8A: WILLESLEY AND LITCHFIELD DIPSLOPE OPEN DOWNS

Small nucleated settlement of Dunley lying in the folds of the dip slope – this character area is defined by the upper parts of the south facing escarpment.

Small hamlets consisting of aAbove Litchfield looking towards Cannon Heath Downs Gallops – © farmstead and a few houses areBeacon Hill © Andrew Smith – Kelvin Davies © Geograph. typical. Geograph.

Portway (line of Roman Road) andWayfarer’s walk on the crest of the View to adjoining character area to Caesars Belt – © Andrew Smithescarpment. Lines of beech are fairly the north down the scarp – Coombe Geograph. common, © Michael Hand Geograph. Hole © Andrew Davies Geograph.

Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . County 2 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 This character area is located immediately to the south of the Clere Scarp and comprises the gentle dip slope that extends down towards the Test Valley. Its northern boundary is marked by the dramatic break in slope which defines the start of the scarp, and the southern boundary forms the land above the northern valley sides of the Test river valley. To the east and west the boundary is defined by a gr adual transition into more enclosed and wooded chalk downland.

1.2 Component County Landscape Types: Open Downland, Downland Mosaic Small Scale.

1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: and Dean North Wessex Downs AONB Great Litchfield Down & Willesley Litchfield Downs (in part) Warren Hannington Downs (in part)

There is a strong correlation between the boundary of this character area and that identified in the Basingstoke and Dean assessment. The North Wessex Downs assessment identified a similar break in character along the eastern and northern edges, however it considered the Lichfield Downs (to which this character area substantially relates) to extend further west despite a change to a landscape of higher woodland cover and distribution. The western boundary of this character area reflects this notable change in character and differs from the North Wessex Downs assessment in this regard.

1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA 130: Hampshire Downs NA 78: Hampshire Downs

2.0 Key Characteristics • Dramatic sweeping chalk downland forming a dip slope with elevation falling in a southerly direction. • Smooth rounded summits and dry chalk valleys which have a visual simplicity. • Sense of elevation and openness with uninterrupted views. • Arable land use predominates with some remnant areas of chalk grassland which increase the biodiversity of the area. • Woodland is sparse but includes scattered remnants of ancient semi-natural woodlands and linear plantations. • Fields are very large, open and regular and include ladder fields and some wavy boundary fields in the west.

Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . • Weak pattern of low hedgerows enclose large fields. • A palimpsest landscape with significant time depth since the Neolithic - early woodland clearance and long history of human exploitation with varying intensity. • Significant concentration of cropmarks associated with Iron Age and Roman period. • Lack of settlement and sparse population – settlement comprises dispersed pattern of occasional large farms. • Quiet and rural character with a strong sense of openness and space, within the North Wessex Downs AONB.

3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 The underlying geology of this area is chalk which has been covered in places with clay and flint deposits. The landform slopes in a southerly direction towards the Test Valley and forms the dip slope of the chalk escarpment to the north. At its highest point on the northern boundary the topography reaches 237m AOD at Nuthanger Down and drops to around 105m AOD in the south. Topographically the northern half of this character area is more varied and undulating while to the south the topography becomes progressively more gentle and rolling. The folds in the landscape have been formed by the erosion of the chalk resulting in numerous dry valleys. The topography of the area is a visually strong characteristic due to the simple land use and vegetation pattern as discussed below. Soils are generally shallow, well drained calcareous soils and fine silty soils over clay which are sometimes flinty. Agricultural land predominantly of medium quality.

3.2 The pattern of land use across this landscape is large scale arable defined by well trimmed hedgerows or no hedgerows at all and with limited tree cover. Where woodland does occur it is concentrated in the north-western part of the character area in a location of former downland and comprises ancient woodland and scrub as well as 19th century plantations. Along the Portway Roman Road there is a distinctive 19th century plantation tree belt and further small scale tree belts can be found in the southeast of this character area where the Downland Mosaic Small Scale landscape type becomes influential. There are some small patches of pasture in areas of former downland and also in association with gallops which have developed south of the scarp around Cannon Heath Down.

3.3 The area falls within the Environment Agency Test Upper catchment area. There are no water courses within this landscape as a result of the underlying porous chalk geology.

4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 The elevation and limited vegetation in this area contributes to its exposed and remote character and offers long distance and expansive views across a visually simple landscape. The general openness of the landscape, limited tree cover and few hedgerows give the area a windswept and sometimes desolate character in some weather conditions.

4.2 The long distant footpath the Wayfarers Walk runs along the northern and eastern boundaries of this character area. There is also a small remnant patch of downland with open access at Great Litchfield Down. Otherwise this landscape is accessed

Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . along rural tracks and lanes many of which are of historic importance and reflect former transport and drove road routes across the downs. Between these access routes there are large swathes of agricultural land which remain inaccessible.

4.3 This landscape has a remote character with limited intrusion from people, traffic and noise except in the west of the area where the A34 disturbs the quietness. The CPRE tranquillity study shows the central parts of this character area as having predominantly high tranquillity.

5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This is an open and agriculturally productive landscape where most grasslands have been improved for agriculture. There are patches of semi-improved and unimproved calcareous grasslands throughout, the largest is at Cannon Heath Down and is associated with the grasslands of Watership Down to the north.

5.2 Woodland is very limited in this landscape character area. There is a continuous strip of broadleaved woodland in the south and small patches of broadleaved woodland, coniferous and mixed plantations and areas of new tree planting scattered throughout the area.

5.3 The north and west of this character area are covered by the Northern Escarpment: West Woodhay to Watership Down BOA. This BOA comprises a steep north facing chalk scarp and supports many areas of relict, unimproved calcareous grassland.

5.4 This landscape character area has few SINCs existing entirely within the area, although many intersect with it and are generally designated for their ancient and semi-natural woodland content or agriculturally unimproved grasslands.

6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 There is only very limited evidence from the Mesolithic period in this area; there are no Mesolithic sites and the few finds seem to focus onto the Test valley to the south. It seems likely that there was limited exploitation of this landscape in the Mesolithic.

6.1.2 There are two Neolithic Long barrows and quite a number of items of Neolithic date clustered onto the open downland. This suggests that the downland landscape has been evolving as a farmed landscape from this time. Whilst no Bronze Age settlement has been found there are a number of undated simple enclosures which may yet be established to be of Bronze Age date. The field systems which have been plotted from crop marks are generally regarded as Iron Age or Roman, but study has shown Bronze Age origins in some areas, and it remains possible that some elements of the evidence of early farming landscape structure may emerge. There are also quite a number of burial mounds in the area (some are clustered along the scarp which although nominally outside this LCA reflect the activity in the wider area). It is likely that the farmed landscape continued to evolve through the Bronze Age.

Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . 6.1.3 There are Iron Age sites within the area, but they tend towards the northern half, approaching the scarp, on which are located some significant Iron Age sites. The wider spreads of Celtic field systems to Iron Age settlement suggests that the extent to which the landscape was evolving was broadening, being farmed and settled across both the north and south during the Iron Age.

6.1.4 There are a small number of Roman sites within the area, although the significant cluster of these is by Overton over looking the Test. However, there are no Roman villa sites. This may suggests that the evolution of the farmed landscape from the Neolithic continues in the Roman period, and that the step change implied by villas appearing in landscapes less densely settled in the late prehistoric is not occurring here. . 6.1.5 Two routes in particular are of significance historically. The first is the Roman road in the north which is deeply embedded in the landscape, and the second is Harrowway in the south which cuts across the ladder fields suggesting it is late prehistoric. Further evidence confirms its existence in the Saxon period.

6.2 Historic Landscape 6.2.1 The significant concentration of crop marks found in the character area associated with Iron Age and Roman features suggests that this landscape was used for the growing of crops from a very early period. However by the medieval period these small open fields had been lost (except for perhaps on the fringes) and much of this landscape would have comprised open downland used for common grazing by settlements located in adjoining landscape and in particular the Test valley. Subsequent evolution of the landscape has created two distinctive historic patterns/areas. These include the central area of ladder fields and parliamentary enclosures which relate strongly with the landscape to the south, and the wavy field boundaries and varied topography found in the west which has historically been more closely associated with land to the north.

6.2.2 The ladder fields form a distinctive pattern of long linear wavy field boundaries which extend up from Overton in the Test Valley onto what in the medieval period would have been open downland. These wavy boundaries (which are the older elements and may date to the Saxon or Medieval period) are lined by straight sided cross boundaries or ‘rungs’. These rungs are thought to express formal enclosure which occurred in the post medieval period and reinforces the perceived association of this landscape with land to the south. To the east of the ladder fields are medium scale parliamentary enclosures which are likely to have been created in the 18th and 19th centuries from downland. Since this time there has been further loss of some remaining areas of woodland e.g. Nutley Copse and in places the 20th century removal of fields boundaries to create large scale fields.

6.2.3 In the north-western part of this character area, , the topography is more undulating and the field enclosures here are characteristically regular with wavy boundaries reflecting less formal enclosure with mainly early 19th century origins6. Historic maps also refer to many areas as ‘warren’ indicating the importance of this area in the medieval period for rabbit grazing. This would suggest that this area of downland was perhaps associated with the estate landscapes of and Old to the north. This landscape also accommodated

Hampshire County 6 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . Medieval deer parks at Cannons Park and Freemantle Park although their visual presence in the landscape is not conspicuous today. In places there are still remnant areas of downland grassland e.g. Woodcott Down.

6.2.4 More recent changes in this landscape character area as a whole have been the introduction of distinctive linear plantations in the 19th century, particularly on Great Litchfield Down and along the Portway Roman Road e.g. Caesar’s Belt and Polhampton Lodge Plantation.

6.3 Built Environment 6.3.1 The network of roads, lanes and tracks in this landscape is historic, reflecting the use of much of the area for open grazing, and has remained relatively intact. Many of the routes run north- south connecting the downland with the Test Valley. Along the northern edge where it abuts the scarp the routes run more east - west.

6.3.2 This landscape is remarkably unpopulated. There are two nucleated villages (Litchfield and Hannington) which occur on its boundaries. Otherwise the settlement comprises a low density of hamlets and farmsteads which occur most often in a linear fashion along lanes or are isolated, surrounded by arable fields and accessed by farm tracks. This pattern of dispersed and sparse farmsteads appears to date from the period of 18th and 19th century enclosure. There is no modern housing estate development.

6.3.3 Traditional building materials include red brick, flint, render, weatherboard and tile roofs.

Hampshire County 7 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . EVALUATION

7.0 Forces for Change 1. Intensification of agriculture and changes in land management. 2. Potential demand for masts and other tall structures on skylines. 3. Incremental suburbanisation of rural lanes, and loss of tranquillity in the vicinity of major roads. 4. Climate change, particularly affecting crops and agricultural patterns. 5. Demand for access and recreation, including use by off-road vehicles.

KEY QUALITIES AND EFFECTS OF FORCES 7.1 Dramatic, sweeping landform with smooth rounded summits and dry chalk valleys, giving a sense of visual simplicity, openness, space and tranquillity, with uninterrupted elevated views. The natural beauty of this area has led to its inclusion within the North Wessex Downs AONB. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 2.3 Threats: Continuing localised visual intrusion from existing pylons, communications mast and fencing of racehorse gallops which interrupt the smooth skyline. Continuing localised visual intrusion from large agricultural buildings within the open landscape, reducing its visual quality. Potential future demand for tall structures on open summits, which would be highly visible, and may also impact on the tranquillity of the area. Continuing localised loss of tranquillity in the vicinity of the A34.

Opportunities: Conserve and enhance the area’s quiet rural character, with its sense of openness, space and tranquillity in accordance with the AONB management plan. Use planning policy and conditions to ensure that new large agricultural buildings are sited, designed and screened to maximise their absorption into the landscape. Use planning policy and conditions to minimise the impacts of potential masts and other tall structures on views and on the tranquillity of the area. Explore measures to reduce the visual and acoustic impact of the A34 on the landscape through screening with vegetation.

7.2 A landscape dominated by arable agriculture, with a distinctive pattern of large, open and regular fields surrounded by well-trimmed hedgerows and occasional linear plantations. There are also remnant patches of semi-improved and unimproved calcareous grassland, which has a higher biodiversity value. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 1.4 Threats: Trend towards intensive farming resulting in a loss of biodiversity, with low habitat and species diversity. C.20th loss of woodland and hedgerows, and poor management of those that remain, resulting in weakening of the landscape pattern. Climate change may impact on farming patterns, crop choice etc., changing the appearance of the landscape. Past (and potential future) loss and fragmentation of unimproved chalk grassland and sheep pasture, through scrub encroachment and conversion to arable farmland, reducing biological diversity.

Hampshire County 8 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs . Opportunities: Retain existing remnant habitats, which are particularly valuable given the lack of ecological diversity in this character area. In accordance with BOA objectives and AONB management plan, restore and manage areas of remnant unimproved grassland, linking where possible (possibly using roadside verges and public rights of way to do so). Target agri-environment schemes to encourage restoration of permanent grass field margins and buffers, planting of woodlands and restoration/ replanting of hedgerows to create a stronger landscape framework and to increase biodiversity. Retain distinctive tree belts/ linear plantations and link where possible to create wildlife corridors and landscape structure.

7.3 A strong sense of time-depth, with prehistoric hill-top earthworks, historic field patterns and ancient route ways distinctive features within the open landscape. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 1.2.3 Threats: Potential damage to archaeological features by ploughing, neglect and other means. Potential impacts on the fabric and settings of archaeological sites by new development, particularly on sensitive skylines. Past loss of historic field patterns due to field amalgamation which may continue to occur.

Opportunities: Agreements with farmers put in place to minimise future damage to known archaeological sites. Identify the settings to archaeological sites and use planning policies and conditions to minimise the impacts of new developments on their fabric and settings. Retain extant patterns of historic field systems. Retain historic routes (particularly the Portway Roman road and the Harrow Way prehistoric track) as useable features within the landscape in accordance with CAP actions, possibly with interpretation panels to explain significant features.

7.4 Very sparse settlement comprising a dispersed pattern of large farms, interconnected by narrow rural lanes and a network of tracks and former drove roads running north-south across the downs. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 3 Threats: Potential unsympathetic road improvements on rural lanes affecting their historic character. Poor management and damage to public rights of way (potentially including historic routes) through misuse (especially by off-road vehicles). Identified lack of public rights of way over agricultural land (around Litchfield) to connect existing tracks, resulting in areas of inaccessibility.

Opportunities: Maintain the current pattern of dispersed settlement and rural lanes. Potentially use Rural Roads Initiative to retain the historic rural character of lanes, whilst meeting Highways standards. In particular, manage tracks, roadside verges and hedgebanks to encourage their use as wildlife corridors, and avoid intrusive signage. Use CAP actions to encourage accessibility of the countryside, in particular develop new routes to improve the connectivity of the network, maintain paths, and minimise conflicts of interest between motorised and non-motorised users of routes.

Hampshire County 9 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Willesley and Litchfield Dipslope Open Downs .