Landscape Character Assessment Part 2

PART 2 THE CHARACTER OF THE WOKINGHAM LANDSCAPE 5 LANDSCAPE TYPE A: RIVER VALLEYS Landscape Character Areas A1: Thames River Valley A2: Loddon River Valley A3: Blackwater River Valley Characteristics of Landscape Type 5.1 There are three character areas classified as being of the River Valley landscape type. These correspond to the valleys of the Rivers Thames and Blackwater which respectively, define the north and south boundary of the district and the Loddon which bisects the district, in a south-north direction. This landscape type is distinguished by a flat lowland alluvial/river terrace floodplain supporting a mixture of arable and pastoral farmland generally set within a partially wooded context creating a semi-enclosed landscape. Key Characteristics • Flat to gently shelving. • Predominantly alluvial floodplain with some areas of river terrace. • Important wetland and marginal habitats. Wokingham District Landscape Character Assessment 52 • Pastoral fields and meadows with large arable fields further away from river. • Semi-enclosed landscape with open fields framed within a wooded backdrop. Relationship to Berkshire Landscape Character Assessment 5.2 The River Valley landscape type corresponds to Type B: Lower River Floodplain of the Berkshire Landscape Character Assessment. The particular character areas are B4: Hurley Thames, B6: Lower Loddon and B7: Blackwater. Generally, there is good parity between the boundaries of the landscape types. The main distinction is that two small areas within the valleys of the Thames and Blackwater have been separated into the River Valley with Open Water landscape type. Additionally, there have been some minor boundary changes due to the more detailed scale of this assessment including some areas where River Terraces have been distinguished from the main valley landscape. Wokingham District Landscape Character Assessment 53 Character Area A1: Thames River Valley A1: THAMES RIVER VALLEY DESCRIPTION Introduction 5.3 A1: Thames River Valley defines much of Wokingham’s northern boundary sweeping in a sinuous corridor some 13 km long between the village of Sonning, through Wargrave and Henley-on-Thames to Remenham and Aston at the district’s northernmost point. Characterised by a flat floodplain landscape dominated by the river, this character area is defined by the steep chalk slopes of the Remenham and Sonning Wooded Chalk Slopes (D1 and D2) within Wokingham district and the dramatic chalk hills of the Chilterns to the north; the resulting ‘borrowed character’ creating a distinctive sense of enclosure opening out where the Loddon joins the Thames near Wargrave. 5.4 The floodplain landscape is characterised by large pastoral and arable fields, divided by paths, ditches and post and wire fences, creating a sense of openness on the floodplain. Through the heart of the landscape flows the River Thames, a large impressive river, popular with recreational users. The Thames exhibits large-scale meanders but is often hidden behind belts of bankside woodland. The Thames is joined by a network of smaller rivers, streams and channels. The channels are frequently lined with pollards forming important landscape features. The floodplain appears relatively unsettled. However, at the periphery of the character area, above the flood level, there are a number of small hamlets and the nuclei of some of the larger settlements, which have subsequently expanded away from the floodplain. In some parts such as around Charvil, access to the floodplain is limited, creating a locally strong sense of remoteness. Views of parklands and manor houses associated with the adjoining valley sides also create an impression of settlement and are important features of the landscape. 5.5 This stretch of the Thames has been a popular source of artistic inspiration - drawn by the water-dominant landscape clothed by Wokingham District Landscape Character Assessment 54 Character Area A1: Thames River Valley stretches of pasture, its architectural grandeur, vernacular detail and the special character of rural river-side villages and hamlets. The status of the Thames as a nationally-important river and its connotations and connection with the development of major English cities including Oxford and the capital London also add to its important perceptual qualities. Location and Boundaries 5.6 The Thames River Valley character area occupies a corridor in the north and north west of Wokingham. The corridor relates to the floodplain of the River Thames, which marks the county boundary between Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. Hence the northern/westernmost boundary of this area is represented by the district boundary, although in reality this character area extends beyond. To the south/east the boundary is clearly defined by landform – namely the limit of the floodplain. For much of the area this corresponds with the obvious break of the steep chalk slopes of D1: Remenham Wooded Chalk Slopes and D2: Sonning Wooded Chalk Slopes. This approximately follows the 35m AOD contour line, which, north of Wargrave, largely (although not exactly) follows the line of the A321 and Remenham Lane. The boundary is less distinct where the Loddon and Thames Floodplains meet near Twyford/Charvil. Here the boundary follows features that approximate division between these two contiguous landscape types. Key Characteristics • Dominated by the River Thames, a large navigable river with pronounced meanders, sometimes braided into faster flowing smaller streams and interconnected with drainage channels. Joined by a series of rivers, streams and channels. • Broad flat alluvial floodplain with pockets of River Terrace. • Accentuated and semi-enclosed by adjoining steeply-sloping, open and wooded chalk landscapes of the Chilterns. • Distinctive flat to gently shelving landform with adjoining strongly articulated chalk landscapes. Wokingham District Landscape Character Assessment 55 Character Area A1: Thames River Valley • Large open geometric fields of pasture and some arable farmland, often undivided or divided by drainage channels, paths or post and wire fences. • Wetland character including wet meadow, wet woodlands and waterside features such as pollarded willow, supporting rate and important species. • Popular recreational setting for rowing, canoeing, boating, fishing, walking and cycling with supporting facilities including boatyards, boatsheds, locks and towpaths. • Peaceful natural landscape with characteristic small-scale wetland features such as pollarded willows. • Small, nucleated and linear settlements clustered along the floodplain edge including hamlets (e.g. Aston) and the nuclei of larger towns and villages (e.g. Wargrave). • Distinctive vernacular character typified by the use of warm red brick and flint. • Views to prestigious large detached properties from the river. • Influenced by adjoining formal parkland landscapes characterised by exotic evergreens including the romantic Temple Island. • Peaceful, picturesque and largely rural qualities that have inspired literary and artistic interest. Physical Landscape 5.7 The area is characterised by the presence of the River Thames, a large and mature river, which is often invisible except at close range, being hidden by vegetation. The River Thames has large pronounced meanders, of which this character area is one, but at the local scale appears to follow a straight and smooth course. The Thames becomes braided and branching in parts: notably north of Charvil, where St Patrick’s Stream diverts and rejoins; and north of Wargrave where the Henerton Backwater is present. Along the main channel there are a Wokingham District Landscape Character Assessment 56 Character Area A1: Thames River Valley number of small islands or aits. There are also some locks, which are designed to assist navigation along the River. 5.8 The landscape surrounding the Thames is essentially a flat floodplain ranging from between 30 and 35m AOD, which in places is perceived to shelve very gently down to the water. The flatness (and openness) of this landscape is dramatically contrasted with some of the most elevated and steepest land in the area, particularly in the north where the floodplain abuts the precipitously rising Remenham Wooded Chalk Slopes and the strongly rolling hills of the Chilterns. Where the River Loddon joins the River Thames, west of Wargrave, the floodplain opens up becoming very wide and expansive. 5.9 The floodplain landscape is defined geologically by a wide alluvial corridor, which, in some areas, is abutted by pockets and bands of exposed first and second river terraces. These conditions gives rise to the argillic brown earth soils of the Thames series which vary from heavy loam soils over chalk to flint loam soils over gravel and lime- rich clayey floodplain soils which are influenced by the underlying middle chalk strata. Although the soils are generally well-drained and fertile they are subject to high groundwater and periodic flooding. Consequently, the area is a mosaic of arable and pastoral land uses including pasture and wet meadow in the most flood-prone areas, particularly close to the river, and arable farmland wherever conditions allow. Historic Environment 5.10 Clearance of woodland from the valley floor, in order to cultivate the fertile river gravels, may have started as early as the Neolithic and was largely complete by the Late Bronze Age. There is little visible evidence of this landscape although cropmarks reveal evidence of prehistoric/Romano-British settlement and

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