Candover Valley Open Downs

8F: CANDOVER VALLEY Rolling large scale open fields at Candover. Axford at the northern most end ofParkland landscapes rising from the Northington Down Farm on the the valley valley floor. upper slopes of the Candover valley. Brown Candover at the head of theWidely visible farmsteads – tendency Valley bottom nucleated settlements Itchen valley tributary . for conversion to domestic use. – Preston Candover - Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 This character area lies to the east of the M3 corridor, north of New Alrseford. The distinguishing aspects of this character area are its topography which defines a broad river valley, and the open nature of the downland that form its valley sides and context. This character area is unified by the Candover Stream and the string of nucleated villages with associated parkland along its length. 1.2 Component County Landscape Types: Open Downs 1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: Basingstoke and Winchester District Deane District Candover Valley Stratton-Woodlands (part) East Hampshire District Lasham (part) Much of this character area falls within the Candover Valley defined in the Basingstoke and Dean District Character Assessment, although this character area boundary is drawn further to the north to include the higher downland above the valley. This landscape also includes the open areas of the Stratton-Woodlands and Lasham character area where they form the upper slopes of the valley. 1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA 130: Hampshire Downs NA 78: Hampshire Downs 2.0 Key Characteristics • Distinctive river valley comprising a narrow valley floor and gently sloping valley sides which create a shallow ‘bowl’. • Diverse pattern of arable, pasture, woodland and parkland has high visual quality and biodiversity value. • Predominant land use is arable in large-scale open fields on the valley sides defined by low hedges and few hedgerow trees. • Smaller fields occur on lower valley’s slopes and valley floor supporting pasture and distinctive riparian vegetation. • Scattered blocks of ancient semi-natural woodland. • Parkland landscapes along the valleys floor giving rise to a well managed character. Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs • Small nucleated settlements along the valley floor and lower slopes. • Many barrows and archaeological sites on upper slopes overlooking valley. 3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 The geology within this area consists of Upper Chalk covered with occasional deposits of clay and flint. Along the valley floor there are also alluvial deposits. The valley is orientated approximately northeast-southwest and is surrounded by gently undulating valley sides reaching a height of 170m AOD in the northwest and 165m AOD in the southeast. Immediately north of the valley floor the Candover Stream has cut into the chalk creating steeper valley sides which rise to approximately 120m AOD before flattening off. This distinctive ridge north of the river creates a more enclosed and defined character to the valley when experienced from the valley floor. The soils in this character area are light calcareous soils which are well drained giving rise to an agricultural land of medium quality throughout the area. 3.2 Although the predominant land use in this landscape is arable, the overall land use patterns are diverse and comprise woodland, parkland and areas of pasture on the steeper lower slopes and the valley floor. The arable fields which occur primarily on the upper valley slopes are medium to large in scale defined by low well trimmed hedgerows and few woodlands resulting in a generally open aspect. Where woodlands occur they are often linear shelterbelts. In contrast the lower valley slopes and floor support smaller fields of improved grassland defined by thicker hedgerows and hedgerow trees and interspersed with small frequent woodland copses and areas of parkland including in field trees. Lines of beech trees along roads are also a feature. 3.3 The area falls within two different catchments. The eastern half of the character area falls within the Environment Agency Itchen catchment area while the western half of the character area falls within the Upper Test catchment. The Candover Stream rises in the northern fringes of this area and flows in a southerly direction through the nucleated villages which line the valley floor. Where it passes through the settlements, it lines one side of the road and runs through a canalised channel which is crossed by numerous small bridges providing access to individual dwellings. 4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 Intervisibility across this landscape is variable, views are contained within the lower valley slopes by landform and the strong tree and hedgerow structure, and more extensive views are possible across the valley from higher ground. The horizon is often treed reflecting the wooded nature of the surrounding wider downland particularly to the north in character area 7B. 4.2 This landscape is crossed by a number of popular long distance routes including The Wayfarers Walk (runs north-south) and the circular route of the Oxdrove Way. Across the rest of the landscape there are footpaths and rights of way which radiate out from the valley floor connecting onto the downland, some of which follow former historic drove roads and tracks. 4.3 This landscape is quiet, unspoilt and with a strongly rural character. The topography of the area isolates it from the wider landscape, giving it a sense of remoteness and identity as a rural backwater. Tranquillity is most readily felt on the southern valley Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs slopes away from the villages and from the M3 corridor which lies to the north of this area. 5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This is an arable landscape with large patches of improved grassland generally located adjacent to settlements. Unimproved grassland is limited in this landscape although there is a significant patch near to Preston Grange. Woodland character varies, there are two areas of parkland at Chilton Manor and Preston House, while other woodland includes broadleaved woodland and mixed plantation. Ancient and semi-natural woodland is limited in this landscape character area and residential areas provide habitat variation through gardens. 5.2 The Herriard Wooded Downland Plateau BOA covers the eastern fringe of this landscape character area. It comprises an exceptionally dense concentration of ancient and semi-natural and replanted woodland SINCs, supporting rare plant populations and containing in-cycle coppice. 5.3 The northern extremity of the Itchen Valley BOA exists in the south of this area: the Itchen is a classic chalk stream and is botanically very important with extensive areas of unimproved vegetation along its length, including fen, carr and herb-rich meadows, much of it on peat. Many of the meadows were managed as water meadows in the 19th century. The vegetation supports important populations of wetland birds and the river supports one of the few populations of the native white- clawed crayfish remaining in the rivers of southern England, along with breeding otters, nationally important populations of water vole and southern damselfly and freshwater fish, including brook lamprey, bullhead and Atlantic salmon. 5.4 There are very few SINCs in this landscape character area. Most are designated for the ancient and semi-natural woodland resource which they support. 6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 The area is an isolated block of open downland, bisected by the Candover Valley. There is a large north-south belt of wooded downland plateau to the east, and large scale mosaic downland to the north, south and west. It is separated from other larger blocks of open downland and may potentially have had a different landscape evolution to open downland to the west. 6.1.2 There is little Mesolithic evidence in the area, and such that there is tends towards the northern part. It forms part of a wider trend of Mesolithic evidence between the prolific sites of east Hampshire and the Basingstoke basin, which might possibly be interpreted as trace elements of a Mesolithic route between resource zones. 6.1.3 There is only limited evidence of Neolithic activity in this open downland zone. The single Long Barrow may imply the emergence of an arable landscape at this time. But the lack of density to the evidence does suggest a peripheral position compared to other open downland areas. It is interesting to note that the long barrow in this area is placed at the head of the valley rather than on its flanks. This might imply that the valley itself that was the focus of settlement activity. However, on the eastern edge Hampshire County 6 Status: FINAL: May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Candover Valley Open Downs of Neolithic activity in Hampshire there are long barrows at the head of three river valleys, possibly suggesting they defined a frontier rather than oversaw a community. 6.1.4 The ambivalence of landscape evolution continues into the Bronze Age. There are no recorded Bronze Age settlements, but there are clusters of burial mounds. This may indicate that the area developed as a settled landscape, or that the area was being exploited from adjacent settled areas. Whilst either might apply, the relatively paucity of Iron Age settlement evidence implies that the landscape remained weakly or not intensively exploited. 6.1.5 There is a distribution of Iron Age Banjo enclosures in this area. These have funnel like antennae interpreted as enabling stock to be driven and corralled.

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