8B: BASINGSTOKE OPEN DOWNS Seasonally parched open arable landscape in high summer from A339 - low often fragmented hedge lines. Dramatic far reaching views across the North Hampshire lowlands. South of Sherborne St John – some Shothanger cross roads above Woodland below Woodgarston farm modern development has started toBasingstoke to the north west © – site of former chalk pits which extend into lower slopes of the area Andrew Smith Geograph dotted the area © Andrew Smith. Roman road at Worting – forms a Outside Basingstoke high proportion Low density nucleated pattern of strong rural settlement boundary ©of historic buildings – timber framed small settlements - Cliddesden Sebastian Ballard - Geograph and typically orange red brick. Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Basingstoke Open Downs Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Basingstoke Open Downs 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 This character area comprises an area of downland which forms a shallow bowl, within which the settlement of Basingstoke is located at the head of the River Loddon. It is the topography and settlement that unify this area. The northern boundary of this character area is particularly marked as a result of a dramatic change in geology to the lower lying heaths and clays. To the south the change is more transitional as the land rises onto an elevated and often wooded chalk plateau. The western and southern boundaries are marked by a gradual transition to a more enclosed mosaic of farmland and woodland. 1.2 Component County Landscape Types Open Downs 1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: Basingstoke and Dean Basingstoke Down The boundaries of this LCA are similar to those of the character area above. 1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA 130: Hampshire Downs and JCA 129: Thames Basin Heaths NA 78: Hampshire Downs and NA 66: London Basin 1.5 Townscape assessment areas: Basingstoke 2.0 Key Characteristics • Rolling chalk landform with broad sweeping undulations, forming a bowl around the head of the River Loddon and north facing slopes which extend down to the lower lying heaths. • Extensive tracts of intensive arable cultivation defined by well trimmed hedgerows or ancient tracks and footpaths. • Visible framework of winding ancient lanes and tracks which formed boundaries to extensive open field systems and lead up to higher ground. • Generally low woodland cover with scattered blocks of woodland and stronger hedgerow structure in southern parts of the area. • An archaeologically significant area, with settlement and exploitation going back to prehistoric times. Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Basingstoke Open Downs • Extensive areas of mid to late 20thC. urban development of Basingstoke which is visible, mainly from within the character area. • Major transportation routes include a Roman road, Basingstoke Canal, railway and M3. • Remote and quiet landscape outside of built up areas. • Beyond the major settlement of Basingstoke the landscape is lightly populated with low density nucleated villages and occasional farmsteads. • Sense of openness, space and emptiness, especially when climbing up out of the bowl shape landform where Basingstoke sits. 3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 This landscape is underlain by chalk with occasional deposits of clay with flint particularly in the north and west. The gently rolling topography of the landscape has developed as a result of the erosion of the chalk. The bowl shape of the area forms the head of the River Loddon valley. 3.2 This landscape comprises a large scale pattern of arable fields with low, well trimmed hedgerows which are weak and broken in places. Woodland blocks are infrequent although where they occur or form shelter belts they are visually dominant e.g. north of Piccadilly Hill or along Rooksdown Lane. In places there are small patches of grassland on steep slopes and areas of parkland e.g. Worting Park or adjacent to historic villages e.g. Cliddesden. Close to the urban edge of Basingstoke some land is used for recreation purposes e.g. Basingstoke Golf Course and Weybrook Park Golf Club. 3.3 This area falls within the Environment Agency Loddon catchment area. The tributary to the River Loddon flows through the central developed area of Basingstoke but it is not a major feature of the town. Due to the porous chalk geology there are no other watercourses within this character area. 4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 Beyond the urban area this landscape has an open and exposed character with little shelter from vegetation. Extensive views across gently rolling landform to the north and across Basingstoke are possible from the upper rim of the area. Horizons are typically open with distinctive rounded and flowing land forms. 4.2 Footpaths and bridleways tend to follow former drove road routes across the downs although they are not prolific, leaving large swathes of arable farmland relatively inaccessible. 4.3 This landscape has only moderate or low tranquillity overall as a result of the influence of the urban conurbation of Basingstoke, the major communication networks such as the railway and M3, and recreational uses of the landscape e.g. golf courses at Basingstoke Golf Club. There is also considerable night blight from Basingstoke on the surrounding downland landscape. Collectively these influences serve to undermine the sense of remoteness experienced here. Nevertheless there remains a sharp contrast between the open simplicity of the downland farmland compared to the enclosure created by the urban area of Basingstoke. Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Basingstoke Open Downs 5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This is an arable landscape with some improved grassland. There are some very small patches of unimproved grassland but these tend to be isolated within the productive, agricultural landscape. The east of this area comprises urban land, with residential development, industry and Basingstoke town centre. Within the urban area, open land such as amenity grassland and sports pitches provide habitat variation. Gardens also provide some habitat opportunity and variation, as do street trees and other planting. 5.2 Woodland cover is low; there is one significant area of parkland/ woodland over grassland in the north east of the area, on the interface of the urban and agricultural landscapes. Other woodland is mainly broadleaved woodland with some mixed plantation. Woodland tends to be linear, enclosing farmsteads or fields. 5.3 There are few SINCs within this landscape character area, all are small in size and most are designated for their ancient woodland resource. This LCA contains Daneshill Park Wood LNR and Popley Ponds LNR. 6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 Archaeologically this character area is very significant. 6.1.2 A number of Mesolithic items have been found in this area and it is clear that it was being utilised during the Mesolithic, evidence points in particular to the immediate flanks of the Loddon itself. 6.1.3 It is important to note the close correlation between the open downland landscape type and Neolithic Long Barrows and settlement i.e. the reasons which led to open downland are to a large degree co-incident with those areas showing the earliest evidence of occupation and exploitation. It seems likely that the open downland areas were enclosed and settled at the early stages of landscape development. There is a Long Barrow in Basingstoke, and a Neolithic settlement was recently found within this character area during recent development to the north of Basingstoke. A considerable amount of Neolithic flint work was found in the Basingstoke area by early collectors. 6.1.4 Likewise in the Bronze Age there is evidence of both settlement and burial mounds of sufficient presence to suggest that the area was being intensively utilised in this period. Where in other areas it has been suggested that areas were exploited extensively by settled populations in adjacent areas, it is areas like this landscape character area that would have been settled and were exploiting adjacent less sparsely settled or wild areas. 6.1.5 This pattern continues into the Iron Age with a dense cluster of settlement sites and the Iron Age hill fort at Winklebury. But the evidence also seems to suggest that by the Iron Age the peculiar focus of intense settlement onto the Basingstoke area has further enhanced, in common with only a handful of other places in Hampshire. The existing importance of this part of the Loddon valley can be seen by the fact that the Roman road from the north to the south bends to pass through Basingstoke rather than pass to the west which is the direct route. Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Basingstoke Open Downs 6.1.6 In the Roman period too the Basingstoke area was densely settled in a manner paralleled in only a few places in Hampshire. The Portland Roman road which connected Silchester to Winchester forms the western limit of the present day town. 6.1.7 The mechanisms of the lineage between the open downland of the present landscape and the earliest origins of this landscape are not discernible, but the evidence shows that it is a landscape that has the origins of its evolution in the Neolithic and is a landscape which has evolved throughout the prehistoric, settled, occupied and intensively utilised. 6.2 Historic Landscape 6.2.1 Although