9 St Helens Historic Character - Analysis 9.1 Field System Broad Type About 48.3% (6607.32 ha) of St Helens has been classified as Field System. Much of this is concentrated in the north, south and extreme eastern parts of the district. The central and centre-east parts of the district are predominantly residential and/or industrial in nature. In general, field systems have declined in number and size from the mid 19th century, having been replaced (consumed) by industrial and residential growth. Figure 18 Current (2003) Field System Sub Type in Sefton (© Crown Copyright and database right 2003. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 100019088. English Heritage) 60 Field System (Shape and Number of Area Percentage Size) Polygons (Hectares) Irregular Small 23 78.88 1.19 Irregular Medium 5 46.86 0.71 Semi-regular Large 115 1301.49 19.70 Semi-regular Medium 221 1866.72 28.25 Semi-regular Small 169 784.07 11.87 Regular Large 22 203.53 3.08 Regular Medium 79 795.08 12.03 Regular Small 283 1530.68 23.17 Total 917 6607.32 100% Table 8 Current (2003) Field System Sub Type in St Helens (Shape and Size Attributes) The MHCP only recorded the shape and size attributes of field systems within the borough of St Helens. Further more detailed research would be required to define field types or possible origins. It must be noted that periods of origin assigned to areas of fields during the course of the MHCP are based on intuition and the interpretation of enclosure patterns shown on 10th century and later mapping and do not constitute a detailed or definitive study. The current agricultural landscape is a product of an often complex evolution. In the 19th century in particular large areas of the landscape were remodelled, fields were enlarged and boundaries straightened. However, as a general rule: • The smaller and more irregular the field, the more likely that it has medieval or post-medieval origins (as piecemeal enclosure). • Conversely, the larger and more regular the field, the likelihood is that it is of more recent origin (as surveyed enclosure). Because of their relative sizes and shape characteristics, field systems can be grouped to form period subsets: • Piecemeal Enclosure (1540 to 1750 AD) • Surveyed Enclosure (1750 to 1900 AD) • Agglomerated Fields (1900 to 2000 AD) 61 It is often difficult to determine the exact period of origin of field systems. For instance, some field types, such as open fields or early surveyed enclosure, are easy to confuse with piecemeal enclosure, especially when boundaries have been altered in recent times. The above period guide should be used with some caution. Number of Area Percentage Field System by Broad Period Polygons (Hectares) Industrial Revolution 2: 1836 to 1900 497 3694.95 55.93 Early Twentieth Century: 1901 to 1917 16 66.91 1.01 Inter War: 1918 to 1939 95 892.83 13.51 Later Twentieth Century: 1946 to 2000 309 1952.63 29.55 Total 917 6607.32 100% Table 9 Current (2003) Field System in St Helens by Broad Period of origin In general, the landscape pattern of St Helens can be seen as a continuation of that recorded in east and central Lancashire. From the Lancashire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) study (Lancashire CC, 2002) average enclosure size across Lancashire is approximately equally divided between small (less than 4 ha) and medium-sized fields (4 -16 ha) with only a small percentage of large fields (over 16 ha). Small enclosures are almost absent from West Lancashire south of the Ribble and north-east Lancashire. They predominate in the south-eastern quarter of the county, around the Ribble Valley and East Lancashire. Furthermore, most enclosure in Lancashire is irregular in layout. These patterns, coupled with their small size, point to enclosure by individual farmers for their own use or by agreement of small groups over a considerable period of time. It is typical Ancient Countryside as described by Oliver Rackham (Rackham 1999, 1-5) - a countryside of hamlets and dispersed settlement, of irregular ancient woodland, of an intricate pattern of footpaths and routeways and of intricacy and diversity rather than uniformity and plan. The HLC- generated map of boundary shape shows a high correlation between wavy-edged enclosure and Ancient Enclosure. This is expected, as wavy edges are a defining attribute in identifying Ancient Enclosure (Lancashire CC, 2002). 62 For ancient and early post-medieval enclosures: "…early historic field systems are irregular, asymmetrical, relatively small land units, often with sinuous or curved boundaries, threaded by cartways and droveways which may now be preserved by the footpath network" (Lancashire CC, 2002, 180) The wavy-edged enclosure of the Lancashire HLC can be regarded as a good, broad fit for the small and medium sized, semi-regular fields (as piecemeal enclosure) recorded by the Merseyside MHCP. Similarly, for Straight-sided regular enclosures: "… this type of enclosure includes the drainage and reclamation schemes of the 17th- 19th centuries for the wetlands and meres of South-West and North Lancashire, as well as the organised enclosure of waste and common in the later 18th -19th centuries. It also includes alteration of small-scale, irregular early enclosure to large, more regular farming units for pasture and mechanised arable farming". (Lancashire HLC, 2003,182-3) The straight-sided enclosure pattern recorded by the Lancashire HLC is a good broad fit for the small to medium regular fields (as surveyed enclosure) recorded by the MHCP. 63 Figure 19 Current (2003) Helens Field Systems in St Helens by Broad Period of origin (© Crown Copyright and database right 2003. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 100019088. English Heritage) Furthermore, the Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) for St Helens (St Helens Council and Land Use Consultants, 2006) recorded a range of landscape character types that are broadly (though not wholly) compatible with the MHCP study. The St Helens LCA recorded broad landscape character types and example character areas where Character areas and types were defined by a number of key landform, geomorphological or topographical characteristics. The MHCP used the more generic or broad-brush 'Broad Type' and 'Sub Type' fields, to describe past and present field use. Sub Type shape and size attributes were used to indicate use, development and origins. However, the St Helens LCA did record the general fieldscape pattern and landuse within each Character Type, which could then be compared to MHCP fieldscapes - where an overlap occurs (for selected areas) the details are summarised in each sub-section. 64 St Helens St Helens LCA LCA Character Types Character Areas Number Reference PH1 Billinge Hill Summit 1 PH Prominent Hill PH2 Billinge Hill Slopes AM1 Holiday Moss AM2 Holland Moss 2 AM Agricultural Moss AM3 Simonswood Moss AM4 Highfield Moss AM5 Reed’s Moss BRS1 Arch Lane Slopes BRS2 Weathercock Slopes 3 BRS Broad Rural Slopes BRS3 Rainford Slopes BRS4 Sankey Slopes BRS5 Rainhill Slopes RV1 Carr Mill Dam 4 RV River Valley RV2 Sankey Valley WFE1 Garswood Park WFE2 Haydock Park 5 WFE Wooded Former Estate WFE3 Old Garswood Park WFE4 Bold Hall EF1 Elton Head Hall Farm 6 EF Edge Farmland EF2 Blundell’s Hill FF1 Sutton Fringe FF2 Sutton Manor Fringe 7 FF Floodplain Farmland FF3 Clock Face Farming FF4 Bold Heath Undulating Farmland with UFW1 Agricultural 8 UFW Woodland Mossborough 9 IFV Intimate Farmed Valley IFV1 Agricultural Eccleston Table 10 St Helens Landscape Character Types and Areas Containing Fieldscapes (adapted from the LCA for St Helens. (St Helens Council & LUC, 2006, 40-41) 65 No evidence for prehistoric enclosure was recognised during the MHCP study; the earliest enclosure identified in St Helens is thought to have originated in the post medieval period. Much of the land is made up of piecemeal enclosure formed in the 17th to 19th century, surveyed enclosure formed in the mid to late 19th century, and agglomerated fields formed in the later 20th century. The regular, predominantly small-sized surveyed enclosure fields in the north-western part of the district represent former mossland that has been drained and improved. There are some areas where earlier enclosure patterns are still visible within the landscape, including pockets of piecemeal enclosure and small but significant areas of former small, semi-regular open fields to the north, west and southwest of the Borough. Areas of late post medieval and early modern surveyed enclosure have also survived. 1.19% 11.87% 0.71% 3.08% 12.03% 28.25% 23.17% Irregular / Small Fields Irregular /Medium Fields Regular / Large Fields Regular / Medium Fields 19.70% Regular / Small Fields Semi Regular / Large Fields Semi Regular / Medium Fields Semi Regular / Small Fields Figure 20 Pie Chart of Current (2003) St Helens Field System Sub Type (% of land) 66 Current 1850 1893 1939 2003 Field System Sub Type (Hectares) (Hectares) (Hectares) (Hectares) Irregular Medium 0 33.48 22.84 46.86 Irregular Small 944.83 78.93 90.07 78.88 Semi-regular Large 48.64 415.03 649.95 1301.49 Semi-regular Medium 425.87 1979.1 2367 1866.72 Semi-regular Small 7014.8 2289.2 1386.1 784.07 Regular Large 0 23.87 81.00 203.53 Regular Medium 135.59 1754.6 1731.10 795.08 Regular Small 2409.30 3666.10 2953.4 1530.68 Table 11 St Helens Field System Sub Type through time 8000 7000 6000 Irregular / Small Fields 5000 Irregular /Medium Fields s e r Regular / Large Fields a t 4000 c e Regular / Medium Fields H Regular / Small Fields 3000 Semi Regular / Large Fields 2000 Semi Regular / Medium Fields Semi Regular / Small Fields 1000 0 1850 1893 1939 Current Epoch Figure 21 Graphical Representation of St Helens Field System Sub Type through time 67 9.1.1 Small Irregular Fields (Irregular / Small) 9.1.2 Medium Irregular Fields (Irregular / Medium) 9.1.3 Small Semi-regular Fields (Semi-regular / Small) 9.1.4 Medium Semi-regular Fields (Semi-regular / Medium) Piecemeal Enclosure Because of their irregular to semi-regular shape, and small to medium size, these four field types can be grouped to comprise piecemeal enclosure.