Blue Bell Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blue Bell Hill | |
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 The CTRL tunnel portal, under the North Downs at Blue Bell Hill |
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| Elevation | 160 m (525 ft) |
| Location | North Downs, England |
| Prominence | c. 30 m |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 188 |
| OS grid reference | TQ740625 |
Blue Bell Hill (sometimes Bluebell Hill) is a chalk hill between Maidstone and Rochester in the English county of Kent. It overlooks the River Medway and is part of the North Downs.
A famous feature of the hill is the eastern group of the prehistoric tombs called the Medway megaliths including Kit's Coty House. A Roman temple was also later built on the hill. The A229 dual carriageway follows the route of a former Roman road and climbs the hill, today linking the M2 and M20 motorways. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link also runs beneath the hill, via the North Downs Tunnel, and archaeological work in advance of it uncovered a Neolithic long house on its slopes.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries much of the hill was quarried for chalk. The south west side of Blue Bell Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as it harbours several rare plant species. A picnic area serves as a rest point for walkers on the North Downs Way which runs along the top of the hill whilst the prehistoric trackway of the Pilgrims' Way skirts its foot. A modern crematorium also surmounts the hill as does a 251 foot, 30 kW television transmitter (BBC1 South East, ITV Meridian (East), BBC2, Channel 4)
Blue Bell Hill is supposedly haunted by a ghostly figure that walks the A229. Settlements on the hill include Blue Bell Hill village, Walderslade and Kit's Coty village.
[edit] External links
- Ghosts on Blue Bell Hill
- Another link about the ghost
- Blue Bell Hill at Kent Countryside Access
- Panoramic view from the hill
[edit] References
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with its suburbs, villages, towns and parishes: |
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Addington • Aylesford • Beltring • Birling • Blue Bell Hill • Borough Green • Burham • Ditton • East Malling • East Malling and Larkfield • East Peckham • Eccles • Golden Green • Hadlow • Hildenborough • Ightham • Kings Hill • Larkfield • Leybourne • Mereworth • Offham • Platt • Plaxtol • Ryarsh • Shipbourne • Snodland • Stansted • Tonbridge • Trottiscliffe • Walderslade • Wateringbury • West Malling • West Peckham • Wrotham • Wrotham Heath |
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| The borough of Tonbridge and Malling List of places in Kent |
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