In January 2006 the Black Country Consortium submitted an application for £48m to the Big Lottery, which includes plans to improve Barr beacon. 2006 pdf report

Plans in 2005 to re-instate Barr Beacon as a visitor site which local residents and the wider community can enjoy. 2005 pdf report

read the background information and survey, regarding propsals for Barr Beacon Park and Pinfold Lane Quarry published in July 2007 up pdf proposal & survey

The Memorial as pictured above appears to sit on a grass mound, which conceals what used to be a cricular stone terrace which ran all around the midpoint of the memorial and included stone pillars with heavy ornate link chains. In the 1970's there was concern that the base and pillars were unstable and concrete was poured to prevent any movement, this was then banked up with soil and turfed over with hundreds of daffodill bulbs planted, by Aldridge Brownhills Urban District Council

The circular stone plinth at the very top shows evidence of the brass plate dedication by Colonel Wilkinson who gave the Beacon as parkland for local people. There was a heavy gun metal engraved map mounted on the round stone plinth which showed the visible panorama across several counties. sadly, the map, dedication plate and ornate hand rails, which slotted into the pillars, were all stolen overnight in the 1970's.

Barr Beacon is the highest point in the West Midlands set in 240 acres. It offers a stunning 360 degree panorama over Shropshire, the Black Country, Birmingham, Staffordshire and Cannock Chase, and is a popular area for walking, cycling, kite flyers, horse riding, or just a leisure day enjoying the views and perhaps an icecream.

Vote for Barr Beacon Visitors centre
Part of "The peoples millions lottery funds" which will support the black country Green bridge project, where Barr Beacon was presented by Toyah Wilcox as 1 of the 4 finalist projects

Did you know ?....
Barr Beacon was the TV series filming location for "Escape into night"
For more information see Escape into night TV series page

The following link will produce a page of 8 Digital panoramic views with compass bearings and distance of visible locations seen from Barr Beacon. These are large digital maps which need to be selected by a click of your mouse which will display the full size scrollable image.
Panoramic Views from Barr Beacon

"Whether a café to rest those weary feet and enjoy a reviving cuppa or a viewing platform to survey the stunning panorama of the Black Country and beyond, why not let us know. Proposals for the visitor centre are being drawn up as part of the ‘Green Bridge’ project - part of an ambitious wider project between the four Black Country councils to connect and transform green spaces and public open spaces. The Black Country has submitted a bid for £50 million to BIG lottery, entitled 'A Million People: Black Country as Urban Park'. If successful , it will go forward to public TV vote later on this year.

Council chiefs have also laid on a free programme of events around February half-term week for people who want to get involved in the multi-million pound scheme. Councillor Adrian Andrew, Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for people to have their say on a project which will help continue the revitalisation of our borough. “Barr Beacon needs a visitor centre and we want to get Walsall people’s views on what it should look like, where on the landmark it should be located and what facilities it should offer. “As part of the wider the ‘Black Country as an Urban Park’ project, the ‘green bridge’ would create a fabulous leisure amenity for residents of Walsall and Sandwell, bringing more jobs and investment to the Black Country.”

Walsall Council and Sandwell Council working together to create a 12-mile link connecting the heart of Walsall and the Arboretum with Dartmouth Park and the town centre of West Bromwich. The whole project comprises the ‘Green Bridge’, restoration of Dudley’s Seven Sisters mine and revitalisation of canals in Wolverhampton - three major environmental projects shared between four councils.

People are set to get the chance to vote for the pioneering project in a televised final later in 2007.

Walsall Countryside Services:

Beacon Lodge
551 Beacon Road
Aldridge
Walsall
WS9 0QW
T: 0121 360 9464
F: 0121 360 4740
E: countrysideservices@walsall.gov.uk
www.walsall.gov.uk

On February 22nd 2005 Councillor Adrian Andrew was the new `champion’ for Barr Beacon and Doe Bank Park and pledged to work to make improvements to both sites for the community. Barr Beacon and Doe Bank Park represent a large area of open space and green belt within Pheasey Park Farm Ward, and Barr Beacon is a major regional beauty spot. Councillor Andrew and his ward colleagues have welcomed the installation of barriers on Barr Beacon to prevent vehicles being able to drive on to the site at night. Immediate short term goals are to clean up the monument and carry out general maintenance such as weeding, pruning and painting, install new refuse bins and install a new flagpole with flag. A major priority is to establish a Barr Beacon Restoration Group to bring together interested people and to identify funding that the group can bid for to invest in Barr Beacon. Andrew said “Medium to long term, the children’s play area on Barr Beacon needs improvements and we need to increase the educational use of Barr Beacon. Many local people have also suggested to me that a tea shop and educational facility on Barr Beacon would be welcomed, clearly one that is in keeping with the environment. This would encourage the public to use Barr Beacon and reclaim the area from the undesirable element in the community. This is clearly something that needs consultation through the restoration group.” For Doe Bank Park, Councillor Andrew, says that the park has had some improvements over the last few years but there is still so much potential. He would like to see investment in the building that houses the changing facilities and young people working with the local community to achieve a skate park near to the BMX track. The parking at the park also needs some improvements. He added: “I look forward to working more closely with the council officers who do a very good job in these areas on a very small budget, what is key is that Barr Beacon and Doe Bank Park are not treated in isolation to each other. I would welcome suggestions and involvement from local people and I would appreciate any old photographs or stories of both Barr Beacon and Doe Bank Park.” People can send these to Councillor Adrian Andrew at Walsall Council, Darwall Street. Please mark envelopes for Councillor Andrew’s attention.

In November 2002 areas of Barr Beacon's rare wildlife habitat were restored to its former glory by recreating expanses of heathland. The project was part of Walsall Council's Countryside Services' continuing aim to reintroduce the swathes of purple flowering heather that once stretched from Sutton Park to Cannock Chase. Nature Conservation Officer Dave Haslam described how the work would be carried out. "It may seem drastic, but we will have to use an excavator to scrape away dense areas of turf. We will then scatter heather seed brought from heathland at Brownhills and Pelsall. The heather seed can germinate by itself on the bare earth. If we didn't remove the turf, heather would struggle to grow. Over the years we've experimented with a variety of ways to grow heather on countryside sites that were once heathland. We've found that turf stripping is the quickest and most effective method of helping to restore heathland." "In a few years time, visitors will not only be able to see purple patches of flowering heather, but also a variety of other insects, butterflies and birds which rely on the heather for their survival," The work had the full backing of the Government's Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which funded the project through its Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

Next time you visit Barr Beacon, take some pictures, and email Aldridge website, we would love to publish and acknowledge your snap shots !