Kinver Edge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kinver Edge
Kinver as seen from Holy Austin Rock Houses
Highest point
Elevation	164 m (538 ft)
Listing	None
Geography
Kinver Edge Location in Staffordshire
Location	Staffordshire, England
OS grid	SO829824
Topo map	OS Landranger 102

Kinver Edge is a special place with high open land (called a heath) and woodland. It's located just west of Kinver, a village in England. This area is about four miles west of Stourbridge and four miles north of Kidderminster.

Kinver Edge sits right on the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire. Today, a group called the National Trust takes care of this beautiful natural spot.

History of Kinver Edge

Kinver Edge is a small piece of an ancient forest called the Mercian forest. Many of the trees you see there today were planted after 1945.

This area is home to two very old forts from the Iron Age. These forts were built by people living here thousands of years ago. The bigger fort, called Kinver Edge Hillfort, is at the northern end. The other fort is at the southern end, on a hill known as Drakelow Hill.

Kinver Edge has been a popular place for visitors for a long time. People started coming here for fun during the Edwardian times, which was in the early 1900s. Back then, an electric tramway called the Kinver Light Railway even connected Kinver to the tram system in Birmingham.

The National Trust received 198 acres of Kinver Edge in 1917. This gift was from the children of Thomas Grosvenor Lee, who was a lawyer from Birmingham born in Kinver. They gave the land in memory of their parents. Later, the Trust bought another 85 acres between 1964 and 1980.

In 2014, Worcestershire Council decided to give Kingsford Forest Park to the National Trust. This park was about 200 acres and was next to the southern part of Kinver Edge. By 2018, the transfer was complete. Now, signs for 'Kingsford Forest Park' have been replaced with 'National Trust Kinver Edge' signs. Today, Kinver Edge covers about 600 acres in total.

The Amazing Rock Houses

Kinver Edge is famous for its unique cave houses. These are the last cave homes in England where people actually lived! They were carved right into the soft local sandstone.

One of the most well-known rock houses is called "Holy Austin". This place was once a quiet retreat for a religious person (a hermitage) until the Reformation in the 1500s. People continued to live in the Holy Austin rock houses until the 1960s.

Now, the National Trust owns these special homes. You can visit them and take a tour. One house has been made to look like it did in Victorian times. The Martindale Caves show what life was like in the 1930s. The small gardens and fruit trees around the houses are also being replanted and cared for.

Other cave homes you can find at Kinver Edge include:

• Nanny's Rock: This is a big cave with five different sections. It seems it was never fully turned into a house. For many years, it was known as 'Meg-o-Fox-Hole'. Records show that a 'Margaret of the fox earth' died on June 8, 1617, and she might have lived there.
• Vale's Rock: Also called Crow's Rock, this cave was later made into a house with two levels. People lived here until the 1960s too. However, it's now considered unsafe, so it has been fenced off to keep visitors away.

Geography and Views

Kinver Edge is located to the east of the Severn Valley. It is part of the South Staffordshire and Wyre Forest areas. The land is protected as a "green belt", which means it helps stop cities from spreading too much. It's also very close to the edge of the large urban area of the West Midlands.

The highest point of Kinver Edge is 164 metres (538 feet) above sea level. From the top, you can see amazing views! On a clear day, you might spot the Clent Hills, Shatterford Hill, the town of Dudley, Wenlock Edge, the Malvern Hills, and the Shropshire Hills.

The Edge itself is a ridge made of sandstone. The top of the ridge has many round stones called Bunter pebbles. Because of its geology, the area is slowly worn away by weather, a process called erosion.

Wildlife and Nature

Kinver Edge has two main areas of heathland. The larger one is near the top of the northern part of the Edge. The smaller one is in the southern part, which used to be Kingsford Forest Park.

The woodland in the north has many different types of trees, like birch, oak, and sweet chestnut. The former Forest Park mainly has coniferous trees, which are trees that stay green all year, like pine trees. As of 2020, the National Trust plans to bring back more heathland in the former Forest Park over the next 10 years.

The heathland at Kinver Edge is home to various wildlife. You might see adders (a type of snake) and common lizards. Heathland birds like the skylark also live here. In the woods, you can find birds like the common buzzard, Eurasian jay, and great spotted woodpecker. Mammals like the badger and red fox also make their homes in the woods.

Sometimes, you might see longhorn cattle grazing on the heathland areas. They help keep the heathland healthy by eating some of the plants.

Things to Do at Kinver Edge

Kinver Edge is mainly used for tourism and managing the natural land. Many people visit to enjoy the outdoors.

The Staffordshire Way, a long-distance walking path, goes right over the top of Kinver Edge. Another path, the North Worcestershire Path, runs through the area that used to be Kingsford Forest Park. This former park is also a popular spot for mountain biking.

Images for kids

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  Kinver as seen from Holy Austin Rock Houses