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45-669: The Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark is a geopark in the Black Country , a part of the West Midlands region of England . Having previously been an ‘aspiring Geopark’, it was awarded UNESCO Global Geopark status on 10 July 2020. The Geopark extends across territory underlain by sedimentary rocks of Silurian , Devonian , Carboniferous , Permian and Triassic age together with some limited outcrops of igneous rocks. Coal , ironstone , limestone , fireclay , brick clay and building stones have all been exploited in

90-409: A full sized ruined mock castle (his lands did not contain a real one) and The Four Stones on top of Clent Hill. The Clent Hills are also well known for their role in the legend of St. Kenelm , who was murdered on a hunting trip at the north eastern slopes of Clent Hill in 821 AD. The church of St. Kenelm in the parish of Romsley marks the site of his murder. The church is the starting point of

135-1014: A geopark, as nominated by the corresponding government, to be included in the GGN: Criteria satisfaction is evaluated during biennial meetings (every even year) by the Geoparks Committee, known as the International Conference on Geoparks , which is also in charge with the periodic review of projects related to geological awareness. The first members of the GGN were named during the first conference in 2004, and it has continued to grow since then: The GGN works closely with another project under UNESCO's Ecological and Earth Sciences Division—the Man and Biosphere (MAB) World Network of Biosphere Reserves —to come up with and establish different means of sustainable development in promoting

180-566: A height of 1,037 feet (316 m) on Walton Hill , with views over the Malvern Hills , Kinver Edge , The Wrekin , Wenlock Edge , Shatterford Hill , Clee Hills and back round to Kidderminster , Stourbridge , Dudley , Halesowen and Turners Hill . On a clear day observers can see as far as the Black Mountains of Wales , the northern Cotswolds , the southern Peak District and Charnwood Forest . A toposcope indicates

225-767: A northern outlier of the Clent Hills . The area drains to the River Stour to the west, the Penk to the north and eventually to the Tame to the east via numerous tributaries. It is criss-crossed by canals including the Tame Valley Canal , Rushall Canal , Wyrley and Essington Canal , Dudley Canal , Stourbridge Canal , Birmingham Canal , Shropshire Union Canal and Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal . In 1956 Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve (NNR) became

270-674: A part of the Old Red Sandstone succession. These rocks may be seen as outlying parts of the Anglo-Welsh Basin. A series of dolerite and basalt intrusions occur within the Carboniferous sequence including the Brewin's Bridge microgabbro dyke , London Fields basalt sill and Rowley Regis microgabbro lopolith . Associated with these is a basaltic vent at Barrow Hill. The Geopark has been established across

315-694: A red-brown mudstone matrix) dating from the early part of the Permian period. The formation unconformably overlies the mudstones and sandstones of the Salop Formation which forms the lower ground to the north and east; both are assigned to the Warwickshire Group . The bedrock is cut by numerous faults, most of which are aligned NE-SW. The hills along with the Lickey Hills form a range of hills in north Worcestershire known as

360-680: A selection of key views to and from the Malvern Hills" by the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership. Coopers identified 50 key views from vantage points some on the Malvern Hills and others from other vantage points looking at the Malverns. At 22 miles (35 km) the view from the Clent Hills was the most distant. They rated importance of the view as special and the sensitivity as high and wrote that

405-441: Is from Nimmings car park, off Hagley Wood Lane. From this an easy access walk route leads to the ridge. Another popular access is from the public car park on Adams Hill. Adams Hill is not a separate hill, but the name for the hamlet (part of the parish of Clent ) and the slope that form the south west flank of Clent Hill. In 2009 Cooper Partnership (a firm of Chartered Landscape Architects) were commissioned to "identify and assess

450-681: Is of Sheinwoodian age (433-430.5 Ma (million years ago)), the Much Wenlock Limestone of Homerian age (430.5-427 Ma) with the Coalbrookdale Formation being transitional between the two: all three formations are of Wenlockian age (c.433-427 Ma). The youngest three of the Silurian formations dates from the Pridoli epoch (423-419 Ma), towards the end of the period, and are regarded as the lowest/earliest part of

495-407: Is ready made; you have only to caress her; love her; kiss her; and then --- descend into the valley." Coming out into the court before the house, he mentioned Clent and Waw-ton Hill as the two bubbies of Nature: then Mr L. observed the nipple, and then Thomson the fringe of Uphmore wood; till the double entendre was work'd up to a point, and produced a laugh. In June 2012 poet and writer Helen Calcutt

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540-496: Is said to derive from the blackened and scarred landscape which resulted from the intensive exploitation of its natural mineral wealth. The area overlaps the South Staffordshire coalfield . Turner's Hill near the heart of the area reaches to 271m above sea level whilst the landscape rises to the 227m high viewpoint of Barr Beacon east of Walsall and, on its southern boundary, to a height of 224m at Wychbury Hill ,

585-685: The Black Country . In 1974, the hills became a country park , managed by Hereford & Worcester County Council under the Countryside Act 1968 . In 1995, management reverted to the National Trust, which set up a new Advisory Committee in 2000. In 1588 a beacon was placed on the Bicknall as part of the chain set up to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada . For Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee A. E. Housman watched

630-503: The Domesday Book as "Klinter", and may be derived from the old Scandinavian word klint for a cliff. Once part of a Mercian forest, the hills contain the remains of a multi-vallate, Iron Age hillfort on Wychbury Hill. According to local historian John Amphlett, a battle between ancient Britons and Romans was fought on Clent Heath. The Clent Hills are graced with several classically inspired architectural works from about

675-492: The Lickey Hills . Clent Hill is the most popular hillwalking hill in the range, although it is not often mentioned because the whole area is referred to as Clent Hills. Just under a million visitors a year are estimated to come to the hills, making them Worcestershire's most popular non-paying attraction. The Clent Hills are a major outcrop of the Clent Formation consisting of Clent Breccia (predominantly

720-587: The Old Red Sandstone succession in this region. The Much Wenlock limestones were extensively quarried at the Wren's Nest inlier. Dudley Castle is built upon a neighbouring inlier. The Clee Sandstone Formation, which outcrops to the west and northwest of Sedgeley, originates in the Devonian period and is of Emsian age (c.408-393 Ma). The sandstone strata which dip moderately away to the northwest, form

765-482: The River Stour . Close to the top of the escarpment, but just on the other side, stands High Harcourt Farm (which belongs to the National Trust, but its farm land is not open to the public). Below the farm the escarpment falls away and becomes a sharp V valley in which a stream flows down into Clent village. Where the valley sides are at their steepest the Walton Hill side of the valley is known as Clatterbach. In

810-530: The United States . China is the country with the largest number of global geoparks. The Global Geoparks Network ( GGN ) (also known as the Global Network of National Geoparks ) is UNESCO assisted network established in 1998. Managed under the body's Ecological and Earth Sciences Division, the GGN seeks the promotion and conservation of the planet's geological heritage, as well as encourages

855-532: The 11th century. 52°31′34″N 2°05′46″W  /  52.5262°N 2.0961°W  / 52.5262; -2.0961 UNESCO Global Geoparks The agency was founded in 2004 in partnership with the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). The network was set up to conserve Earth's geological heritage, as well as to promote the sustainable research and development by the concerned communities. To implement these goals they adopted

900-526: The 1750s. Most of them are in the private grounds of Hagley Hall but most of them are visible from public areas. Lord Lyttelton of Hagley Hall constructed the Wychbury Obelisk on Wychbury Hill in 1758, which is visible for many miles, even from the Clee Hills . Lord Lyttelton also had constructed many other follies including a Temple of Theseus , other small Greek and Roman temples,

945-486: The 60-mile (97 km) walk St Kenelm's Trail . One source of the River Stour is within the grounds of St. Kenelm's church. The summits of the two largest hills, Clent Hill and Walton Hill are now the property of the National Trust . Clent Hill Common was managed by a Board of Conservators from 1881 to 1959. Walton Hill Common became regulated common land (under Commons Act 1899) in 1935. Both commons and

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990-611: The Clent Hills had "many pedestrian and equestrian users" and in "[a] lovely environment of countryside pursuits" the vista contained a: 180-degree panoramic view towards the south-west from elevated viewpoint on SW facing slope of Clent Hills, affording long distance views. Malvern Hills seen to the left of view in the context of other hill ranges seen to the centre and right of view. Generally hilly foreground with scattered settlements on lower lying land. Urban areas of Kidderminster and Stourbridge seen in centre mid-ground. [At] night-time: scattered light sources. The distinctive outline of

1035-493: The Clent-Lickey range (or the Clent-Lickey ridge). The largest of the Clent Hills is Walton Hill which is 1,037 feet (316 m) high followed by Clent Hill at 1,014 feet (309 m). They are separated by a valley known as St. Kenelm 's Pass, which starts as an escarpment one side of which along with the sides of the two hills falls away towards Uffmoor Wood ; water flowing down this slope enters streams which become

1080-477: The Malvern Hill peaks is seen on the distant skyline as a back-drop to the view in the left of view, and appears further in distance to the other hill ranges seen to the centre/right distance. Far-fetching views of hill ranges, including that of Malvern Hills is impressive, across a generally rural setting. … The view of wide range of hills is impressive. The poet William Shenstone lived at The Leasowes and

1125-607: The UNESCO recognition. Also on an international level, several sites of geoheritage values are inscribed on the World Heritage list under criterion VIII and/or criterion VII . Many of the names in the list below appear in slightly different forms in different documents or webpages, particularly where they have been anglicised . Dates of accession to network, where not otherwise referenced are taken from UNESCO website. Note * Kula Volcanic Geopark designated in 2013

1170-758: The area in the last few centuries. Evidence is also present for the margins of both the Anglian icesheet and the Devensian icesheet. The oldest rocks which outcrop at the surface within the Geopark are the early Silurian shales and limestones which are seen in a series of faulted and folded inliers between Lye in the south and Ettingshall Park in the north. There is a further area of Silurian rocks exposed between Walsall , Gravelly Hill Interchange and Aldridge . The sequence locally (in stratigraphic order i.e. uppermost/youngest, at top): The Barr Limestone

1215-510: The beacons from summit of Walton Hill. He wrote in a letter to his mother that at 10 o'clock the night of 22 June 1897 (the hour designated for the event) he could see 52 just to the south and west. He did not try to count those northwards because "it was hard to tell the beacons from the ordinary illuminations of the Black Country". The one on the Malvern Hills was so large that during the day it had been visible from Walton Hill, and as it

1260-423: The concept of geopark, a term that had already been in use for one of the proposed parks. Geoparks were conceived as "single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development." As the geopark did not naturally conform to all those requirements, compliance involved considerable work of

1305-758: The country where the geopark was to be located. In essence, the park had to be not only protected, but marketed sustainably to the public. In 2015, the Member States of UNESCO ratified the rebranding to the current name. Since 2015, the application and designation process has been defined by the Statutes and Operational Guidelines of the UGGp. As of April 2023, there were 195 UGGp's in 48 countries. There are now GGN member sites situated in five of seven continents, there being none currently in either Antarctica or Australasia . There are not yet (2022) global geoparks in

1350-764: The elements were based on the official list as https://youtube.com/@CityofSydney?feature=shared . Clent Hills The Clent Hills lie 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Birmingham city centre in Clent , Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen , both in the West Midlands conurbation (and also historically in Worcestershire). The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill , Clent Hill (and Adams Hill), and Walton Hill (and Calcot Hill). The north Worcestershire range of hills continues eastwards to include Romsley Hill, Waseley Hills and

1395-485: The end of a long spur which runs from the summit of Walton Hill for about a mile. There is a public footpath along the spur joining the two hills. Alongside the spur is another deep V-shaped valley which was also dammed at frequent intervals to provide power to its mills. This stream flows on to the village of Belbroughton in which the Nash Crown Scythe Works used the water to power its machinery. On

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1440-562: The entirety of the boroughs of Dudley , Sandwell , Walsall and Wolverhampton . As such it encompasses a wider area than the traditional Black Country, though the boundaries of this distinctive historic urban landscape within the West Midlands are difficult to pin down firmly. Originally more than a hundred individual villages, the area was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century. The name

1485-532: The first area in England to be designated as a national nature reserve for the geological interest of its bedrock, and remains a key ‘geosite’ within the modern Geopark. There are a further 16 SSSIs within the Geopark and 105 SINCs . The Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust provides underground canal tours and a visitor centre. Castle Hill and Zoological gardens is a site of geological and cultural interest. Dudley Castle of motte and bailey construction dates back to

1530-656: The local communities’ relationship with the natural environment. The following table contains the detailed articles on the UNESCO Global Geoparks ( UGG ) and further international recognition frameworks of the geoheritage of each continents and their representative regional geopark networks. UNESCO has currently designated two UNESCO Global Geoparks in Africa , located in two state parties, Tanzania and Morocco . There are plans for national geoparks in an initial phase that could be further developed to gain

1575-710: The mountains visible. Landmarks visible from the hills include Dudley Castle , the large Droitwich AM transmitters near Bromsgrove , the large silos (now demolished for housing) on the Ex British Sugar Corporation land in Kidderminster , Ironbridge Power Station (now decommissioned and demolished), near Telford and the nearby Wychbury Obelisk . It is because of this that the hills are very popular with hillwalking visitors and local ramblers groups. The hills are criss-crossed with many public footpaths. A popular means of access to Clent Hill

1620-571: The other side of the valley is Romsley Hill, the valley banks of which are covered by Great Farley Wood beyond Romsley Hill are a number of lower hills (Windmill, Chapman's and Waseley) which join the Clent Hills to the Lickey Hills in one continuous chain. The National Trust land on the hills encompass 440 acres (180 ha) of woodland (both natural deciduous and coniferous forest plantations) and heathland , important for wildlife including fallow deer and common buzzard , plus visiting ring ouzel and common crossbill . Clent appears in

1665-527: The past, before steam power replaced water power, the stream in the valley was dammed at regular intervals to provide power for watermills . The remains of one such dam can be seen behind the Vine Inn in Clent which was once a mill. Either side of the two largest hills are two more hills. Beside Clent Hill is Wychbury Hill and beside Walton Hill is Calcot Hill. Calcot Hill is not really a separate hill but at

1710-503: The sustainable research and development by the concerned communities. Since 2015, its members are officially designated as UNESCO Global Geoparks. The first batch of members to the GGN were announced during the first International Conference on Geoparks in 2004. The international network seeks the membership geoparks —geographical areas where geological heritage is the focus of local protection, education and development. A set of criteria as established by UNESCO must first be met for

1755-473: The woodlands between them were given by Worcestershire County Council and Bromsgrove Rural District Council to the National Trust in 1959. Both hills were then managed by a Management Committee of the National Trust until 1974, when the committee became advisory only. Both the Conservators and Management Committee were largely funded by contributions from neighbouring local authorities, particularly in

1800-461: Was a near neighbour of the Lyttelton family at Hagley Hall . Shenstone garden at The Leasowes was one of the most notable gardens in England in the mid-1700s and his Unconnected Thoughts on Gardening one of the more influential of the age. On 30 August 1746 William Lyttelton called at The Leasowes with his friend the poet James Thomson . Shenstone later wrote a letter about the encounter which

1845-451: Was already there and augment it "The French, it appears, have their [P]arque ornèe ; and why is not Ferme ornèe as good an expression?". As his guests could not stay long owing to a dinner engagement they were unable to visit Shenstone's upper wood, but warming to Shenstone's suggestion on how to improve the landscape, Shepstone wrote that the conversation continued thus: "You have nothing to do (says [Thomson]) but to dress Nature. Her robe

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1890-644: Was built close to the summit of Walton Hill and lit on 6 June as one of a national chain that started with one lit by the Queen at Windsor Castle to mark the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II . Another was lit on 4 June 2012 for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II . It was 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, and situated on Clent Hill close to the Four Stones. The hills rise to

1935-463: Was extended and renamed as Kula Salihli in 2020 Whilst the length of the list has grown year on year, some members drop out from time to time, either by choice or by failing the network's revalidation procedures. UNESCO Global Geoparks are given this designation for a period of four years after which the functioning and quality of each UNESCO Global Geopark is thoroughly re-examined during a revalidation process. ^ A. Names and spellings used for

1980-494: Was published in 1800. After introductions and a conversation inside the house about a valley and the brook that Lyttelton and Thomson passed on their way to The Leasowes and which had much impressed Thomson for its beauty, Shenstone invited the pair to view the vista from the green behind his house. They conversed about a small nearby feature called Farmers Hill and Thomson suggested that Shenstone should extend his garden, but Shenstone explained to him that he would rather take which

2025-532: Was saturated with paraffin it burned very brightly but only for an hour. By 2 o'clock, Housman wrote that in the distance two could still be seen still burning somewhere near the Brown Clee , and three nearer, one towards Droitwich , one on Kinver Edge (it continued to burnt brightly until dawn), and the Clent Hill beacon which was not near the summit but on the south west face. In 1977 a bonfire beacon

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