Box Hill

Box Hill rises above the Mole Gap in the North Downs, about thirty-one kilometres south-west of London. Its steep west-facing slopes carry ancient box woodland, while the eastern village stands on higher ground. The hill’s highest point is Betchworth Clump at 224 metres, though the Salomons Memorial at 172 metres is the most visited viewpoint. The National Trust owns and manages the western slopes, while the eastern slopes form part of the Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment Site of Special Scientific Interest. The north and south slopes support chalk downland rich in orchids and rare plants, and the hill is home to thirty-eight butterfly species. Box Hill draws around eight hundred and fifty thousand visitors each year. The National Trust visitors’ centre offers a cafeteria and gift shop, and the North Downs Way runs along the south-facing scarp slope. The hill played a prominent part in the 2012 Summer Olympics cycling road race. Two Bronze Age round barrows near the Salomons Memorial mark some of the earliest human activity on the hill, and traces of prehistoric field boundaries remain visible on Burford Spur. A Roman road, Stane Street, crosses Mickleham Downs and passes close to the Burford Bridge Hotel. Visitors find panoramic views of the western Weald from the North Downs Way and the Salomons Memorial. The National Trust visitors’ centre provides refreshments and a shop, while the village to the east contains flint cottages dating from the 1800s and a church consecrated in 1969. The hill’s chalk slopes are too thin for farming, so they have long been used as sheep-walk and, more recently, grazed by Belted Galloway cattle to encourage wild flowers. Remnants of old arable clearings and a former cricket ground can still be seen around Juniper Bottom and Donkey Green.