Mount Judd (Nuneaton) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Judd |
|
|---|---|
| The Nuneaton Nipple | |
.jpg)
View of Mount Judd from the south-west
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 158 m (518 ft) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Judkins Quarry |
| Geography | |
 Mount Judd
Location in Warwickshire
|
|
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Mid-20th century |
| Mountain type | Man-made hill |
| Type of rock | Spoil tip |
.jpg)
Mount Judd is a special hill near Nuneaton, England. It's also known by its nickname, The Nuneaton Nipple. This hill isn't natural; it was made by people.
Mount Judd was created from the leftover rocks and dirt from a nearby granite quarry called Judkins Quarry. It's a very well-known landmark in the area. In 2018, it was even voted the United Kingdom's "best landmark" in a poll by the Daily Mirror newspaper. Mount Judd is about 158 meters (518 feet) tall.
Contents
How Mount Judd Was Formed
People have lived in the area around Mount Judd for a very long time. Stone tools found nearby show that people were there about 60,000 years ago. There's also some evidence that the Romans might have used the area for industry. For many centuries, the land was mostly used for farming.
Early Quarrying and Industry
Quarrying, which is digging for stone, and clay extraction started in the mid-1700s. The site was well-connected, with the Coventry Canal and later railways like the Trent Valley and Birmingham–Peterborough lines. By the late 1800s, factories making bricks, textiles, and clothes were also in the area.
The Rise of Judkins Quarry
The Judkins Quarry grew a lot by the mid-1900s. It had large filter beds and a stone crushing plant. Mount Judd was created during this time. It's a cone-shaped pile of unusable stone, called a spoil tip, left over from the quarrying work.
Mount Judd Today
Mount Judd is a local landmark that you can see from many miles away. Its nickname, "The Nuneaton Nipple," comes from its shape. After the quarry closed, the hill became covered in grass. It is now the 3,306th highest hill in England.
Warwickshire County Council bought the old quarry to use as a landfill site. This means it was used to bury waste. It became the biggest landfill in Nuneaton. This use stopped in 2009, and the site was sealed off. Part of the area is still used as a council recycling center. In 2018, there were plans to build 400 homes near the site.
Why Mount Judd Is Important
Mount Judd is very famous in its local area. For young people, climbing to the top was once seen as a "rite of passage." This means it was something many young people did to show they were growing up. However, the hill is privately owned and fenced off. It's not safe to climb because of health and safety rules.
Pranks and Public Warnings
In 2017, someone played a prank by putting half of a Mini car on top of the hill! It was quickly removed, but many people saw it on their way to work. In 2018, the public was warned to stay away from the hill and the nearby quarry. This was because young children, some as young as five, had been seen playing near dangerous 200-foot drops.
A National Landmark?
In May 2018, the Daily Mirror newspaper held a poll. Mount Judd was voted the United Kingdom's best landmark! It beat famous places like the Angel of the North and Stonehenge. A few weeks later, the newspaper reopened the poll. As of 2020, Mount Judd is still at the top of that poll.
