contents
Discovering the Breidden Hills
Breidden Hill is part of a group of five hills. They are sometimes called the Breidden Hills together. These hills are like an extension of the Long Mountain.
Meet the Five Peaks
- Moel y Golfa: This is the tallest hill in the group. It reaches about 403 meters (1,322 feet) high. It's known as a "Marilyn," which means it stands out a lot from the land around it.
- Breidden Hill: The main hill we are talking about.
- Cefn y Castell: Also known as Middletown Hill.
- Kempsters Hill: Another one of the five hills.
- Bausley Hill: This hill is interesting because it has old Iron Age defenses.
All these hills are quite tall, reaching over 240 meters (800 feet) high.
History and Landmarks on Breidden Hill
Breidden Hill has a lot of history. You can find old remains from the British Iron Age on your way up.
The Ancient Hillfort
There are signs of an old hillfort on Breidden Hill. A hillfort was a fortified settlement built on a hill. Some people believe this might have been the place where a famous ancient British leader, Caractacus, made his final stand against the Romans.
At the very top of Breidden Hill, you'll see a tall monument called Rodney's Pillar. This pillar was built by important people from Montgomeryshire. They used oak wood from the local area. This wood was then sent down the River Severn, which flows nearby, all the way to Bristol.
Why Bristol? Because that's where Admiral Rodney's naval fleet was built. The wood from this area helped construct the ships that Admiral Rodney used. Today, helicopter pilots often use Rodney's Pillar as a guide because it's so easy to see from far away.
The Breidden Society Gatherings
Starting around 1789, a group called the Breidden Society used to meet near Rodney's Pillar every year. They had a festival with food, drinks, poetry, and songs. These gatherings were a way for people to enjoy nature and art together. Records of their meetings from 1809 to 1815 are kept safe at Harvard University in the Houghton Library.
Breidden Hill's Geology and Quarry
Breidden Hill is not just beautiful; it's also important for its geology.
The Large Quarry
On the western and northern sides of Breidden Hill, there is a very large quarry. A quarry is a place where rocks are dug out of the ground. The rock found here is a special type called gabbroic-dolerite. It's part of a large rock formation known as a laccolith. This rock is very strong and is used to make roadstone, which is used for building roads.
Recent Events
On June 27, 2018, a wildfire started on Breidden Hill. It burned an area of grass close to Rodney's Pillar. Firefighters worked hard to put out the fire and protect the hill.
Images for kids
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Llandrinio Bridge and Rodney's Pillar, 1794
