Terrain in the district is quite varied with steep ridges and a limited amount of flat ground, as befits the island's volcanic origin.

The district also includes the settlements of Barren Ground, Head o' Wain, and Thompson's Wood, together with a few scattered cottages.

[3] Troops of the Dutch East India Company landed at Swanley Valley on 20 December 1672 and were guided inland by an English traitor.

[4] They defeated the garrison of High Peak Fort and briefly occupied the rest of the island until the English recaptured it in May 1673.

[6] In 2011 a facetious proposal was published in The Washington Post (and reproduced in the St Helena Independent) that Blue Hill be made into a "retirement village for exiled dictators", citing its isolation and small existing population.