2H: LOCKERLEY WOODED FARMLAND Undulating predominantly permanent pasture and assart woodland landscape a common characteristic throughout the character area Tytherley Common Small to medium size irregular assart Lockerley Hall Park – larger field field pattern, with medium to large pattern – but still of assart character blocks of woodland. Lockerley Hall lodge Scattered development along Straight road character through the Frenchmoor Lane. former common land at Tytherley. Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Lockerley Wooded Farmland . Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Lockerley Wooded Farmland 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 This character area is located in the west of the County north of the River Dun valley and west of the main Itchen Valley. It is boarded to the east by the County boundary although the character area extends beyond this administrative line to join with character area 14a Farley Forest – Heathland Mosaic. To the north the area is flanked by a rising chalk dip slope comprising LCA 7E. 1.2 Component County Landscape Types Lowland Mosaic Medium Scale 1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: Test Valley District Tytherley and Montisfont Wooded Farmland Broughton Downs (in part) The boundaries of this character are is broadly similar to those defined in the Test Valley District character assessment. The main variations relate to the definition of the Test Valley character area (this County assessment includes the upper valley slopes as well as the valley floor), and the northern boundary which is drawn further south the exclude the Tytherley villages. 1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA 132: Salisbury Plain & West Wiltshire Downs, JCA 130: Hampshire Downs NA 80: South Wessex Downs, NA 78: Hampshire Downs 2.0 Key Characteristics • An inlier of London Clay and Reading Beds surrounded by Upper Chalk giving rise to a gently undulating landform. • International designation Mottisfont Woods SAC supports a rare breeding population of Barbastelle bats within a mixed woodland habitat. • Meadow habitats support rare species of butterflies. • A well wooded enclosed landscape with extensive areas of coniferous and broadleaved native woodlands throughout the area. • Landuse comprises a mixture of pasture and woodland with some areas of arable. • Field pattern is generally small to medium scale defined by thick hedgerows. • Infield trees and veteran parkland trees are a notable feature along with the parkland landscape and mansion associated with Lockerley Hall. • Pattern of well dispersed farmsteads and linear settlement fringing former common areas. Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Lockerley Wooded Farmland • North-south road pattern comprising rural shady lanes, sometimes sunken. 3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 Geologically this landscape comprises Reading Beds overlain with an inlier of London Clay resulting in an irregular and gently undulating landfom of small valleys, local knolls, ridges and depressions. Soils are generally heavy clay although becoming lighter and sandy towards the margins of this area. Broadly this landscape dips southwards with the highest land around 100m AOD at Poplar Farm in the north and dropping to 40m AOD in the south. Agricultural land quality is predominately medium with patches of better quality land on elevated areas in the west and east where drainage is better. 3.2 This is a well wooded landscape which contrasts with the more open chalk landscapes that surround it. Much is characterised by extensive ancient semi-natural woodland and semi-natural woodland with active coppice. Significant areas of woodland have also been replanted and now comprise mixed species including conifer. Beyond the woodland is a pastoral landscape comprising mainly improved pasture and interspersed with small patches of arable and rotational grassland. These land uses occur in a well defined hedgerow pattern with hedgerow trees and in places there are free standing veteran or in field trees reflecting parkland influences. As a result of the heavy clay soils, oak is the most common tree species. Some of the stream valleys have areas of wet pasture where the ground is locally waterlogged. 3.3 The area falls within the Environment Agency Lower Test catchment area. A number of small streams run though this landscape in a north south direction emerging as springs at the interface with the chalk landscape to the north and draining into the River Dun Valley to the south. Small ponds and lakes are a feature of the area. 4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 The extensive area of woodland and strong network of hedgerows and hedgerow trees creates an intimate and enclosed landscape which is inward looking. Views are often short and intermittent, framed by areas of woodland. The parkland character found over extensive parts of this landscape also creates a well managed and tamed quality. 4.2 There are no long distance footpaths through this area although there are numerous public rights of way and bridleways which provide access to farmland and woodland. Upper Frenchmoor Copse and Spearywell Wood are also areas of openly accessible woodland. 4.3 The enclosure and heavily wooded character creates a strong sense of seclusion with notable areas of tranquillity and peacefulness. 5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This landscape character area encompasses internationally important habitat, including Mottisfont Woods SAC, important for its population of the rare barbastelle bats. It is one of only six known maternity sites in the UK (2002 data) and the only one in Hampshire. Mottisfont contains a mix of woodland types . Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Lockerley Wooded Farmland including hazel coppice with standards, broadleaved plantation and coniferous plantation which the bats use for breeding, roosting, commuting and feeding. The Montisfont Woodlands are also a SSSI. 5.2 Other SSSIs include Bentley Woods (comprising of a large complex of ancient woodland which has been replanted during the post-war period with a mixture of conifers and native hardwoods including oak, beech, Norway spruce, Scots pine and Corsican pine and which is one of the top sites in the UK for supporting a wide range of butterfly species particularly woodland butterflies). 5.3 Beyond the designations this landscape character area consists of a range of habitats notably mosaics of woodland and unproductive grasslands, amongst agriculturally productive land. Woodland character varies, with some broadleaved woodland, which is predominantly ancient and semi-natural woodland, plantations (mixed, coniferous and broadleaved) and areas of new trees. Grassland tends to be neutral/ acidic and unimproved, there are also patches of unimproved and semi-improved neutral grasslands. There are occasional patches of marshy grassland, particularly in the south west of the area. These provide important habitat variation. 5.4 The majority of this landscape character area is covered by the Tytherley Woods BOA which comprises a dense concentration of ancient semi-natural woodlands extending from the Wiltshire border to the grasslands of the Test Valley. 5.5 There are over 30 SINCs in this landscape character area, the majority have been designated because of their ancient and semi natural woodland, suggesting a high concentration of ancient woodland within the area. Pullins Copse/ Blackpit Wood is the largest (65ha) and was designated for its value as an ancient and semi-natural woodland and because associated grasslands retain a significant element of unimproved grassland. 6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 Located to the north of the River Dun, this landscape’s Mesolithic finds are associated with the Dun valley with a particular concentration towards the confluence with the Test Valley. It seems likely that exploitation of this area at this time was associated with the valleys. 6.1.2 This is also reflected in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages where there are similarly no Neolithic sites or long barrows, or Bronze Age burial mounds or Bronze Age settlements. This would suggest that this area was not settled or farmed during these periods although some artefacts mainly associated with the River Dun suggest exploitation. 6.1.3 In the Iron age there are three hillforts in the lowland belt to the west of the Test valley, one of which falls within this area. This is part of a pattern of isolated Hillforts that are dispersed through this lowland zone, but without a settled landscape surrounding them. There are no other Iron Age settlements or any Celtic field systems in this area, although there is an Iron Age enclosure to the east on the flank of the Test valley. It would seem that in the Iron Age the area was not settled and . Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Lockerley Wooded Farmland farmed, but the Hillforts appear to have played a role in controlling the use of the landscape implying that it was being extensively rather than intensively used. 6.1.4 In the Roman period too there is very little archaeological evidence, although there are Roman villas in the Dun valley. 6.1.5 It would appear that this area did not evolve as a settled and farmed landscape until into the medieval period. It emerges in the medieval period as forest, suggested by the deer park, moats and fish pond recorded, and probably was extensively exploited through this time, such as through grazing and woodland management. The high presence of woodland in the landscape even today suggests this character. It seems likely that the modern landscape has developed since the 12th or 13th centuries when the forest controls were relaxed and land made available for farming. 6.2 Historic Landscape 6.2.1 There are two specific influences reflected in the historic landscape, notably the parkland associated with Lockerley Hall and East Tytherley and the presence of woodland and small scale assart enclosures.