Appendix JO5: Countryside Character – Volume 7: South-East and London’ National Character Area 129: Thames Basin Heath 59 Countryside Character Volume 7: South East & London The character of England’s natural and man-made landscape 60 Contents page Chairman’s Foreword 4 Areas covered by more than one 1 volume are shown Introduction 5 hatched 2 3 The character of England 5 The Countryside Agency and 8 4 countryside character 5 6 How we have defined the character of 8 England’s countryside – The National Mapping project 8 7 – Character of England map: a joint approach 11 8 – Describing the character of England 11 The character of England: shaping the future 11 This is volume 7 of 8 covering the character of England Character Areas page page 81 Greater Thames Estuary 13 119 North Downs 94 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands 18 120 Wealden Greensand 99 90 Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge 25 121 Low Weald 106 91 Yardley–Whittlewood Ridge 30 122 High Weald 111 95 Northamptonshire Uplands 35 123 Romney Marshes 116 107 Cotswolds 40 124 Pevensey Levels 121 108 Upper Thames Clay Vales 45 125 South Downs 125 109 Midvale Ridge 52 126 South Coast Plain 131 110 Chilterns 56 127 Isle of Wight 137 111 Northern Thames Basin 62 128 South Hampshire Lowlands 142 112 Inner London 73 129 Thames Basin Heaths 146 113 North Kent Plain 76 130 Hampshire Downs 152 114 Thames Basin Lowlands 80 131 New Forest 156 115 Thames Valley 84 132 Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs 162 116 Berkshire and Marlborough Downs 89 134 Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase 167 135 Dorset Heaths 172 Acknowledgements The Countryside Agency acknowledges the contribution to this publication of a great many individuals, partners and organisations without which it would not have been possible. We also wish to thank Chris Blandford Associates, the lead consultants on this project. View of the wooded Weald from the Surrey Hills.The South Downs can be seen on the horizon, across the extensive patchwork landscape of woods, hedgerows, sunken lanes and enclosed fields. 61 3 JOHN DYKE 1 North Northumberland Coastal Plain 80 The Broads 2 Northumberland Sandstone Hills 81 Greater Thames Estuary 3 Cheviot Fringe 82 Suffolk Coast and Heaths 4 Cheviots 83 South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands 5 Border Moors and Forests 84 Mid Norfolk 6 Solway Basin 85 Breckland 7 West Cumbria Coastal Plain 86 South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland 8 Cumbria High Fells 87 East Anglian Chalk 9 Eden Valley 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands 10 North Pennines 89 Northamptonshire Vales 11 Tyne Gap and Hadrian’s Wall 90 Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge 12 Mid Northumberland 91 Yardley-Whittlewood Ridge 13 South East Northumberland Coastal Plain 92 Rockingham Forest 14 Tyne and Wear Lowlands 93 High Leicestershire 15 Durham Magnesian Limestone Plateau 94 Leicestershire Vales 16 Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe 95 Northamptonshire Uplands 17 Orton Fells 96 Dunsmore and Feldon 18 Howgill Fells 97 Arden 19 South Cumbria Low Fells 98 Clun and North West Herefordshire Hills 20 Morecambe Bay Limestones 99 Black Mountains and Golden Valley 21 Yorkshire Dales 100 Herefordshire Lowlands 22 Pennine Dales Fringe 101 Herefordshire Plateau 23 Tees Lowlands 102 Teme Valley 24 Vale of Mowbray 103 Malvern Hills 25 North Yorkshire Moors and Cleveland Hills 104 South Herefordshire and Over Severn 26 Vale of Pickering 105 Forest of Dean and Lower Wye 27 Yorkshire Wolds 106 Severn and Avon Vales 28 Vale of York 107 Cotswolds 29 Howardian Hills 108 Upper Thames Clay Vales 30 Southern Magnesian Limestone 109 Midvale Ridge 31 Morecambe Coast and Lune Estuary 110 Chilterns 32 Lancashire and Amounderness Plain 111 Northern Thames Basin 33 Bowland Fringe and Pendle Hill 112 Inner London 34 Bowland Fells 113 North Kent Plain 35 Lancashire Valleys 114 Thames Basin Lowlands 36 Southern Pennines 115 Thames Valley 37 Yorkshire Southern Pennine Fringe 116 Berkshire and Marlborough Downs 38 Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield 117 Avon Vales 39 Humberhead Levels 118 Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges 40 Holderness 119 North Downs 41 Humber Estuary 120 Wealden Greensand 42 Lincolnshire Coast and Marshes 121 Low Weald 43 Lincolnshire Wolds 122 High Weald 44 Central Lincolnshire Vale 123 Romney Marshes 45 Northern Lincolnshire Edge with Coversands 124 Pevensey Levels 46 The Fens 125 South Downs 47 Southern Lincolnshire Edge 126 South Coast Plain 48 Trent and Belvoir Vales 127 Isle Of Wight 49 Sherwood 128 South Hampshire Lowlands 50 Derbyshire Peak Fringe and Lower Derwent 129 Thames Basin Heaths 51 Dark Peak 130 Hampshire Downs 52 White Peak 131 New Forest 53 South West Peak 132 Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs 54 Manchester Pennine Fringe 133 Blackmoor Vale and Vale of Wardour 55 Manchester Conurbation 134 Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase 56 Lancashire Coal Measures 135 Dorset Heaths 57 Sefton Coast 136 South Purbeck 58 Merseyside Conurbation 137 Isle of Portland 59 Wirral 138 Weymouth Lowlands 60 Mersey Valley 139 Marshwood and Powerstock Vales 61 Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain 140 Yeovil Scarplands 62 Cheshire Sandstone Ridge 141 Mendip Hills 63 Oswestry Uplands 142 Somerset Levels and Moors 64 Potteries and Churnet Valley 143 Mid Somerset Hills 65 Shropshire Hills 144 Quantock Hills 66 Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau 145 Exmoor 67 Cannock Chase and Cank Wood 146 Vale of Taunton and Quantock Fringes 68 Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands 147 Blackdowns 69 Trent Valley Washlands 148 Devon Redlands 70 Melbourne Parklands 149 The Culm 71 Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield 150 Dartmoor 72 Mease/Sence Lowlands 151 South Devon 73 Charnwood 152 Cornish Killas 74 Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Wolds 153 Bodmin Moor 75 Kesteven Uplands 154 Hensbarrow 76 North West Norfolk 155 Carnmenellis 77 North Norfolk Coast 156 West Penwith 78 Central North Norfolk 157 The Lizard 79 North East Norfolk and Flegg 158 Isles of Scilly 159 Lundy 62 6 The Character of England: landscape, wildlife & natural features 3 1 4 2 5 12 13 11 14 6 16 9 10 15 7 8 23 17 18 25 19 22 24 20 21 26 29 31 30 34 28 27 33 40 32 35 39 36 38 37 41 57 56 54 45 55 58 60 51 42 59 44 43 49 62 52 53 48 61 64 50 47 77 69 78 63 68 76 79 70 74 75 46 80 67 71 73 84 79 72 93 79 66 94 65 92 85 98 97 95 83 102 96 89 101 91 88 100 103 106 87 82 99 86 104 90 107 105 110 108 109 81 111 81 117 116 112 118 115 113 129 114 113 159 120 143 142 141 119 145 132 130 14 4 120 143 121 146 122 123 143 140 133 128 149 125 124 147 134 131 126 139 148 135 127 138 136 153 150 137 154 152 151 156 155 158 157 63 7 Character Area 129 Thames Basin Heaths Key Characteristics ● Particularly diverse landscape unified by the high incidence of heathland and coniferous forestry, the open unenclosed nature of which is unusual within the context of the south-east region. ● Heavily populated and developed area characterised by large towns plus numerous smaller settlements along transport corridors interspersed by open land. ● Important occupation area from Mesolithic to modern times based on exploitation of the rivers with numerous Prehistoric, Roman and medieval settlements, the latter of which extended along valley bottoms. ● Fragmented but often connected blocks of largely AGENCY JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDDE neglected remnant heathland as a result of early agricultural clearances and widespread development, Small towns and villages, such as the Roman settlement of Silchester, nestle discreetly amongst the gently sloping plateaux of with most heath retained on large commons or as the Reading and Bagshot Beds. Use of local materials is reflected Ministry of Defence training areas. in the buildings and flint wall. ● The western part of the area is fairly well-wooded Landscape Character with grazed pasture but retains a heathy character due to the dominance of oak/birch/bracken/pine The Thames Basin Heaths comprise a distinct area of and remnant heath on small unimproved pockets commonly unenclosed heathland and coniferous forestry of land. developed on the acidic soils in the west of the Thames ● Variety and contrast is given by the wide grazed Basin. The Heaths extend from the Thames Basin Lowlands floodplain, drainage ditches, restored gravel in the east, across north Hampshire north of the Downs and workings and lush wetland vegetation associated with through south-east Berkshire towards the dip slope of the the Kennet Valley. Berkshire and Marlborough Downs. ● Cultivated farmland and pasture is typically enclosed The once extensive heathland is now largely fragmented within small and irregularly shaped fields divided by and degraded but the landscape still maintains its open and hedgerows with small areas of wood and heath ‘heathy’ character. The area still contains large areas of heavily used for horse grazing. rolling unenclosed heathland where the varying seasons and weathers change the character of the open landscape from ● Large tracts of coniferous plantations or mixed colourful and exhilarating to sombre and bleak. The wood with beech and birch are typical of much of distinctive and widespread occurrence of the area, with significant areas of ancient woodland in oak/birch/bracken/pine reflects the poor acidic soils and the west. heathland origins of this area. 64 1146 Area 129 boundary Character Area 129 115 Adjacent Area Thames Basin Heaths Motorway 600-800' A Road 400-600' B Road 200-400' 0-200' Railway and station height above sea- level in feet County boundary 108 Unitary authority District boundary 8 110 Ashampstead 116 Yattendon A340 M4 WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD