Stanton Drew Parish: Environment and Landscape Character Assessment

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Stanton Drew parish is set in an undulating environment of mainly grassland and arable farmland containing a variety of habitats including woodlands, hedgerows, mixed flora verges, a river, riparian corridor and a floodplain.

Official Designations: Area 2: Chew Valley Green Belt: the Green Belt washes completely over the entire parish Conservation Area: encompassing much of the main residential area near river and church SNCI: one follows the course of the River Chew in the northern sector of the parish another, the Pensford Complex, lies on the western boundary of the Parish and which is a known habitat for European Protected Species.

Character Summary Stanton Drew Parish is located approximately nine miles south of Bristol and two miles east of Chew Magna on the southern side of the River Chew, in gently sloping and undulating countryside. The landscape of Stanton Drew Parish is predominantly rural agricultural, with ancient artefacts. In the recent past the Parish was heavily dependent on coal mining, the Pensford Colliery workings having closed down in 1959. The settlements within the Parish are dispersed with the main residential areas being: Stanton Drew main village Upper Stanton Drew Tarnwell Highfields Stanton Wick There are also other smaller clusters of dwellings e.g. Bromley Villas and Bye Mills as well as individual farms and barns.

Within the Parish there are two pubs, a church, village primary school and village hall. The Stones, which are of great archaeological and historical value, being the third largest collection of pre-historic standing stones in England, are situated in several locations in the northern sector of the Parish within the Conservation Area, with a newly discovered wooden henge within the boundaries of Quoit Farm on the northern edge of the Parish.

Landscape Summary The landscape of the Parish is varied with much of the Parish being undulating or sloping with a general dip from south to north.

The Parish is interconnected by narrow winding lanes and numerous footpaths but is poorly served by bridleways and, although a Sustrans route runs through the Parish, it is wholly on narrow lanes that are not really conducive to cycling especially when the lanes can be completely filled by a large tractor, and there are no off road cycle routes except for Sandy Lane which is a track leading westwards out of the Parish in the direction of Chew Magna.

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Photo: typical view of lane, narrow with hedgerows and trees

The fields, some regular, some irregular in form tend to be bounded by native hedgerows with trees e.g. oak. The field boundaries changed significantly in character back in the 1970s due to the devastation wreaked by Dutch Elm Disease.

The riparian corridor includes many large native trees such as willows and alder and a few small copses are scatted throughout the Parish and some bound the Parish e.g. Curls Wood, but there are no large woodlands or forest plantations.

Despite the shortage of woodland the Parish definitely has a "green" feel which is enhanced by the fact that many areas of housing are only on one side of the road so that the outlook is often rural and the sense of being in the countryside is maintained even in the built areas. This, and the fact that in many areas the housing is linear and only one house deep enables open countryside views to be appreciated by many residents.

Key views and Landmarks The views are beautifully rural, often wide sweeping and plentiful all over the Parish. Some of the main recognisable views are:

i. View from Stanton Drew Lane down across the fields and Stanton Drew to the Parish Church of St Marys. ii. View from Stanton Drew medieval bridge across the Standing Stones and up to the Winding House. iii. View from Cricket Ground looking North towards Dundry and North East towards Maes Knoll. iv. View from Bromley Villas towards the Knoll Tump. v. View from Wick Lane east across Pensford to Beckford Tower.

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Photo: View ii from the medieval bridge looking across The Stones and up to the Winding House

Photo: View iii from Cricket Ground looking north east over St Marys church towards Maes Knoll, note how "green" the view is

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Settlement Pattern and Buildings The residential areas are dispersed and frequently linear in form. Many features help create the character of the built and manmade environments of Stanton Drew including:  Narrow lanes, usually enclosed with banks and hedges  A generally rural character with few pavements, no streetlight, lots of greenery and wildlife  Frequently housing is only on one side of the road e.g. Sandy Lane, more than half of Upper Stanton, Bromley Road including The Crescent and Bromley Villas  A variety of building styles have evolved across many years, with the majority of properties being detached with a few short terraces e.g. those north of The Druids Arms and Bromley Villas  The majority of properties are two storey although some bungalows also exist as do a few three storey buildings, these are mainly old properties such as Stanton Court, Rosedale and The Old Mill  Many fine old buildings, generally of stone, with architectural features such as stone mullion and sash windows  A number of Grade II* and Grade II buildings  A variety of building materials including much stone some brick and render, with many front enclosures being stone walls and many properties roofed with tiles and having chimneys  The majority of plots are relatively large with houses set back from the road, wide frontages and off street parking  Some relatively recent developments e.g. The Orchard do reflect the wide frontages, stone enclosure and plentiful on plot parking but still lose the essence of the older areas due to being a wide straight cul-de-sac with pavement on both sides, so unlike the village feel of the majority of the Parish.  More recent development e.g. parts of Tarnwell are poorly designed, lack sufficient parking and do not appear to have taken into account the character of the Parish

Photo: characteristic narrow lanes with banks and hedges

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Photo: Grade II listed Codrington Cottage in Conservation Area

Photo: view of Tarnwell

Sense of Place The Parish has a strong sense of "community" despite the dispersed nature of its built form. The Village Hall, Village School and various clubs and activities, such as the well attended monthly Community Cafe held in the church, strengthen and display the sense of community. People in the Parish appreciate the rural qualities and lack of urbanisation found here. Nature and its abundance is important and valued, for a list of species noted by those undertaking the Character Assessment see appendix A.

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Positive Features and Special Qualities of Stanton Drew Parish  rural feel, surrounded by beautiful countryside  range of lovely views, open outlook  lack of urbanisation  variety of buildings that have evolved over time yet often with some unifying features e.g. chimneys, stone walls as front garden enclosure  generally well maintained properties with leafy gardens showing pride in ownership and sense of place

Photo: leafy gardens enhance the built areas, note stone wall enclosure to front

Negative Features and Detracting Elements  rural telegraph poles and wires, overhead power lines  unnecessary road furniture/signage  few locations where insufficient on plot parking forces residents to park on roads  few relatively characterless buildings  few relatively modern areas that don't reflect general character of the Parish  no obvious centre

Photo: showing negative clutter of wires and telegraph poles but also the positive features of the library phone box, millennium stone, stone built buildings (one has a curved wall), chimneys and views across open countryside

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APPENDIX A: Wildlife and Ecology noted by residents who undertook Character Assessment surveys

Birds: blackbird blackcap buzzard chaffinch collard dove crow dunnock goldfinch greater spotted woodpecker green woodpecker jackdaw jay kestrel owls: barn, little, tawny pied wagtail robin rook sparrow sparrow hawk starling thrush tits: blue, great, coal. long-tailed wood pigeon wren

Mammals:  badger  bats (various)  deer  fox  hedgehog  mice  moles  rabbit  shrews  weasel  voles

Other ecology and wildlife:  amphibians e.g. toads  fungi (various)  insects (numerous e.g. butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies)  slow worms and grass snakes  wildflowers (numerous e.g. primroses, orchids, wild strawberry)

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