Area 3 Ashwicke Ridge

Area 3 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Ashwick Ridge Ashwick Area 3 Ashwicke Ridge Contents Sketch map 46 Key characteristics 47 Location 48 Physical influences 48 Land cover 49 Settlement and infrastructure 50 Landscape character 51 The changing landscape 52 Landscape strategy 54 Photographs Landscape character area boundary www.southglos.gov.uk 45 Area 3 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Ashwick Ridge Ashwick 8 å 7 ã 3 •6 â •2 5 á Key 4 ã å8 Photograph viewpoints Scale: not to scale 1 Figure 10 è Ashwicke Ridges Sketch Map 46 www.southglos.gov.uk Area 3 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Ashwick Ridge Ashwick Area 3 Ashwicke Ridges The Ashwicke Ridges landscape character area is a complex area of ridges and valleys covered by a diverse and varied mix of agricultural fields and N woodlands. Key Characteristics ¡ An area of complex landform, comprising ¡ Small copses including ancient woodlands a small plateau area of rounded upland with connectivity via hedgerows and dry hills, steep sided ridges, incised and broad stone walls provides habitat for notable valleys. species including European Protected Species across the area ¡ Distinctive and harmonious landscape framework, with a variety of characteristics ¡ Arable farmland provides nesting associated with different landforms. opportunities in the spring and foraging Extensive views are possible over the area potential in the winter for farmland birds from many points along the upper ridges. including Amber and Red listed species. ¡ Part of the area around The Rocks has ¡ Enclosed, incised and wooded St been identified as forming part of the wider Catherine’s Brook valleys, with irregular setting of the Bath World Heritage site3. medium to small unimproved pastoral fields, with clipped and overgrown hedges. ¡ Open uplands of medium, regular shaped mixed pasture and arable fields, with ¡ Broad open Hamswell Valley with irregular clipped hedges and occasional Cotswold shaped fields, clipped/ overgrown hedges stone walls. & irregular framework of mature trees within hedgerows and along watercourses. ¡ Significant areas of calcareous and neutral The Freezing Hill beech trees form a grassland supporting a diverse and prominent skyline feature. species rich range of flora. ¡ No major settlements are present, buildings are scattered and infrequent, isolated houses and farms are united through the use of Cotswold stone. ¡ Main roads are limited, but locally visible 3 City of Bath World Heritage Site Setting: Supplementary Planning and audible. Document August 2014 http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ sitedocuments/Environment/Landscape/WHS/whs_spd_low_res.pdf www.southglos.gov.uk 47 Area 3 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Ashwick Ridge Ashwick a.o.d. on top of the hills; Hanging Hill in the west Location is the highest point, marked by a mast. The Ashwicke Ridges landscape character area is located in the south east of South Gloucestershire The small scale, steeply sided ‘V’-shaped St within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Catherine’s Brook valley occupies the eastern half Beauty. of the area. Numerous tributaries within their own side valleys, often fed by springs, feed the tightly This landscape character area is defined to the meandering St Catherine’s Brook, producing a east and south by the South Gloucestershire visually varied valley of descending interlocking Authority boundary, although the landscape spurs (Photo 7). character of the ridges and valleys extends beyond this boundary into Wiltshire and Bath and The South Gloucestershire boundary (southern North East Somerset. boundary to this area) follows the St Catherine’s Brook east and then south east, before it The northern boundary follows an often distinct eventually joins the River Avon at Bath. topographical change between the adjacent Marshfield Plateau and the upper valley edges of North and east, a plateau area rises to Henley Hill this area. (Figure 7) To the west, this boundary in the east near Marshfield. It is separated from first abuts the Cotswold Scarp character area, the adjacent Marshfield Plateau character area (Figure 13) following the ridgeline of Freezing by the steep sided, easterly draining Doncombe Hill, before descending to follow an approximate Brook valley and the upper tributary valley of St mid slope topographical boundary with the Catherine’s Brook. Golden Valley character area. The boundary then descends further to the A431, which forms There are two ponds and two reservoirs within a boundary with the Avon Valley character area. side valleys of the St Catherine’s Brook valley. (See Figure 49). Monkswood Reservoir is a man-made lake located within the western reaches of this valley system (Photo 6). The South Gloucestershire Physical Influences boundary passes through the centre of this The underlying geology is principally a mix feature. To the east of the area is the small of Fuller’s Earth, Great Oolitic Limestone and Oakford Reservoir and two pools. Midford and Yeovil Sands. The Midford and Yeovil Sands follow the valley bottom. Fuller’s High ground of a second Henley Hill to the south Earth on the valley sides and Great Oolitic of Cold Ashton, separates St Catherine’s Brook Limestone dominates the rounded exposed from the Hamswell Valley to the west. The upper uplands. reaches of the Hamswell Valley are broad open bowl contained to the west by Freezing Hill The varied mix of soils present is closely linked (Photo 5). It is drained to the south by the small to the underlying geology, where Brown Earth and sinuous Lam Brook and its small tributaries, Loam over Clay follows the valley floors, typical which are fed by springs. This valley continues Calcareous Pelosols lie on the valley sides and south eastwards beyond the area, to the River Brown Rendzinas on the exposed uplands. Avon at Bath. This varied, tightly interwoven mix of geology has The saddle landform between Freezing Hill along influenced topography, creating an undulating the western boundary and Hanging Hill to the and varied landform of small plateau areas with west, forms a prominent break in continuity of the rounded hills, steep sided ridges, incised and upland landform. broad valleys. Height varies from 70 metres a.o.d. within the valleys to between 180 and 235 metres The ridgeline of Hanging Hill runs westwards, 48 www.southglos.gov.uk Area 3 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Ashwick Ridge Ashwick with side slopes falling north west into the Deciduous and mixed areas of woodland are Golden Valley character area (Photo 1) and south distributed within these valleys. Distribution into the Pipley Bottom Valley. It appears as a includes small areas around major houses, physical continuation of the Cotswold Scarp, isolated deciduous linear woodland often along although separated by a saddle, within views from the upper valley edges and an extensive area of character areas to the west. mixed woodland clothing the entire valley sides and a hill top of one tributary valley in the east. The steep sided ‘V’-shaped Pipley Bottom Valley drains westwards into the River Avon on the Many of these areas of woodland have been boundary of this area. The South Gloucestershire designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest boundary follows the Pipley streamcourse, the (SSSIs) or as Sites of Nature Conservation southern valley slopes lying within Bath and North Interest (SNCIs). East Somerset. Woodland, in conjunction with linear hedgerow trees and overgrown hedgerows, produces Land Cover strong tree cover within this local area, in the The Ashwicke Ridges landscape character area south east (Photo 8). includes a diverse range of land cover, closely related to landform. To the west, the upper Hamswell Valley and sides of Freezing Hill and Hanging Hill include The upland undulating hills, located along the a more regular pattern of medium sized arable northern boundary and within the eastern central and pasture fields. They are defined by clipped area of the landscape character area, form a hedges, which in places are overgrown, including transitional landscape between the adjacent an irregular pattern of mature hedgerow trees Marshfield Plateau and incised valleys of this area. (Photo 5). This local area also includes limited small areas of woodland, with one large area to Land cover largely consists of regular shaped, the east of Hanging Hill. medium sized, arable and pasture fields bounded by clipped hedges, stock proof fencing, some The highly prominent line of beech trees on Cotswold stone walls and limited tree cover. In Freezing Hill is a notable landmark for some great the east, at Henley Hill, is an extensive area of distance, both within and beyond the South woodland on the hill and valley slopes, rather than Gloucestershire area to the north and west. the hilltops, comprising linear blocks and a large continuous area of mixed woodland clothing the Historic relics and cultural associations within valley slopes of the Doncombe Brook valley. the landscape include the Roman road, The Fosse Way, earthworks, tumuli, field systems and To the south and west the valleys comprise steep battlefields. Traces of mediaeval field systems slopes of convex landform, becoming concave in the form of strip

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