Kit Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kit Hill |
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The ornate mine chimney, now clad in a range of transmitters and aerials, on top of Kit Hill.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 334 m (1,096 ft) |
| Prominence | 171 m (561 ft) |
| Parent peak | None |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cornwall, United Kingdom |
| OS grid | SX375713 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 201 |
Kit Hill, also known as Cornish: Bre Skowl in Cornish, is a tall hill in southeast Cornwall, England. It stands 334 meters high and overlooks the area between Callington and the River Tamar.
Its name, 'Kit', comes from an old English word for 'kite'. This refers to birds of prey, like eagles or hawks, that fly around the hill. You can still spot birds like buzzards and sparrowhawks flying there today. Kit Hill is one of five special hills in Cornwall called 'Marilyns'. The others are Watch Croft, Brown Willy, Carnmenellis, and Hensbarrow Beacon.
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Exploring Kit Hill Country Park
Kit Hill Country Park includes the hill and its surrounding areas. It was given to the people of Cornwall in 1985. This gift celebrated the birth of Prince William. His father, the Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles), made the donation.
Cornwall Council now manages the park. It covers about 152 hectares (400 acres). This makes it the most noticeable natural feature in East Cornwall. Kit Hill is also the highest point in the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
How Kit Hill Was Formed
Kit Hill was formed in a similar way to nearby Bodmin Moor. Hot, melted rock called magma pushed up into the rocks above it. This process created many valuable mineral deposits. People mined these minerals a lot in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Amazing Views and Wildlife
As the highest point of Hingston Down, Kit Hill offers some of the best views in southeast Cornwall. You can see the Tamar Valley, Dartmoor, and Bodmin Moor from the top. Kit Hill Country Park is home to lots of wildlife. This includes deer, badgers, rabbits, and rare moths and butterflies.
On the very top of Kit Hill, you can find an old fort. It was built during the English Civil War. There is also a unique building called a folly. Sir John Call built it to look like a low-walled Saxon castle.
Kit Hill's Past
History tells us that Kit Hill has been important for a long time. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports a big battle in 838 AD. Egbert, the king of the West Saxons, defeated an army of Vikings and Cornish fighters. This battle happened at a place called Hengestdun, which is thought to be Hingston Down, near Kit Hill.
You can also find older signs of history on Kit Hill. There are burial mounds from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Bronze Age periods. A park ranger and volunteers help to look after these areas. They also keep the plants on the hill from growing too much.
Mining History
Kit Hill Country Park has a rich mining past. People dug for many different metals here. These included tin, silver, copper, and tungsten.
The main mines were:
- Kit Hill Summit Mines: These mines started around 1826. They even had a windmill near the tall chimney you see today. Kit Hill United, one of these mines, closed in 1864.
- East Kit Hill Mine: This mine operated from 1855 to 1909.
- Hingston Down Mine: This was a very old mine, possibly starting in the 1600s. It worked its way west towards Kit Hill and closed in 1885.
- South Kit Hill Mine: This mine was active from 1856 to 1884.
The Kit Hill Tunnel Project
In 1877, a company called Kit Hill Tunnel Ltd started digging a long tunnel. They worked from both the north and south sides of the hill. The plan was for the tunnel to be 2 miles (3.2 km) long. However, the rock was very hard, making progress slow and expensive. Work stopped about a year later.
In 1881, a new company took over. They tried to deepen one of the mine shafts and extend the tunnel. But it was still too costly, and they gave up in 1885. Even after several more tries, the tunnel was only 2,400 feet (730 m) long by 1938.
Atomic Energy Authority Experiments
In 1959, the Atomic Energy Authority took over the tunnel. They used it for underground explosions as part of something called Operation Orpheus. The Kit Hill events were the first part of these tests:
- Phase A: Small explosive charges were set off in a 6-foot (1.8 m) wide space. These were in granite and shale rock at depths of 100 to 300 feet (30 to 91 m) inside the Excelsior Tunnel at Kit Hill.
- Phase B: This involved taking part in the Operation Cowboy tests in Louisiana, USA. There, much larger charges were set off in a salt mine.
- Phase C: Tests at Greenside Mine in Cumbria, UK. Here, different sized charges were exploded in hard rock. Scientists compared the results to see how the explosions affected the ground.
Railways Around Kit Hill
Building a railway called The Tamar, Kit Hill & Callington Railway began in 1864. Its name later changed to the East Cornwall Mineral Railway. This line opened in 1872. It was 7.5 miles (12 km) long. It ran from Calstock's riverfront, past Kelly Quay and Drakewalls, and the Gunnislake quarries. It then went along the northern side of Hingston Down to Kelly Bray, below Kit Hill. An inclined tramway connected to it there.
The railway later joined with the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway. This new line crossed the River Tamar above Calstock and connected to a main line at Bere Alston.
Today, the section from Gunnislake to Bere Alston is still used. It is part of the Tamar Valley Line. You can still find some parts of the old railway line on the northern slopes of Kit Hill Country Park. These are mainly granite blocks that were part of the track.
