Kinver Edge
| Kinver Edge | |
|---|---|
Kinver as seen from Holy Austin Rock Houses
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 164 m (538 ft) |
| Listing | None |
| Coordinates | 52°09′14″N 2°05′25″W / 52.154°N 2.0904°WCoordinates: 52°09′14″N 2°05′25″W / 52.154°N 2.0904°W |
| Geography | |
 Kinver Edge
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| Location | Staffordshire, England |
| OS grid | SO829824 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 102 |
Kinver Edge is a high heath and woodland escarpment just west of Kinver, about four miles west of Stourbridge, and four miles north of Kidderminster, and is on the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire, England. It is now owned by the National Trust.
Kinver Edge is a remnant of the Mercian forest, although much planting dates from post-1945. There are two Iron Age hillforts on Kinver Edge the larger one Kinver Edge Hillfort, is at the northern end, while the other is at the southern end, on a promontory known as Drakelow Hill.
The area has been a popular local tourist destination since Edwardian times, when an electric tramway, the Kinver Light Railway, connected Kinver to the Birmingham tram system.
Kinver Edge is home to the last troglodyte dwellings occupied in England, with a set of complete cave-houses excavated into the local sandstone. One of the rocks, "Holy Austin", was a hermitage until the Reformation. The Holy Austin rock houses were inhabited until the 1960s. They are now owned by the National Trust and are open for tour. One house has been restored to a Victorian appearance, and the Martindale Caves show what life was like in the 1930s.
The cottage gardens and an orchard are being replanted and restored.
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Wikipedia