Sites and Facilities
History of the Fell
Historical Background Two thousand years ago the form of the landscape was substantially the same as today but Beacon Fell was then covered by native, broad-leaved trees such as Scrub Oak and Alder and not the coniferous trees of today. Sometime over the following thousand years men started to clear the trees to graze their sheep and cattle and we know that the Vikings brought their sheep up to Beacon Fell in the summer time. Grazing of the Fell continued in much the same way for almost a thousand years until, in the nineteenth century, the land was greatly improved by a succession of farmers who lived at Fell House Farm.
The farm was situated at Fell House car park. You can still see the original paving setts which lay between the house and the barn. As you walk away from the Information Centre you will pass drystone walls which indicate the old field boundaries. The farm was inhabited until 1939 and finally demolished in 1939. In 1909 the Fell was bought by Fulwood Urban District Council as a water gathering ground for the Barnsfold Reservoir. Between 1938 and 1959 the District Council planted 115 acres of coniferous woodland. By 1959 it was decided that water could be supplied more economically from larger reservoirs and the woodlands were allowed to deteriorate until Lancashire County Council acquired the Fell in 1969 and officially opened it in 1970 as one of the first Country Parks in the country.
Bowland Visitor Centre