Owslebury and Corhampton Downs

7G: OWSLEBURY AND CORHAMPTON DOWNS View west into Corhampton bottom rich in assart woodland and remnant downland on the steeper slopes of the numerous undulations. There are numerous ‘mini’ scarpsGalley Down – large scale landscape Parkland such as at Longwood House such as Stephen’s Castle Down of former downland. associated with the areas with assart character Beacon Hill beeches from the MeonSeveral large estates exist e.g. at Old valley bottom farmsteads linked Valley Longwood estate – cottages. Several by sinuous lanes. Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Owslebury and Corhampton Downs . Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Owslebury and Corhampton Downs . 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 Located to the southeast of Winchester, this character area comprises the dip slope of the South Downs chalk landscape and is bordered to the east and west by the distinctive river valleys of the Itchen and Meon respectively. To the north lies the more elevated open chalk landscape ridge of the South Downs and to the south is lower lying land which slopes towards the coast. This LCA comprises a mixture of open and enclosed chalk landscapes, the latter reflecting an historic pattern of woodland clearance and early field enclosure. 1.2 Component County Landscape Types Downland Mosaic Large Scale, Downland Mosaic Small Scale, Open Downs. 1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: Winchester District South Winchester Downs Durley Claylands (part) Upper Meon Valley (part) This landscape character area shows a high degree of correlation with the character area South Winchester Downs as defined in the Winchester District local assessment. It strays slightly into the Upper Meon Valley to the west reflecting the break in slope of the upper valley sides and also into the Durley Claylands to the south where the change in character is transitional. 1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA125: South Downs NA 74: South Downs 2.0 Key Characteristics • Large scale, frequently undulating, rolling landform characteristic of the chalk dipslope, dissected by dry valleys, with a localised secondary escarpment and mini scarps between Tywford and Droxford. • Thin calcareous soils overlain in places with heavier clay soil with flints. • Strong pattern of woodland cover, from small copses and spinneys to large mixed woodland and ancient woodland of national importance, and hedgerows providing a sense of enclosure. • Occasional areas of remnant downland with areas of unimproved chalk grassland and associated wooded scrub, and occasional wooded hangers. • Predominately arable farmland with some pasture on steeper slopes. Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Owslebury and Corhampton Downs . • Large areas of early assarted enclosures and informal enclosures resulting in varied field size and patterns defined by thick hedgerows. • Low density dispersed pattern of villages, hamlets and farmsteads. • Scattered distribution of manor parks and high proportion of medieval and 17th C origin farmsteads linked by sinuous lanes. • Evidence of Bronze Age activity in the form of round barrows and ring ditches, particularly in the large scale downland mosaic and better drained soils. • Well established public rights of way and long distance routes, with drove links to the adjoining valley landscapes of the Itchen and Meon and to the Forest of Bere to the south. • Rural, remote and secluded character occasionally commanding long distance views, predominantly to the south 3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 This landscape is typical of the South Downs dipslope forming gently rolling to frequently undulating landform associated with ridges and dry valleys/coombes which are generally orientated north- south. Between Tywford and Droxford there is a notable secondary north facing escarpment which supports areas of chalk grassland and woodland. The geology of the area consists almost entirely of Upper Chalk giving rise to thin calcareous soils. In places the chalk is overlain with areas of clay with flints resulting in well drained fine silty over clayey soils. The highest land can be found at Beacon Hill (210 metres AOD). 3.2 There are two principle landscape types within this character area, namely Small Scale Downland Mosaic and Large Scale Downland Mosaic. Although both are chalk based, the small scale landscape comprises small scale irregular fields and woods and can be found in the central and northern part of the character area. The contrasting more open and larger scale enclosure pattern occurs mainly across the southern parts of this character area. 3.3 Woodland occurs in the form of copses, spinneys, chalk dells and occasional larger blocks of 20th century plantations. Beech and ash are characteristic. Much of the woodland is ancient e.g. Preshaw Wood and Dur Wood, and relates to areas of heavier clay soils which were less suitable for agriculture. Field boundaries create a strong field pattern and comprise thick hedgerows and hedgerow trees. 3.4 The predominant land use is arable crops with some mixed farming. The thin calcareous soils on the chalk support winter cereals and short term grassland and agricultural land quality is generally medium to high. Elsewhere on the steeper coombe slopes this pattern is broken with notable areas of calcareous grassland e.g. The gallops at Stephen’s Castle Down or The Hangers. The smaller scaled fields are often associated with settlements and in these areas there is also a higher incidence of horse grazing and orchards (as found around Stanmore). 3.5 The geology of this character area has given rise to a rolling well-drained topography and little to no surface water - the valleys carrying only seasonal winterbournes, which flow predominantly southwards. Nevertheless, this character area is an important aquifer and water source for adjacent river systems – the western half of this character area falls within the Environment Agency Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Owslebury and Corhampton Downs . catchment of the River Itchen while the eastern half (east of Owslebury) falls within the Hamble catchment area. 4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 This landscape has visual variety and interest derived from a combination of undulating and often sculptural landform and a matrix of arable and woodland land cover which gives rise to contrasting experiences of enclosure and shelter. There are elevated long distance open views across the chalk downland landscape and as far as the Isle of Wight. Due to the elevation and orientation of much of this landscape there is a strong visual connection southwards, and east and west over the Meon and Itchen river valleys. 4.2 There is a high density of footpaths and rural lanes/tracks. Long distance routes include Wayfarer’s Walk, Monarch’s Way, Pilgrims Way, South Downs Way and Kings Way. These footpaths combined with bridleways, lanes and small areas of accessible woodlands make this countryside reasonably accessible, offering general outdoor recreation and more organised leisure pursuits such as shooting and golf. Marwell Zoo is a key attraction. 4.3 Overall this landscape is deeply rural and although settled it has a strongly tranquil character and often feels remote and secluded. There is little evidence of man- made incongruous features or detractors. The larger settlements lie beyond the boundaries of this character area on the coastal plain to the south or within the river valleys to the east and west from which there is some night time light pollution. Where small settlements do occur in this character area they are nestled within the folds of the landscape and generally screened with vegetation. 5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This is an arable landscape with some large patches of improved grassland, more prevalent in the south than the north of the area. There are patches of unimproved and semi-improved neutral grasslands, associated with improved grassland and woodland, rather than the arable land, and patches of calcareous grassland (most evident in the south). Woodland is varied, with patches (some large) of ancient and semi-natural woodland and large patches of replanted ancient woodland in the north which often interlink and are connected by woodland strips, some of which are thin. Woodland type varies, including broadleaved and mixed woodland, and mixed, coniferous and broadleaved plantations. There are small parklands and patches of active coppice. 5.2 In terms of SSSI designations, Galley Down Wood comprises a plantation beech wood occupying a scarp slope and plateau on the Upper Chalk. The beech has now largely been removed. Despite its ‘unnatural’ origins, the site’s flora is rich, with exceptional orchid populations. The dense beech canopy has resulted in a relatively sparse ground flora over a deep leaf-litter layer where ivy and sanicle are the main components, together with bird’s-nest orchid and white helleborine, both present in their largest known Hampshire populations. Galley Down Wood is a remarkable example of a plantation beech wood in that the specialised beech wood flora is very well developed, despite the comparative youth of the wood. Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Owslebury and Corhampton Downs . 5.3 There are 83 SINCs in this landscape character area. Most are designated for their ancient and semi-natural woodland resource, whilst some are designated

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