LANDSCAPE AND THE MONTGOMERY CANAL CORRIDOR Contents 1 General 2 2 Summary of the landscape character 2 2.1 Natural habitats 3 2.2 Historical background 4 2.3 The modern landscape 5 3 Existing landscape designations 8 4 Restoration 9 4.1 Restoration of the channel and associated structures 11 4.2 Improving access to the canal 14 4.3 The provision of nature reserves 16 5 Additional opportunities 17 References 19 Appendices 20 1 1 . General The restoration of Britain’s waterways is perceived to play a key role in the regeneration of urban and rural areas which have fallen into decline. It provides an opportunity for environmental enhancement as well as the maintenance and conservation of a unique aspect of Britain’s built landscape. Canals, by their very nature, form an integral part of the landscape through which they pass and it is thus vital that their restoration is in keeping with the character of this landscape so that it enhances rather than disrupts the visual effect. There are several extant in-depth studies of the landscape corridor through which the Montgomery Canal passes and this review will briefly summarise the landscape character identified in these reports and draw conclusions as to how the restoration of the might affect this landscape. The extent of the landscape reviewed in this study can be seen on the map at appendix 1. 2 . Summary of the landscape character. Built between 1794 and 1821 the Montgomery canal runs for some 53km from its junction with the Llangollen canal at Lower Frankton in Shropshire to Newtown in Powys, the majority of the canal (36 km) being in Powys. For much of its length the canal follows the valley of the river Severn, hugging the western side of the valley before diverging eastwards onto the Shropshire 2 plain after crossing the river Vyrnwy. Somewhat narrow and steep sided at its southern end near Newtown the valley widens gradually to become flat bottomed with the river following a meandering course. This valley also provides the route for A483 trunk road linking the 3 major towns of Oswestry, Welshpool and Newtown as well as many smaller settlements. The landscape bordering the canal is rural in character and there are indications that it has been occupied for several millennia. 2.1 Natural Habitats The natural vegetation of the landscape surrounding the canal corridor would have been woodland except where the land was particularly wet. After many thousands of years of settlement little remains of the ancient forest on the valley floor or hilltops, the fragments which remain cling to the steeper slopes of the valley sides (appendix 2) and consist of sessile oak, ash and wych elm with some beech, sycamore, field maple, cherry, small leafed lime and silver birch. Most of the other woodland which is now evident results from human planting, both of broadleaf and conifers. Species rich unimproved grassland again only exists as isolated patches. Most grassland in the valley corridor is the result of agriculture – either as rough grazing or improved grassland. The Severn valley supports several important wetland sites and associated nature reserves and there are a number of small areas of pools, fens and 3 mosses in the Shropshire end of the corridor. It should also be remembered that the Montgomery Canal and its associated offline reserves is an important wetland site in its own right with a number of SSSI designations and a cSAC designation for the stretch in Wales. 2.2 Historical background. There is archaeological evidence to suggest that the lowland and surrounding hills through which the canal passes has been inhabited and exploited by humans since Neolithic times. The Kerry Ridgeway, which forms the landscape’s southern border, has been and important line of communication since prehistoric times and the remains of number of early forts on the surrounding hills is evidence of attempts to control the native population and their communication routes. Later in prehistory and in the Roman occupation the signs of farming activity begin to appear and the early medieval period adds church building and the construction of Offa’s and Wat’s dykes to the region. Little is known of the time immediately following the Norman Conquest but the influence of the Normans and the rise of the Marcher Barons from the 12th C onwards, together with the remains of their numerous motte and bailey castles, illustrates the attempts to impose a foreign culture on the landscape. Gradually, villages began to develop around those churches which had been built in early medieval times. Around the villages agricultural development gathered pace and to add to this the Cistercian order founded Strata Marcella Abbey just to the north of what is now Welshpool. In the post-medieval and early modern periods a number of large estates were 4 founded, and between the 17th and 19th centuries gardens and parklands were laid out around the mansions of the larger estates. These give the modern landscape much of its character. The establishment of the canal in the late 18th century to move limestone from the local quarries, especially around Llanymynech and Pant, brought some industry, such as wharves and limekilns, to its boundaries. Later in the 19th century the railway introduced its distinctive features into the landscape. Historic Lime Kiln - Llanymynech 2.3 The Modern Landscape This long history has provided a rich legacy of different features to furnish the modern landscape, which is predominantly of an attractive rural character. Mostly pastoral in scope, substantial areas of pasture alternate with some rough grazing and, more particularly towards the Shropshire end of the canal, 5 an admixture of arable farming. In Shropshire the landform can be described as gently undulating, in contrast with the more hilly landscape of Powys with the Severn valley becoming narrower and steeper sided as it approaches Newtown. Of significance, and marking the border between England and Wales, are the steep and quarry scarred Breidden and Llanymynech hills. Wooded landscape in the canal corridor Although there is little natural woodland remaining in the region there is a “wooded” feel to the landscape with trees in small copses, rows or hedgerows with some mature “standard” trees in fields. The parkland mentioned above lends a great deal to this sense of woodedness with fine mature trees lining roads, as groves or as individual specimens. Although many of these trees are native a substantial group of Californian Redwood, planted at Leighton Hall, remains a significant feature of the canal landscape. The tree lined disused railways around Llanymynech also contribute to this wooded vista. 6 Most farm boundary features are mature hedgerows containing standard trees, with very little in the way of post and wire. The primary building material in the region is brick with slate roofing although there are some local stone buildings around the quarries at Llanymynech and Pant and some black and white half-timbered buildings at Berriew. That said there has been some development both on farms and other areas bordering the canal which is quite out of sympathy with the landscape. Modern metal silos on farms and storage compounds and working areas can be quite unsightly and, even when some attempt has been made to shield them, inappropriate means, such as Leylandii hedging, has often been used. Farm Silos near Pant A review of the canal corridor reveals an interesting landscape containing a range of man-made and natural habitats providing visual variety, from the relatively flat and open northern sections to the more enclosed and narrow valley to the south. A varied traditional mix of arable, pasture and woodland use remains with a changing emphasis between the elements as one moves 7 down the canal corridor. The canal complements this landscape and has attractive features of its own. 3 . Existing landscape designations In “The Character of England” the Countryside Commission and English Nature have defined landscape areas of distinct character. Two of these character areas are represented in the canal corridor, the Oswestry Uplands and the Shropshire Plain. In addition Shropshire County Council have identified the valley of the river Severn as an Area of Special Landscape Character; this also includes the valley of the Vyrnwy, a tributary of the Severn (appendix 3 and 4). In Wales Powys County Council have identified Llanymynech Hill, The Breiddins and Long Mountain as Special Landscape Areas within the canal corridor. In 1992 the then Montgomeryshire District Council also identified a number of Landscape Character Areas which are still extant (appendix 5). In the canal corridor these are The FloodPlain around the lower Severn and Vyrnwy valleys. Broad River Valley including the Severn, Vyrnwy, Guilsfield, Trewern and Camlad valleys. Shallow Rolling Hills near Arddleen, Forden and Llanmerewig. 8 Isolated Border Hills of Llanymynech Hill, The Breiddins and Long Mountain. Given the historic and architectural significance of the Montgomery Canal, support for designation of a conservation area covering the whole canal has been given in principle by Planning Committees of the relevant Local Authorities. 4 . Restoration The canal and its associated historical structures, even in their current underused state, have been an integral part of the landscape for over 200 years, providing mellow buildings and fringing hedges, trees and emergent vegetation. Community consultation studies carried out as part of the CMS have shown that the contribution the canal and its associated buildings make to the existing landscape is greatly valued, both by local people and visitors to the area. Consultation also shows that there is substantial support for sensitive restoration of the canal to navigation and improved access for informal leisure activities. Considerable opportunity exists for enhancement of the landscape in the immediate vicinity of the canal, not only by the restoration of existing structures but by creation of new, desirable, habitat such as ponds and planting of additional hedges and native trees.