74 



SECTIONAL ADDRESSES 



surrounding the headwaters of the Avon (Fig. i). Its northern limit may 

 be defined by a line from Iron Bridge to Wolverhampton, Lichfield, Tam- 

 worth, Nuneaton, Rugby. Within these boundaries there are the two 

 great vales of Severn and Avon embracing on the west, south and east a 

 triangular plateau drained by the Cole, Blythe and Tame which carry its 

 waters away northwards to the Trent. In this ' Midland Plateau ' is the 

 high ground of the South Staffordshire Coalfield reaching via the Lickey 

 Hills into East Worcestershire and West Warwickshire, and into the 

 high ground of the East Warwickshire Coalfield : the lower ground of 



Fig. I. — Outline map of the Midlands with (3) the supposed pre-Glacial courses 

 of the Severn and Avon, (i) the present watershed of England, (2) the 

 pre-Glacial watershed from the Longmynd through Iron Bridge and 

 Oakengates to Wolverhampton, (4) Ground above 400 O.D. 



the Cole and Blythe valleys between these heights is itself elevated — an 

 upland rather than a vale. 



The greatest anomaly in the topography is the valley of the Severn which 

 is cut, first as a gorge through what should be a major watershed at Iron 

 Bridge, and later as a sort of groove along the west side of the great vale- 

 like depression whose centre-line lies a few miles to the east. It is prob- 



