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Westerham Hill is the name given to the stretch of the A233 that ascends Betsom's Hill up to
Westerham Heights. On the 20th of August 1887 it was the venue for one of the earliest cycle hill climbs, even though it was considered nearly impossible to complete owing to the steep gradient of the then
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The crest of the hill was the location of a
Victorian defence fort, one of twelve locations along the North Downs built to protect London in case of attack by foreign invaders crossing the channel. Known as Betsom's Hill Fort or Westerham Fort, it was part of the
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The highest part of the hill is unmarked, in an area inaccessible to the public, making it the only county top that is on private land and which cannot be easily visited. The lower slopes are more accessible, with the
341:, all with solid tyres. Organised by the Catford Cycling Club, only half of the starters completed the climb. A rider of a penny-farthing came seventh. The winner was automobile pioneer
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finished 12th. Westerham was used for another sixteen of these hill climb events, as were a number of other Kent hills. The modern hill climb event is still run nearby at Yorks Hill.
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has been partially demolished and converted for use as workshops, with private houses appropriately named Fort
Cottages now occupying the site.
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at 245 metres (804 ft), is also part of Betsom's Hill, albeit with a separate name. It is located at
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selected Betsom's Hill as the location for his house, workshop and studio. He designed the house in the
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un-metalled road. Twenty-four competitors took part, using a variety of machines including
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style to reflect the local
Kentish architecture, and lived there until his death in 1933.
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the highest point, nearby to the west. The hill lies at the western end of the
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654:. Le Véloce-sport : organe de la vélocipédie française. 25 August 1887.
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where the borders of Surrey, Kent and
Greater London meet at Rag Hill.
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210:, at the western edge of the county, it lies close to where the
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The UK's County Tops: Reaching the top of 91 historic counties
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Birmingham
Museums & Art Gallery Information Centre
218:. This is the highest part of the North Downs, with
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452:. Summersdale Publishers LTD - ROW. p. 84.
588:. gimson.leicester.gov.uk. 2012. Archived from
586:"J P Cooper and the Arts & Crafts Movement"
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564:. OS Landranger Map Series. Ordnance Survey.
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712:Geography of the London Borough of Bromley
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449:Walking the County High Points of England
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46:View of Betsom's Hill from the south-west
501:"London Mobilisation Centres - Gazeteer"
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672:. Catford cycling club. Archived from
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424:. The Mountains of England and Wales
268:is another more ancient route, the
702:Highest points of English counties
479:. The History Press. p. 117.
295:Westerham Heights Farm on the A233
228:area of outstanding natural beauty
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27:Hill on the North Downs, England
612:"John Paul Cooper - Biography"
446:David Bathurst (2 July 2012).
214:crosses the Downs en route to
1:
531:Victorian Forts and Artillery
527:"London Mobilisation Centres"
505:Victorian Forts and Artillery
369:List of tripoints of England
638:"Westerham Hill Climb 1887"
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275:The artist and craftsman,
562:187 Dorking & Reigate
473:Matthews, Rupert (2010).
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399:. Cicerone. p. 32.
62:251 m (823 ft)
420:Simon Edwardes (2001).
652:"Lettres de Speedwell"
533:. victorianforts.co.uk
507:. victorianforts.co.uk
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640:. CyclingRanking.com.
618:. bmagic.org.uk. 2012
476:Little Book of Surrey
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241:London Defence scheme
666:"Hill Climb History"
393:Muir, Jonny (2011).
102:51.2882°N 0.057188°E
347:Arthur James Wilson
343:Selwyn Francis Edge
202:. Situated between
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670:Hill Climb Classic
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52:Highest point
459:978-0-85765-755-8
359:Geography of Kent
300:Westerham Heights
287:Westerham Heights
189:
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149:Betsom's Hill in
107:51.2882; 0.057188
18:Westerham Heights
16:(Redirected from
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364:Geology of Kent
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262:North Downs Way
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422:"County Tops"
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304:highest point
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35:Betsom's Hill
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678:. Retrieved
674:the original
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620:. Retrieved
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590:the original
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270:Pilgrims Way
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183:TQ 4355 5633
29:
266:scarp slope
220:Botley Hill
216:Biggin Hill
200:North Downs
105: /
80:Coordinates
696:Categories
375:References
224:Kent Downs
90:51°17′18″N
73:County Top
722:Westerham
335:tricycles
255:Geography
245:casemates
208:Tatsfield
204:Westerham
166:Westerham
118:Geography
93:0°03′26″E
58:Elevation
622:17 April
596:18 April
560:(2007).
537:17 April
511:17 April
428:20 April
353:See also
318:tripoint
313:TQ436564
249:magazine
162:Location
234:History
198:on the
177:OS grid
170:England
68:Listing
680:8 June
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302:, the
247:and a
226:, an
194:is a
682:2015
624:2014
598:2014
566:ISBN
539:2014
513:2014
481:ISBN
454:ISBN
430:2014
401:ISBN
212:A233
206:and
196:hill
151:Kent
306:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
