THE COUNTY DURHAM LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT

FOREWORD

The landscape of County Durham is one of great contrast and diversity. From the North Pennines in the west to the Durham Coast in the east it contains landscapes of outstanding quality as well as those recovering from the

legacies of an industrial past.

The landscape is both a natural resource, on which we depend for our food

and water, and a cultural resource that evokes feelings, memories,

associations and attachments. Its beauty and diversity are important both to the quality of life of local communities and the economic prosperity of the

region.

The County Durham Landscape Character Assessment classifies and

describes the wealth of diversity in the Durham landscape. Together with the

County Durham Landscape Strategy and Landscape Guidelines it will be of

great service in informing decisions about how we manage the landscape in

the future, helping us conserve what we value most about the countryside

while accommodating growth and change.

I commend this document to all those who have an interest in the Durham landscape, and particularly those involved in planning, development, land

management and regeneration work.

My thanks to all those who have been involved in its production.

Councillor Bob Pendlebury OBE

Cabinet member for Transport, Sustainability and Tourism

THE COUNTY DURHAM LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT THE COUNTY DURHAM LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT

Contents

Introduction 1 Landscape Character Assessment 2 Methodology 5 How to use this document 6 The Durham Landscape 7 Physical influences 8 Human influences 12 The modern landscape 16 Perceptions of the landscape 23 Designated Landscapes 26 Landscape Character 33 Classification 34 North Pennines 43 Dales Fringe 87 West Durham Coalfield 115 Wear Lowlands 151 East Durham Limestone Plateau 179 Tees Lowlands 217

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

Introduction Landscape Character Assessment

Methodology

How to use this document

1 INTRODUCTION LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT

Landscape Character Assessment Landscape character is the recognisable pattern of elements that makes one landscape different from another. Variations in geology and soils, landform, land use and vegetation, field boundaries, settlement patterns and building styles, give rise to different landscapes each with its own distinctive character and unique

sense of place.

The Durham landscape is one of enormous contrast and diversity. From its western boundary high in the summit ridges of the North Pennines, to the limestone cliffs of the North Sea coast, remote moorlands and pastoral dales give way to fertile settled farmlands. This diversity is a product of both natural and human influences. The varied rocks, landforms and soils of the county, and differences in climate

between the exposed uplands and sheltered lowlands, have influenced both the natural flora and fauna of the landscape, and the way it has been populated, managed and exploited by its people over the centuries.

Landscape Character Assessment involves mapping, classifying and describing these variations in landscape character. It also involves making judgements about the character and quality of the landscape, and analysing forces for change, to help us make informed decisions about how we should manage change in the future. In classifying the landscape two types of units are identified:

Landscape Character Types are landscapes with broadly similar patterns of geology, soils, vegetation, land use, settlement and field patterns. Landscapes

belonging to a particular type – for example an ‘upper dale’ landscape - may be

found in many different places.

Landscape Character Areas are unique areas - geographically discrete examples of a particular landscape type. For example ‘Upper Teesdale’ is a character area belonging to the ‘Upper Dale’ type. Character Areas share common characteristics with other landscapes belonging to the same type, but each has its own individual identity and sense of place.

International context: The European Landscape Convention

The United Kingdom is a signatory to The European Landscape Convention which defines landscape as ‘an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors.’ It is based on

the premise that landscape is universal: it occurs everywhere and everyone has a The European Landscape stake in it. The convention’s provisions cover all landscapes of whatever quality, Convention whether rural or urban, built or natural. It aims to ensure the proper protection, management and planning of landscapes throughout Europe.

National context: Countryside Character In the mid 1990s the Countryside Commission and English Nature (now merged to form Natural England) developed a joint project to map variations in the landscape and ecological characteristics of the English Countryside. The result of this collaboration was a joint map, called 'The Character of England: landscape, wildlife

and natural features'.

2 INTRODUCTION LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT This identified 181 Countryside Character Areas and 120 Natural Areas. Natural areas are broad bio-geographic zones. Countryside Character Areas are broad regional landscapes. Together (Joint Character Areas) they form a national framework for decision-making about landscape and biodiversity. The Agencies have published Natural Area Profiles which describe the ecology of Natural Areas, and Character Area Descriptions, which describe landscape characteristics, in several regional volumes. There are six Countryside Character Areas in County Durham and five Natural Areas.

The County Durham Landscape Character Assessment The County Durham Landscape Character Assessment is a detailed assessment of Joint Character Areas the character of the county. It works within the framework of Countryside Character Areas and Natural Areas, identifying variations in landscape character at a sub- regional and local level. It was undertaken by the Council’s Landscape Section between 2000 and 2003 with the assistance of the Countryside Agency and consultants Shiels Flynn and was formally adopted by the Council in April 2008.

The assessment is based on a detailed GIS (Geographical Information System) database of landscape elements which was used to identify landscape types and character areas at a number of levels from regional landscapes, like the North Pennines or the West Durham Coalfield, to local landscapes like historic parklands and wooded denes. These landscapes are mapped and described in the following pages.

The County Durham Landscape Strategy and Guidelines The landscape character assessment is part of a suite of documents that includes the County Durham Landscape Strategy and County Durham Landscape Guidelines. The Landscape Strategy identifies key issues and objectives for the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the County’s varied landscapes. It is intended to act as a guide to planners, developers and land managers, indeed all who are involved in the changing landscape, providing an integrated and co- ordinated framework for action. The Landscape Guidelines provide technical guidance on a range of landscape issues like the protection of trees on development sites or the selection of species for new planting.

The Benefits of Landscape Character Assessment Landscape Character Assessment can help us protect the environment while accommodating and influencing change. The English landscape has evolved over centuries, created as much by the activities of farmers and foresters, builders and miners as by the underlying physical forces of geology, soils and climate that shaped their work. It is both a natural resource, on which we depend for our food and water, a cultural resource that evokes feelings, memories, associations and attachments, and a place we continue to live in, and to change and adapt to our needs. Landscape character assessment can tell us what the landscape is like today, how it came to be the way it is, and how it may change in the future. It helps us understand the sensitivity of different landscapes to development, or to changes in the way they are managed, and so informs the decisions we make about them.

3 INTRODUCTION LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Landscape Character Assessment can contribute to the sustainability of new development by informing planning policies for developments like housing, minerals or wind energy. It can help us decide where new development should go and how it should be designed if it is to conserve what we value about our environment. An understanding of landscape character can help individual developers assess the impacts of their proposals through the Environmental

Assessment process, and design them to be in keeping with the character of the locality.

Landscape Character Assessment can help inform the way land management initiatives and agri-environmental schemes like DEFRA’s Environmental

Stewardship and local initiatives like the County Durham Hedgerow Partnership’s

Field Boundary Restoration Grant, are targeted. An understanding of landscape character can also inform the day-to-day decisions of individual land managers, farmers and foresters, helping them take account of landscape issues.

Landscape Character Assessment can help us identify priorities for conservation, enhancement, renewal or restoration in the landscape. It informs environmental improvement initiatives like the county’s Urban and Rural Renaissance Programme, as well as strategies for the development and management of Green Infrastructure, and the mapping of opportunities for the creation or restoration of Biodiversity

Action Plan priority habitats.

Landscape Character, Biodiversity and Geodiversity The character and biodiversity of the landscape are closely linked. Many of the features that contribute most to the character and distinctiveness of the landscape – trees and hedges, ancient woodlands, the flowers of old meadows, pastures and heaths – are also of great importance to its nature conservation value. The Landscape Assessment, Strategy and Guidelines are designed to be used alongside the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan (DBAP), the County Durham Geodiversity Audit and the proposed Geodiversity Action Plan.

Landscape Character And Cultural Heritage The landscape is a cultural artefact, a living record of the activities of our ancestors. The historical dimension to the landscape – its time-depth and cultural continuity – has played an important role in the Landscape Character Assessment. The County Durham and Darlington Historic Landscape Character Assessment, currently (2008) underway with the support of English Heritage, will explore and map in greater detail the historical elements of the Durham landscape.

Further Information For further information visit the Durham Landscape pages hosted by Durham County Council on its website (www.durham.gov.uk/durhamlandscape).

For further information on landscape character visit the Landscape Character network www.landscapecharacter.org.uk

4 INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY Methodology Information gathering - the Landscape Database To assist the process of characterisation an integrated GIS (Geographical Information Systems) database was developed in which the landscape of the county was broken down into around 7,000 individual mapping units or landscape description units (LDUs). For each of these units information was recorded on a range of attributes that influence landscape character, including: Mapping units - LDUs

• Geology: solid • Field scale • Origins • Geology: drift • Boundary type • Relics: Prehistoric • Soils • Tree cover • Relics: Roman • Landform • Woodland pattern • Relics: Medieval • Land use • Settlement type • Relics: Post-medieval

• Field pattern • Settlement pattern • Wetlands A typical screen shot of the Data was drawn from a large number or sources including Ordnance Survey data, database in use. published maps of geology and soils, satellite data, and archival material such as enclosure awards. Much of the mapping was carried out using aerial photographs.

Classification and description The landscape database was analysed for patterns of attributes – such as tree cover, boundary types, and the period of origin of field systems – which might influence landscape character at a range of different scales. A hierarchical approach was taken to the classification of the landscape, with Landscape County Character Areas Character Types and/or Landscape Character Areas identified at three different È scales:

Regional County Character Areas

Sub regional Broad Landscape Types and Broad Character Areas

Local Local Landscape Types and Sub-types

For the full classification see page 34. Broad landscape Types

The classification was checked and revised through a process of field survey carried out partly by consultants Shiels Flynn who also recorded subjective, aesthetic or perceptual factors not readily apparent from the mapping exercise.

Descriptions of County Character Areas, Broad Landscape Types, Broad Character

Areas, Local Landscape Types and Sub-types were written on the basis of field Broad Character Areas survey and analysis of the attributes recorded in the GIS database. È

Both characterisation and description rely heavily on the professional judgements of those involved. A series of workshops with stakeholders was carried out to test the robustness of the classification system and the descriptive material. The assessment was published as a consultation draft on the Councils website in 2003, and feedback from that process informed subsequent revisions. Both the database Local Landscape Types and the assessment is subject to periodic review and is regularly updated to reflect changes in the landscape, to correct drafting errors, or to add new information as it becomes available.

5 INTRODUCTION HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT How to use this document The County Durham Landscape Character Assessment has been written to be accessed primarily through the Council’s website at: www.durham.gov.uk/durhamlandscape

The County Durham Landscape Strategy and Landscape Guidelines are also

available on the website, where map data can be viewed online in an interactive

The Durham Landscape GIS. Website The remainder of this document is structured as follows:

The Durham Landscape section gives background information on the landscape of the county including the physical and human influences that have shaped it, the

patterns of landuse and landscape features present in the modern landscape, the environmental designations affecting the landscape, and current and past

perceptions of the landscape.

The Landscape Character section gives information on the way the landscape has

been classified together with descriptive information on County Character Areas, and descriptive information on Broad Landscape Types, Broad Character Areas,

Local Landscape Types and Subtypes, grouped under their respective County Character Areas.

Map data can be obtained in electronic formats by contacting the County Council’s

Landscape Section (see below).

Feedback

You can let us know your views on the contents of the Landscape Character Assessment and the Landscape Strategy, or on landscapes issues that you consider to be important, by email at [email protected] or by post at:

The Landscape Section Environment and Technical Services Department Durham County Council County Hall Durham DH1 5UQ Tel: 0191 383 4365 Fax: 0191 386 4096

6 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE

The Durham Landscape Physical influences

Human influences

The modern landscape

Perceptions of the landscape

Designated landscapes

7 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Physical influences The Durham landscape is heavily influenced by the character of its underlying

rocks, by the effects of erosion and deposition in the last glacial period, and by the soils that have developed on the post-glacial terrain under the influence of the

climatic conditions that have prevailed since then.

Geology

The geology of the county is made up of gently folded Carboniferous rocks dipping

towards the east where they are overlain by younger Permian rocks. In the west, thinly bedded sandstones, mudstones and limestones of the Carboniferous

Limestone series (Dinantian period) outcrop in the upper dales and are overlain by similar rocks of the Millstone Grit series (Namurian period), which form most of the upland fells. The alternating strata of harder and softer rocks give a stepped profile

to many dale sides and distinctive flat-topped summits to the higher fells.

Older Ordovician rocks, largely made up of pale grey mudstones or slates showing a degree of metamorphism, occur in a small inlier in upper Teesdale.

The rocks of the Millstone Grit series are overlain in the north by the Lower and

Middle Coal Measures (Westphalian period) which fall from the upland fringes to the lowlands of the Wear and dip under the Permian Limestone in the east. The soft and thinly bedded strata of coal, sandstone and mudstone have been eroded to form gently sloping valley sides where occasional steeper bluffs mark thicker beds of harder sandstones.

The Magnesian Limestone forms a low plateau in the east of the county which dips gradually from a prominent escarpment along its western edge towards the north

Magnesian Limestone Quarry sea, where it is deeply incised by coastal denes and exposed in coastal cliffs and at Cornforth marine platforms. The soft and easily weathered dolomitic limestone gives a gentle profile to the topography of the escarpment.

8 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PHYSICAL INFLUENCES Igneous intrusions of hard dolerites of the Great Whin Sill form a series of striking outcrops and waterfalls (including High Force, England’s largest waterfall) along the southern flanks of Teesdale in an area defined to the north and south by the Teesdale and Lunedale faults. The Little Whin Sill outcrops locally in Weardale, and similar rocks can be found in linear dykes elsewhere. These only affect the landscape where they have been quarried.

The Great Whin Sill at High Force

Much of the solid geology of the county is covered by a thick mantle of glacial drift, made up largely of boulder clay, with pockets of fluvio-glacial sands and gravels, morainic drift and lacustrine clays. Alluvial and river terrace sand and gravel deposits are found in the corridors of major rivers. Thick deposits of blanket peat cover the higher upland fells.

Soils

9 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PHYSICAL INFLUENCES Soils over most of the county are heavy, poorly drained gleys derived from glacial boulder clays with pockets of lighter soils associated with glacial sands and gravels. Brown earths and alluvial soils occur along the main river valleys. Calcareous brown earths are found on limestone outcrops along the escarpment and coast. In the west the combination of elevation, poor drainage and severe climate has lead to the development of extensive blanket bog of deep peat giving way on the drier eastern moors to thinner peats, humic gleys and podzols. Smaller pockets of earthy peats are found in the flat carrs of the Tees Plain. Substantial areas of land in the coalfield have been disturbed by opencast coal mining or the reclamation of derelict land and have either restored natural soils or rudimentary soils derived from shales and clays.

Topography and Drainage

The high summit ridge of the North Pennines lies largely outside of the County to the west. Mickle Fell is its southernmost outpost and at 790m is the highest point in the county. High dissected ridges separated by broad dales spread out from the summit ridge. To the south the broad plateau of the Stainmore Gap falls to the broad vale of the Tees. The lower uplands of the Pennine fringe fall gradually eastwards to the lowlands of the Wear Valley and the Tees Plain. Divided by rivers and streams flowing generally west to east they form a strongly rolling landform of sequential ridges and valleys.

The valley of the Tees in the south opens out into a broad, gently undulating plain. To the north the River Wear carves an incised course in a broad valley which lies between the spurs of the Pennine fringe ridges and the escarpment of the limestone plateau to the east. Across these valley landscapes, rivers and streams cut down through glacial sediments to form steep sided denes and bluffs beside intermittent narrow floodplains. In the east, a low upland of Magnesian Limestone falls from a prominent escarpment in the west towards the coast where it is incised by steep denes such as Castle Eden Dene.

10 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PHYSICAL INFLUENCES The coast itself is made up of alternating sandy bays and rocky headlands backed by low cliffs of soft Magnesian Limestone topped by steep slopes of boulder clay. To the south the cliffs disappear and are replaced by sand dunes.

The valleys of western and central Durham are drained by the Wear and the Tees and their many tributaries. In the north the Derwent and the Team flow northwards to the Tyne. The undulating plain of the Tees contains poorly drained flats and carrs drained by wandering, slow moving tributaries like the River Skerne. East of the limestone escarpment the plateau is drained by minor streams flowing eastwards through the coastal denes to the North Sea.

Climate The county lies largely in the rain shadow of the Pennines and the eastern lowlands are among the driest areas in England. It is also relatively cold; its mean annual temperature of 8.3C reflecting its northerly latitude, the cooling effect of the North Sea to the east and the lower temperatures of higher ground in the west.

Both rainfall and temperature vary considerably with altitude and there is a pronounced climatic gradient from west to east. The higher fells of the west of the county have a severe climate of high rainfall (>1200mm) and low temperatures. The lowlands are drier (<650mm) and milder although the coastal strip is affected by the cooling influence of the sea and subject to regular mists or frets.

Average wind speeds are relatively high, and some coastal and upland locations suffer from severe exposure. Away from the warming influence of the sea in winter along the coast, frosts occur between September and May in most years.

More detailed information on the geology of County Durham can be found in the County Durham Geodiversity Audit available from Durham County Council.

11 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE HUMAN INFLUENCES

Human influences

Few landscapes in the county are truly natural, although the highest ridges and

summits of the Pennines have a near wilderness quality in places which owes little

to human activity. Much of the landscape has been heavily influenced by man and

has evolved gradually over time with each generation adding to the legacy of those who came before. Some landscapes, like the remoter upland moors, have changed little over the last two thousand years. Others, like the settled coalfields, have been subject to enormous changes in the last two centuries. In places the landscape owes much to one particular period in its history but for the most part it has great ‘time depth’ with features surviving from many periods. Prehistoric ( to 70AD) After the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age, the glacial tundra was gradually colonised by woodland made up of pioneer species like Birch, Juniper and Willow. In the period of relatively stable and warmer climate which followed a

mosaic of woodland covered all but the highest Pennine summits, dominated in Cup and ring marked stone most areas by Oak, Elm and Hazel, with Ash on limestones, Pine and Birch on

acidic soils and Alder and Willow on wetter ground.

The onset of the wetter Atlantic climate at around 5000 BC saw blanket peat spreading across the higher moorland ridges and summits displacing woodland. This process was fuelled from around 3000 BC as woodland began to be cleared on a small scale by Neolithic farmers. The progressive clearance of woodland continued throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages and by the time of the Roman invasion much of lowland Durham would have been covered by a network of small ‘Celtic fields’ surrounding small family farmsteads. Extensive tracts of blanket bog, rough grazing and open woodland remained on the high ridges of the uplands.

Little survives from this period in the modern landscape. Some features of Bronze

Age ritual and domestic landscapes – stone circles, cup and ring marked stones

and cairnfields – can be found in the upland moors. The most notable examples are

on Barningham and Ravock moors. The field systems and cultivation terraces of

early farms are visible as earthworks where they have escaped deep ploughing.

Elsewhere they persist only as crop marks. Remains of the hearths of early iron

workers are scattered across high ground exposed to the prevailing winds.

Roman (AD70 – C5) The agricultural landscape probably changed little during the Roman occupation. Having conquered the native Brigantes around 80 AD, the Romans built Dere Street as their supply route from York to the Firth of Forth. The road remained in continuous use throughout the Roman period and, as Durham was then a frontier Rey Cross Camp territory, a number of forts were built along its length. Around 120 AD, having failed

to subdue the inhabitants further north, they built Hadrian’s Wall stretching 117 km (73 miles) from the mouth of the River Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west. Having established this frontier, the more fertile terrain of mid Durham to the south became important for provisioning and leisure, and the mining of coal and metal ores.

12 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE HUMAN INFLUENCES The principal impact of the Romans on the landscape of the County lies in the great roads like Dere Street and Cades Road, many of which are still in use today, and in the settlements that developed from their camps including Ebchester, and Lanchester and Rey Cross. Notable physical remains include the fort and bath house at Binchester and the forts at Lanchester and Rey Cross on the A68

Early Medieval (C5-1066) Angles, Saxons and Jutes from Denmark and northern Germany settled on the Durham Coast during the 5th Century displacing or assimilating the native Britons. By the end of the 6th Century the eastern lowlands of the county were densely settled. Most of the villages in these areas today have the names of Anglian villages and farms; -tun, -ham, -wick, and -worth. The uplands and fringes of the Pennines were less densely populated with scattered villages and seasonal stock farms separated by extensive tracts of open moor and woodland. Place names here refer to woodlands and clearings; -ley, -hyrst, -rydding and -wudu.

The area fell within the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria and much of the land came under the control of the monastic community of St Cuthbert. The Saxon legacy is often buried deep in the landscape as many of its features - villages, roads and territorial boundaries - have remained in continuous use to the present day. Of the few surviving Saxon buildings in the region, Escomb Church, is one of Escomb Church the finest examples of early Christian architecture in Northern Europe.

Late Medieval (1066-1540)

The village system established during the Saxon period became more highly developed in the Middle Ages. Many villages appear to have been re-structured during the late 11th and 12th centuries, particularly those under monastic control, and show a typically regular layout of tofts or house plots arranged around a central green. The land was divided administratively into townships in which large arable fields, usually three in number, were cultivated in strips with one field lying fallow each year. Also included in the township land would be meadows, pastures, Rigg and furrow woodland and wastes or 'moors' of rough grassland or heath.

The period also saw an expansion of settlement in the uplands. Scattered villages surrounded by their open fields occupied ridge top sites in the upland fringes, and sheltered valley floors in the dales. Between them lay extensive wastes of common grazing. Some of the land was worked from seasonal livestock farms or sheilings, which later developed into permanent farms. New farms and estates were enclosed from the waste, often centred on fortified or moated halls. The medieval Bowes Castle landscape also contained a number of deer parks, particularly in the Pennine fringe, and parts of the dales were forested. Forests were areas of open grassland, moor and woodland managed for the hunting of deer but containing some enclosed meadows or friths for gathering winter fodder.

The area formed part of the Palatinate of Durham where the Bishops enjoyed royal privileges and owned substantial estates including townships, demesne farms, Durham Cathedral deer parks, quarries and lead, silver, iron and coal mines. The ecclesiastical and political centre of the County was Durham with its Norman castle and Cathedral.

13 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE HUMAN INFLUENCES The Cathedral housed the shrine of St Cuthbert and was an important pilgrimage site. Many other great buildings were developed during the period including abbeys at Egglestone and Finchale and castles at Auckland, Raby and Barnard Castle.

While the most conspicuous remains of the medieval period are the great castles and abbeys, many other relics survive in the modern landscape - which in places

Egglestone Abbey owes much of its structure to the villages and roads established in this period. The remains of medieval rigg and furrow can be found in older pastures around villages across the county and its curving pattern is preserved by countless hedges and walls. The ancient boundaries of parishes and old town fields can often be traced through later field systems.

Post Medieval (1541-1899)

The exploitation of coal for domestic markets intensified in the 16th century with larger collieries developing along the Tyne exporting coal to the south of England and to Europe. Networks of waggonways spread south and west from the Tyne and the Wear as new collieries opened up across the northern coalfield. The lead mining industry began to emerge during the same period and by the C19th the

Killhope Lead Mine North Pennines had become the world's leading lead ore field.

The growth of industrial populations fuelled changes in the agricultural economy, stimulating enclosure of the common town fields, which were largely enclosed in the 17th century by private agreement, and the more extensive common wastes, which were enclosed under private Acts of Parliament in the 18th century. In the dales the dual economy of mining and farming saw the new farms of miner-

Early townfield smallholders established in the moorland fringe and new intakes from the moor.

Enclosures The town field enclosure brought hedges and trees and new farmsteads to the open farmland of the village town fields. The enclosure of the wastes introduced large rectangular fields bounded by thorn hedges and dry stone walls, new farms and plantations, and a new network of straight roads with broad verges. These later agricultural improvements, together with the development of country houses and ornamental parklands, were stimulated in part by the prosperity and Parliamentary enclosures modernising culture of colliery owners and industrialists.

The coal industry expanded rapidly in the 19th century when the development of the steam engine and the railway opened up new markets, allowed deeper mines to be drained and coal to be hauled greater distances. The Durham Coalfield played an important role in the early history of the railways with engineers like George Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth and entrepreneurs like Joseph Pease combining to develop some of the earliest railway lines.

New colliery towns and pit villages of terraced housing sprang up across the Causey Arch coalfield along with iron and steel and engineering works exploiting cheap coal and

nearby reserves of iron ore and limestone in the North Pennines to the west. Heavy engineering associated with mining and railways developed closer to the eastern transport corridor in the south and along the major river valleys.

14 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE HUMAN INFLUENCES The population of the area increased dramatically with immigrants from rural Durham and Northumberland as well as from elsewhere in the British Isles and particularly from Ireland.

Many of the familiar features of the Durham landscape - hedgerows and dry stone walls, hedgerow trees, roads, railway lines, viaducts and mining settlements - date Dean and Chapter Colliery from this period. The physical remains of the coal mining industry were largely

th removed by the land reclamation programme of the late 20 century. The remains of the lead mining and quarrying industries are more conspicuous in the uplands where hushes and quarries scar the hillsides and isolated mine buildings, smelter flues and washing floors are scattered across the moors.

The 20th Century The coal and steel industries of the area began to decline in the 1930’s and continued to do so into the 1980's which saw the last of the major collieries and steel works close. Their legacy of physical dereliction and social deprivation was addressed by a succession of reclamation and infrastructure projects which saw substantial areas of derelict land reclaimed to new housing and industry or agriculture and forestry. Some elements of the industrial landscape survive and are preserved as part of the county’s industrial heritage. Many abandoned railway lines and tramways have been converted into cycleways and recreational trails.

Since 1945 opencast coal mining has had a significant impact on the landscape Sherburn Hill Colliery with extensive areas worked and restored, often to rather featureless agricultural Before and after land. Quarrying for whinstone, dolomite and limestone also increased in scale over reclamation the century creating many large quarries, many of which now lie abandoned, on the limestone escarpment and in the Pennine dales.

Mining towns and villages continued to grow throughout the C20th century with large new public housing estates built in the interwar and post-war period. Some smaller mining villages were demolished or reduced in size through a policy of consolidation in the 1970's. New Towns were built at Newton Aycliffe and Peterlee. As the economy restructured, new industries were accommodated in urban fringe industrial estates around larger towns and villages and new and improved highways were developed to serve them.

Changing agricultural practices in the latter part of the century brought considerable change to parts of the countryside. A renewed emphasis on arable farming in eastern and central areas led to increases in field sizes, removal of hedgerows, hedgerow trees and wetlands and the introduction of new crops like oilseed rape. In pastoral areas changes in grassland management, improvement of old pastures and meadows and a move from hay cropping to silage production have created more uniform and productive grasslands. Employment in agriculture declined significantly over the century bringing a shift from agricultural to residential occupancy in farms and villages across the county, and changing working and commuting patterns in rural areas. The C20th also saw the Wind Turbines introduction of many new features into to the landscape including overhead power Tow Law lines, telecommunication masts and, most recently, wind turbines.

15 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE The modern landscape

The landscape of Durham is predominantly rural with arable and mixed farmland in the east giving way to pastoral farmland, and moorland in the west. Urban development is concentrated in the central and eastern coalfields. Woodland cover

is relatively low and concentrated in the upland fringes and river valleys.

Agriculture

Arable farming in

East Durham

The more fertile lowland landscapes of the eastern and central parts of the county have long supported arable or mixed farming. There is currently a strong emphasis on arable cropping predominantly of cereals (wheat and barley) and oil seed rape, combined in places with the fattening of beef cattle or sheep. The pastoral uplands of the west of the county support livestock farming, principally of beef or dairy Livestock farming in cattle and hardy hill sheep, like Swaledales and Scottish Black-face, which graze the uplands extensive moors of grass and heather. Much of the upland area of the county is designated as a Less Favoured Area (LFA).

16 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

The upper dales of Weardale, Rookhope, Teesdale, Baldersdale and Lunedale form part of the Pennine Dales Environmentally Sensitive area where flower rich upland hay meadows and pastures are managed traditionally to maintain their wildlife and landscape value

Woodlands and Forestry The distribution of woodland in the county reflects thousands of years of human activity in woodland clearance and planting. Woodland cover is relatively low, around 6% compared to the national average of 9% and the average for England of 7.5%. Woodlands are absent from the upland moors. Heavily wooded landscapes occur locally elsewhere and particularly in the main river valleys.

Ancient semi-natural woods occupy around 1.3% of the County. Most ancient woods lie on land unsuitable for agriculture on steep valley sides and ravines along rivers and streams.

Riverside Woods

Teesdale

Oak and Oak-birch woodlands are typical of the acidic and neutral soils that cover much of the county. Ash woodlands are found on the limestones of upland gills and ravines and coastal denes. Fragments of Juniper woodland survive in the moorland margins, including one of the largest stands of Juniper in Britain in the Moor House - Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve. Alder woodlands occur locally on wetter ground.

The majority of woodlands in the county are plantations, established for timber, landscape, amenity, shelter and game. Many older woods were planted with natives or introduced broadleaves like beech and sycamore. The planting of conifers such as Scots Pine and Larch – often with local markets for pit-wood in Juniper woods mind - became widespread in the C19th. Moorhouse Teesdale

17 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

This continued into the C20th with the development of large Forestry Commission forest including Hamsterley Forest and The Stang in the upland fringes where Sitka Spruce is an important commercial species. Around a third of the County's woodlands are in public ownership, with the Forestry Commission owning the greater part of this. The County Council owns and manages around 1000 hectares

Hamsterley Forest of woodland, much of this on reclaimed former colliery land.

The Great North Forest, established in 1990, is one of twelve Community Forests being created across England to regenerate the countryside around major towns and cities. The Great North Forest was established in 1990 and now covers

approximately 250 square kilometres of urban fringe countryside across Tyne and

Wear and north-east Durham

Field Boundaries Field boundaries in the County date from many periods and include both ancient and modern features. Many survive from the medieval landscape, and some perhaps from its Saxon roots, but the landscape is dominated by hedgerows and walls established in successive periods of enclosure between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Ancient hedges are found along old parish and township boundaries and along old Old roadside hedge roads and lanes. Early town field enclosures - often irregular in pattern or following the curved alignment of arable strips - are a feature of the lowlands and land close to upland villages. Parliamentary enclosures - with regular grids of thorn hedges or walls - are found in the former wastes of the upland fringes.

Hedgerows are characteristic of the lowlands and walls of the uplands with a mixture of boundaries in the upland fringes. Wet ditches are used as field

boundaries in the lowland carrs. Hedges in the County are generally species poor Dry stone wall and dominated by Hawthorn - though Holly and Blackthorn are also common. Older

hedges are more diverse and often distinguished by the presence of Hazel.

18 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

Newly laid hedge

Tree cover varies considerably with abundant trees in the older field systems of the lower dales and pastoral upland fringe valleys. In the arable landscapes of the lowlands of the Tees and the Wear, and the open farmland of the limestone plateau in the east hedgerow trees are scarce. Ash is the commonest hedgerow tree across the county, having been favoured for farm timber. Oak and Sycamore Hedgerow trees are also common

Moors and Heaths Much of the west of the county is covered by moorland. Blanket bog of heather, cotton grass, and Sphagnum mosses dominates the higher ridges, summits and plateaux. This gives way to heath of heather and bilberry and acid grassland on North Pennine Moors drier ridges in the east.

19 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

Lowland Heath

Waldridge Fell

The North Pennine Moors are notable for their populations of birds such as red grouse, black grouse, merlin, peregrine and golden plover and large areas are

designated as a Special Protection Area. Large tracts of open moorland are

designated as Common Land. Fragments of lowland heath survive in the lowlands and upland fringes of the coal measures of thin acidic soils Buildings and Settlement

Over much of lowland Durham mining towns and villages dominate the settlement pattern. They vary in scale from small hamlets to large towns and are scattered across the limestone plateau and the valleys of the exposed coal measures, giving parts of the landscape a densely settled or ‘semi-rural' character.

20 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

This C19th and C20th industrial settlement pattern overlies and largely obscures an older nucleated settlement pattern of small ‘green’ villages of medieval origins which survives in the less industrialised lowlands and upland fringes and in the lower dales. Associated with this long established agricultural settlement pattern are larger market towns like Barnard Castle. In parts of the rural Tees Lowlands there are few villages today, but there are numerous shrunken or deserted village sites which belong to this older pattern. Village green Staindrop The higher uplands remain largely free of settlement, fringed by areas of dispersed farms on land enclosed from the wastes in the C18th and early C19th century. Building clusters and the scattered farms of miner-smallholders are particularly characteristic of the middle and upper dales and some of the more remote parts of the coalfield.

Older villages often have a relatively regular layout with buildings set around a central village green. Buildings are of local stone with roofs of stone flag or welsh slate in the uplands and upland fringes, and slate or red pan tile on the lowland clays. In the Pennine Dales many old agricultural villages of their vernacular upland character. Market towns and some of the larger older villages like

Sedgefield and Lanchester have developed outwards from their older core and contain buildings from many different periods.

Mining and industrial towns and villages vary in character. Most contain Victorian terraces of brick or stone and areas of C20th public estate housing. Some are built around the core of an older agricultural village.

Mining and Quarrying

The county is rich in minerals which have been exploited for centuries. The bole hearths of early metal workers from the Iron Age can still be found on the upland moors and survive in place names like ‘Baal Hill’. The working of minerals probably supported a dual economy of mining and farming even in this period, allowing settlement of the less fertile uplands.

The North Pennines, where mineral veins were worked for lead and other metals, and more recently fluorspar, were the world’s leading ore field in the C19th. The legacy of lead mining remains in the prominent ‘hushes’ which scar the dale sides in places, old mine buildings, and the patterns of building clusters and isolated farms which housed the ‘miner-smallholders’ who pushed the limits of agriculture well beyond the old moor wall. Slit Lead Mine

The Durham Coalfield, which covers the ridges and valleys of the west Durham Westgate Coalfield and the Wear Lowlands and extends beneath the limestone of the East Durham Plateau and out under the North Sea, was of great economic importance. Iron and steel making flourished at the interface between the coal measures and the Pennines, in places like Consett, Tow Law and Wolsingham, due to the availability of coal, limestone, and local ironstones. There are now no working collieries or steelworks. The legacy of the industry remains in the dense settlement pattern of the coalfield, the old railways and waggonways, and scattered mining Old Coke ovens at remains. Inkerman 21 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE THE MODERN LANDSCAPE

Opencast coal mining has had a major impact on the landscape since 1945. Extensive areas of the exposed coal measures – around 120 square kilometres – have been opencast and restored to agriculture and forestry.

The Carboniferous and Permian limestones of the North Pennines and the East Durham Limestone Plateau have been worked since medieval times for agricultural and building limes, and more recently for refractory products and road stone. Old Restored opencast land abandoned quarries are a feature of both landscapes, and large modern quarries Deerness Valley continue to work the Limestone Escarpment and the Great Limestone of the dales.

Carboniferous sandstones, and to a lesser extent the Permian limestone, have provided a source of building, roofing and road stone for centuries. A number of small dimension-stone quarries can be found in the North Pennines and the Dales Fringe.

Whinstone has been quarried in Teesdale for masonry, sea defences and most recently, for road stone. Old quarries line the southern flanks of Teesdale; the Carboniferous Limestone columnar structure of their whinstone faces blending with the natural crags of Quarry: Hulands Holwick Scar. A single active quarry remains at Forcegarth in Teesdale.

The glacial clays of the lowlands, and the brick shales and seat-earths of the coal measures have been exploited for brick making. Grey seat-earth or fireclay bricks, and rich red clay bricks are a feature of many colliery villages. There are active brickworks at Eldon and Todhills. Sands and gravels in glacial deposits and along the floodplain of the Wear have been worked for aggregates leaving scattered small sand pits and flooded gravel workings along the river. Whinstone Quarry

Forcegarth

22 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PERCEPTIONS OF THE LANDSCAPE

Perceptions of the landscape Early accounts

Many of the earliest writings describing the landscapes of County Durham tended to focus on the productivity or otherwise of its agriculture rather than its scenic value. John Leland, the King’s Antiquary, on his extensive travels through England in the mid C16th described the Bishop of Durham’s deer park as “..rudely enclosed with stone...” and commented on the fertility of Weardale, noting that “..though the upper part of Weardale be not very fertile of corn, yet is there very fine grass in the dale itself where the river passeth”.

William Cobbett visited the county in 1832, recording in his Rural Rides that

Durham was “..a country of pasture and not a country of the plough…”, and noting “..the absence of homesteads, the absence of barns and of labourers’ cottages…” in the mixed farmland of the lowland landscapes he passed through. Scenic landscapes

Interest in the landscape for its own sake amongst English painters and writers developed from the mid eighteenth century onwards. The dramatic scenic landscapes of Teesdale and the imposing views of Durham Cathedral and castle attracted many landscape painters including George Lambert, John Sell Cotman and JMW Turner. Some of Cotman’s finest watercolours are of Durham City and the River Greta near Rokeby.

Turner had a long association with Rokeby and stayed there repeatedly to paint some notable images of the dale, including the great waterfalls of High Force and Cauldron Snout, and the ruins of Egglestone Abbey and Barnard Castle. One of his Greta Bridge 1807 most well known paintings ‘The Meeting of the Waters' depicts the confluence of John Sell Cotman the Tees and Greta at Rokeby. His images of Durham Cathedral remain amongst British Museum the most powerful and popular of its portrayals.

The reputation of Teesdale as a scenic landscape inspired a spate of Victorian writing about the dales which appealed to the romantic taste for wild moors, dramatic crags and waterfalls. Sir Walter Scott was a regular visitor to the area, which inspired his long poem ‘Rokeby’

"When Denmark's raven soared on high,

Triumphant through Northumbrian sky,

Till, hovering near, her fatal croak

Bade Reged's Britons dread the yoke;

And the broad shadow of her wing

Blackened each cataract and spring,

Where Tees in tumult leaves his source,

Thundering o'er Caldron and High Force.

23 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PERCEPTIONS OF THE LANDSCAPE Charles Dickens visited Teesdale in 1832 to carry out research for his novel Nicholas Nickleby and found a great deal of material in the village of Bowes.

Dotheby's Hall, the boy’s school portrayed in the novel, was based on the Bowes Boys Academy.

The Victorian passion for science also meant that the flora of the area attracted attention, as did the geological, social and economic aspects of lead mining. Sir Richard Garland, in describing his guided tour of Teesdale in 1804, writes of the

‘strikingly bold and broken’ scenery, the ‘carpets of gay flowers’, the ‘boldness and irregularity of the majestic cliffs’ of Cronkley Scar and the ‘awe striking beauty of the temple’ of High Force. Other parts of the county were largely ignored by artists, probably because of the industrial nature of much of the landscape, and particularly the busy ore fields of parts of the North Pennines and the rapidly industrialising coalfield.

The special qualities of the North Pennines, ‘England’s Last Wilderness’, were given national recognition in 1981 with its designation as an Area of Outstanding

Beauty. As biodiversity has become an increasingly important part of the appreciation and understanding of landscape, the designation of large areas of the

North Pennines as Special Protection Areas for birds and Special Areas for Conservation under European legislation, or as an international Biosphere

Reserve, has underlined its importance. The scenic landscapes of the valleys of the River Wear and its tributaries are now designated as Areas of High Landscape Value in development plans. Durham Castle and Cathedral has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Industrial legacies and landscape renewal Mining and industry have had a substantial impact on the character of parts of the Durham landscape and the way it has been perceived. The most abiding images of the County are as an industrial landscape of coal mining, lead mining, steel making and railways, at the heart of the industrial revolution. The industrial landscapes and communities of the coalfield have inspired many local artists and writers. In the mid twentieth century painters like Norman Cornish and writers like Sid Chaplin, themselves working miners, captured the unique sense of place and spirit of community in their work.

With the decline of traditional industries perceptions of the landscape have slowly changed. The scars of lead mining and quarrying in the North Pennines have become accepted and valued as part of its cultural heritage. Killhope: The North Of England Lead Mining Museum in upper Weardale is now a popular tourist destination.

The legacies of coal mining have been seen as more problematic, as the widespread dereliction left by the industry affected the quality of the landscape, the health of the environment, and the image of the county to those outside of it. A major reclamation programme lead by Durham County Council has been operating since the early sixties to considerable effect, and has reclaimed over 44 square miles of derelict land.

24 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE PERCEPTIONS OF THE LANDSCAPE Over much of the coalfield it is now hard to find evidence of coalmining. Those features which survive – old waggonways, viaducts & coke ovens – are now valued as part of the area’s mining heritage. Coalfield communities have always had strong ties with the surrounding rural landscape and this remains conspicuous in the pony paddocks, allotment gardens and pigeon lofts which fringe most mining villages.

This is reinforced by the accessibility of the landscape with its dense network of footpaths - many originating in paths to former collieries -and numerous railway lines reclaimed as cycleways. The coalfield is now generally seen as a predominantly rural landscape with a rich industrial heritage, which is preserved and celebrated in The North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish and the Timothy Hackworth Victorian and Railway Museum at Shildon. The Durham Coast, at one time one of the most despoiled in Europe, has been the subject of a major reclamation initiative in the Turning the Tide project and much of it is now designated as a Heritage Coast

25 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The North Pennines AONB, England's Last Wilderness, covers much of the west of the county together with parts of Northumberland and Cumbria. Its landscape is one of settled pastoral dales and large tracts of open moorland which, at its most remote, has a near wilderness quality. The main objective of the AONB designation is "the conservation of the natural beauty of the landscape." In addition to its landscape value the area is important for its cultural heritage and biodiversity, and was designated as the first European Geopark by UNESCO in 2003.

Areas of High Landscape Value Outside of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty there are a number of areas which are designated in Local Plans as Areas of High Landscape Value (AHLV). These include attractive, mature and undeveloped landscapes within the major river valleys of the Tees, Wear, Browney, Derwent and Team together with much of the Durham coast and a number of coastal denes. Development plans contain policies for the protection of the special character and quality of AHLVs.

26 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

Environmentally Sensitive Areas The Pennine Dales ESA covers a number of upper dales in Durham. Their value lies in their old hay meadows and pastures, stone walls, field barns, small woods and field trees. They contain valuable wildlife habitats, a rich archaeological resource and a landscape of strong character, all dependent in some degree on traditional farming practices. The ESA scheme is administered by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which offers incentives to adopt agricultural practices which safeguard and enhance the rural environment and to improve public access.

Heritage Coast After years of environmental damage from the tipping of colliery wastes, the Durham Coast has begun to recover its natural qualities, assisted by the recent Turning the Tide project. Parts of the coast where low cliffs of Magnesian Limestone fall to sand and shingle beaches have now been designated as Heritage Coast.

27 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

Historic Parklands The County is rich in historic parklands, and particularly along the wooded valley of the River Wear and in the upland fringes. Some parks are of medieval origins, others surround country houses of C19th industrial entrepreneurs. Historic parks are of great scenic value and are a living record of the evolving aesthetics of English landscape design. English Heritage has compiled a Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, 13 of which are in County Durham. Development plans contain policies for the protection of the historic interest and special character of parks and gardens and a number are also designated as Conservation Areas. The register is currently subject to review and further sites within the county may be included in future. Further information on the register can be found on the English Heritage website.

Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas Substantial tracts of land in the county are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the EU Habitats Directive and the EU Birds Directive respectively. Together these make up a network of areas known as Natura 2000 Sites. The Moor House and Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve SAC is also designated as an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). All SACs and SPAs have already been notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The sections of the Durham coast which are designated as SPAs are also Ramsar sites - wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention.

28 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

Sites of Special Scientific Interest Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are the best examples of our national heritage of wildlife habitats, geological features and landforms and are notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) by Natural England. There are 91 SSSI wholly or partly in County Durham. The County Council owns several SSSIs that are managed for nature conservation including Wingate Quarry Local Nature Reserve, Waldridge Fell Country Park, Pow Hill Country Park and land on the coast.

National and Local Nature reserves (NNR and LNR) National Nature Reserves were established to protect the most important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations in Britain, and as places for scientific research. They are either owned or controlled by English Nature or held by approved bodies such as Wildlife Trusts. There are 6 National Nature Reserves within County Durham of which five are managed by English Nature. Local Nature Reserves are established by local authorities. There are ten LNRs in County Durham which are owned and managed by Durham County Council. In addition, Cow Plantation is owned and managed as a Local Nature Reserve by Spennymoor Town Council, Willington North Dene by Wear Valley and Coxhoe Hall Wood by Durham City Council.

29 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

Local Sites Local Sites (formerly known as County Wildlife Sites) are sites of nature conservation value, which are designated by the County Council in consultation with English Nature and other conservation bodies. There are 300 Local Sites in County Durham. Local Sites do not have the same statutory protection as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Local Development Plans contain policies for their conservation, for example, by not permitting development to take place that would damage their wildlife value.

County Geological Sites (CGS) The county contains a large number of sites designated as County Geological/Geomorphological Sites (CGS). These range from old mines and quarries to glacial features including drumlins and melt water channels. Moking Hurth Cave is designated as a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS). County Geological Sites do not have the same statutory protection as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Local Development Plans contain policies for their conservation, for example, by not permitting development to take place that would damage their geodiversity interest.

30 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

World Heritage Site Durham Cathedral and Castle were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. World Heritage sites are given international recognition and protection on the basis of their outstanding natural, environmental or cultural importance.

Conservation Areas Conservation Areas are areas of special architectural or historical interest that are designated by local authorities to preserve or enhance their character and appearance. There are 94 Conservation Areas in County Durham, ranging from urban market places and village greens to loose-knit dales villages, areas of well-preserved terraced housing, and historic parklands.

31 THE DURHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES

Common Land There are large areas of Common Land in County Durham ranging from extensive tracts of open moorland to small village greens. Common land is usually land in private ownership over which some individuals (commoners) have rights in common. These rights might include the right to graze livestock or take peat or turf for fuel. All Common Land in the county has now been designated as Access Land.

Access Land Extensive tracts of land in the county are designated as open access land. They include areas of common land, land in the ownership of the Forestry Commission, and areas of mountain, moor and heath. Access restriction may be in place at certain times of year, for example to protect ground-nesting birds. To view the boundaries of access land, and any restrictions that might be in force visit www.openaccess.gov.uk

32 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION The Landscape Classification The County Durham Landscape Character Assessment identifies landscape types and character areas at three different levels - the regional, the sub-regional and the local.

Regional County Character Areas

Sub-regional Broad Landscape Types Broad Character Areas See Table 1

Local Local Landscape Types See Table 2 Local Sub-types County Character Areas. County Character Areas are based on Natural England’s Countryside Character Areas. There are 6 Countryside Character Areas in County Durham, all of which extend beyond its administrative boundaries. County Character Areas are effectively those parts of Countryside Character Areas lying within the County. The boundaries of County Character Areas are more precisely drawn than those of Countryside Character Areas as they are based on a more detailed level of assessment. In reality the boundaries between these broad landscape zones are often gradual and progressive and difficult to identify precisely on the ground. The character of County Character Areas may differ in some ways from that of the larger Countryside Character Areas to which they belong. The descriptions of County Character Areas given here in the Landscape Assessment may therefore be slightly different to the descriptions given in other publications for Countryside Character Areas.

Broad Landscape Types and Character Areas Broad Landscape Types are landscapes with similar patterns of geology, soils, vegetation, land use, settlement and field patterns identified at a broad sub-regional level. As with County Character Areas, the boundaries between Broad Landscape Types are not always precise, as the change between one landscape and another can be gradual and progressive. Landscapes belonging to a particular type – for example an ‘Upper Dale’ landscape - may be found in many different places.

Broad Character areas are unique areas - geographically discrete examples of a particular landscape type. For example Upper Teesdale is a character area belonging to the Upper Dale type. In some cases character areas are physically separate landscapes – as they are in the Upper Dales and the Coalfield Valleys – in other cases larger tracts of landscape have been broken down into a number of character areas where this was the best way of accounting for variations in character within the broad type.

Local landscape Types and sub-types Local Landscape Types are tracts of land which share similar combinations of soils, land use, field boundaries and tree and woodland cover. Some Local Landscape Types may be found in only one Broad Landscape Type; others may be found across a wider range of landscapes.

Local Landscape Sub-types are used to identify variations within a local landscape type. For example landscapes belonging to the type ‘Valley farmland: pasture’ may include some examples with early post-medieval field systems (subtype: old enclosure) and some with parliamentary enclosure field systems (subtype: surveyor- enclosed). Local subtypes are not listed separately here but are described within the sections dealing with local landscape types.

34 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 1: REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

County Character Area Broad Landscape Type Broad Character Area North Pennines Moorland Ridges & Summits Barningham, Hope & Scargill Moors Bollihope Common Holwick & Cronkley Langdon, Newbiggin & Middleton Commons Lune Forest & Mickle Fell Middlehope Fell, Redburn, Wolfcleugh & Lintzgarth Muggleswick & Waskerley Nookton Fell Pikestone & Woodland Fells Stanhope Common & Wolsingham Moor West Common & Cow Green Moorland Plateau Cotherstone Moor Mickleton & Hunderthwaite Moors Stainmore Moorland Fringe Deepdale Moorland Fringe Derwentdale Moorland Fringe Hamsterley Woodland, Langleydale & Marwood Fringes Lunedale Moorland Fringe Romaldkirk Moor Slieghtholme & Greta Moorland Fringes Teesdale Moorland Fringes Scargill & Barnigham Fringe Waskerley & Tunstall Fringe Weardale Moorland Fringe Upper Dale Upper Baldersdale Upper Derwentdale Upper Greta Valley Upper Lunedale Upper Rookhope Upper Teesdale Upper Weardale Middle Dale Baldersdale Langleydale & Marwood Lunedale Mid Greta Valley Mid Derwentdale Mid Teesdale Mid Weardale Rookhope Tunstall Lower Dale Lower Derwent Lower Greta Lower Teesdale Lower Weardale Dales Fringe Gritstone Upland Fringe Bowes Moorhouse & Gillbeck Raby Hill, Marwood & Kinninvie Gritstone Vale Barnigham, Brignall & Rokeby Boldron & Lartington Newsham & Cleatlam Raby & Streatlam Bolam, Hilton & Wackerfield

35 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 1: REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

West Durham Coalfield Coalfield Upland Fringe Browney uplands Central Coalfield Uplands Northern Coalfield Uplands Upper Bedburn & Harthope Valleys Upper Gaunless Valley Upper Linburn Valley Coalfield Valley Floodplain Derwent Floodplain Gaunless Floodplain Wear Floodplain Coalfield Valley Beamish & Causey Burn Valleys Beechburn Valley Browney Valley Cong Burn Valley Deerness & Hedleyhope Valleys Derwent Valley Findon Hill & South Burn Valley Hummerbeck Valley Kyo Burn Valley Lower Gaunless Valley Lower Linburn Valley Middle Wear Valley Stanley Burn Valley Stockley Beck Valley Upper Wear & Lower Bedburn valleys Wear Lowlands Lowland Valley Terraces Eastern Valley Terraces Western Valley Terraces Incised Lowland Valley Congburn, Southburn & Blackdene Lower Browney Valley Northern Wear Valley Southern Wear Valley Team Valley East Durham Limestone Escarpment The Limestone Escarpment Ridge Limestone Plateau The Northern Limestone Escarpment The Southern Limestone Escarpment Clay Plateau The Central East Durham Plateau Coastal Limestone Plateau The East Durham Coastal Plateau The Hart Coastal Plain Limestone Coast The Durham Coast Tees Plain Lowland Vale Northern Tees Vale: Staindrop & Ingleton Southern Tees Vale: Hutton Magna

Lowland Carrs Bradbury, Preston & Mordon Carrs Nunstainton, Mainsforth & Middleham Carrs Lowland River Terraces The River Tees Lowland Plain Butterwick & Shotton Embleton Sedgefield, Windlestone & Aycliffe Sheraton

36 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 2: LOCAL LANDSCAPES TYPES

County Character Area Local Landscape Type NORTH PENNINES Crags, scars and stone bands Dale floor farmland: pasture and meadow Dale floor farmland: walled pasture and meadow Dale reservoir Daleside farmland: pasture and meadow Daleside farmland: walled pasture and meadow Daleside farmland: wooded estate pasture Daleside farmland: wooded pasture and meadow Daleside farmland: wooded walled pasture and meadow Disturbed land Gill pastures Infrastructure Lakes & ponds Low moor Mineral working Moorland edge Moorland gill Moorland plateau Moorland plateau summit Moorland reservoir Moorland ridge Moorland slope Moorland summit Outlying moor Parkland Parks and recreation grounds River: upper reaches Steep daleside bluff: pasture Top land, allotments and intakes: open pasture Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded pasture Top land, allotments and intakes: open rough grazing Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded rough grazing Upland woods Upland woods: forest Upland woods: gills and gorges Upland woods: juniper Upland woods: riverside Urban DALES FRINGE Dene pastures Disturbed land Floodplain farmland: pasture High plateau farmland: open pasture High plateau farmland: open walled pasture High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate arable High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate pasture 37 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 2: LOCAL LANDSCAPES TYPES High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Infrastructure Lowland reservoir Lowland woods Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Lowland woods: denes, bluffs & river terraces Mineral working Parkland Parks and recreation grounds River: middle reaches Upland woods Upland woods: denes & bluffs Urban Vale farmland: arable Vale farmland: pasture Vale farmland: walled arable Vale farmland: walled pasture Vale farmland: wooded arable Vale farmland: wooded estate arable Vale farmland: wooded estate pasture Vale farmland: wooded pasture WEST DURHAM COALFIELD Dene pastures Disturbed land Floodplain farmland: arable Floodplain farmland: pasture Heaths and fells High ridge and valley farmland: open arable High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture High ridge and valley farmland: pasture High ridge and valley farmland: walled arable High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture High ridge and valley farmland: wooded arable High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Infrastructure Lakes & ponds Lowland woods Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Nurseries & market gardens Mineral working Parkland Parks and recreation grounds River: middle reaches Upland woods Upland woods: denes & bluffs Upland woods: forest Urban Valley farmland: arable Valley farmland: open arable Valley farmland: open pasture Valley farmland: pasture Valley farmland: wooded arable 38 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 2: LOCAL LANDSCAPES TYPES Valley farmland: wooded estate arable Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Valley farmland: wooded pasture WEAR LOWLANDS Dene pastures Disturbed land Floodplain farmland: arable Floodplain farmland: pasture Heaths and fells Infrastructure Lowland woods Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Nurseries & market gardens Mineral working Parkland Parks and recreation grounds River: middle reaches River: tidal reaches Terrace farmland: arable Terrace farmland: open arable Terrace farmland: open pasture Terrace farmland: pasture Terrace farmland: wooded arable Terrace farmland: wooded estate arable Terrace farmland: wooded estate pasture Terrace farmland: wooded pasture Urban Valley farmland: open arable Valley farmland: open pasture Valley farmland: open pasture Valley farmland: wooded arable Valley farmland: wooded estate arable Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Valley farmland: wooded pasture EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE Carr farmland: open pasture PLATEAU Coastal arable Coastal gills & denes Coastal grassland Coastal plain farmland: pasture Coastal plain farmland: wooded arable Dene pastures Dene pastures (limestone) Disturbed land Escarpment ridges & spurs: open arable Escarpment ridges & spurs: open pasture Escarpment ridges & spurs: wooded estate arable Escarpment ridges & spurs: wooded pasture Escarpment valley farmland: open arable Escarpment valley farmland: open pasture Escarpment valley farmland: steep pasture Escarpment valley farmland: wooded pasture Foreshore Infrastructure Limestone cliffs & clay slopes

39 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION TABLE 2: LOCAL LANDSCAPES TYPES Lowland woods Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Mineral working Parkland Parks and recreation grounds Plateau farmland: open arable Plateau farmland: open pasture Plateau farmland: pasture Plateau farmland: timbered estate arable Plateau farmland: timbered estate pasture Plateau farmland: wooded arable Sand dunes Scarp and dipslope farmland: arable Scarp and dipslope farmland: open arable Scarp and dipslope farmland: open pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded arable Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded pasture Urban TEES LOWLANDS Carr farmland: open arable Carr farmland: open pasture Dene pastures Disturbed land Floodplain farmland: arable Floodplain farmland: pasture Infrastructure Lakes & ponds Lowland reservoirs Lowland woods Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside woods Nurseries & market gardens Mineral working Parkland Parks and recreation grounds Plain farmland: arable Plain farmland: open arable Plain farmland: open pasture Plain farmland: pasture Plain farmland: wooded arable Plain farmland: wooded estate arable Plain farmland: wooded estate pasture Plain farmland: wooded pasture River: middle reaches Urban Vale floor farmland: arable Vale floor farmland: open arable Vale floor farmland: open pasture Vale floor farmland: pasture Vale floor farmland: wooded estate arable Vale floor farmland: wooded estate pasture

40 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION MAP1: COUNTY CHARACTER AREAS

41 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION MAP2: BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPES

42 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES

The North Pennines

The North Pennines The North Pennines Countryside Character Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • An upland landscape of high moorland ridges and plateaux divided by broad pastoral dales.

• Alternating strata of Carboniferous limestones, sandstones and shales give the topography a stepped, horizontal grain.

• Millstone Grits cap the higher fells and form distinctive flat-topped summits. Hard igneous dolerites of the Great Whin Sill form dramatic outcrops and waterfalls.

• Broad ridges of heather moorland and acidic grassland and higher summits and plateaux of blanket bog are grazed by hardy upland sheep.

• Pastures and hay meadows in the dales are bounded by dry stone walls, which give way to hedgerows in the lower dale.

• Tree cover is sparse in the upper and middle dale. Hedgerow and field trees and tree-lined watercourses are common in the lower dale.

• Woodland cover is low. Upland ash and oak-birch woods are found in river gorges and dale side gills, and larger conifer plantations in the moorland fringes.

• The settled dales contain small villages and scattered farms. Buildings have a strong vernacular character and are built of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate.

• The landscape is scarred in places by mineral workings with many active and abandoned limestone and whinstone quarries and the relics of widespread lead workings.

• An open landscape, broad in scale, with panoramic views from higher ground to distant ridges and summits.

• The landscape of the moors is remote, natural and elemental with few man made features and a near wilderness quality in places.

• Within the dales there is a strong sense of cultural continuity and visual unity.

43 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES

Description An upland landscape of high moorland ridges and enclosed dales. The topography is massive in scale, with broad plateaux and summit peaks in the west giving way to more divided ridges in the east. The main dales are relatively broad with substantial tributary valleys, many of which are occupied by reservoirs.

Thinly bedded limestones, sandstones, mudstones and shales of the Carboniferous Limestone and Millstone Grit series give rise to gently rounded topography with a strong horizontal grain. Alternating harder and softer strata give a stepped profile to the dale sides. Millstone Grits cap the higher fells and form distinctive flat-topped summits. The underlying rocks are masked by deep peat on higher ground and by glacial clays in the valley bottoms and outcrop only occasionally in the form of low crags or stone bands. Hard igneous dolerites of the Great Whin Sill form more dramatic outcrops and waterfalls in Teesdale. Soils range from deep peats, peaty gleys and podzols on the higher fells to heavy gleys and lighter brown earths in the dales. The higher moors have a severe climate of short summers and cold winters with high levels of rain and snowfall and strong winds.

Land use is largely pastoral with improved and semi-improved pastures and upland hay meadows in the dales giving way to rough grazing and open heather or grass moorland on higher ground. The drier eastern ridges carry a mosaic of acid grassland and heath of heather and bilberry managed by burning for grouse shooting and grazed by hardy upland sheep. The higher, wetter ridge tops and poorly drained plateaux are covered in blanket bog of heather, cotton grass and sphagnum.

Field systems in the upper and middle dale are generally regular in pattern and date largely from periods of enclosure and improvement in the 18th and 19th centuries. Field boundaries are dry stone walls of locally quarried sandstones and limestones, or more rounded boulders from rivers or field clearances. In the lower dale older field systems surround the villages, most dating from enclosures of common town fields in the C17th century. Here walls give way to hawthorn hedges with hedgerow trees of ash, sycamore and oak.

Woodland cover is low although the lower dales are well wooded in places. Upland ash and oak-birch woodlands are found in river gorges and dale side gills. Narrow alder woods or tree lines follow smaller watercourses. Pockets of Juniper scrub are found in the moorland margins. Coniferous plantations are scattered throughout the dales and there are a number of larger forestry plantations in the moorland fringe.

Villages are strung out along the floor of the dale. Those in the lower dale are typically Saxon or medieval in origin, often enlarged in the C18th and C19th centuries by housing for lead mining and quarry workers. These give way in the middle and upper dale to smaller villages, hamlets or farm clusters, many of which have their origins in the lead mining industry as do many of the small farmsteads which line the dale side. Buildings have a strong vernacular character and are built of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate

The landscape has been heavily influenced by mining and quarrying in places. Relics of the lead industry include prominent hushes and spoil heaps, shafts, levels, chimneys and derelict mine buildings. There are a number of active quarries and many old abandoned quarries in the dale side and moorland fringe.

The landscape is broad in scale, defined within the dales by the enclosing view line of moorland ridges. There are panoramic views of the dales from higher ground, and across intervening dales to distant ridges and summits. The landscape of the moors is remote, natural and elemental with few man made features and a near wilderness quality in places. Within the dales there is a strong sense of cultural continuity and visual unity.

44 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES

Broad landscape types The landscape of the North Pennines can be broadly divided into moorland and dales landscapes. Moorland landscapes include the high Moorland Ridges & Summits which separate the main dales, the flatter Moorland Plateau of the Stainmore depression, and the Moorland Fringes of moorland intakes, rough grazing, wet pasture and coniferous forestry which border the dales.

Dales landscapes are transitional in character. Lower Dales, where many of the larger dales villages lie, typically have a mix of old hedgerows and dry-stone walls, frequent hedgerow trees and broadleaved woodlands. Middle Dales are more open and dominated by strong patterns of dry-stone walls enclosing upland hay meadows and pastures with scattered hamlets and farm clusters. Upper Dales are characterised by rough grazing, wet pastures and isolated farms and are similar in character to the landscape of the Moorland Fringe.

45 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND RIDGES & SUMMITS Moorland Ridges & Summits

Moorland Ridges & Summits The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad divided ridges and high flat-topped summits.

• A strong horizontal grain to the topography.

• Grits and limestones outcrop locally in low grey crags and stone bands.

• Hard igneous dolerites outcrop in larger crags and scree slopes.

• Rocky, quick flowing becks or burns in steep sided gullies.

• Extensive tracts of blanket bog of heather, cotton grass and sphagnum mosses.

• Deep peat exposed in eroded hags and peat edges.

• Drier slopes clothed in upland heath of heather and bilberry or acid grasslands.

• Extensive grazing by hardy hill sheep.

• Burning patterns on grouse moors create a patchwork of older and younger heather.

• Few man made features other than occasional fences, grouse butts, cairns and sheepfolds.

• Unfenced roads marked by snow poles with gates or cattle-grids at the moor wall.

• Relics of lead mining - bell pits, hushes, waste heaps, railways, reservoirs and water leats, smelter flues and chimneys.

• Panoramic long distance views out across unbroken moorlands or adjoining dales.

• A remote and elemental landscape with a near wilderness quality in places.

Description Remote upland landscapes of elevated moorland ridges and high summits. The topography of the landscape is heavily influenced by its geology. Alternating strata of Carboniferous limestones, sandstones and softer shales give a stepped profile to slopes and a strong horizontal grain to the topography. Millstone grits cap the higher fells and form distinctive flat-topped summits. Thick layers of peat cover much of the terrain but underlying rocks outcrop locally to form low grey scars and stone bands. Igneous dolerites of the Great Whin Sill form prominent crags and screes. Ridges are broad and deeply divided by valleys on their flanks, drained by rocky, quick-

46 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND RIDGES & SUMMITS flowing becks or burns in steep sided gullies – gills or sikes. Thick peats are exposed as dark eroding peat edges and hags.

The highest ground is occupied by extensive tracts of blanket bog of heather, cotton grass and sphagnum mosses. This gives way on drier ground to moorland of heather and bilberry or acid grassland on peaty gleys and podzols. The moors are managed for grouse shooting and the extensive grazing of hardy upland breeds of sheep like Swaledales. On heavily grazed moors heather is replaced by ‘white moor’ dominated by Mat-grass. Burning patterns on grouse moors create a patchwork of older and younger heather, creating a diversity of colour and texture.

The landscape is largely devoid of man made features other than occasional fences, grouse butts, cairns, sheepfolds and bields. Roads across the moor are unfenced and marked by snow poles with gates or cattle- grids at the moor wall. Occasional radio and telecommunications masts break the skyline.

Relics from the Bronze Age survive in a few places in the form of stone circles, cairn fields and burial mounds – these are generally cryptic features, difficult to find in the moorland heather. Remains of the C18th and C19th lead mining industry - including bell pits, mine entrances, derelict mine buildings, waste heaps, reservoirs and water leats - can be found on some moors following the line of ore-bearing veins. The most prominent in the landscape are smelter flues and chimneys and the deep hushes which scar the hillsides and occasionally notch the skyline.

The landscape is visually very open with panoramic long distance views out across unbroken moorlands or adjoining dales. The visual simplicity of the landscape coupled with a severe climate of high rainfall, cold winters and short summers gives it an austere and elemental character. In the heart of the moorlands, where man-made features are few, the landscape has a near wilderness quality.

Broad Character Areas The Moorland Ridges & Summits landscape type is represented by eleven broad character areas.

Barningham, Hope & Scargill Moors. Moorland slopes to the south of the Greta around the large forestry plantation of The Stang. The high ridge top of Hope moor is clothed in blanket bog or the ‘white moor’ of modified bog. The lower moors of Barningham Moor and Scargill Low Moor are drier heath with a mosaic of burning patterns. Barningham moor contains relics of a Bronze Age ritual landscape including a stone circle, cup and ring marked stones and burial mounds.

Bollihope Common, Ireshope & Westernhope Moors. The high watershed between Weardale and Teesdale and the South Tyne is divided into a series of moorland valleys. The high ridges of Burnhope Moor in the west are clothed in blanket bog; elsewhere the moors are heavily grazed white moor of acid grassland and modified bog. There are lead mining remains in some valleys together with a number of old ganister and limestone quarries. The moors are crossed by minor roads connecting the dales. There are dramatic long distance views from higher ground across Weardale to the northern moorland ridges.

Holwick & Cronkley. The Great Whin Sill is exposed in prominent scars along the southern flanks of Teesdale at Holwick, Cronkley and Falcon Clints and in the dramatic waterfalls of Cauldron Snout and High Force. Low moors lie along the foot of the scars at Cronkley Pasture, and open Juniper woods fall to the fast flowing and peaty River Tees. Whinstone quarries follow the outcrop including a currently active quarry at Force Garth.

47 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND RIDGES & SUMMITS

Langdon, Newbiggin & Middleton Common. The southern slopes of the high watershed between Teesdale & Weardale are divided into a series of moorland valleys. The ridge top and outlying spurs are clothed in blanket bog. The valleys are heavily grazed ‘white moor’ of acid grassland and modified bog. The landscape is rich in lead mining remains including prominent hushes such as Coldberry Gutter, and there are a number of old ganister quarries high on the moorland ridge. The moors are crossed by minor roads connecting the dales. There are dramatic long distance views from higher ground across Teesdale to the summits ridge beyond.

Lune Forest & Mickle Fell. High moorlands of blanket bog lying in the western summit ridge of the North Pennines. At 758m AOD Mickle Fell is the highest point in the county, its flat-topped summit fringed with screes and stone bands. The ridge is divided by minor valleys in the south where it borders onto Lunedale, and in the east falls with a stepped profile to Teesdale where lower moors of acid and calcareous grassland lie above the Whin Sill scars of Holwick and Cronkley. A remote wilderness accessed by few paths or tracks with dramatic views along the summit ridge and south across the moorland plateau.

Middlehope Fell, Redburn, Wolfcleugh & Lintzgarth. The high watershed between Weardale and Allendale is divided by the moorland valleys of Rookhope and Middlehope. The ridge is clothed in blanket bog, the valleys and moorland slopes in white moor of acid grassland. The landscape has been heavily affected in places by lead mining and quarrying, most notably in Rookhope Head. The moors are crossed by minor roads connecting the Durham dales with Tynedale and Allendale. There are panoramic views from high ground across the surrounding dales to the moorlands beyond.

Muggleswick & Waskerley. The broad ridge between Weardale and Derwentdale is divided by a number of valleys of dry heather grouse moor with prominent burning patterns and frequent shooting butts. Several small reservoirs lie in the eastern valleys. Edmundbyers Common contains many lead mining remains including the landmark Jeffries and Sikehead chimneys. The moors are crossed by a number of well-used roads connecting the dales, and by the Waskerley Way on the old Stanhope-Tyne railway line.

48 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND RIDGES & SUMMITS Nookton Fell. High flat-topped ridges of blanket bog encircle the moorland valley of the Nookton Burn. The moors are crossed in the east by a minor road connecting Rookhope and Derwentdale but are otherwise remote and accessed by few paths or tracks.

Pikestone & Woodland Fells. A broad arc of moorland valleys of dry heather grouse moor falling from a high ridge of blanket bog marked by a series of low pikes including Five Pikes, Pawlaw Pike and Islington Hill. The moors are drained by tributaries of the Bedburn Beck, which lie in incised steep sided ravines and fall to Hamsterley Forest in the moorland fringe.

Stanhope Common & Wolsingham Moors. Moorland ridges and valleys on the northern flanks of Weardale. Blanket bog on the ridge-tops gives way on the slopes to drier heath with a mosaic of burning patterns. The moors are crossed by the main road between Weardale and the Derwent valley, and by the Waskerley Way, which follows the Crawleyside & Weatherhill Inclines. There are commanding views across Weardale from the higher ground.

West Common & Cow Green. High moorlands of blanket bog which include the gently sloping moorland ridge of Herdship and Widdybank Fells and the remote moorland valley headwaters of the River Tees. The large Cow Green reservoir occupies the lower reaches of the valley. Sugar limestones on Widdybank Fell support calcareous grasslands which contain rare Arctic or Alpine plant communities including Spring Gentian and the Teesdale Violet. An austere wilderness accessed by few paths or tracks with dramatic views to the west of the higher Pennine summits.

49 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND PLATEAU Moorland Plateau

Moorland Plateau The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • High moorland plateau.

• Gently rolling, almost flat, terrain cut into by steep sided gullies.

• Occasional small, low, flat-topped, summits.

• Carboniferous rocks masked by deep peat which is exposed in eroded hags and peat edges.

• Millstone grits outcrop locally in summits, gullies and stone bands.

• Continuous blanket bog of heather, cotton grass and sphagnum mosses.

• Upland heath and acid grassland in drier moorland fringes.

• Extensive grazing by hardy hill sheep.

• Burning patterns on grouse moors create a patchwork of older and younger heather.

• Few man made features other than occasional fences, grouse butts, cairns and sheepfolds.

• A remote and inaccessible landscape with few roads or tracks.

• A broad scale landscape with long distance views across open moorland to distant summits.

• An exposed, elemental and simple, often bleak, landscape with a near wilderness quality.

Description High moorland plateau. The gently rolling, often flat, topography of the plateau is the legacy of a major ice sheet in the last glacial period. Sandstones, mudstones and shales of the Carboniferous Millstone Grit series are generally masked by a thick blanket of peat and are rarely expressed at the surface. They outcrop locally in small rocky flat-topped summits (Shacklesborough, Goldsborough) of resistant sandstones, or as screes on the sides of the narrow steep sided gullies, gills or sikes, which drain the plateau. Thick peats are exposed as dark eroding peat edges and hags.

Much of the landscape is covered by near continuous blanket bog of heather and cross–leaved heath, bilberry and crowberry, cottongrass, deergrass and bog mosses. This is replaced in the drier moorland fringes to the east by heather moorland or acid grassland. The moors are managed for grouse shooting and the extensive

50 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND PLATEAU grazing of hardy upland breeds of sheep like Swaledales. In places the bog has been degraded by drainage or gripping to improve its grazing potential, and this together with high stocking levels promotes a shift towards grass or sedge dominated vegetation. On grouse moors burning patterns create a patchwork of older and younger heather creating a diversity of colour and texture. Some of the wetter bogs are too wet for heather burning in most years.

The plateau is remote and inaccessible and is crossed by very few roads, tracks or footpaths. The landscape is largely devoid of man made features other than occasional fences, grouse butts and sheep folds in the more accessible moorland edges. Relics from the Bronze Age survive in a few places (Ravock Moor) in the form of cairn fields but are difficult to find in the featureless moor.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale with panoramic views to distant summits. A remote, elemental, often bleak landscape of great simplicity with a severe climate of high rainfall, cold winters and short summers. This coupled with an almost complete absence of man-made features gives it a near wilderness quality.

Broad Character Areas The Moorland plateau landscape type is represented by three broad character areas.

Mickleton and Hunderthwaite Moors. Extensive tracts of flat or gently rolling blanket bog incised by deep moorland gills and the valleys of the Lune and Balder. Open sweeping horizons are punctuated by low summits along the western watershed and the higher moors of Lune Forest and Mickle Fell to the north.

Cotherstone Moor. Extensive tracts of flat or gently rolling blanket bog incised by deep moorland gills. The distinctive low flat-topped summits of Shacklesborough and Goldsborough are notable features on the open sweeping horizon. The moors of Ravock contain the remains of Bronze Age cairn fields.

Stainmore. Extensive tracts of almost flat blanket bog incised by deep moorland gills. The low but pronounced moorland edge of White Brow overlooks the River Greta on Bowes Moor. The higher moorland ridge of Arkengarthdale Moor forms a strong horizon to the south.

51 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND FRINGE Moorland Fringe

Moorland Fringe The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • Upland landscape of improved moorland fringes, intakes and allotments.

• Varied topography including valleys and upper dale sides.

• Carboniferous rocks bare of drift or covered by boulder clays.

• Hard igneous dolerites outcrop locally in low crags

• Shallow, infertile or waterlogged peaty soils.

• Wet, rushy pastures, rough grazing and enclosed moorland

• Large regular fields bounded by low stone walls and wire fences.

• Isolated farms connected by straight roads.

• Scattered conifer plantations and shelterbelts - occasional large tracts of commercial forestry.

• Relics of the lead mining industry – mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and hushes.

• Visually open and often broad in scale with extensive views across adjacent dales and moors.

• A remote and tranquil landscape on the margins of settlement and agriculture.

Description An upland fringe landscape of marginal land lying between the open moors and the more settled, fertile dales. The topography of the moorland fringe is varied and includes minor valleys branching off the main dales and the upper slopes of the dale sides. On the convex slopes of higher dale sides Carboniferous sandstones, limestones, mudstones and shales are bare of drift and the terrain often has a stepped quality reflecting the alternating strata of harder and softer rocks. On lower ground these are masked by glacial drift of boulder clays. Soils are impoverished and often waterlogged - peaty gleys, podzols and heavy surface water gleys.

This is a pastoral landscape of wet, rushy pastures and rough grazing of acid grassland, enclosed from moorland wastes in successive waves of agricultural improvement and expansion since the late C18th. Regular grids of parliamentary enclosures or larger moorland intakes are bounded by low dry-stone walls or wire fences.

The diversity of grasslands, grazed by hardy upland sheep and beef cattle, creates a patchwork of muted and brighter greens reflecting varying degrees of improvement by drainage, liming, and fertilising.

52 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND FRINGE The landscape is sparsely settled with a scattering of isolated farmsteads dating from the period of enclosure – most are small and built of stone with roofs of stone flag or slate. In Teesdale the farms and field barns of the Raby estate in Teesdale are painted white. Roads and tracks also date from the period of enclosure and are characteristically straight and uniform in width.

The landscape is generally open with few trees or woodlands. There are occasional clumps of sycamore planted as shelter trees around exposed farms, and scattered conifer plantations and shelterbelts. Parts of the moorland fringe have been given over to larger scale forestry with large Forestry Commission holdings at Hamsterley Forest and The Stang.

Relics of the lead mining industry are common in parts of the moorland fringe. Some of the enclosures and farmsteads date from the expansion of the lead industry and the miner-smallholder economy it generated. Derelict mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and hushes are locally prominent features.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale with extensive panoramic views across adjacent dales and moors. A remote and tranquil landscape on the margins of settlement and agriculture, often with a neglected ‘run- down’ quality.

Broad Character Areas The Moorland Fringe landscape type is represented by eleven broad character areas.

Deepdale Moorland fringe. Open flat or gently rolling pastures and rougher moorland intakes in the eastern edges of the moorland plateau. Large regular enclosures bounded by stones walls and wire fences cover Battle Hill. Smaller and less regular field systems surround older farms at Loups Hill, Stony Keld and Levy Pool, the last surviving heather thatched farm in the North Pennines. There are areas of MOD land at Battle Hill Range and abandoned bunkers at Stony Keld.

53 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MOORLAND FRINGE Derwentdale Moorland fringe. Rough pastures, allotments and moorland intakes from a variety of periods fringing the upper Derwent valley, in the moorland valley of the Burnhope burn west of Edmundbyers and across Muggleswick Park to Hisehope. Very open landscapes intimately associated with the surrounding moors.

Hamsterley. Afforested moorland fringes of the Bedburn valley. The large Hamsterley Forest occupies much of the area. Tributary valleys of the Bedburn Beck lie in deep deep-sided ravines within the forest.

Woodland, Langleydale and Marwood fringes. Pasture and rough grazing fringing Langleydale and the Arngill valley. Large regular parliamentary enclosures are crossed by straight enclosure roads. There are scattered conifer plantations and shelterbelts. White painted farms of the Raby estate are scattered across the area. Wet rushy pasture and wetlands lie along the floor of the steep-sided ravine of the Arngill. Large regular enclosures of rough grazing bounded by stone walls and wire fences cover the eastern part of Woodland Fell.

Lunedale moorland fringe. Open pasture and rougher moorland intakes on the northern flanks of Lunedale and the higher ground of Harter Fell and Moor Rigg. Regular enclosures on the daleside give way to large open intakes on the ridge. The broken topography of the ridge associated with the downthrown Lunedale fault gives a distinctive undulating profile to the skyline. The wooded burial mound of Kirkcarrion on the ridge is a notable landmark.

Romaldkirk Moor. A low ridge to the east of the Moorland Plateau separates Lunedale and Baldersdale. Large regular enclosures of wet pasture, rough grazing and enclosed heather moorlands are crossed by straight roads and tracks. The landscape is open with scattered small conifer plantations. The large Brownberry plantation lies on slopes falling to the Grassholme reservoir. Isolated farms associated with the C19th enclosures are scattered across the ridge.

Sleightholme & Greta Moorland Fringes. Open pasture and rough moorland intakes in the edges of the Moorland Plateau of Stainmore Forest fringing the valleys of the Greta and the Sleightholme Beck. The beck is incised in a narrow steep side gill surrounded by irregular walled pastures and larger irregular moorland intakes.

Teesdale moorland fringes. Open wet pastures and rough grazing on the upper northern slopes of Teesdale and in the Hudeshope Valley. Large regular field systems of dry stone walls edge the moors along the dale. The large Stobgreen Plantation lies on the daleside above Eggleston. The Hudeshope valley contains many lead mining remains including the notable Skears hushes which deeply scar its eastern slopes.

Scargill and Barningham fringe. The Stang forest lies on steep slopes overlooking the Greta Valley, falling to flat or gently undulating wet pastures and larger enclosures of rough grazing fringing Barningham and Scargill Low Moors. Small conifer plantations are scattered across the area. Tree lines follow the sinuous Scargill and Gregory becks. There are a small number of isolated farms.

Waskerley & Tunstall Moorland fringe. Rough pastures, allotments and moorland intakes in the valley heads and surrounding ridge tops of the Tunstall, Horsleyhope and Houselop Beck valleys. The landscape is open in places but with concentrations of conifer plantations in the upper Tunstall valley and Salter’s Ridge. Several abandoned railway lines cross the ridge including the Waskerley Way. Salter’s Gate Plantation contains abandoned MOD bunkers and security fences.

Weardale Moorland fringes. Open pastures and moorland intakes of rough grazing on the upper dale sides and the lower reaches of moorland valleys along the edges of Weardale. Field patterns are regular with large fields bounded by dry stone walls and wire fences. Isolated farms are served by straight roads and tracks. The small streams of tributary valleys are incised in steep sided gills. There are occasional conifer plantations.

54 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE UPPER DALE Upper Dale

Upper Dale The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • Upper reaches of the Pennine dales.

• Varied valley topography.

• Carboniferous rocks bare of drift or covered by glacial boulder clays.

• Fast flowing rocky streams.

• Shallow, infertile or waterlogged soils.

• Wet rushy pastures, upland hay meadows and rough grazing in the moorland fringes.

• Regular field patterns of dry stone walls. Scattered field barns.

• Few trees or woodlands - occasional concentrations of conifer plantations.

• Scattered small farms with occasional farm clusters and hamlets.

• Relics of the lead mining industry – mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and hushes.

• Major reservoirs in some dales.

• Visually open but enclosed by encircling moorland ridgelines.

• Remote and tranquil landscapes on the margins of settlement and agriculture

Description A pastoral landscape at the limits of agriculture high in the upper reaches of the Pennine dales. The topography of the dale floor in the upper dales is varied. Most upper dales are relatively shallow and broad, incised by narrow gullies – gills or sikes – cut by rocky, fast flowing streams. The underlying Carboniferous sandstones, shales and limestones are generally masked by glacial boulder clay and morainic drift. Soils are heavy waterlogged or peaty gleys.

This is a pastoral landscape of wet, rush-infested pastures, upland hay meadows and rough grazing enclosed from the moor. Field patterns tend to be regular and date from enclosure and agricultural improvements from the late C18th onwards. Fields are generally large and bounded by low dry stone walls or wire fences, often in a poor state of repair. The diversity of grasslands, grazed by hardy upland sheep and beef cattle, creates a patchwork of

55 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE UPPER DALE muted and brighter greens reflecting varying degrees of improvement by drainage, liming, and fertilising. There are scattered stone field barns and sheepfolds.

Most upper dales are open or sparsely wooded with occasional small streamside woods, sparse lines of alder trees and willow scrub following watercourses, or isolated conifer plantations or shelterbelts. In places land in the dale head has been afforested with large regular blocks of pine and spruce.

Small farms and farm clusters are scattered across the dale floor and onto the dale sides, occasionally marked by wind-blown groups of sycamore or pine shelter trees. In Teesdale the tenanted farms of the Raby estate are painted white. Many farms date from the expansion of the lead mining industry which brought miner-small holders to the limits of agriculture. Relics of the lead mining industry include derelict mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and hushes. The heads of a number of dales are now occupied by large reservoirs.

The landscape is visually open and exposed and defined by the encircling moorland skyline. A remote and tranquil landscape on the margins of settlement and agriculture, often with a rather bleak and neglected quality.

Broad Character Areas The Upper Dale landscape type is represented by seven broad character areas.

Upper Derwentdale. A shallow branching dale head divided by the Nookton and Boltshope Burns. The burns are incised in steep sided gills clothed in heathland, birch woodland or conifer plantations. Walled pastures on lower ground give way to a patchwork of rougher grassland, moorland intakes and conifer plantations. The dalehead contains many lead mining remains, including the prominent smelter flue and landmark chimneys above Ramshaw. There are scattered farms and building clusters including miner’s smallholdings on the moorland edge at Boltshope Park.

Burnhope Head. Open pasture and rough grazing in the branching valley of the Burnhope Burn west of Edmundbyers. Heather moorlands sweep down to the burn in places. Old pasture woods of birch, rowan and alder lie on the northern slopes at Peddam’s Oak.

56 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE UPPER DALE Upper Rookhope. A narrow dalehead enclosed by steep moorland slopes. The village of Rookhope lies on the narrow dale floor surrounded by walled pastures and meadows which give way abruptly to moorland. Along the valley to the west, large intakes of rough pasture merge seamlessly with the surrounding moors. The dalehead contains many lead mining remains, including the notable smelter flue arch at Lintzgarth, the Boltslaw Incline and areas of disturbed land west of Rookhope village.

Upper Weardale. A branching dalehead divided by the Burnhope, Wellhope & Killhope burns. Large conifer plantations border onto the surrounding moors and fringe the Burnhope Reservoir. Rushy pastures and meadows follow the incised valley of the River Wear. Larger intakes of rough grazing merge with the grass and heather moor of the encircling ridges. The dalehead contains many industrial remains, including the former Killhope lead mine, and has a relatively dense pattern of scattered farms and building clusters west of the village of Cowshill.

Upper Teesdale. A broad open dalehead with an undulating dale floor of walled rushy pastures and hay meadows. Large regular intakes of rough grazing rise up the daleside to the moors. White painted farms are scattered across the dale floor. The quick flowing River Tees runs below the high dolerite cliffs and screes of Cronkley Scar. A remote and dramatic landscape encircled by high moors.

Upper Lunedale. A shallow dalehead flanked by the moorland plateau of Mickleton Moor to the south and the steeper slopes of Lune Moor to the north. Selset Reservoir occupies much of the dale floor. Wet rushy pastures and larger intakes of rough grazing are incised by the gills & ravines of the Lune and its tributaries. To the south of the reservoir conifer plantations and rough grazing land fringe the open moors. A remote and austere landscape with long distance views across the moorland plateau to the south and west.

Upper Baldersdale. A small shallow dalehead largely occupied by the Balderhead reservoir. Regular walled pastures follow the northern banks of the reservoir and larger intakes of rough grazing merge gradually with the moorland plateau beyond. A remote and austere landscape with views across the moors taking in the distinctive summit of Shacklesborough to the south.

Upper Greta Valley. The shallow dalehead of the Greta valley follows the Stainmore Gap across the moorland plateau between Bowes Moor and Stainmore Forest. The course of the Greta is lined with low limestone scars in places and crossed by a natural limestone arch at God’s Bridge. A very open landscape of wet rushy pastures divided by low walls or wire fences, dominated in places by the trans-pennine A66, with distant views out across the moorland plateau.

57 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MIDDLE DALE Middle Dale

Middle Dale The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad upland valleys with moderately sloping, often gently stepped valley sides, incised by narrow steep- sided gills

• Carboniferous rocks overlain on lower slopes by boulder clays. Hard igneous dolerites outcrop locally in prominent scars.

• Narrow floodplains of alluvium or glacial sands and gravels.

• Rocky fast flowing rivers and streams.

• Heavy, often waterlogged, clay soils with more fertile brown earths on valley floors.

• Improved and semi-improved pastures and flower-rich upland hay meadows.

• Strong regular or sub-regular patterns of dry stone walls with occasional ash, oak and sycamore field trees.

• Sparsely wooded. Narrow ash and oak-birch woodlands along rivers and streams and dale side gills. Scattered plantations of pine, larch or spruce.

• Small villages, hamlets and farm clusters follow valley floor roads – scattered farms and field barns on the dale side. Buildings of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate.

• Active and abandoned limestone and whinstone quarries prominent on the dale side.

• Relics of the lead mining industry – mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and hushes.

• Major reservoirs in some dales.

• Visually open but enclosed by encircling moorland ridgelines.

• Settled tranquil upland landscapes with a strong sense of cultural continuity.

Description Broad upland valleys with moderately sloping valley sides, incised by narrow steep-sided gills. Alternating strata of Carboniferous limestones, sandstones and softer shales and mudstones give a gently stepped profile to the upper dale side in places. On lower slopes they are overlain by boulder clays. Hard igneous dolerites with a vertical columnar grain outcrop locally in prominent scars. Rocky fast flowing rivers and streams with braided boulder-strewn channels run through narrow floodplains of alluvium or glacial sands and gravels. Locally,

58 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MIDDLE DALE outcropping dolerites form spectacular waterfalls. Soils are heavy, often waterlogged clays with more fertile brown earths on the valley floors.

Improved and semi-improved pastures, occasionally rush-infested, and flower-rich upland hay meadows cover the valley floor and dale side. Field systems are regular or sub-regular in pattern and date largely from C18th and C19th enclosures. Strong patterns of dry stone walls are prominent features of the dale-side. Walls are of locally quarried sandstones, limestones and whin stone, or rounder boulders from river beds and field clearances. Tree cover is generally sparse with scattered field and shelter trees of ash, oak and sycamore.

The middle dale is generally sparsely wooded, with narrow ash, alder or oak-birch woodlands along rivers and streams, in dale side gills or on steeper dale sides. Plantations of pine, larch or spruce are scattered across the dale side, with localised concentrations creating some heavily wooded local landscapes.

Small villages, hamlets and farm clusters follow valley floor roads. Many of these have their origins in the lead mining industry, as do many of the small farms that line the dale sides, often close to the moor wall at the limits of agriculture. Buildings are of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate and have a strong vernacular character.

Other legacies of the lead mining industry include mine buildings, waste heaps, smelter flues, reservoirs and deep hushes which scar the dale side. Active and abandoned quarries are prominent on the dale side following outcrops of the Great Limestone and the Great Whin Sill. Large water supply reservoirs occupy a number of dales.

The landscape is visually open but enclosed by encircling moorland ridgelines. A settled and largely tranquil upland landscape that, with its vernacular buildings, field boundaries and traditionally managed meadows and pastures, has a strong sense of both visual unity and cultural continuity.

Broad Character Areas The middle dale landscape type is represented by eight broad character areas.

Baldersdale. A narrow, shallow dale of walled pastures and meadows falling to the Blackton and Hury reservoirs. Field systems are generally old (pre-enclosure) with irregular or sub regular patterns and scattered field trees (ash), particularly in the east. The incised valley of the lower Balder contains ancient ash and oak woodland. Scattered farms, hamlets and building clusters follow the daleside roads. A visually open landscape with views across the surrounding low moors and moorland fringes.

Langleydale & Marwood. A narrow, shallow dale and associated areas of high ground lying within the ridge to the north of lower Teesdale. The head of the valley is deeply incised by gills and ravines. Improved and rushy pastures are enclosed by a regular network of stone walls and interspersed by conifer plantations and shelterbelts. A sparsely settled dale with scattered white painted farms and field barns.

Lunedale. A broad, shallow and asymmetrical dale of walled pastures and meadows lying between the high moors of Lune forest and the low plateau of Romaldkirk Moor. The northern slopes have an irregular rolling topography, incised by shallow gills, and have older field systems and frequent farms and building clusters. The southern slopes are more uniform and carry regular grids of parliamentary enclosures, straight enclosure roads and isolated farms. Grassholme reservoir occupies much of the dale floor.

Mid Greta Valley. A shallow dale of walled pastures & meadows between the low moorland plateaux of Ravock and Gilmonby moors. Field systems are generally regular, and isolated farms are strung out along the dale floor. The landscape is visually open with few trees or woodlands and is dominated in places by the busy A66.

59 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MIDDLE DALE

Mid Derwentdale. A broad, shallow, and heavily wooded dale which straddles the county boundary. In the east the large Derwent reservoir occupies much of the dale floor. Parkland and estate landscapes around Ruffside Hall are heavily wooded with large blocky conifer plantations separated by large enclosures of improved pasture. Estate buildings have steeply pitched roofs and gabled upper storeys. In the west the Derwent lies in a steep sided wooded ravine with a flat and narrow floor between regular walled enclosures of improved pasture on the gently sloping dale sides above. Isolated farms are scattered along the valley roads.

Burnhope. The small shallow dale of the Burnhope Burn branches off from Derwentdale south of Edmundbyers. The Burnhope Burn carves an incised meandering course in the floor of the dale, marked in places by tree lines or narrow riverside woodlands. Improved or wet rushy pastures fall from the surrounding moors, bounded by dry stone walls and wire fences.

Mid Weardale. A broad and deep dale with a narrow dale floor. The dale is bounded by high moorland ridges divided by numerous tributary valleys. Older field systems of pastures and meadows bounded by dry stone walls are found on the south facing daleside and the dale floor. Later, more regular, enclosures are found on the higher dale side. The landscape is generally open with few trees or woodlands. Small ash and oak woodlands are found in daleside gills, and conifer plantations are scattered across the daleside. Villages, hamlets and building clusters lie along the roads of the dale floor, and isolated farms are strung out along the daleside and moorland edge. The landscape has been heavily influenced by mineral workings with many lead mining remains and active limestone quarries.

Mid Teesdale. A broad and deep dale with a broad dale floor. The southern edge of the dale is defined by Holwick Scar, an outcrop of the Great Whin Sill, which rises from the dale floor to the moorland edge. The northern slopes are divided by tributary valleys. The fast flowing & peaty River Tees flows over dramatic waterfalls at High Force and Low Force. Older field systems of dry stone walls with frequent oak and ash trees are found around pastures and hay meadows on the dale floor. Later field systems with more regular patterns are found on the northern daleside. Hamlets, farmsteads and farm clusters follow roads along the dale floor and the

60 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE MIDDLE DALE higher daleside. North of the Tees the white painted buildings of the Raby estate give a highly distinctive character to the dale.

Rookhope. A steep sided valley penetrating deep into ridge north of Weardale. Open walled pastures with scattered coniferous plantations fall to the Rookhope Burn, incised by narrow wooded denes. Steeper slopes along the tree-lined burn are covered by open ash woodlands. The woodlands and steep dale sides give a strong sense of enclosure in places. Isolated farms are scattered across the daleside.

Tunstall. A broad heavily wooded dale penetrating deep into Weardale’s northern ridge. Tunstall reservoir lies in its upper reaches. The western slopes fall gently to the reservoir or to the narrow dale floor, with large regular enclosures of improved pasture bounded by walls and fences, and numerous plantations, narrow gill woods and tree lines. Handsome buildings associated with the reservoir together with exotic trees in the gardens of lodges and private houses give the landscape an ordered domestic character. The eastern side has a stepped profile with large ancient oak woods, rough pasture and coniferous plantations on the lower slopes.

61 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWER DALE Lower dale

Lower Dale The North Pennines County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad valleys with narrow floodplains or gorges on the valley floor.

• Winding, rocky fast flowing rivers.

• Carboniferous rocks covered by glacial drift, river gravels or alluvium.

• Limestones, sandstones and shales outcrop occasionally on the sides of gorges and dale side quarries.

• Heavy clay soils with more fertile brown earths and alluvial soils on the dale floor.

• Pastoral farmland of improved and semi-improved pastures.

• Old field systems with sub regular or linear patterns of hedges and walls.

• Relics of rig and furrow, and cultivation terraces.

• Frequent hedgerow oak, ash, sycamore and wych elm, tree lined watercourses and overgrown hedgerows

• Ancient ash and oak woods in gorges and denes.

• Old villages of vernacular sandstone buildings on the dale floor.

• Scattered stone farmsteads and field barns.

• Limestone quarries are locally prominent on the dale side.

• Visually enclosed by woodlands, trees and hedgerows and defined by high moorland ridgelines.

Description Broad upland valleys with narrow flood plains or incised gorges on the valley floor. Alternating strata of Carboniferous limestones, sandstones and softer shales and mudstones give a gently stepped profile to the dale side in places, and outcrop occasionally in gorges and dale side quarries. On lower slopes they are masked by glacial boulder clays, or sands and gravels marked by undulating terrain. Fast flowing rivers course on rocky beds through steep sided gorges or meander across floodplains of river terrace gravels and alluvium. Soils are heavy, often waterlogged clays, with more fertile brown earths and alluvial soils on the dale floor.

The lower dales are pastoral landscapes with mosaics of improved and semi-improved pasture and occasional flower-rich hay meadows. Field systems are sub-regular or linear in pattern and have their origins in the enclosure of common town fields surrounding the dales villages that took place mostly in the 17th century. Relics 62 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWER DALE of ancient agriculture – rigg and furrow, lynchets and cultivation terraces – are widespread. Field boundaries are a mixture of hedgerows and stone walls. Walls are made of locally quarried stone or rounder boulders from river beds and field clearances. Hedgerows are often tall and overgrown and rich in trees, with frequent ash, oak, sycamore and wych elm. Regular parliamentary enclosures are found on more recently enclosed land on the higher dale sides.

Ancient ash and oak woodlands are found along rivers and streams and in gills and gorges. Plantations of pine and larch are scattered across the dale side. Woodland cover is not high, but the frequency of small woodlands, hedgerow and field trees, tree-lined watercourses and overgrown hedgerows gives the landscape a well-wooded feel.

Small and medium sized villages lie on the valley floor connected by winding roads. Most villages are of medieval origins and some still retain a central village green. Others were enlarged in the C18th and C19th century with housing for workers in the quarrying, lead mining and steel working industries. Farms and field barns are scattered across the dale side or stung out along minor roads. Buildings are of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate and have a strong vernacular character. Active and abandoned quarries are prominent on the dale side in places following outcrops of the Great Limestone.

The landscape is relatively broad in scale, defined by encircling moorland ridgelines, but locally it is visually enclosed by woodlands, trees and hedgerows giving it a more intimate scale. A settled and largely tranquil upland fringe landscape that, with its vernacular buildings, old villages and pastoral landuse, has a strong sense of both visual unity and cultural continuity.

Broad Character Areas The Lower Dale landscape type is represented by four Broad Character Areas.

Lower Derwent. The River Derwent lies in a deep, winding, gorge fed by tributaries in steep sided denes. The gorge and denes are heavily wooded, containing ancient oak and ash woodlands and conifer plantations. The surrounding valley sides are pastoral with improved or rushy pastures, irregular patterns of old hedges and walls 63 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWER DALE and frequent hedgerow and field trees. The valley is sparsely settled with scattered farms in its lower reaches. The village of Edmundbyers and the hamlet of Muggleswick lie on gentle valley slopes in the west

Lower Weardale. A broad and well-defined valley in which the River Wear meanders across a narrow floodplain flanked by narrow riparian woods and fed by small wooded gills. The landscape of the lower dale is pastoral with a mosaic of improved and semi-improved pastures, sub-regular patterns of old hedges and walls, and scattered hedgerow trees. The large villages at Wolsingham, Stanhope and Frosterley lie on the north bank of the river along the valley floor. There is a relatively dense pattern of farms, hamlets and farm clusters. The lower dale has been heavily affected by limestone quarrying with abandoned limestone quarries lining the dale between Frosterley and Stanhope. Parts of the dale are well wooded, with forestry plantations in and around old quarries and areas of former parkland.

Lower Teesdale. A broad dale with steep eastern slopes and gentle southern slopes divided by the valleys of Lunedale and Baldersdale. The River Tees meanders across a broad valley floor in the north before entering a deep wooded gorge in its lower reaches. The river and its tributaries are lined with woodlands or tree lines. The landscape is pastoral with improved and semi-improved pastures and meadows, sub regular patterns of old hedges and walls and abundant hedgerow trees. Old cultivation terraces and remnants of rig & furrow are common around the small villages found across the dale floor and the lower dale sides.

Lower Greta. A shallow dale running across the high plateau of the Stainmore Gap. The river Greta meanders across a narrow floodplain in the west before entering a narrow wooded gorge in the east. The wooded limestone scar of Kilmond Wood rises above the dale in the north. A pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved pastures, sub regular patterns of old hedges and walls, with a linear grain in places, and scattered hedgerow trees. Farms and farm clusters are scattered along the dale.

64 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Crags, scars and stone bands Moorland reservoir

Dale floor farmland: pasture and meadow Moorland ridge

Dale floor farmland: walled pasture and meadow Moorland slope

Dale reservoir Moorland summit

Daleside farmland: pasture and meadow Outlying moor

Daleside farmland: walled pasture and meadow Parkland

Daleside farmland: wooded estate pasture Parks and recreation grounds

Daleside farmland: wooded pasture and meadow River: upper reaches

Daleside farmland: wooded walled pasture and Steep daleside bluff: pasture meadow Top land, allotments and intakes: open pasture Disturbed land Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded pasture Gill pastures Top land, allotments and intakes: open rough Infrastructure grazing

Lakes & ponds Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded rough grazing Low moor Upland woods Mineral working Upland woods: forest Moorland edge Upland woods: gills and gorges Moorland gill Upland woods: juniper Moorland plateau Upland woods: riverside Moorland plateau summit Urban

65 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Crags, scars and stone bands Crags, scars and stone bands are relatively uncommon in the eastern valleys of the North Pennines and vary in character with the underlying geology.

The Dolerites of the Whin Sill form steep scars that are generally grey in colour with a vertical columnar structure. In places they form tall singular crags (Cronkley Scar, Falcon Clints) with sparsely vegetated blocky scree slopes. Elsewhere the columnar structure of the dolerite gives a stepped profile to lower scars (Holwick Scars) which may be further dissected by hanging gills to give a more undulating sequence of buttresses and grassy gills or cols. These rocks also give rise to spectacular waterfalls which may be massive (High Force) or stepped and columnar (Cauldron Snout).

Carboniferous Sandstones and Limestones outcrop on steeper dale & moorland valley sides in low crags and rocky stone bands. These crags have a horizontally bedded structure, with prominent vertical jointing typical of the limestones. Grey or buff limestones may be found together with darker sandstones and occasionally dark grey shales. The softer sandstones and shales often weather and support vegetation.

Subtypes Juniper woods

Dale floor farmland: pasture and meadow Pastoral farmland of the lower dale floor. The dale floor is relatively flat, its fertile brown earths and brown alluvial soils supporting improved and semi-improved pasture and meadow. Much of the meadow is improved and managed for silage but there are some traditionally managed flower-rich meadows. Field boundaries are a mixture of old, pre-inclosure, hedges and walls with frequent hedgerow trees (Ash, Oak, Sycamore). Field patterns are irregular or sub-regular, often following watercourses and river terraces and occasionally following the curved boundaries of medieval strip fields. Rivers and minor tributary streams from daleside gills meander across the dale floor, often marked by narrow riparian woodlands or tree lines (Alder). There are scattered relics of medieval rigg & furrow.

Subtypes Modern field system

Areas of modern field rationalisation – usually bounded by wire fences.

Old Enclosure.

The type

Dale floor farmland: walled pasture and meadow Pastoral farmland of the upper dale floor. The dale floor may be flat or gently undulating, its brown earths and stagnogley soils supporting improved and semi-improved pasture and meadow. Some meadow is improved and managed for silage but there are large areas of traditionally managed flower rich hay meadow. On wetter ground pastures are rushy. Field boundaries are predominantly dry stone walls dating from many different periods. Tree cover is generally low, though field boundary trees (Ash, Sycamore) are common in places and particularly in areas of older enclosure. Rivers and minor tributary streams from daleside gills run across the dale floor, often marked by narrow riparian woodlands or tree lines (Alder). Locally there may be relics of lead mining and processing.

66 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Subtypes Modern field system

Areas of modern field rationalisation – usually bounded by wire fences.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Older fields may be irregular or sub-regular, their alignments strongly influenced by watercourses, river terraces, roads and tracks. The oldest walls are often made from irregular river cobbles or field clearance stones. Field tress are locally common.

Surveyor Enclosed

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly thinly bedded quarried stone. Field trees are rare.

Dale Reservoir Water supply reservoirs in the middle and upper dale. Dale reservoirs are bordered by fringes of pasture or rough grassland, usually demarcated by a continuous boundary wall, or flanked by areas of coniferous forestry. Dams, spillways, pump houses and other buildings, usually built of stone in a formal ‘estate’ style, are often notable features. Bare draw down zones may be prominent when water levels are low.

Subtypes Reservoir.

Reservoir water body.

Reservoir fringes.

Areas of pasture, rough grazing or unmanaged grassland bordering dales reservoirs & containing dams, spillways and other infrastructure.

Daleside farmland: pasture and meadow Pastoral farmland of improved and semi-improved pasture and meadow on the slopes of the lower dale side. Most meadows are improved and cut for silage. Field boundaries are a mixture of old, pre-inclosure, hedges and walls, with locally abundant hedgerow trees (Ash, Oak, Sycamore). Field patterns are generally sub-regular, sometimes following the curved boundaries of medieval strip fields. Hedges are often overgrown and unmanaged, in places reduced to lines of bushes and trees grazed through by livestock. Areas of rigg & furrow, strip lynchets and other cultivation features survive from earlier periods of cultivation on land around villages and older farms.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type

Surveyor Enclosed

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly thinly bedded quarried stone. Field trees are rare.

67 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Daleside farmland: walled pasture and meadow Pastoral farmland of the upper dale side. Heavy and often poorly drained soils support improved and semi- improved pastures and meadows. Wetter pastures are often rushy. Some meadows are cut for silage; others are managed as traditional meadow. Field boundaries are predominantly dry stone walls dating from many different periods. Small stone field barns are fairly common. Tree cover is sparse, with isolated stands of shelter trees (Ash, Sycamore) around daleside farms, occasional field trees and tree lined watercourses (Alder, Sallow). Relics of lead mining and processing are locally common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Older fields may be irregular or sub-regular, their alignments often influenced by the local topography The oldest walls are often made from field clearance stones..

Surveyor Enclosed

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly thinly bedded quarried stone, and often ignoring the underlying topography.

Daleside farmland: wooded estate pasture Wooded pastoral estate farmland. Heavy and often poorly drained soils support improved and semi-improved pastures. The overall landscape is deliberately designed with large coniferous or mixed plantations and smaller copses and coverts, often in geometrical shapes. Field boundaries are dry stone walls and fences on higher ground, giving way to hedges on the lower daleside.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed

The type

Daleside farmland: wooded pasture and meadow Wooded pastoral farmland of the lower dale side. Woodlands are a mixture of ancient Sessile Oak and Ash woods in gorges and ravines and on steep daleside slopes, and plantations of softwoods (Scots Pine, Larch) or hardwoods (Beech, Sycamore). The farmland between is a mixture of improved and semi-improved pasture and meadow, with most meadows being improved and cut for silage. Field boundaries are a mixture of old, pre- inclosure, hedges and walls, with locally abundant hedgerow trees (Ash, Oak, Sycamore). Field patterns are generally sub-regular, sometimes following the curved boundaries of medieval strip fields. Hedges are often overgrown and unmanaged, in places reduced to lines of bushes and trees grazed through by livestock. Areas of rigg & furrow, strip lynchets and other cultivation features survive from earlier periods of cultivation and particularly on land around villages and older farms.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type

Surveyor Enclosed

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly

68 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES thinly bedded quarried stone. Field trees are rare.

Daleside farmland: wooded walled pasture and meadow Wooded pastoral farmland of the upper dale side and tributary dales. Woodlands are predominantly plantations of softwoods (Scots Pine, Larch and Spruce) with occasional ancient Sessile Oak and Ash woods in ravines and gills. Heavy and often poorly drained soils support improved and semi-improved pastures and meadows. Wetter pastures are often rushy. Some meadows are cut for silage; others are managed as traditional meadow. Field boundaries are predominantly dry stone walls dating from different periods of enclosure. Outside of the woodlands tree cover is sparse, with isolated stands of shelter trees (Ash, Sycamore) around farmsteads, occasional field trees and tree lined watercourses (Alder, Sallow).

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Older fields may be irregular or sub-regular, their alignments often influenced by the local topography The oldest walls are often made from field clearance stones..

Surveyor Enclosed

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly thinly bedded quarried stone, and often ignoring the underlying topography.

Disturbed land A variable type made up largely of abandoned mineral workings and railway lines.

Subtypes Old Carboniferous Limestone quarry.

Abandoned limestone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are made up of grey, horizontally bedded and vertically jointed Carboniferous Limestones, inter-bedded with harder sandstones and softer shales, and often capped by a crest of clay drift. The base rich limestone wastes and more acidic overburden materials give rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, scrub and secondary woodland.

Old ironstone quarry.

Abandoned Ironstone workings. Opencast pits worked for ironstone rarely have significant extraction faces but occur as areas of disturbed ground with prominent, often fan shaped, spoil heaps supporting acid grassland, usually grazed by stock.

Old lead/spa workings

Abandoned quarries ranging from small quarries worked for building stone and agricultural lime to larger and more recently abandoned quarries worked for aggregates. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Some structures may survive – particularly lime kilns associated with older limestone quarries.

Old railway

Abandoned railway lines survive as narrow linear features running through other landscapes. Most are made up

69 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES of alternating cuttings and embankments. Many structures survive along their routes including bridges and viaducts, culverts, tipplers and station platforms. Some associated buildings like station houses and railway cottages have been converted to other uses. Most abandoned lines have been colonised by vegetation and support a diverse grassland and woodland flora which reflects the range of naturally occurring or imported materials found in cuttings and embankments. Pioneer or ruderal species are particularly characteristic. Many old railway lines have been developed as recreational multi-user routes.

Old sandstone quarry.

Abandoned sandstone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Base- poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora and are typically colonised by pioneer tree and shrub species like birch, alder, goat willow, hawthorn, gorse, broom and dog rose.

Old Whinstone quarry.

Abandoned whinstone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are made up of charcoal grey dolerite with prominent vertical columnar jointing. The mixture of base rich and base poor wastes and overburden materials gives rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, with scrub and secondary woodland developing in areas that are not grazed.

Gill pastures Incised valleys varying from shallow daleside gills to deeper ravines. Land use is predominantly poor quality pasture or rough grazing, often with areas of bracken or scrub, and sometimes merging into open wood pasture. Field patterns vary considerably: some gills aren’t fenced from surrounding pastures, others are demarcated by hedges or walls, while others are crossed arbitrarily by parliamentary enclosure boundaries. The gills contain small, fast flowing and rocky becks or burns, usually unfenced from the surrounding land. The larger ravines contain rivers (see River: upper reaches). Relics of lead mining and processing, or quarrying, and industrial or agricultural water mills are common.

Subtypes Surveyor enclosed.

Enclosures of 18th or 19th century origins. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls, usually of fairly thinly bedded quarried stone, often ignoring the underlying topography.

Old enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Older fields may be irregular or sub-regular, often following the topography The oldest walls are often made from field clearance stones.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype

70 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Military

A variable type consisting of military installations such as active, dormant or abandoned ordnance dumps and firing ranges.

Railway

Only major railways are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Railway subtype therefore predominantly covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and sidings.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are subsumed within the Developed: urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences.

Lakes and ponds A variable type covering a range of natural and man made water bodies.

Subtypes Flooded quarry.

Flooded limestone or sandstone quarry. Water bodies are typically deep and clear, and edged by vertical cliffs falling sheer into the water. Waters are usually nutrient poor with little emergent vegetation. Smaller features within larger quarries are not mapped separately from the Disturbed Land: Quarry subtypes. They are usually similar in character to this subtype though often with shallower waters with more emergent vegetation.

Upland lakes and tarns

A single example is mapped (Fish Lake) which may be based on a natural pond augmented by silt dams caused by up-stream lead hushing or by an artificially constructed dam. The water body is irregular in shape and fringed by flats of tailings from a nearby barytes mine.

Low moor Low lying areas of moorland on the dale floor or lower dale side, bordering onto, or surrounded by, enclosed intake pastures. Low moors have many of the characteristics of nearby moorland types but lack their scale.

Subtypes Grass moor

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Grass moor (enclosed)

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences.

Heather moor

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath.

Heather moor (enclosed)

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences.

71 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Carboniferous limestone quarry

Large quarries worked primarily for road stone products. Quarry faces are made up of grey, horizontally bedded and vertically jointed Carboniferous Limestones, inter-bedded with harder sandstones and softer shales, and often capped by a crest of clay drift. Crushing, screening and coating plant occupy parts of the quarry floor. The base rich limestone wastes and acidic overburden materials give rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, and scrub and secondary woodland which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Sandstone Quarry

Small or medium-sized quarries worked primarily for building stone. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Industrial buildings for stone cutting and processing may occupy parts of the quarry floor, or be absent in the case of smaller ‘snatch’ quarries. Base-poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Whinstone quarry

Medium-sized quarries worked primarily for road stone products. Quarry faces are made up of charcoal grey dolerite with prominent vertical columnar jointing. Crushing and screening plant take up part of the quarry floor. The mixture of base rich and base poor wastes and overburden materials can give rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, but this is generally slow to colonise bare areas.

Moorland edge Steeply sloping moorland edges falling to enclosed moorland-fringe pastures or lower lying moors. Slopes may be singular or dissected by small gills.

Subtype Grass moor

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath.

Moorland gill Incised valleys varying from shallow gills and gullies to deeper ravines are a feature of both the broader moorland valleys and the moorland plateau. Vegetation may be similar to the surrounding moorland, but often in the absence of peat on the steeper slopes of the gills it is dominated by acid grassland, or bracken. The steepest slopes may be bare of vegetation where deep peats, soft shales or glacial clays are eroded. The moorland gills contain small, fast flowing, rocky and peat-stained becks or burns, with occasional bankside sallows or rowan where grazing pressure is light.

Subtype

72 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Bracken moor.

Vegetation dominated by Bracken, or mosaic of bracken and acid grassland.

Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland

Hush.

Lead mining hushes of similar scale and character to natural gills.

Moorland plateau Flat or gently rolling moorland predominantly of blanket bog, grading to heather or grass moorland on thinner peats in the drier moorland edges. Man made features are rare and restricted to scattered bields, sheepfolds and grouse buts with the occasional wire fence or dry stone wall in the moorland edges.

Subtypes Blanket Bog.

Blanket bog on deep peat.

Blanket Bog (enclosed)

Blanket bog on deep peat. The moor is subdivided by fences.

Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Grass moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland.

Heather moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Moorland plateau summit Low, well-defined flat-topped summits (Shacklesborough, Goldsborough) standing around 15 to 20 meters above the surrounding moorland plateau. The edges of the summits are defined by low Crags of hard Millstone Grit sandstones and scree or clitter slopes of large boulders.

Subtypes Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The type.

73 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Moorland reservoir Water supply reservoirs in the high moorland ridges. Moorland reservoirs are generally unfenced from the surrounding moorland with fairly minimal infrastructure. Bare draw down zones may be prominent when water levels are low.

Subtypes Reservoir.

Reservoir water body.

Reservoir fringes.

Areas of enclosed moorland bordering moorland reservoirs & containing dams, spillways and other infrastructure.

Moorland ridge High, gently sloping or flat-topped ridges covered predominantly in blanket bog, but grading to heather or grass moorland on thinner peats in the east. Man made features are rare and restricted to scattered cairns, curricks and grouse butts. The ridges are crossed in places by unfenced roads marked by lines of snow poles.

Subtypes Blanket Bog.

Blanket bog on deep peat.

Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Grass moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland.

Heather moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Moorland slope Moderate slopes of heather or grass moorland falling from the higher ridges and summits to the enclosed land of the dales. The slopes may have a stepped profile reflecting alternating sequences of harder and softer sandstones, shales and limestones. Man made features are rare and restricted to scattered grouse butts and occasional lead mining remains. The slopes are crossed in places by unfenced roads marked by lines of snow poles.

Subtypes Blanket Bog.

Blanket bog on deep peat.

74 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Grass moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland.

Heather moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Moorland summits High, flat-topped summits of acid grassland and blanket bog, ringed by grey stone bands and clitter slopes, littered with rocks and boulders, and pockmarked with shake-holes. Man made features are very rare and restricted to scattered piles of stone and the occasional sheepfold.

Subtypes Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The type.

Moorland valley Moderately sloping valleys of heather or grass moorland cutting back into the higher moorland ridges. The valley sides may have a stepped profile reflecting alternating sequences of harder and softer sandstones, shales and limestones. Valley floors are often incised, steep-sided gills. Man made features are rare and restricted to scattered sheepfolds, bields and grouse butts, together with occasional lead mining remains. The valleys are crossed in places by unfenced roads marked by lines of snow poles.

Subtypes Blanket Bog.

Blanket bog on deep peat.

Grass moor.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Grass moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland.

Heather moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

75 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Outlying moor Small areas of heather moorland on low ridges fringing the higher ridges and summits and the plateau, surrounded by enclosed intake pastures. The outlying moors have many of the characteristics of the nearby moorland types but lack their scale.

Subtypes Heather moor.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland.

Heather moor (enclosed).

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland. The moor is enclosed or subdivided by walls or fences

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha-has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes Enclosed parkland pasture.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently under pasture. Field systems may date from earlier enclosures or may be contemporary with the layout of the park. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern although field or avenue trees may also be present.

Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens.

Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

Parks & recreation grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Caravan sites.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain

76 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Country parks.

Formal recreational facilities in the countryside usually with areas of amenity grassland, car parks and other facilities.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

River: upper reaches Fast flowing upland rivers meandering across narrow floodplains or contained within narrow gorges. The river may be fenced-off from surrounding pastures or left unfenced and may be lined with trees or narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes River. Rocky, fast flowing watercourses with alternating pools and rifles, often with multiple channels braiding between exposed shingle banks and islands.

River bank.

River banks that are fenced, walled or hedged from surrounding land, supporting rough unmanaged grassland and, in places, sporadic trees of species such as Alder, Birch, Ash, Purple Willow and Grey Willow.

Steep daleside bluff: pasture Steeply sloping bluffs following the outcrop of harder sandstone or limestone beds in the daleside. As they are difficult to manage or improve agriculturally these bluffs often support semi-improved pasture or rough grazing, sometimes invaded by bracken or hawthorn scrub. They area typically defined by a wall at the break in slope at the top and foot of the slope, and occasionally subdivided in a piecemeal fashion by later boundaries. Often associated with spring lines and small quarries.

Subtypes Old enclosure. The type.

Top land, allotments and intakes: open pasture. Open pasture and wet rush pasture in the moorland fringes. Fields are typically medium or large in scale and bounded by dry stone walls or wire fences. Most are regular in pattern, originating in 18th or 19th Century intakes from the moor. Tree cover is low and restricted to the occasional roadside or streamside rowan or sallow, wind- sculpted sycamore shelter trees around farmsteads, and isolated conifer shelterbelts. This type is transitional with Top land, allotments & intakes: open rough grazing from which it is distinguished only by the degree of improvement in the sward.

Subtypes

77 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Old Enclosure.

Early intakes from the moor. Field patterns are often irregular and influenced by the local topography. Boundary walls may be made from irregular field clearance stones, or rebuilt in later periods using quarried stone.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls – usually built from thinly bedded quarried stone - or wire fences.

Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded pasture. Open pasture and wet rush pasture in the moorland fringes. Fields are typically medium or large in scale and bounded by dry stone walls or wire fences. Most are regular in pattern, originating in 18th or 19th Century intakes from the moor. There are frequent blocky conifer plantations and shelterbelts but otherwise tree cover is low and restricted to the occasional roadside or streamside rowan or sallow and wind-sculpted sycamore shelter trees around isolated farmsteads. This type is transitional with Top land, allotments & intakes: wooded rough grazing from which it is distinguished only by the degree of improvement in the sward.

Subtypes

Old Enclosure.

Early intakes from the moor. Field patterns are often irregular and influenced by the local topography. Boundary walls may be made from irregular field clearance stones, or rebuilt in later periods using quarried stone.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls – usually built from thinly bedded quarried stone - or wire fences.

Top land, allotments and intakes: open rough grazing. Enclosed moorland, rough grazing and wet rush pastures in the moorland fringes. Fields are typically large and bounded by dry stone walls or wire fences. Most are regular in pattern, originating in 18th or 19th Century intakes from the moor. Tree cover is low and restricted to the occasional roadside or streamside rowan or sallow, wind sculpted sycamore shelter trees around farmsteads, and isolated conifer shelterbelts. This type is intermediate between Top land, allotments & intakes: open pasture and the moorland subtype Grass moor (enclosed) - from which it is distinguished by the degree of improvement in the sward.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Early intakes from the moor. Field patterns are often irregular and influenced by the local topography. Boundary walls may be made from irregular field clearance stones, or rebuilt in later periods using quarried stone.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls – usually built from thinly bedded quarried stone - or wire fences.

Top land, allotments and intakes: wooded rough grazing. Enclosed moorland, rough grazing and wet rushy pastures in the moorland fringes. Large regular fields - late

78 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES C18th or C19th intakes from the moor - are bounded by low dry stone walls or wire fences. There are frequent blocky conifer plantations and shelterbelts but otherwise tree cover is low and restricted to the occasional roadside or streamside rowan or sallow and wind sculpted sycamore shelter trees around isolated farmsteads. This type is intermediate between Top land, allotments & intakes: wooded pasture and the moorland subtype Grass moor (enclosed) - from which it is distinguished by the degree of improvement in the sward.

Subtypes

Old Enclosure.

Early intakes from the moor. Field patterns are often irregular and influenced by the local topography. Boundary walls may be made from irregular field clearance stones, or rebuilt in later periods using quarried stone.

Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Field patterns are regular grids of dry stone walls or wire fences, usually ignoring the underlying topography.

Upland woods A variable type covering many of the diverse woodlands of the upland dales and upland fringes.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The base-poor glacial drift of the dales and the drift-free carboniferous sandstones and shales of the upland fringes and moorland fringes support Oak (NVC W11) and Oak-birch (NVCW17) woodlands. Ash woodland communities (NVC W9) occur on limestone outcrops and Alder-Ash (NVC W7) on flushed slopes.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Old wood pasture.

Ancient woodlands grazed as wood pasture, usually taking the form of a mosaic of open woodland, scrub and grassland containing ancient and veteran trees. Canopy species usually reflect those of the native woodland type although their ground flora is likely to have been heavily modified by grazing. Many woodlands in the uplands are intermittently grazed or stocked in the winter. The distinction between the two here is made on the basis of the canopy structure, with only very open woodlands that are regularly grazed being defined as Old wood pasture.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including small plantations of species like Scot’s Pine, Larch, Beech and Sycamore, often planted for shelter, and larger plantations usually dominated by conifers such as Scots Pine, Larch, Norway Spruce and Sitka Spruce.

Secondary woods and wood pasture.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species. Birch is often dominant in woodlands colonising unmanaged heath. A broader range of species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse)

79 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES occurs in woodlands on disturbed land such as old quarries, lead workings and railway embankments.

Upland woods: forest Large scale Forestry Commission plantations (Hamsterley Forest, The Stang) in the moorland fringes. Relatively uniform tracts of conifers with regular grids of rides and tracks. Sitka Spruce is the dominant species, with areas of Scots Pine, Larch and other softwoods.

Subtypes Modified ancient woods.

Replanted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

The type.

Upland woods: gills and gorges Incised wooded valleys varying from shallow daleside gills to deeper gorges and ravines. On the generally thinly bedded carboniferous rocks of the dales the valleys typically cut down through a succession of different rocks, creating varied ground conditions and supporting a range of native woodland types. Ancient woodlands survive in some valleys, elsewhere they have been replanted with commercial species. The gills contain small, fast flowing and rocky becks or burns and the larger ravines contain rivers (see River: upper reaches). Relics of lead mining and processing, or quarrying, and industrial or agricultural water mills are locally common.

Subtypes Ancient woods & wood pastures.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. Woodland communities include Upland Oak-birch woods (NVC W17) on acidic soils and Upland Oak woods (NVC W11) on better soils, with Upland Ash woods (NVC W9) on limestone outcrops and base rich soils, and Alder-ash (NVC W7) woods on flushed slopes and valley floors. Some woods are grazed as wood pasture. Some show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past.

Modified ancient woods.

Replanted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Old wood pasture.

Ancient woodlands grazed as wood pasture, usually taking the form of a mosaic of open woodland, scrub and grassland containing ancient and veteran trees. Canopy species usually reflect those of the native woodland type although their ground flora is likely to have been heavily modified by grazing. Many woodlands in the uplands are intermittently grazed or stocked in the winter. The distinction between the two here is made on the basis of the canopy structure, with only very open woodlands that are regularly grazed being defined as Old wood pasture.

Plantation.

Typically softwood plantations of Larch, Scots Pine or other softwood species, often with Beech or Sycamore.

Secondary woods & wood pastures.

80 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Secondary semi-natural woodlands largely of Birch and Oak-birch (NVCW17/W11) communities that have colonised areas of unmanaged pasture or moorland. Some woods are grazed as wood pasture, or are regenerating under light or intermittent grazing.

Upland woods: juniper Open low woodland or scrub dominated by Juniper, often in a mosaic with other moorland vegetation. Generally a fragmented habitat but occurring at a landscape scale in Upper Teesdale on low moorland slopes and whinstone crags falling to the River Tees.

Upland woods: riverside Narrow corridors of woodland on river banks and river terraces, usually semi-natural in character and made up of native species, particularly Alder, Ash, Oak, Birch and willow. Some are ancient woods, but most have been modified in some degree by grazing or by the dynamic conditions and shifting course of the upland river. Riverside woods are sometimes defined away from the river by a stone wall, or a hedge, but are occasionally grazed through to the water’s edge. Relics of water mills or lead processing may occasionally be found.

Subtypes Ancient woods & wood pastures.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. Typical woodland communities are Upland Oak woodland (NVC W11) on acidic soils and Upland Ash woodland (NVC W9) on limestone outcrops and base rich soils with Alder-ash (NVC W7) woodland particularly common.

Plantation.

Typically softwood plantations of Larch, Scots Pine or other softwood species, often with Beech or Sycamore.

Secondary woods & wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands often of similar species to ancient woods, but which have naturally colonised the shifting upland river bank.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial land

Land in industrial use. A variable type but generally containing large industrial buildings and areas of operational land. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial land or Industrial and retail estates subtype).

81 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE MOORLAND RIDGES & SUMMITS

82 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE MOORLAND PLATEAU

83 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE MOORLAND FRINGE

84 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE UPPER DALE

85 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE MIDDLE DALE

86 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE NORTH PENNINES LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWER DALE

87 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE

The Dales Fringe

The Dales Fringe The Pennine Dales Fringe Countryside Character Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • A broad rolling vale in which the River Tees carves an incised course between the valleys of its tributaries.

• Carboniferous millstone grits and limestones are masked by glacial or alluvial drift and outcrop only rarely in incised denes or steep valley side bluffs.

• Pastoral farming on heavy clay soils in the upland fringes gives way to mixed and arable farming on more fertile brown earths on lower ground.

• Higher pastures in the upland fringes have regular patterns of parliamentary enclosures bounded by hedges and dry stone walls with scattered farms linked by straight enclosure roads.

• The lower farmland of the vale has a smaller scale pattern of irregular hedged or walled fields with frequent ash and oak trees, and a nucleated settlement pattern of old villages connected by winding lanes.

• Buildings are typically of local stone with roofs of stone flag or slate. North of the Tees the farms of the Raby estate are painted white.

• The historic market town of Barnard Castle lies on the Tees in the centre of the vale.

• Ancient oak and ash woods lie in steep sided denes and riverside bluffs along the Tees and its southern tributaries. Conifer plantations are scattered across the upland fringes.

• Historic parklands and wooded estates surround a number of country houses including the landmark Raby Castle

• The valleys of the Tees and Greta are a long established trans-pennine communications corridor and carry the A66 and a number of abandoned railway lines.

• A generally broad scale landscape with panoramic views from higher ground across the vale though locally more intimate in scale in more wooded areas.

• An essentially rural landscape with little urban or industrial development.

89 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE

Description The River Tees carves an incised course in the centre of a broad vale. The northern flanks of the vale are occupied by the shallow valleys of the Langley and Sudburn becks that run parallel with the Tees. To the south the upland plateaux of the Stainmore Gap falls gradually to the River, incised by the steep sided valleys and denes of its southern tributaries.

The Carboniferous millstone grits and limestones that make up the vale are largely masked by thick layers of glacial and alluvial drift and outcrop only occasionally on steeper valley sides. Soils are a mixture of heavy gleys derived from glacial boulder clays and more fertile brown earths on sands and gravels on the vale floor.

The landscape is transitional in character lying between the pastoral landscapes of the dales and the arable lowlands to the east. On higher less fertile ground land use is largely pastoral. Regular patterns of hedges and stone walls date from parliamentary enclosures of upland wastes in the C18th and C19th and are crossed by straight roads connecting scattered farms. Lower lying land has a long history of mixed farming and has a nucleated settlement pattern of small villages of medieval origins connected by narrow winding lanes. Sub- regular patterns of walls and hedges, often rich in hedgerow oak and ash, date from the enclosure of the open fields of these villages in the C17th century.

Buildings are typically built of local stone with roofs of stone flag or welsh slate. North of the Tees the farms and buildings of the Raby estate are painted white. The historic market town of Barnard Castle lies beside the Tees in the centre of the vale. There are numerous parklands, many of which are medieval in origin, surrounding country houses and castles, the most notable of which is Raby Castle on the northern flanks of the vale.

Ancient semi-natural woods of ash and oak are found on steeply sloping sites along the Tees and its tributaries, in ravines and gorges, steep riverside bluffs and narrow linear denes. Scattered conifer plantations are characteristic of the upland fringes.

The vale floor and the Stainmore Gap to the west are long established communications corridors. The A66 follows the trans-pennine course of a Roman military road. There are many abandoned railway lines, some now in use as cycleways. There are occasional small sandstone quarries producing building stone and larger road stone quarries working the Great Limestone close to the A66.

The landscape is generally broad in scale with panoramic views across the vale and west into Teesdale. The high ridges of the Pennine Uplands form the enclosing view line to the south and the high ground of the Tees/Wear watershed to the north. Locally the landscape is more intimate in scale and particularly in the more wooded or tree rich landscapes of the lower vale.

The landscape is essentially rural in character with little urban or industrial development.

Broad landscape types The landscape assessment divides the landscapes of the Dales Fringe into two broad types. On high ridges and plateaux, and merging with the moorland fringes of the North Pennines, the Upland Fringe covers pastoral landscapes enclosed in the C18th and C19th with regular patterns of walls and hedges, straight enclosure roads and isolated farms.

The lower ground of the Upland Fringe Vale has a longer history of settlement with a strongly nucleated pattern of small villages connected by winding lanes and surrounded by fields enclosed largely in the C16th and C17th, which had previously been their common town fields or early enclosures from the wastes. Agricultural land use here is a mosaic of pastoral and arable farmland, with a strong pastoral emphasis on higher ground bordering the Upland Fringe.

90 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE

91 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE: GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Gritstone Upland Fringe

Upland Fringe The Dales Fringe County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad ridges and plateaux.

• Gently rounded topography of thinly bedded sandstones, limestones and mudstones overlain by glacial boulder clay.

• Small becks, occasionally in narrow incised valleys.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils.

• Pastoral land use of improved, semi-improved or wet rushy pasture.

• Regular grids of parliamentary enclosures bounded by dry stone walls or hawthorn hedges, often gappy and overgrown. Occasional older field systems.

• Few trees – scattered hedgerow oak and ash.

• Variable woodland cover – generally sparsely wooded but with scattered conifer plantations in places

• Isolated farms connected by straight enclosure roads. Farms of the Raby estate north of the Tees are painted white.

• A visually open landscape, broad in scale though locally defined by minor ridgelines and with occasional panoramic views across the Tees vale.

• A remote and tranquil rural landscape.

Description An upland fringe landscape of broad, high ridges and plateaux and shallow valleys. Thinly bedded sandstones, limestones and mudstones ground down by glacial ice sheets are overlain by boulder clays giving rise to gently rolling rounded topography. Thicker, more resistant sandstone beds are marked very occasionally by steeper bluffs. Small becks drain the plateaux and valleys, some lying in shallow incised denes. Soils are heavy, seasonally waterlogged clays with pockets of lighter brown earths.

A pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved pastures with occasional rougher grazing and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are a mixture of dry stone walls and hedgerows. Walls are made of locally quarried sandstones and limestones. Hedges are dominated by hawthorn and are often tall, leggy and grazed through or supplemented by wire fences. Field systems are regular in pattern, dating from the enclosure of moorland wastes in the C18th. Older, pre-enclosure, field systems are found locally but are very similar in character. 92 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE: GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Tree cover is low, with scattered hedgerow oak and ash, occasional lines of alder along watercourses and tall overgrown hedgerow hawthorn trees. Woodland cover varies – generally the landscape is very open but some areas are relatively well wooded with scattered plantations of pine or larch.

A sparsely settled landscape of isolated farms connected by straight enclosure roads. Buildings are of local stone with roofs of stone flag or welsh slate. Farms and farm buildings of the Raby estate, covering most of the land north of the Tees, are painted white.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale though locally defined by minor ridgelines. From some vantage points there are panoramic views across the Tees vale and west into Teesdale from higher ground. A remote and tranquil rural landscape.

Broad Character Areas

The Gritstone Upland Fringe landscape type is represented by three Broad Character Areas.

Bowes. An area of high almost flat ground on the edges of the moorland plateau of the Stainmore Gap. An open pastoral landscape of improved pasture and wet, rushy pasture with few trees or woodlands. Regular grids of parliamentary enclosures cover much of the area. In the north across Deepdale, large fields are bounded by dry stone walls. East of Bowes, narrow linear parliamentary enclosures and older curvilinear town field enclosures are bounded by a mixture of leggy, overgrown hedges and stone walls with scattered, locally abundant, ash and Sycamore trees. Isolated farms are scattered across the area.

Moorhouse & Gill Beck. Areas of high, almost flat ground either side of the River Greta. An open pastoral landscape of improved pasture and wet, rushy pasture with few trees and scattered conifer plantations and shelterbelts. Regular systems of parliamentary enclosures are crossed by straight enclosure roads. Field boundaries are a mixture of stone walls and leggy, overgrown hedges. Isolated farms are scattered across the area.

Raby Hill, Marwood & Kinninvie. An area of high ridges & valleys and gently rolling plateaux drained by the Langley and Forthburn becks. A pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved pasture with scattered 93 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE: GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE conifer plantations. Heavily wooded estate farmland lies on the high northern ridge at Raby Hill. Regular grids of parliamentary enclosures are crossed by straight enclosure roads. Field boundaries are largely trimmed hedgerows with scattered oak, ash and sycamore trees. Isolated farms – many of them painted white – are scattered across the area.

94 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE GRITSTONE VALE Gritstone Vale

Upland Fringe Vale The Dales Fringe County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad rolling vale, incised by the narrow denes of rivers and streams

• Gently rounded topography of thinly bedded sandstones, limestones and mudstones overlain by glacial drift.

• Mosaic of heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils and more fertile brown earths.

• Mixed farmland of improved pasture and arable cropping.

• Semi-regular, sometimes linear, patterns of old enclosures bounded by thorn hedges, with occasional dry stone walls.

• Abundant hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore.

• Ancient ash and oak woodlands in narrow denes. Scattered coniferous or mixed plantations.

• Areas of old parklands and heavily wooded estate farmland.

• Nucleated settlement pattern of small green villages centered on the historic market town of Barnard Castle. Scattered farms.

• Buildings of local stone with roofs of stone, slate or clay pan tile. Farms of the Raby Estate painted white.

• Narrow winding lanes and some busy modern highways.

• Occasional disused army camps.

• A well timbered landscape creating a high degree of enclosure in places, but with broad scale panoramic views across the vale from higher vantage points.

• A tranquil settled rural landscape.

Description A broad rolling vale, made up of the valleys of the river Tees and its tributaries. Rivers and streams are incised in narrow steep sided denes. A thick mantle of glacial drift made up of boulder clays and sands and gravels overlies thinly bedded Carboniferous limestones, sandstones and mudstones. The resulting soils are a mosaic of heavy, seasonally waterlogged clays and more fertile and free draining brown earths.

95 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE GRITSTONE VALE Agricultural land use reflects the underlying variety of soils with a mixture of improved pasture and arable cropping – mostly of cereals and oil-seed rape. There is a strong pastoral emphasis on higher ground bordering the Upland Fringe. Field boundaries are largely hedgerows, with occasional dry stone walls. Hedges tend to be dominated by hawthorn, with blackthorn and holly common - trimmed in arable areas but often leggy and overgrown in pastoral areas.

Field systems are semi-regular in pattern, most dating from the enclosure of common fields of villages in the C16th and C17th. Some hedges retain the sinuous shapes of arable strips. Relics of medieval cultivation in the form of rigg and furrow, and lynchets – are common in older, less improved, pastures. There are small areas of more regular ‘surveyor enclosed’ field systems dating from the enclosure of manorial wastes in the C18th.

The landscape is rich in trees with abundant hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. In places it is well wooded, with ancient ash and oak woodlands in narrow denes along rivers and streams, and scattered coniferous or mixed plantations. The vale contains a number of historic parklands on ancient sites and areas of heavily wooded estate farmland. Set within these are imposing country houses and castles.

The landscape has a long history of settlement and a nucleated pattern of small green villages, most of Saxon or later medieval origins, centered on the historic market town of Barnard Castle. Buildings are of local sandstone with roofs of stone flag, welsh slate, or less frequently clay pan tile, and are set around a central village green. Between the villages lie scattered farms. Those of the Raby Estate, which covers much of the northern vale, are painted white. Villages are connected by a network of narrow hedged lanes.

The vale has long been an important communications corridor and carries a number of busy modern roads, as well as some long abandoned railway lines. There are a number of disused army camps dating from the mid C20th.

A well timbered landscape creating a high degree of enclosure in places, but with broad scale panoramic views across the vale from higher vantage points. A tranquil, settled, rural landscape with a strong sense of cultural continuity.

Broad Character Areas The Gritstone Vale landscape type is represented by five Broad Character Areas.

Barningham, Brignal and Rokeby. Gently sloping farmland on the southern flanks of the Tees Vale. A patchwork of arable fields and improved pastures is defined by sub-regular patterns of old hedgerows with scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. There are frequent small plantations of conifers or broadleaves. The River Tees is lined by low wooded bluffs or narrow riparian woods. Its tributaries, including the River Greta, lie in narrow steep-sided denes containing ancient ash and oak woodlands. There are historic parklands along the lower Greta at Rokeby Eastwood Hall, and remains of a medieval abbey at Egglestone. The small villages of Barningham and Brignal lie on the upper vale side.

Bolam, Hilton & Wackerfield. Gently sloping farmland on the edges of the Hummerbeck plateau overlooking the Tees Vale. A patchwork of arable and pastoral farmland with sub-regular patterns of clipped hedgerows and dry stone walls with scattered oak, ash and sycamore trees. Small agricultural villages and hamlets are connected by narrow winding lanes. The farms and farm buildings of the Raby Estate are painted white.

Boldron & Lartington. Gently sloping farmland falling from the fringes of the moorland plateau to the River Tees. A pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved pastures bounded by old hedges and walls with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow trees. The River Tees is lined by steep wooded bluffs; its tributaries, including the Deepdale Beck, lie in narrow steep-sided denes containing ancient ash and oak woodlands. The

96 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE GRITSTONE VALE small villages of Boldron, Lartington and Cotherstone lie on the upper slopes of the vale. There are historic parklands at Lartington.

Newsham & Cleatlam. Gently rolling or undulating farmland in the floor of the vale east of Barnard Castle. A patchwork of arable and pastoral farmland with sub-regular patterns of clipped hedgerows and occasional dry stone walls with frequent oak, ash and sycamore and scattered plantations. Small hamlets and farms are connected by narrow winding lanes. The farms and farm buildings of the Raby Estate are painted white.

Raby & Streatlam. Gently rolling farmland in the floor of the vale and the lower reaches of the Langley Beck valley north of Barnard Castle. A pastoral landscape of improved pasture with sub-regular patterns of clipped hedgerows and scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. An open landscape with occasional small plantations. The estate farmland of Raby Park in the north is more heavily wooded. There are historic parklands at Raby and Streatlam. Scattered farms and farm buildings of the Raby Estate are painted white.

97

98 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Dene pastures Lowland woods: denes, bluffs & river terraces

Disturbed land Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside

Floodplain farmland: pasture Mineral working

High plateau farmland: open pasture Parkland

High plateau farmland: pasture Parks and recreation grounds

High plateau farmland: walled pasture River: middle reaches

High plateau farmland: wooded pasture Upland woods

High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture Upland woods: denes & bluffs

High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture Urban

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate Vale farmland: arable arable Vale farmland: pasture High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate Vale farmland: walled arable pasture Vale farmland: walled pasture High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Vale farmland: wooded arable Infrastructure Vale farmland: wooded estate arable Lowland reservoir Vale farmland: wooded estate pasture Lowland woods Vale farmland: wooded pasture

99 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE

Dene pastures Incised denes and steeply sloping bluffs of improved or semi-improved pasture or rough grazing. Steeply sloping pastures are often difficult to manage or improve agriculturally and tend to be more diverse than the surrounding farmland. Field boundaries may be hedges, dry stone walls or fences. Hedgerow ash and oak are common. Steeper slopes may support areas of bracken, or scrub of hawthorn or gorse.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are often irregular or sub-regular and tend to reflect the underlying topography.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns may be part of regular grids which ignore the underlying topography, but as often the uniform grids of surrounding field systems break down in the complex topography of the denes.

Disturbed land A variable type made up largely of abandoned mineral workings and railway lines.

Subtypes Old clay pits & gravel workings

Abandoned clay pits and gravel workings. A variable type but generally comprising ponds or lakes formed from flooded extraction areas surrounded by areas of disturbed ground, rough grassland or secondary woodland. Water bodies tend to be relatively deep and steep-sided with only narrow fringes of marginal vegetation (often reed mace). Secondary woodland and scrub colonising areas of disturbed ground is dominated by pioneer species like birch, alder and goat or grey willow.

Old sandstone quarry.

Abandoned sandstone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Base-poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora and are typically colonised by pioneer tree and shrub species like birch, alder, goat willow, hawthorn, gorse, broom and dog rose.

Old Carboniferous Limestone quarry.

Abandoned limestone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are made up of grey, horizontally bedded and vertically jointed Carboniferous Limestones, inter-bedded with harder sandstones and softer shales, and often capped by a crest of clay drift. The base rich limestone wastes and more acidic overburden materials give rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, scrub and secondary woodland.

Old railway

100 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Abandoned railway lines survive as narrow linear features running through other landscapes. Most are made up of alternating cuttings and embankments. Many structures survive along their routes including bridges and viaducts, culverts, tipplers and station platforms. Some associated buildings like station houses and railway cottages have been converted to other uses. Most abandoned lines have been colonised by natural regeneration and support a diverse grassland and woodland flora which reflects the range of naturally occurring or imported materials found in cuttings and embankments. Pioneer or ruderal species are particularly characteristic. Many old railway lines have been adopted as recreational multi-user routes.

Floodplain farmland: pasture Low lying pastoral farmland on the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains including both productive improved pasture and poorly drained or seasonally flooded, wet rushy pasture. Pastures may border directly onto the river or be separated from it by narrow riparian woodlands or fenced, often tree-lined, river banks. In places floodplain pastures contain meandering minor watercourses and oxbow lakes, or relics of watermills and associated features. Pastures are generally divided by hedgerows, but in areas subject to regular flooding and more dynamic, shifting watercourses the floodplain may remain open.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. The relatively small scale of the floodplains means that the regular patterns typical of this period of enclosure rarely occur. Field boundaries are straight but otherwise the subtype differs little from the Old enclosure subtype.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees. The landform may have an engineered character.

High plateau farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland of the high upland fringe plateaux. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi- improved and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are a mixture of hawthorn hedges and dry stone walls. Field patterns are generally disrupted by the decline or removal of boundaries. Hedges are often sparse and overgrown or grazed through and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are scarce.

Subtypes Old Enclosure

Areas of early enclosure. Field systems are sub-regular in pattern but this is often disrupted by boundary loss. Hedgerows are generally gappy and hedgerow trees are rare.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows and walls in places. Hedgerows

101 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE are generally very gappy and hedgerow trees are rare.

High plateau farmland: pasture Pastoral farmland of the high upland fringe plateaux. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, some cut as silage or hay meadow, and semi-improved and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are a mixture of hawthorn hedges and dry stone walls. Field systems are relatively intact, though hedges are often overgrown and grazed through or supplemented by wire fences.

Subtypes Old Enclosure

Areas of early enclosure. Field systems are sub-regular, typically linear in form, many preserving the alignment of medieval strips. Hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore are locally abundant. Areas of rig and furrow survive in places.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedgerow trees are sparse.

High plateau farmland: walled pasture Open pastoral farmland of the high upland fringe plateaux. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi- improved pasture and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are regular grids of dry stone walls dating from late, 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedgerow trees are generally absent.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type.

High plateau farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the high upland fringe plateaux. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi-improved and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are a mixture of hawthorn hedges and dry stone walls. Field systems are regular grids of 18th or 19th century enclosures and are relatively intact, though hedges are often overgrown and grazed through or supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are scarce. The wooded character of the landscape comes from a combination of scattered softwood plantations and older woodlands in neighbouring denes and gorges.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type.

High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland of the higher ridges and valley heads of the upland fringes. Grasslands are mostly improved pasture, with pockets of semi-improved or wet, rushy pasture. Field boundaries are typically regular grids of hedges or dry stone walls dating from 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedges are often sparse and overgrown or grazed through or supplemented by wire fences.

102 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of field boundaries.

High ridge and valley farmland: pasture Pastoral farmland of the higher ridges and valley heads of the upland fringes. Grasslands are mostly improved pasture, with pockets of semi-improved or wet, rushy pasture. Field boundaries are typically regular grids of hedges or dry stone walls dating from 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Field systems are relatively intact, though hedgerows are often overgrown and grazed through or supplemented by wire fences. Hedges are largely species-poor and dominated by hawthorn. Older hedges tend to be slightly more diverse and may contain holly planted for winter fodder. Hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore are common.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular grids.

High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture Open pastoral farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi-improved pasture and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are regular grids of dry stone walls dating from late, 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedgerow trees are generally absent.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate arable Wooded arable estate farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Cultivated fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or border onto ornamental woodlands and copses that define the shapes of fields. Other elements of the estate landscape - designed farmsteads and scattered parkland trees – are found locally. Field boundaries appear to date generally from the 18th or 19th century, being generally straight, though some older sinuous boundaries are present. Hedgerow trees are generally sparse.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of walls. Field and boundary trees are generally absent though the verges of straight enclosure roads may be lined with trees or scrub.

103 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Wooded pastoral estate farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Pastures are generally improved and fields are bounded by trimmed hedges, or border onto ornamental woodlands and copses. Other elements of the estate landscape - designed farmsteads and scattered parkland trees – are found locally. Field boundaries appear to date generally from the 18th or 19th century, being generally straight, though some older sinuous boundaries are present. Hedgerow trees are generally sparse.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of walls. Field and boundary trees are generally absent though the verges of straight enclosure roads may be lined with trees or scrub.

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi-improved pasture and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of hawthorn hedges and dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or scarce. There are networks of straight enclosure roads and scattered blocky softwood plantations.

Subtypes Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of walls. Field and boundary trees are generally absent though the verges of straight enclosure roads may be lined with trees or scrub.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype therefore covers the larger scale sections of carriageway, major cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are subsumed within the Developed: urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences.

Military facility

A variable type consisting of military installations such as active, dormant or abandoned ordnance dumps and firing ranges.

Lowland reservoir Small water supply reservoirs in the lowlands and upland fringes. Reservoirs may be bordered by fringes of

104 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE pasture or rough grassland, or flanked by areas of woodland or forestry. Dams, spillways, pump houses and other buildings, sometimes built of stone in a formal ‘estate’ style, are often notable features. Bare draw down zones may be prominent when water levels are low.

Subtype Reservoir.

Reservoir water body.

Lowland woods A variable type covering the diverse woodlands of lowland valleys, plains and plateaux.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift that covers much of the lowlands the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Some Oak-birch woodlands (NVC W16) occur on less fertile sandy soils, and stands of Alder (NVCW5) woodland are found on flushed slopes or wet ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Secondary woods and wood pasture.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Old wood pastures.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods.

Lowland woods: denes, bluffs & river terraces Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side or escarpment bluffs. Woodland plant communities are diverse and reflect the range of underlying parent rocks and drift materials that occur – often within a single wood.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift into which many lowland denes are incised the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland, with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Similar woodlands occur on river terrace gravels and rocky gorges on

105 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE carboniferous sandstones and shales. On poorer soils, and particularly in the west, these woodlands may be transitional in character with upland Oak woods (NVC W11). On the more acidic strata of the coal measures they often occur along-side Oak-birch (NVC 16) communities. On the limestone escarpment, and in the coastal denes where limestones are exposed, lowland Ash woodland communities (NVC W8) are found, with occasional stands of pure Yew (W13) on the thinnest soils. Ash communities transitional in character with upland Ash woods (NVC W9) are found where carboniferous limestones are exposed in the west. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past. Woods on the coal measures often contains relics of drift mining – pit-falls, waggonways and small spoil mounds. Some dene woods also contain relics of small scale quarrying activities.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Old wood pastures.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Narrow corridors of woodland on riverbanks and river terraces, usually semi-natural in character and made up of native species, particularly Oak, Ash, Alder, Aspen, Birch and Willows. Many are ancient woods; others are secondary semi-natural woods that have followed the shifting course of the river.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The predominant woodland type on drier ground is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10), with Alder-Ash (NVC W7) and Alder (NVC W6, W5) woodlands on wetter ground and wash lands.

Secondary woods & wood pastures

Secondary semi-natural woodlands, often containing similar species to ancient woods, but which have naturally colonised the shifting riverbank environment and are therefore dominated more by pioneers like Alder, Aspen, Birches and Willows.

Subtypes 106 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Plantation.

A variable subtype of planted woodlands including old broadleaved plantations, softwood plantations, poplar plantations and more recent new native woodlands on river floodplains and carrs.

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Carboniferous limestone quarry

Large quarries worked primarily for road stone products. Quarry faces are made up of grey, horizontally bedded and vertically jointed Carboniferous Limestones, inter-bedded with harder sandstones and softer shales, and often capped by a crest of clay drift. Crushing, screening and coating plant occupy parts of the quarry floor. The base rich limestone wastes and acidic overburden materials give rise to a varied flora including both calcareous and acidic grasslands, and scrub and secondary woodland which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Sandstone Quarry

Small or medium-sized quarries worked primarily for building stone. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Industrial buildings for stone cutting and processing may occupy parts of the quarry floor, or be absent in the case of smaller ‘snatch’ quarries. Base- poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha-has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens.

Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

107 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE

Parks & Recreation Grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Caravan sites.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Golf courses.

Extensive areas of amenity grassland with bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds with individual trees, tree groups and copses in varying degrees of maturity. Some contain elements surviving from the previous landscape – veteran trees, hedgerows and woodlands, or fragments of heath.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

River: middle reaches The middle reaches of major rivers meandering across narrow floodplains or running through incised denes or larger gorges. Where they cross floodplains the river banks are fenced from the adjacent farmland which is occasionally protected by low artificial levees. The river banks are often lined with narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes River.

Rapidly flowing watercourses with alternating pools and rifles, shingle banks and occasional islands.

River bank.

River banks fenced from adjacent pasture, or left unfenced from adjacent arable, support rough unmanaged grassland with native riverside species like Butterbur and, in places, introduced species like Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. Bank side trees - Crack Willow, White Willow, Purple Willow, Alder – are common. River banks may be engineered in places, occasionally with low flood-protection levees.

Upland woods A variable type covering many of the diverse woodlands of the upland dales and upland fringes.

Subtypes

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including small plantations of species like Scot’s Pine, Larch, Beech and Sycamore, often planted for shelter, and larger plantations usually dominated by conifers such as Scots Pine, Larch, Norway Spruce and Sitka Spruce.

Upland woods: denes & bluffs Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side bluffs in the upland fringes.

108 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The base-poor glacial drift and drift-free carboniferous sandstones and shales of the upland fringes support Oak (NVC W11) and Oak-birch (NVCW17) woodlands. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground.

Old wood pasture.

Ancient woodlands grazed as wood pasture, usually taking the form of a mosaic of open woodland, scrub and grassland containing ancient and veteran trees. Canopy species usually reflect those of the native woodland type although their ground flora is likely to have been heavily modified by grazing. Many woodlands in the uplands are intermittently grazed or stocked in the winter. The distinction between the two here is made on the basis of the canopy structure, with only very open woodlands that are regularly grazed being defined as Old wood pasture.

Plantation, grazed

Heavily grazed plantation woodlands which have some of the characteristics of older wood pastures – a mosaic of woodland and pasture or a more open canopy of scattered mature trees.

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands usually dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of steep and unmanaged or lightly grazed pasture.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial and retail estates

Industrial and retail estates typically have a planned layout, often with significant areas of structure planting and amenity planting. Buildings are generally large in scale and industrial in character. There may be significant areas of open operation land or vacant land awaiting development. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Industrial land

Land in industrial use. A variable type but generally containing large industrial buildings and areas of operational land. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Military Camp

Military camps are usually self-contained urban developments in rural situations. They have a planned structure of roads, housing, community facilities, operational buildings, amenity planting and open green space.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and

109 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial land or Industrial and retail estates subtype).

Vale farmland: arable Rolling arable farmland on the fertile brown earth soils of the upper Tees Vale. Field systems are sub-regular enclosures of early post-medieval origins that remain largely intact. Field boundaries are clipped hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn but often more species-rich. Hedgerow Ash, Oak and Sycamore trees are common and locally abundant.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Small tracts of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids. Hedgerow trees are sparse.

Vale farmland: pasture Rolling pastoral farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Pastures are mostly improved but with pockets of semi- improved pasture or meadow and wet, rushy pasture. Field systems are a mixture of early post-medieval enclosures and parliamentary enclosures in regular or sub-regular patterns and are generally relatively intact. Field boundaries are a mixture of hedges and dry stone walls. Hedges may be trimmed or tall and overgrown. Hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore are common, and locally abundant.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure, much of it being enclosure of the town fields of the vale’s many small villages. Field systems are generally sub-regular in pattern, occasionally preserving the curving linear shape of arable strips. Areas of medieval or later rigg and furrow occur locally. Hedges may be hawthorn dominated but often contain a wider range of species. Holly is present in many hedges and Hazel in the oldest hedges such as those on township boundaries.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems are regular grids.

Vale farmland: walled arable Rolling arable farmland on the fertile brown earth soils of the upper Tees Vale. Field systems are dry stone walls or a mixture of walls and hedges in relatively regular patterns with the occasional field boundary tree.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Small tracts of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular

110 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE grids. Hedgerow trees are sparse.

Vale farmland: walled pasture Rolling pastoral farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Pastures are mostly improved but with pockets of semi- improved pasture or meadow and wet, rushy pasture. Field systems are a mixture of early post-medieval enclosures and parliamentary enclosures in regular or sub-regular patterns and are generally relatively intact. Field boundaries are dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or thinly scattered.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure, much of it being enclosure of the town fields of the vale’s many small villages. Field systems are generally sub-regular in pattern, occasionally preserving the curving linear shape of arable strips. Areas of medieval or later rigg and furrow occur locally.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems are regular grids.

Vale farmland: wooded arable Rolling wooded arable farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or border onto woodlands. The landscape gets its wooded feel from the dene and riverside woods the farmland borders onto, or from scattered copses, coverts and shelterbelts of planned estates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure, much of it being enclosure of the town fields of the vale’s many small villages. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but often containing species such as holly, hazel and blackthorn. There are scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak and ash.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn. There are scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore.

Vale farmland: wooded estate arable Rolling wooded arable estate farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, coverts and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but often containing species such as holly, hazel and blackthorn. There are scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak and ash.

Surveyor Enclosed.

111 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn. There are scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore.

Vale farmland: wooded estate pasture Rolling wooded pastoral estate farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates. Areas of older rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but often containing species such as holly, hazel and blackthorn. There are scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak and ash. Locally there may be scattered field or parkland trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn. There are scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore.

Vale farmland: wooded pasture Rolling wooded pastoral farmland of the upper Tees Vale. Fields are bounded by a mixture of hedges, often tall and overgrown, and dry stone walls. The landscape gets its wooded feel from the dene and riverside woods the farmland borders onto, or from scattered copses, coverts and shelterbelts of planned estates. Areas of older rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure, much of it being enclosure of the town fields of the vale’s many small villages. Field patterns are generally sub-regular, often preserving the curved linear shape of medieval strips. Hedgerows are usually dominated by hawthorn but often contain species such as holly, hazel and blackthorn. There are scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak and ash. Mature field or parkland trees occur locally.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Hedgerow trees are generally absent or scarce.

112 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE UPLAND FRINGE

113 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE DALES FRINGE LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE GRITSTONE VALE

114 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD

The West Durham Coalfield

The West Durham Coalfield The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe Countryside Chara cter Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • A rolling low upland landscape of ridges and valleys with a strong east-west grain.

• Soft and thinly bedded strata of Carboniferous sandstones, shales and coals give rise to gently rounded ridges with occasional steeper bluffs.

• Open ridges of pastoral farmland with regular grids of dry stone walls or gappy thorn hedges are crossed by straight enclosure roads and lanes. Fragments of heathland survive on infertile acidic soils.

• Valleys are broad with moderate slopes and occasional narrow floodplains. Agricultural land use is mixed with arable fields and improved pastures bounded by hawthorn hedges with scattered hedgerow oak and ash.

• Ancient oak woods are found in narrow steep sided denes, and along the banks of rivers and streams. Coniferous plantations are found on higher valley sides and ridges

• Old agricultural villages lie on ridge tops or valley floors. Buildings are of local sandstone with roofs of stone or welsh slate.

• Mining villages of Victorian terraced housing of brick or stone and welsh slate and later estate housing are scattered across the valleys and ridges.

• Occasional parklands and wooded estates surround small country houses.

• Relics of the mining industry include disused railway lines and viaducts, old coke ovens and small spoil heaps.

• 0pencast coal workings are locally prominent features. Extensive areas of land have been opencast or reclaimed and their landscape often lacks maturity.

• The landscape is broad in scale, defined within the valleys by the enclosing ridgelines, with panoramic views from higher ridges across adjacent valleys.

• A landscape heavily influenced by development with a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places.

115 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD

Description An upland fringe landscape of well-defined ridges and valleys running generally eastwards from the North Pennines to the lowland valleys of the Tyne and Wear. Its character is transitional between the two, with a strong upland fringe quality on higher ground in the west becoming less marked as the land falls and merges with the lowlands to the east.

The soft and thinly bedded sandstones, coal and shales of the coal measures give rise to gently rounded ridges with occasional steeper bluffs. The glacial drift covering the valley floors and lower slopes is incised in places by the small becks and burns which now occupy the broad valleys of once much larger glacial streams. The larger rivers have narrow floodplains.

The higher ridges and valley heads in the west are generally very open and pastoral, with large regular fields bounded by sparse overgrown hawthorn hedges, dry stone walls or fences with few hedgerow trees. Most of these fields were laid out in parliamentary enclosures of the C18th and contain isolated farms linked by straight roads and lanes. Fragments of heathland survive on infertile or waterlogged acidic soils. Woodland cover is generally low with scattered blocks or shelterbelts of conifers and narrow linear woodlands of oak and birch or alder following watercourses and incised valleys.

In the more sheltered valleys agricultural land use is mixed with an increased emphasis on cereal cropping. Hedges tend to be cut low and the pattern of the landscape changes much with the seasons. Tree and woodland cover varies considerably, the valleys being very open in places and heavily wooded or rich in hedgerow trees elsewhere. Ancient oak woods are found in steep sided denes and, together with alder woods, on the banks of rivers and streams. Larger plantations, often of pine or larch, are scattered across the valley sides. There are occasional parklands - some of medieval origins but more typically associated with small C19th country houses.

Old agricultural villages are scattered thinly across the landscape, often on ridge-top sites. Buildings are of local sandstone with roofs of stone flag, slate or clay pantile and are usually set around a village green. Mining and industrial towns and villages are more common and are concentrated in the north and east of the coalfield and along the valley of the Wear. Most of these settlements have a core of 19th century terraced housing of brick or stone and welsh slate surrounded by estates of post-war public housing. They tend to occupy prominent sites on ridge tops and valley sides and are connected by a well-developed road network. Settlement edges are often abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens and pony paddocks.

The wider landscape has been heavily influenced by coal mining. Some elements of the industrial landscape remain, notably railway lines, tramways, small waste heaps and old coke ovens, but many have been removed by land reclamation in recent years. Opencast mining has had a substantial impact on parts of the landscape where extensive tracts of land have been worked and restored to agriculture. Reclaimed or restored land is often relatively featureless or lacking in maturity.

The landscape is broad in scale, defined within the valleys by the enclosing ridgelines, with panoramic views from higher ridges across adjacent valleys. Locally within the more wooded sections of some valleys the scale is more intimate and enclosed. The landscape of the coalfield has been heavily influenced by urban and industrial development and its scattered mining towns and villages and busy roads give it a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places. In the less developed areas it retains a strongly rural quality.

116 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD

Broad landscape types The West Durham Coalfield can be broadly divided into those landscapes with an upland fringe character (parliamentary enclosures, dry stone walls, pastoral land use and conifer plantations) which are found on the high ridges and valley heads, and those with a lowland character (older field systems, hedgerows, mixed and arable farming) which are found in the lower reaches of the valleys. The settlement pattern of the coalfield with its scattered mining villages doesn’t relate strongly to this distinction – both upland fringe and lowland coalfield landscapes have densely settled and very rural areas.

The landscape assessment identifies Coalfield Upland Fringe and Coalfield Valley landscapes. Within the coalfield valleys the Coalfield Valley Floodplain landscapes, with their very different landform, soils and historical development, are identified as a separate landscape type.

117 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD UPLAND FRINGE Coalfield Upland Fringe

Coalfield Upland Fringe The West Durham Coalfield County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad ridges and shallow valley heads.

• Gently rounded topography of drift free, thinly bedded sandstones, mudstones, shales and coals.

• Occasional steep bluffs and incised denes.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils with pockets of peaty soils supporting heathland vegetation.

• Pastoral land use of improved or semi-improved pasture with some arable cropping on drier ridges.

• Regular grids of parliamentary enclosures bounded by dry stone walls or overgrown hawthorn hedges. Occasional older field systems.

• Few trees - scattered hedgerow oak, ash, rowan or birch.

• Sparsely wooded - scattered conifer plantations and shelterbelts.

• Isolated farms connected by straight enclosure roads – occasional old ‘green’ villages of local stone on ridge top sites.

• Scattered mining villages of stone and brick and occasional larger towns.

• Occasional relics of the mining industry including small spoil heaps, coke ovens and waggonways.

• Telecommunications masts and wind turbines prominent on some ridges

• Extensive areas of restored opencast land – often open and relatively featureless.

• A visually open landscape with commanding views across adjacent valleys to distant ridges.

Description An upland fringe landscape made up of the broad ridges and shallow valley heads of the coalfield valleys. The soft and thinly bedded sandstones, shales and coals of the coal measures are generally free of drift or masked by boulder clays giving rise to gently rounded convex slopes. Occasional thicker sandstone beds are marked by steeper bluffs. Small becks and burns drain the upper valleys, occasionally incised in narrow denes. Soils are heavy and seasonally waterlogged. On poorly drained ridges and plateaux, peaty gleys and deeper peats have formed, supporting heathland vegetation of heather, bilberry and acid grassland.

118 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD UPLAND FRINGE A predominantly pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved pastures with occasional rougher grazing and wet rushy pasture. There is some limited arable cropping on drier ridge tops in the east. Field boundaries are a mixture of dry stone walls and hedgerows. Walls are made of thinly bedded, locally quarried sandstones. Hedges are dominated by hawthorn and are often tall, leggy, and supplemented by wire fences. Field systems are regular in pattern, dating from the enclosure of moorland wastes in the C18th under private Acts of Parliament. Some areas of unfenced common land survive on the poorest soils. Earlier hedges and walls are occasionally found around older farms and villages.

Tree and woodland cover is low. The higher ridges are generally open with sparsely scattered hedgerow oak and ash. Thin tree lines follow watercourses. Road verges are often colonised by rowan, birch and willow scrub. Small plantations and shelterbelts of pine and larch are scattered across the ridges and valley heads, with local concentrations creating a more heavily wooded character.

Historically this was a sparsely settled landscape of isolated livestock farms and large tracts of open fell associated with small agricultural villages in the adjacent valleys. Some older villages lie on ridge top sites. Buildings are of local sandstone with roofs of sandstone or welsh slate, and are typically set around a central village green. Scattered farms, most dating from the period of enclosure, are connected by straight and uniform enclosure roads. Mining settlements, ranging from small hamlets and isolated terraces to large towns, are scattered across the ridge tops. Most contain areas of C19th terraced housing of stone or brick and slate together with estates of post-war public housing and later commercial development. Settlement edges are often abrupt, or fringed by allotments, pony paddocks or industrial estates.

Coal mining and the production of coke and steel have heavily influenced the landscape, although much of the industrial legacy has been removed by land reclamation in recent years. Some relics survive; including small spoil heaps, coke ovens, limekilns, waggonways, bridges and mine buildings. Large tracts of land have been opencast for shallow coal on the exposed drift-free ridges and restored to agriculture or forestry. Older sites in particular were restored with little regard to the character of the landscape and remain open and relatively featureless. Telecommunications masts and wind turbines are prominent features on some ridge tops.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale with commanding views across the adjacent ridges and valleys. In places it has a remote and strongly rural character, but elsewhere its frequent mining towns and villages, industrial estates, busy roads, communications masts and overhead services give it a semi-rural or urban fringe character.

Broad Character Areas The Coalfield Upland Fringe landscape type is represented by six Broad Character Areas

Browney uplands. Gently sloping ridges in the branching head of the Browney Valley. An open pastoral landscape of improved pasture with areas of semi-improved pasture, rough grazing and heathland on higher ground in the west. Field systems are regular and uniform, dating from parliamentary enclosures of the C18th. Field boundaries are predominantly dry stone walls with some overgrown hedges. The area is crossed by straight and uniform enclosure roads, often lined by trees or scrub. Isolated farms are scattered across the area. The landscape is generally open with scattered small conifer plantations. There are larger plantations in the valleys of the Butsfield and Rippon burns. The coal seams of the Browney uplands are generally thin and unproductive and the area has not been much affected by coal mining. Some areas in the east around Humber Hill and the west along the A68 have been opencast and restored.

119 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD UPLAND FRINGE

Central Coalfield Uplands. A complex of high ridges between the valleys of the Wear and its northern tributaries. The ridges are gently or moderately sloping with occasional steeper bluffs. A pastoral landscape of improved pasture, with fragments of heathland at Hedleyhope Fell and Stanley Moss, and some areas of arable cropping on the drier eastern ridges. Much of the landscape has been opencast for coal and has regular field systems of young hedges, wire fences and new stone walls. Fragments of parliamentary enclosures, and earlier field systems around older villages, survive in places. The landscape is generally open with few mature trees and a scattering of small shelterbelts. Some areas in the west are heavily wooded, with large blocky conifer plantations. Old agricultural villages and later mining villages are scattered along the ridge tops. Wind turbines are notable features of the skyline.

Northern Coalfield Uplands. Densely settled ridges between the northern coalfield valleys. Large mining & industrial towns & villages sprawl along the ridgelines connected by busy roads. Outside of the urban areas land use is largely pastoral. There are fragments of heathland at Chapman’s Well and Annfield Plain. Field systems are regular and uniform, many dating from parliamentary enclosures of the C18th, others from C20th opencast coal mining and land reclamation. Field boundaries are a mixture of dry stone walls and overgrown hedges and wire fences. The ridges in the north are generally open in character with few trees or woodlands. Those in the south and west are heavily wooded with frequent large conifer plantations. Telecommunications masts are notable features of the skyline.

Upper Bedburn and Harthope Valleys. The upland fringes of the Bedburn, Harthope & Wear valleys between the coalfield valley landscape of the Wear and the moorland fringes of the North Pennines. Heavily afforested ridges and valley slopes in the edge of Hamsterley Forest. Large regular parliamentary enclosures, bounded by a mixture of walls and hedges, lie between large conifer plantations, and are crossed by straight enclosure roads. Isolated farms are scattered across the area. There is an area of parkland and associated estate lodges at Dryderdale Hall. The village of Hamsterley lies on the southern ridge overlooking the lower Bedburn and Wear valleys.

120 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD UPLAND FRINGE Gaunless and Linburn Uplands The upper reaches of the Gaunless and Linburn valleys. A pastoral landscape of improved and semi-improved or wet rushy pastures bounded by sparse, often overgrown, hedgerows, low dry stone walls or wire fences. Field boundaries are mostly regular in pattern, dating from C18th parliamentary enclosures, or from C20th opencast coal mining. Roads are generally straight and uniform in width. There are areas of older, less regular, enclosure on south-facing slopes falling from the village of Woodland. The landscape is very open with scattered small plantations and few hedgerow trees. Larger woodlands follow the incised valley of the Arn Gill and Foul Syke, tributaries of the Gaunless. Isolated farms are scattered across the ridges. In the south, farms of the Raby Estate are painted white.

Brussleton. The high ground of Brussleton Hill overlooks the Hummerbeck and Gaunless valleys and merges in the east with the limestone escarpment. The landscape is heavily wooded with ancient oak woods on its north facing slopes, and a dense network of more recent plantations associated with opencast coal mining and land reclamation. Agricultural landuse is mostly pasture. Field patterns vary in character with regular parliamentary enclosures to the north and west, and older enclosures to the east, both heavily disrupted in places by opencast mining. The area is crossed by the Roman road Dere Street, followed by a minor road in the south and a well- defined hollow-way in the north. There are pockets of naturally re-vegetating mining dereliction around the hilltop and a number of telecommunications masts.

121 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN Coalfield Valley

Coalfield Valley West Durham Coalfield County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad, well defined valleys with occasional narrow floodplains and incised denes.

• Rounded topography of thinly bedded sandstones, mudstones, shales and coals overlain by glacial boulder clays.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged, clay soils.

• Mixed farmland of improved pasture and arable cropping.

• Sub-regular field patterns of old enclosures bounded by thorn hedges. Occasional regular Parliamentary enclosures.

• Scattered hedgerow Oak, Ash, Sycamore and Beech.

• Variable woodland cover – open in places but wooded elsewhere with ancient oak-birch woods in narrow denes and along watercourses, and blocky conifer plantations on valley sides.

• Scattered mining towns and villages connected by busy modern roads.

• Occasional older ‘green’ villages linked by narrow winding roads.

• Extensive areas of restored opencast land and reclaimed colliery land – often open and relatively featureless.

• Scattered relics of the mining industry - small spoil heaps, coke ovens and railway lines.

• Occasional ornamental parklands.

• An open landscape, relatively broad in scale but defined by enclosing ridgelines.

• A strongly rural landscape in places but with a ‘semi-rural’ or urban fringe quality in its more settled areas.

Description Broad, well defined valleys with moderately sloping sides and occasional narrow floodplains. Soft and thinly bedded sandstones, coal and shales of the coal measures are covered by glacial drift of boulder clay with pockets of sands and gravels giving rise to gently rounded topography. Small rivers, ‘becks’ and ‘burns’ cut down into the valley floor drift in places creating narrow, steep sided denes.

122 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN Heavy, seasonally waterlogged, clay soils support a mosaic of mixed farmland with the emphasis shifting from pasture in the upper valleys to arable cropping – mostly cereals and oil-seed rape - in the lower reaches. Field boundaries are mostly hedges - cut low in arable areas, but often tall and overgrown in pastoral areas. Field systems are generally ‘sub-regular’ in pattern, dating from the enclosure of arable town fields around older villages or intakes from the open fells. More regular grids of parliamentary enclosures are found on higher valley sides.

Tree and woodland cover varies considerably. The valleys are very open in some places and heavily wooded or rich in hedgerow trees in others. Ancient oak and oak-birch woods are found in narrow denes on the valley floor. Younger broadleaved woodlands of pioneer species like birch, alder and willow follow old railway lines and colliery land. Larger plantations, often of pine or larch, are scattered across the valley sides. Hedgerow oak, ash, sycamore and occasionally beech are common. In places these combine with streamside alder and tall overgrown hedges to give a well-wooded character to the landscape.

Mining towns and villages are scattered across the valleys connected by a well-developed road network. Most of these have a core of 19th century terraced housing of brick or stone and welsh slate surrounded by estates of post-war public housing. Settlement edges are often abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens, pony paddocks and industrial land. This settlement pattern overlies and largely obscures an older network of small agricultural villages that survives in the more rural upper valleys. These older villages often have a core of buildings of local stone set around a central village green. There are occasional small parklands, mostly associated with C19th country houses.

The valley landscape has been heavily influenced by coal mining although much of its legacy has been removed by land reclamation in recent years. Some elements of the industrial landscape remain - notably railway lines, tramways, small waste heaps and old coke ovens. Land reclamation and opencast coal mining have had a substantial impact on the more settled parts of the landscape where extensive tracts of land have been worked and restored to agriculture or forestry. Reclaimed or restored land is often relatively featureless or lacking in maturity.

The landscape is broad in scale, defined within the valleys by the enclosing ridgelines, with panoramic views from higher ridges across adjacent valleys. Locally within the more wooded sections of some valleys the scale is more intimate and enclosed. The landscape of the coalfield has been heavily influenced by urban and industrial development and its scattered mining towns and villages and busy roads give it a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places. In the less developed areas it retains a strongly rural quality.

Broad Character Areas The Coalfield Valley landscape type is presented by fifteen Broad Character Areas.

Beamish & Causey Burn Valley. A broad valley in which the upper reaches of the River Team and its tributaries carve a winding course, incised in narrow steep-sided denes. In the west ancient oak woods lie in the denes between open, gently rolling, arable farmland. In the east lies the heavily wooded estate landscape of Beamish Hall which contains the Beamish Open Air Museum. The area is notable for its industrial heritage, with the remains of water-powered forges along the river, and Causey Arch, the world’s oldest surviving railway bridge, spanning the deep wooded gorge of the Causey Burn. Areas of derelict colliery land and spoil heaps lie in the Wheatley Gill/Bobgins burn valley to the north near Marley Hill.

Beechburn Valley. A broad, settled valley running northwards from the Wear. Its western slopes are gently sloping. Its eastern slopes rise more steeply to a well-defined ridge running from Dowfold Hill to Rumby Hill. The town of Crook lies in the head of the valley. Smaller colliery villages are scattered across the valley. An open

123 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN pastoral landscape with some areas of arable cropping on the valley floor and ridge tops. Field systems are generally old with sub regular patterns of hedgerows and scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Areas of parliamentary enclosure with regular field patterns and straight enclosure roads are found on the eastern ridge. There are scattered areas of reclaimed colliery land.

Browney Valley. A broad branching valley in which the Browney and its tributaries lie on narrow floodplains or in narrow, steep-sided denes. Valley sides are moderately sloping with occasional steeper bluffs. Arable and mixed farmland in the lower reaches of the valley gives way to pasture on higher ground. The valley is heavily wooded in places with large blocky conifer plantations, and broadleaved or mixed woodlands in areas of old parkland. Field systems vary in character with older hedges with scattered or abundant hedgerow trees in the valley bottoms, and areas of regular parliamentary enclosure on higher ground. Boundaries are mostly hedgerows with some dry stone walls in the upper reaches. Large villages lie along the valley floor and the lower valley sides. Restored opencast land is found in many places on the upper slopes, and areas of reclaimed colliery land are found around some mining villages.

Cong Burn Valley. A well defined valley lying between high ridges in which the Cong Burn lies in a narrow steep sided dene lined with ancient oak woods. Large blocks of conifers rise up the steep slopes of Charlaw Fell to the south. The gentler south facing slopes are predominantly arable with low hedges and few trees. Field patterns are mixed, with regular parliamentary enclosures and straight enclosure roads in places and older fields around the village of Holmside. There are several areas of restored opencast land.

Deerness & Hedleyhope Valley. The branching valley of the River Deerness and its tributaries. In its lower reaches the Deerness lies in an incised dene, a mosaic of woodland and pasture, between open gentle slopes of mixed farmland on which lie the mining villages of New Brancepeth and Ushaw Moor, and the parklands of Ushaw College and Eshwood Hall. Upstream, steep wooded bluffs south of the river overlook the village of Esh Winning. The upper reaches of the Deerness are pastoral and heavily wooded with large conifer plantations and a network of old hedges, with frequent oak trees, fragmented in places by opencast mining. The upper reaches of

124 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN the Hedleyhope valley are also well wooded with mixed farmland of old hedgerows and abundant oak and ash trees interspersed with broadleaved and mixed woodlands.

Derwent Valley. The broad valley of the River Derwent straddles the northern county boundary. The valley is heavily wooded, with ancient oak woods lying in branching denes and large coniferous or mixed plantations on the valley sides. Agricultural land use is largely pastoral with sub regular networks of old hedges with scattered, locally abundant, oak, ash, beech and sycamore trees. Mining villages are strung out along the valley and the large industrial town of Consett lies on the valley side falling from the southern ridge. The tributary valley of the Pont burn is more rural with thinly scattered farms. The valley is notable for its industrial heritage. The Derwent Valley walk follows a disused railway line with several landmark viaducts over wooded denes which have commanding views across the valley.

Findon Hill & South Burn Valley. The high ground of Findon Hill and Daisy Hill in the head of the Southburn Valley. The large mining village of Sacriston lies below steep wooded bluffs bordering Charlaw Fell. Agricultural land use is mostly arable with large fields bounded by low trimmed hedges and few trees. Field systems are regular and date from parliamentary enclosures or from more recent opencast coal mining.

Hummerbeck Valley. Gently rolling, in places almost flat, plateau of mixed farmland drained by the Hummer Beck and the Oakley Cross Beck. Field systems are generally pre-enclosure with sub-regular patterns of hedgerows, frequent hedgerow oak, ash & sycamore. Lines of trees follow the becks and there are scattered coniferous or mixed plantations. Some areas have been opencast for coal and contain young hedges and plantations and new stone walls. The area is sparsely settled with scattered farms served by narrow lanes.

Kyo Burn Valley. The broad valley of the Kyo Burn is encircled by settlements on the surrounding ridge tops. An open pastoral landscape of improved or wet rushy pasture with a fragmented network of old, often overgrown, hedgerows and few trees. Fragments of heathland and gorse scrub are found on steeper slopes. The Kyo burn is slightly incised in the valley floor with wooded sections containing ancient oak woods.

Gaunless Valley. The River Gaunless meanders across a narrow floodplain, its banks lined with willow and alder. Tributary streams lie in narrow wooded denes. Ancient oak woodlands of Crag Wood lie on steep slopes overlooking the river. Agricultural land use is mixed with tracts of open arable farmland and improved or semi- improved pasture, and open moor of grass and bracken at Cockfield Fell. Field systems vary in character with areas of regular parliamentary enclosure, early post-medieval field systems around older villages, and large areas of restored opencast land with young hedges, shelterbelts and plantations. A settled rural landscape with old agricultural villages, enlarged during the industrial period, and numerous scattered farms and building clusters. The valley is notable for its mining heritage, and particularly on Cockfield fell where C19th railways lie alongside medieval bell pits and Iron Age settlements.

Linburn Valley. A simple broad valley in which the Linburn Beck winds across the valley floor, its banks lined with willow and alder, occasional incised in shallow wooded denes. A pastoral landscape of improved and semi- improved pastures bounded by old hedges with frequent hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Scattered farms are served by narrow roads.

Central Wear Valley. A broad winding valley with moderate slopes falling to steeper bluffs beside the floodplain of the River Wear. A settled landscape with the large town of Bishop Auckland on the valley floor and numerous small mining villages scattered across the valley sides. Agricultural land use is mixed with tracts of open arable farmland and improved pasture bounded by old hedges with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow trees. Tributary burns are incised in narrow wooded denes. The wooded parklands of Auckland Park lie to the north of Bishop Auckland. Older villages are served by a network of narrow lanes. Busy modern roads radiate out from the town. The area is notable for its Roman remains at Binchester. 125 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN Stanley Burn Valley. A broad valley dominated by the town of Stanley which lies on its northern flanks. Ancient oak woods lie in the dene of the Stanley Burn which winds between moderately sloping valley sides of open arable farmland. Field systems are largely pre-enclosure with fragmented patterns of low clipped hedges and few hedgerow trees. There are scattered coniferous plantations. The landscape of the valley has a very settled character with prominent mining villages and areas of recreational land. Fragments of heathland survive on the southern ridge in South moor Golf Course.

Stockley Beck Valley. The narrow valley of the Stockley Beck broadens as it approaches the valley terraces of the Wear Lowlands. The beck lies within a broad dene clothed in coniferous woodland. The upper valley is open pasture with regular grids of parliamentary enclosure walls and hedges and few trees. Parts of the area have been opencast and contain young hedges and new walls. The broader flanks of the lower valley have fragmented field systems of older hedges around arable fields and improved pastures which are interspersed by scattered conifer plantations. Scattered farms are served by narrow roads.

Upper Wear & Bedburn Valleys. The broad valley of the Wear and its tributary the Bedburn are well wooded, with frequent plantations, wooded denes, and areas of wooded parkland and estate farmland on valley slopes overlooking the Wear floodplain. Agricultural land use is mixed with a mosaic of improved pasture and arable cropping. Field systems are largely pre-enclosure with sub-regular patterns of hedgerows and occasional dry stone walls with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Scattered farms are served by narrow roads and tracks. Old villages lie on high ground along the valley.

126 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN Coalfield Valley Floodplain

Coalfield Upland Fringe The West Durham Coalfield County Boundary

Key characteristics • Flat, narrow floodplains fringed in places by low, steep-sided bluffs.

• Meandering rivers with alternating riffles and pools.

• Alluvial soils.

• Large arable fields protected from flooding in places by low levees.

• Smaller pastures of improved or semi-improved wet pastures bounded by low thorn hedges with scattered hedgerow oak, ash and alder.

• Ancient woodlands of oak and birch on steep bluffs.

• Narrow riparian woods or tree lines of alder, oak, ash and willow on river banks.

• Semi-improved pastures on steeper bluffs with scattered scrub of gorse or hawthorn.

• Occasional small ponds and ox-bow lakes and larger wetlands in abandoned or restored gravel workings.

• Few farms or farm buildings.

• Occasional relics of corn or fulling mills or later iron-working mills – including mill races and buildings.

• Occasional industrial land or sewerage works bordering larger settlements.

• A diverse landscape. Enclosed and intimate in scale in wooded areas but more open, and reading as part of the wider valley landscape, in others.

Description The floodplains of the larger coalfield valleys are generally narrow (200 – 500m), bordering onto the moderate slopes of the wider valley or fringed by low, steep-sided bluffs. Rivers are meandering with alternating shallow, quick flowing riffles and broader slow moving reaches. There are occasional small natural ponds and ox-bow lakes and larger wetlands in flooded gravel workings.

The flat and fertile alluvial soils of the floodplain support arable cropping of cereals and oil-seed rape on land protected from flooding by low levees. Elsewhere land use is pastoral, with improved grasslands and areas of less improved wet or marshy pasture.

127 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN Field systems on the ‘haughs’ or ‘flatts’ of the floodplain are generally irregular or sub-regular in pattern, dating from the enclosure of common meadows and pastures in and around the C17th century. In arable areas many of these enclosures have been amalgamated to form large, open fields. In pastoral areas fields are smaller and bounded by low hawthorn hedges with scattered hedgerow oak, ash and alder. On the steeper slopes of the floodplain bluffs, pastures that have always been difficult to manage or improve are scattered with gorse or hawthorn scrub.

The landscape is well wooded. Ancient woodlands of oak and birch lie on steep bluffs overlooking the haughs and narrow riparian woods or tree lines of alder, oak, ash and willow line the riverbanks.

There are few farms or farm buildings on the floodplain itself though they occur occasionally on isolated pockets of higher ground. On parts of the floodplain bordering larger towns, the flat land has been developed for industry or for sewerage works. Relics of water mills – for grinding corn, preparing cloth or working iron and steel – in the form of dams, mill races and mill buildings are scattered across the more settled floodplains. Parts of the floodplain have been worked for sand and gravel leaving flooded gravel pits, some of which have been restored as fishing lakes or nature reserves.

A very diverse landscape, enclosed and intimate in scale in its narrower and more heavily wooded sections but more open, and reading as part of the wider valley landscape, in others.

Broad Character Areas

The Coalfield Valley Floodplain landscape type is represented by three Broad Character Areas.

The Derwent Floodplain. The narrow floodplain of the River Derwent is largely pastoral with open improved or semi-improved pastures on the flat haughs either side of the river. Low bluffs define the floodplain, clothed in broadleaved or mixed woodland or semi-improved pasture and scrub. The river is followed by narrow riparian woods or tree lines of willow, alder, ash and oak. The valley floor of the Derwent is settled in places and urban fringe recreation grounds, playing fields and sewerage works are found along the floodplain. The valley was

128 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN important for steel making in the early industrial revolution and there are remains of a number of old water powered forges (most notably at Derwentcote), as well as old water mills and tile works.

The Gaunless Floodplain. The River Gaunless meanders slowly across flat haughs of wet pasture with oxbow lakes and low river terraces marked by sporadic tree lines.

The Wear Floodplain. The River Wear meanders across a broad floodplain, defined in places by low bluffs of broadleaved woodland or steep pasture with scattered scrub. Narrow riparian woodlands of willow, alder, oak and ash follow the river. The farmland of the floodplain is mixed, with areas of improved pasture and arable cropping divided in places by straight hawthorn hedges. Parts of the floodplain have been worked for sand and gravel. Some abandoned gravel pits have naturally re-vegetated and are now managed for nature conservation; others have been restored as fishing lakes.

129

130 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Dene pastures Mineral working

Disturbed land Nurseries & market gardens

Floodplain farmland: arable Parkland

Floodplain farmland: pasture Parks and recreation grounds

Heaths and fells River: middle reaches

High ridge and valley farmland: open arable Upland woods

High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture Upland woods: denes & bluffs

High ridge and valley farmland: pasture Upland woods: forest

High ridge and valley farmland: walled arable Urban

High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture Valley farmland: arable

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded arable Valley farmland: open arable

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Valley farmland: open pasture

Infrastructure Valley farmland: pasture

Lakes & ponds Valley farmland: wooded arable

Lowland woods Valley farmland: wooded estate arable

Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Valley farmland: wooded pasture

131 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Dene pastures Incised denes and steeply sloping bluffs of improved or semi-improved pasture or rough grazing. Steeply sloping pastures are often difficult to manage or improve and tend to be more diverse than the surrounding farmland. Tree cover is very variable. Hedgerow oak and ash are locally common. Steeper slopes may support areas of bracken, or scrub of hawthorn or gorse.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns may be irregular or sub-regular and tend to reflect the underlying topography. Boundaries are typically hedgerows. In places relics of ridge and furrow or cultivation terraces may be found.

Open heath.

Areas of open, heathy pasture, with bracken and gorse.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings or the reclamation of derelict land. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Surveyor enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of hedges or walls which often ignore the underlying topography.

Disturbed land A variable type made up largely of abandoned mineral workings and railway lines.

Subtypes Old clay pits & gravel workings

Abandoned clay pits and gravel workings. A variable type but generally comprising ponds or lakes formed from flooded extraction areas surrounded by areas of disturbed ground, rough grassland or secondary woodland. Water bodies tend to be relatively deep and steep-sided with only narrow fringes of marginal vegetation (often reedmace). Secondary woodland and scrub colonising areas of disturbed ground is dominated by pioneer species like birch, alder and goat or grey willow.

Old colliery workings

Abandoned colliery workings. A variable type but often including areas of bare colliery wastes, rough grassland and scrub or secondary woodland. Structures like coal tipplers, coke ovens, waggonways and derelict buildings survive in places. Acidic colliery spoils often support diverse acid grasslands or heath and secondary woodland or scrub of birch, alder, aspen, hawthorn, gorse and goat willow.

Old railway

Abandoned railway lines survive as narrow linear features running through other landscapes. Most are made up of alternating cuttings and embankments. Many structures survive along their routes including bridges and viaducts, culverts, tipplers and station platforms. Some associated buildings like station houses and railway

132 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES cottages have been converted to other uses. Most abandoned lines have been colonised by natural regeneration and support a diverse grassland and woodland flora which reflects the range of naturally occurring or imported materials found in cuttings and embankments. Pioneer or ruderal species are particularly characteristic. Many old railway lines have been adopted as recreational multi-user routes.

Old sandstone quarry.

Abandoned sandstone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Base-poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora and are typically colonised by pioneer tree and shrub species like birch, alder, goat willow, hawthorn, gorse, broom and dog rose.

Reclaimed grassland

Land reclaimed from former mineral workings or industrial use to rough grassland.

Floodplain farmland: arable Low lying arable farmland on the fertile alluvial soils of the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains. Fields tend to be large and bounded by hedges or fences, and may be subject to seasonal flooding or protected by artificial levees.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees - ash, oak and alder. Hedges are generally dominated by hawthorn but often contain holly and blackthorn, and sometimes hazel in the oldest features. Smaller fields have often been amalgamated to create large irregular parcels.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure, usually piecemeal rather than part of larger parliamentary enclosure systems. The relatively small scale of the floodplains, and the loss of boundaries in areas of field amalgamation, means that the regular patterns typical of this period of enclosure rarely occur. Field boundaries are straight hawthorn hedges but otherwise the subtype differs little from the Old enclosure subtype.

Floodplain farmland: pasture Low lying pastoral farmland on the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains including both productive improved pasture and poorly drained or seasonally flooded, wet rushy pasture. Pastures may border directly onto the river or be separated from it by narrow riparian woodlands or fenced, often tree lined, riverbanks. In places floodplain pastures contain meandering minor watercourses and oxbow lakes, and relics of watermills and associated features. Pastures are generally divided by hedgerows, but in areas subject to regular flooding and more dynamic, shifting, watercourses the floodplain may remain open.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees – ash, oak and alder. Hedges are generally dominated by hawthorn but often contain holly and blackthorn, and sometimes hazel in the oldest features.

133 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees. The landform may have an engineered character.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. The relatively small scale of the floodplains means that the regular patterns typical of this period of enclosure rarely occur. Field boundaries are straight but otherwise the subtype differs little from the Old enclosure subtype.

Heaths and fells Areas of lowland and mid-altitude heath and open fell. This very variable type includes both small commons and stinted pastures, areas of parliamentary enclosure in the upland fringes which have reverted to heath, and fragments of heathland vegetation that have survived elsewhere or regenerated naturally on disturbed land.

Subtypes Blanket bog.

Blanket bog on upland peat.

Enclosed heath.

Heathland vegetation surviving or regenerating in marginal areas of late parliamentary enclosure.

Grass fell.

Vegetation dominated by acid grassland.

Heathland.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland

Raised bog.

Lowland raised bog on valley peat.

Reclaimed fell.

Heath restored following mineral extraction. Largely dominated by species poor acid grassland.

High ridge and valley farmland: open arable Pockets of open arable farmland in the otherwise predominantly pastoral landscape of the upland fringe. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges or a mixture of hedges and walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but often disrupted by field amalgamations.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular.

134 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns regular but often disrupted by field amalgamations.

High ridge and valley farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland of the higher ridges and valley heads of the upland fringes. Grasslands are mostly improved pasture, with pockets of semi-improved or wet, rushy pasture. Field boundaries are typically regular grids of hedges or dry stone walls dating from 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedges are often sparse and overgrown or grazed through or supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field systems are generally sub-regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular and geometric and there are few mature landscape features.

Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of field boundaries.

High ridge and valley farmland: pasture Pastoral farmland of the higher ridges and valley heads of the upland fringes. Grasslands are mostly improved pasture, with pockets of semi-improved or wet, rushy pasture. Field boundaries are typically regular grids of hedges or dry stone walls dating from 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Field systems are relatively intact, though hedgerows are often overgrown and grazed through or supplemented by wire fences. Hedges are largely species-poor and dominated by hawthorn. Older hedges tend to be slightly more diverse and may contain holly planted for winter fodder. Hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field systems are generally sub-regular in pattern, occasionally preserving the shape of arable strips. Areas of medieval or later rigg and furrow occur locally.

Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular grids.

High ridge and valley farmland: walled arable Tracts of open arable farmland on high ridges in the upland fringe. Fields are bounded by low dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent.

135 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

High ridge and valley farmland: walled pasture Open pastoral farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi-improved pasture and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are regular grids of dry stone walls dating from late, 18th or 19th century enclosures, crossed in places by straight enclosure roads. Hedgerow trees are generally absent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular in pattern with occasional old hedgerows and boundary trees.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Mature trees are generally absent. There may be occasional small coniferous copses or shelterbelts.

Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of walls. Field and boundary trees are generally absent though the verges of straight enclosure roads may be lined with trees or scrub.

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded arable Tracts of wooded arable farmland on high ridges in the upland fringe. Fields are bounded by low hawthorn hedges or border onto large conifer plantations. Hedgerow trees are absent.

Subtypes Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges or wire fences.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight with low clipped hawthorn hedges.

136 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

High ridge and valley farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the high ridges and valley heads of the upland fringe. Grasslands are a mixture of improved pasture, semi-improved pasture and wet rushy pasture. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of hawthorn hedges and dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or scarce. There are networks of straight enclosure roads and scattered blocky softwood plantations.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular in pattern with occasional old hedgerows and hedgerow trees.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Mature trees are generally absent. There may be occasional small coniferous copses or shelterbelts.

Surveyor Enclosed.

The type. Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of walls. Field and boundary trees are generally absent though the verges of straight enclosure roads may be lined with trees or scrub.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype therefore covers the larger scale sections of carriageway, major cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Landfill

Active landfill or other waste management facilities. Most feature voids – usually left from prior mineral extraction – currently being infilled. Tipping activities and litter trap fencing may be prominent.

Railway

Only major railways are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Railway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and sidings.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are subsumed within the Develop: urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences.

Lakes and ponds A variable type covering a range of natural and man made water bodies.

Subtypes

137 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Fishing lake

Artificial water bodies created as still-water fisheries. These typically have an obviously engineered landform with shallow margins which are generally clear of vegetation and timber jetties, piling and fishing platforms. Waters are usually turbid and nutrient-rich. Other subtypes including flooded clay pits & gravel workings may be in use as fisheries and share similar features.

Flooded clay pits & gravel workings.

The water bodies of abandoned or restored clay pits, sand and gravel working. Abandoned features tend to have an irregular form with steep bank sides and fairly deep water, surrounded by areas of semi-natural vegetation, rank grassland, secondary woodland and scrub made up of species such as willows, alder and downy birch. Restored water bodies have a more designed form with shallower margins.

Lowland lakes & ponds

Natural lakes or ponds. These are typically shallow features with irregular margins set in open pastures. Those mapped appear to have arisen from subsidence or water table rebound on the coal measures and the magnesian limestone, or from impeded field drainage. They may be fringed with marginal emergent vegetation (common reed, Reedmace) or be grazed to the water’s edge. Submerged fences and other field boundaries may occur in the more recently developed features. Only larger water bodies are mapped. Smaller ponds are subsumed within the larger tracts in which they occur.

Lowland woods A variable type covering the diverse woodlands of lowland valleys, plains and plateaux.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift that covers much of the lowlands the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Some Oak-birch woodlands (NVC W16) occur on less fertile sandy soils, and stands of Alder (NVCW5) woodland are found on flushed slopes or wet ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Old wood pasture.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings.

Secondary woods and wood pasture.

138 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side or escarpment bluffs. Woodland plant communities are diverse and reflect the range of underlying parent rocks and drift materials that occur – often within a single wood.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift into which many lowland denes are incised the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland, with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Similar woodlands occur on river terrace gravels and rocky gorges on carboniferous sandstones and shales. On poorer soils, and particularly in the west, these woodlands may be transitional in character with upland Oak woods (NVC W11). On the more acidic strata of the coal measures they often occur along-side Oak-birch (NVC 16) communities. On the limestone escarpment, and in the coastal denes where limestones are exposed, lowland Ash woodland communities (NVC W8) are found, with occasional stands of pure Yew (W13) on the thinnest soils. Ash communities transitional in character with upland Ash woods (NVC W9) are found where carboniferous limestones are exposed in the west. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past. Woods on the coal measures often contains relics of drift mining – pit- falls, waggonways and small spoil mounds. Some dene woods also contain relics of small scale quarrying activities.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Old wood pastures.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Narrow corridors of woodland on riverbanks and river terraces, usually semi-natural in character and made up of

139 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES native species, particularly Oak, Ash, Alder, Aspen, Birch and Willows. Many are ancient woods; others are secondary semi-natural woods that have followed the shifting course of the river.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The predominant woodland type on drier ground is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10), with Alder-Ash (NVC W7) and Alder (NVC W6, W5) woodlands on wetter ground and wash lands.

Plantation.

A variable subtype of planted woodlands including old broadleaved plantations, softwood plantations, poplar plantations and more recent new native woodlands on river floodplains and carrs.

Secondary woods & wood pastures

Secondary semi-natural woodlands, often containing similar species to ancient woods, but which have naturally colonised the shifting riverbank environment and are therefore dominated more by pioneers like Alder, Aspen, Birches and Willows.

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Clay pit

Clay pits worked for brick-shales and fireclays, and usually associated with adjoining brickworks. Extraction areas tend to be deep voids with steeply sloping sides of grey clays, mudstones and sandstones. There are usually large un-vegetated materials stockpiles either within the void or on adjacent land. The neutral or base poor clays, overburdens and wastes may support areas of diverse acid or neutral grassland and secondary woodland or scrub of birch, alder, aspen, hawthorn, gorse and goat willow where they have been undisturbed.

Nurseries and Market gardens Commercial nurseries, garden centres and market gardens, typically including extensive areas of greenhouses, car parking and storage areas. Some include areas of intensive horticulture, growing trees, herbaceous plants or fruit bushes.

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha- has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes

140 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Enclosed parkland arable.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently in arable use. Parkland trees may survive as isolated features within the crop. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern.

Enclosed parkland pasture.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently under pasture. Field systems may date from earlier enclosures or may be contemporary with the layout of the park. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern although field or avenue trees may also be present.

Golf courses.

Older parkland developed as a golf course. Parkland features survive along side familiar elements of the modern golf course – bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds – as well as new tree planting usually of a ‘parkland’ character.

Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens.

Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

Parks & Recreation Grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Allotment gardens.

Allotment gardens vary in character but are typically laid out in regular plots which may be open or surrounded by individual fences. Some allotments contain many buildings & structures – sheds, greenhouses, poultry houses, frames etc – often made out of reclaimed materials.

Caravan site.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Country parks.

Formal recreational facilities in the countryside usually with areas of amenity grassland, car parks and other facilities.

Golf courses.

Extensive areas of amenity grassland with bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds with individual trees, tree groups and copses in varying degrees of maturity. Some contain elements surviving from the previous 141 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES landscape – veteran trees, hedgerows and woodlands, or fragments of heath.

Monuments.

Ancient monuments and their grounds - usually including areas of amenity grassland, car parks and other facilities.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

River: middle reaches The middle reaches of major rivers meandering across narrow floodplains or running through incised denes or larger gorges. Where they cross floodplains the river banks are fenced from the adjacent farmland which is occasionally protected by low artificial levees. The river banks are often lined with narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes River. Rapidly flowing watercourses with alternating pools and rifles, shingle banks and occasional islands.

River bank.

River banks fenced from adjacent pasture, or left unfenced from adjacent arable, support rough unmanaged grassland with native riverside species like Butterbur and, in places, introduced species like Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. Bank side trees - Crack Willow, White Willow, Purple Willow, Alder – are common. River banks may be engineered in places, occasionally with low flood-protection levees.

Upland woods A variable type covering many of the diverse woodlands of the upland dales and upland fringes.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The base-poor glacial drift of the dales and the drift-free carboniferous sandstones and shales of the upland fringes and moorland fringes support Oak (NVC W11) and Oak-birch (NVCW17) woodlands. Ash woodland communities (NVC W9) occur on limestone outcrops and Alder-Ash (NVC W7) on flushed slopes.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including small plantations of species like Scot’s Pine, Larch, Beech and Sycamore, often planted for shelter, and larger plantations usually dominated by conifers such as Scots Pine, Larch, Norway Spruce and Sitka Spruce.

Secondary woods and wood pasture.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species. Birch is often dominant in woodlands colonising unmanaged heath. A broader range of species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse)

142 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES occurs in woodlands on disturbed land such as old quarries, lead workings and railway embankments.

Upland woods: denes & bluffs Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side bluffs in the upland fringes.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The base-poor glacial drift and drift-free carboniferous sandstones and shales of the upland fringes support Oak (NVC W11) and Oak-birch (NVCW17) woodlands. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Upland woods: forest Large scale Forestry Commission plantations in the moorland fringes. Relatively uniform tracts of conifers with regular grids of rides and tracks. Sitka Spruce is the dominant species, with areas of Scots Pine, Larch and other softwoods.

Subtypes Plantation.

The type.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial and retail estates

Industrial and retail estates typically have a planned layout, often with significant areas of structure planting and amenity planting. Buildings are generally large in scale and industrial in character. There may be significant areas of open operation land or vacant land awaiting development. Smaller areas of land in industrial or

143 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Gypsy and traveller site

Small developments, often in rural or urban-fringe locations, with a planned layout of roads, hard-standings and utility blocks.

Institutions

A variable subtype including schools, hospitals, colleges and other institutions in rural situations. Large individual buildings or building complexes set in areas of open green space and amenity planting.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial and retail estates subtype).

Valley farmland: arable Arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Field systems are sub-regular enclosures of early post-medieval origins and remain largely intact. Field boundaries are clipped hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn. Hedgerow Ash, Oak and Sycamore trees are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Valley farmland: open arable Open arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges, or, more rarely, dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

Valley farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland of the coalfield valleys. Large fields of improved pasture with some pockets of semi- improved pasture or rough grazing, occasionally with patchy gorse or hawthorn scrub. Field boundaries are typically species poor hawthorn hedges, or a mixture of hedges and fences. Hedges are often sparse and overgrown or grazed through and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

144 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Patches of rigg & furrow survive from medieval agriculture and later periods of improvement. Small field ponds, some being ‘subsidence flashes’ caused by underground workings, are fairly common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field systems are generally sub-regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular and geometric and there are few mature landscape features.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows.

Valley farmland: pasture Pastoral farmland of the coalfield valleys. Pastures are mostly improved. Pockets of semi-improved pasture or meadow and wet, rushy pasture occur locally. Field systems are a mixture of early post-medieval enclosures and parliamentary enclosures in regular or sub-regular patterns and are generally relatively intact. Field boundaries are typically hawthorn dominated hedges. Older hedges tend to be slightly more diverse. Hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field systems are generally sub-regular in pattern, occasionally preserving the shape of arable strips. Areas of medieval or later rigg and furrow occur locally.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular grids.

Valley farmland: wooded arable Wooded arable farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by low hawthorn hedges or border onto woodlands. The pattern of woodland is very variable, being typically a combination of small ancient broadleaved woodlands in narrow denes and along watercourses, and larger blocky plantation of mixed or coniferous species.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Field boundaries are trimmed hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but sometimes more diverse, with scattered hedgerow ash and oak.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by

145 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES young hedges or wire fences with few hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of trimmed hawthorn hedges, occasionally walls, disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Hedgerow trees are scarce.

Valley farmland: wooded estate arable Wooded arable estate farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Field boundaries are trimmed hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but sometimes more diverse, with scattered hedgerow ash and oak.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges or wire fences with few hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of trimmed hawthorn hedges, occasionally walls, disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Hedgerow trees are scarce.

Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Wooded pastoral estate farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates. Areas of older rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn. Mature hedgerow or parkland trees occur locally.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges or wire fences with few hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Mature hedgerow or parkland trees occur locally.

146 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Valley farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by hedges or, less frequently, by dry stone walls. The pattern of woodland is very variable, being typically a combination of small ancient broadleaved woodlands (oak and oak-birch) in narrow denes and along watercourses, and larger blocky plantations of mixed or coniferous species.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but in places retain the curving alignment of medieval strip fields. Field boundaries are usually hedgerows, generally dominated by hawthorn but often containing holly, blackthorn and sometimes hazel in the oldest features. Hedgerow trees, oak and ash, are locally abundant. In areas bordering onto the upland fringes there are occasional tracts of dry stone walls constructed of thinly bedded carboniferous sandstones. Areas of rig and furrow survive in less improved pastures.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges and wire fences with no mature hedgerow trees. Small shelterbelts and copses, often of softwoods, are common.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of ‘ruler-straight’ hawthorn hedges. Hedgerow trees are usually scarce although oak, ash, beech and sycamore may be locally abundant. In areas bordering onto the upland fringes there are occasional tracts of dry stone walls constructed of thinly bedded carboniferous sandstones.

147 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE COALFIELD UPLAND FRINGE

148 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE COALFIELD VALLEYS

149 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEST DURHAM COALFIELD LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE COALFIELD VALLEY FLOODPLAIN

150 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS

The Wear Lowlands

The Wear Lowlands The Tyne & Wear Lowlands Countryside Character Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • A broad lowland valley incised by the meandering River Wear and its tributaries.

• Carboniferous coal measures of sandstones, shales and coal are overlain by thick layers of glacial boulder clays, sands and gravels.

• Gently rolling terraces of open arable and mixed farmland with low hedges and few trees or woodlands occupy much of the valley floor.

• The River Wear and its tributaries lie in steep sided wooded gorges and denes, which open up in places into broad floodplains overlooked by steep bluffs.

• Ancient oak woods are found in denes and gorges and steep floodplain bluffs.

• Parklands and wooded estates surrounding landmark castles and country houses lie along the river corridor.

• A settled landscape with the historic city of Durham at its centre and scattered ‘green’ villages with buildings of local sandstone with roofs of red clay pan tile or slate.

• Numerous mining or industrial towns and villages of Victorian terraced housing of brick and slate and later estate housing. Large industrial estates fringe the main settlements.

• A long-standing communications corridor carrying major roads, railways and power lines.

• Large areas of land have been opencast for coal or reclaimed from former colliery workings and their landscapes lack maturity.

• A generally broad scale landscape with panoramic views from higher ground in which Durham Cathedral is a notable landmark. In the incised valley of the River Wear the landscape is more enclosed and the scale more intimate.

• A landscape heavily influenced by urban and industrial development with a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places. Elsewhere the landscape has a strongly rural character, often of high scenic value.

152 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS

Description The lowlands of the Wear occupy a broad valley between the limestone escarpment and the spurs of Pennine fringe ridges. The River Wear carves an incised meandering course between steep bluffs and river terraces on the valley floor.

Thinly bedded sandstones, mudstones and coals of the Coal Measures are masked by thick layers of glacial drift which gives rise to a gently rolling terrain. Areas of more undulating topography mark pockets of fluvio-glacial sands and gravels. Post-glacial rivers and streams have cut down into the valley floor, creating narrow steep side gorges and denes. The floodplain of the River Wear is below the general level of the valley floor and bounded in places by steep bluffs. Soils are mostly heavy gleys with areas of lighter brown earths, sands and alluvial soils.

Agricultural landuse is mixed but predominantly arable. Hedges tend to be cut low and the pattern of the landscape changes much with the seasons. Hedgerow trees are largely oak and ash and are abundant in places and sparse in others. Most field systems have their origins in town field enclosures of the C16th and C17th and have suffered in varying degrees from field enlargement in the C20th. There is a small surviving area of lowland heath and valley mire at Waldridge Fell.

The incised corridor of the River wear is well wooded. Ancient semi-natural oak woods are found in denes and gorges and on steep floodplain bluffs. Plantations of broadleaves or conifers like pine and larch are found in similar situations, often associated with parkland or estate landscapes. On the valley terraces woodlands are sparse. There are numerous parklands and areas of wooded estate farmland surrounding country houses and castles along the corridor of the Wear. Some are of medieval origins; others were developed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The cathedral city of Durham occupies a strategic site in the centre of the valley. The settlement pattern is dominated by mining and industrial settlements that have built on, and in most cases entirely replaced, older agricultural villages. Old villages which retain their scale and identity are few - buildings here are typically of local sandstone with clay pan tile or slate roofs. Mining settlements are generally a mixture of 19th century terraced housing of brick and slate and post-war housing estates. Settlement edges are often abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens and pony paddocks. Large industrial estates lie on the edges of the main settlements.

The Wear Lowlands have long been an important communications corridor and carry major infrastructures such as the A1 (M), the east coast main railway line and major transmission lines, together with historic features such as disused railway lines and viaducts. The landscape has been heavily influenced by coal mining. Some elements of the older industrial landscape remain - railway lines, tramways, small waste heaps - but most have been removed by land reclamation in recent years. Opencast mining has had a substantial impact on parts of the landscape. Reclaimed or restored land is often relatively featureless and lacks maturity.

The landscape of the valley is generally broad in scale with panoramic views from higher ground in which Durham Cathedral is a notable landmark. In the heavily wooded incised valley of the River Wear the landscape is more enclosed and the scale more intimate.

The landscape has been heavily influenced by urban and industrial development and this, together with its well- developed and busy road network, gives it a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places. Elsewhere the landscape has a more rural character, often of high scenic value with numerous ornamental parklands, picturesque views and landmark buildings.

153 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS

Broad landscape types The Wear Lowlands can be broadly divided into those landscapes which are part of the heavily wooded incised valley corridor of the River Wear (Incised Lowland Valley) and those which are part of the open rolling farmland terraces to the east and west (Lowland Valley Terraces).

154 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE INCISED LOWLAND VALLEY Incised Lowland Valley

Incised Lowland Valley Wear Lowlands County Boundary

Key characteristics • Incised valley landscape of gorges, denes, river floodplains and steep bluffs.

• Carboniferous rocks are masked by thick deposits of glacial drift.

• Sandstones, shales and thin coal seams outcrop very occasionally in gorges.

• Meandering rivers with alternating riffles and pools.

• Varied soils - alluvial soils, brown sands, and heavy clays.

• Mixed farmland - pasture on steeper ground and arable cropping on floodplains.

• Semi-regular patterns of old enclosures bounded by hawthorn hedges.

• Abundant hedgerow oak, ash, sycamore and beech.

• Heavily wooded – ancient oak woods in river gorges, denes and bluffs.

• Numerous ornamental parklands and areas of wooded estate farmland.

• Occasional older ‘green villages’ of stone and clay pantile.

• Landmark buildings including Durham Cathedral and Castle.

• Numerous bridges and viaducts from the ancient to the modern.

• An enclosed landscape, intimate in scale, with occasional dramatic vistas.

• A settled but tranquil rural landscape of great scenic quality and a rich cultural heritage.

Description The River Wear and its tributaries lie in narrow gorges and denes that open up onto broad floodplains overlooked by steep bluffs. Carboniferous rocks of the coal measures are buried beneath thick layers of glacial drift, laid down over several periods of glaciation. Sandstones, shales and thin coal seams outcrop occasionally in the deeper gorges. Most valleys cut down through boulder clays and sand and gravel beds. Rivers meander across flat alluvial floodplains with alternating riffles and pools, or course over rocky beds in gorges and denes. Soils are heavy clays and lighter brown sands, with alluvial soils on the floodplain haughs. 155 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE INCISED LOWLAND VALLEY Agricultural land use tends to reflect the topography, with pasture on steeper ground and arable cropping – mostly of cereals and oil-seed rape - on floodplains and gentler slopes. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedgerows. Field systems are semi-regular in pattern, and most date from the enclosure of the common arable fields, pastures and meadows of older villages in the 1600s and early 1700s.

The landscape is rich in trees with abundant hedgerow ash, oak, sycamore and beech. It is also heavily wooded with ancient oak woodlands in gorges and denes and on the steeper floodplain bluffs. Narrow riparian woodlands of alder and willow follow rivers and streams. The valleys contain numerous ornamental parklands and areas of wooded estate farmland surrounding country houses and castles. Some are of medieval origins; many were developed extended or redesigned in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The valleys were historically worked from villages on the surrounding terraces, but a small number fall within the incised valleys – buildings of stone or brick with roofs of clay pan tile cluster around a central village green. The city of Durham occupies a strategic site on an incised meander, its castle and cathedral important landmarks over much of the valley. The valleys have a long association with the church and contain other ecclesiastical buildings including the ruins of Finchale Priory.

As part of a major north-south communications route the valleys contain many river and valley crossings – bridges from many different periods cross the rivers and railway viaducts span the denes and gorges.

The landscape is intimate and enclosed being both heavily wooded and contained by its topography. There are occasional dramatic vistas across the valleys to landmarks like Durham Cathedral. Although part of a densely settled lowland valley, the incised valleys tend to be relatively tranquil and rural in character, with great scenic qualities and a rich cultural heritage.

Broad Character Areas The Incised Lowland Valley landscape type is represented by five Broad Character Areas.

Congburn, Southburn & Blackdene. A series of incised wooded denes flowing from the coalfield valleys in the west to the River Wear between open arable farmland of the surrounding river terraces with which they are closely associated. The denes contain ancient oak woodlands, in places replanted with conifers, and some areas of open birch woodland and heath. Parts of the Twizell burn have been affected by mineral workings and contain areas of reclaimed land.

Lower Browney Valley. The River Browney carves an incised course in a narrow valley between Durham City and the village of Langley Moor. Steeper valley sides and low bluffs are covered in broadleaved woodlands or pasture with scattered trees and scrub. Tree lines follow the river. Gentler valley slopes and small areas of floodplain are largely arable farmland with low clipped hedges and few hedgerow trees.

Southern Wear Valley. The River Wear meanders across a broad floodplain bordered in places by steep wooded bluffs divided by tributary denes. The riverbanks are open, or lined with trees, and occasionally backed by low levees. The open arable farmland of the floodplain is made up of large fields bounded by low clipped hedges with few trees. Wooded parklands at Brancepeth, Whitworth, Croxdale and Burn Hall lie along the edges of the floodplain. Open arable farmland and the parkland of Sherburn Hospital lie in the tributary valleys of the Sherburnhouse and Whitwell becks in the east.

Northern Wear Valley. The River Wear lies in deep steep-sided wooded gorges, opening out in places into a broader valley with small areas of floodplain. The valley slopes are largely wooded arable farmland with frequent coniferous and broadleaved plantations, low clipped hedges and scattered hedgerow oak and ash. There are parklands and areas of heavily wooded estate farmland at Lambton Castle and Lumley Castles. The ruins of Finchale Abbey lie in the wooded gorge. Durham City lies to the south of the character area, its castle and 156 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE INCISED LOWLAND VALLEY cathedral towering above the wooded gorge which runs through the city. The large town of Chester-le Street lies to the north of the character area, its parks and playing fields spreading onto the floodplain, from where Lumley Castle is a notable landmark.

Team Valley. The River Team meanders across a narrow floodplain fringed by low wooded bluffs. The woodlands of the bluffs are ancient oak woods, some of which have been re-planted with conifers. The floodplain is pastoral, with large fields of improved pasture and occasional ponds. In its upper reaches the river lies in the steep sided wooded gorge of Ousbrough woods, its narrow valley floor containing the remains of early water- powered forges.

157 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALLEY TERRACES Lowland Valley Terraces

Lowland Valley Terraces Wear Lowlands County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad lowland valley floor.

• Carboniferous Coal Measures are masked by thick layers of glacial drift.

• Gently rolling topography of boulder clay with areas of more undulating terrain of glacial sands and gravels.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils and lighter brown earths and brown sands.

• Mixed farmland of improved pastures and arable cropping.

• Semi-regular patterns of medium and large-scale fields bounded by low hawthorn hedges.

• Few trees – thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore.

• Isolated fragments of lowland heath and mire.

• Sparsely wooded but with some heavily wooded areas of old parkland and estate farmland. Scattered mining towns and villages connected by busy modern roads. Occasional older ‘green’ villages

• Opencast coal sites, clay workings and waste disposal sites locally prominent.

• Tracts of immature and relatively featureless reclaimed land. An important communications corridor with motorways, trunk roads, railway lines and overhead transmission lines.

• An open landscape, broad in scale, defined by the Limestone Escarpment to the east and the spurs of the West Durham Coalfield to the west.

• A settled landscape with a semi-rural or urban fringe quality in places.

Description Broad lowland valley floor sitting around 40m above the level of the incised River Wear. Rocks of the Carboniferous Coal Measures are buried beneath deep layers of drift laid down over several periods of glaciation. The topography is gently rolling in areas of boulder clay with a generally more undulating terrain associated with areas of fluvio-glacial sands and gravels, and glacial moraines or kames. Watercourses are small and inconspicuous and often straightened to follow field boundaries. Soils are mostly heavy, seasonally waterlogged clays, with areas of lighter brown earths and brown sands in areas of sandier drift.

158 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALLEY TERRACES

Agricultural land use is mixed but predominantly arable with a strong emphasis on cereals & oilseed rape. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedgerows – generally cut low but occasionally overgrown and neglected. Field patterns are semi-regular, most dating from the enclosure of the common fields of older villages in the 1600s. There are some areas of more regular ‘surveyor enclosed’ field systems dating from the enclosure of manorial wastes in the 1700s – often marked by the pace name ‘moor’. Field systems are often fragmented by the enlargement of arable fields. There is a single surviving area of lowland heath and mire.

Tree cover is low, with thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. The landscape is generally sparsely wooded although there are some heavily wooded areas of old parkland and estate farmland with frequent conifer or mixed plantations of pine, larch and beech. Ancient and secondary semi-natural oak birch woods are found in narrow denes or along old railway lines and on former colliery land.

Mining towns and villages are scattered across the valley connected by a well-developed network of busy roads. Most of these have a core of 19th century terraced housing of brick or stone and welsh slate surrounded by estates of post-war public housing. Settlement edges are often abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens, pony paddocks and industrial land. This settlement pattern overlies and largely obscures an older network of small agricultural villages that survives in places. These older villages often have a core of buildings of local stone with roofs of clay pan tile set around a central village green.

The landscape has been heavily influenced by deep and opencast coal mining, and the extraction of clays and brickshales. Much of the legacy of the coal industry has been removed by land reclamation in recent years, but persists in the settlement pattern, in the areas of reclaimed colliery land to be found around villages, and in the well-developed network of roads, footpaths, old railway lines and waggonways. Active opencast coal sites, clay workings and waste disposal sites are locally prominent features. There are extensive areas of relatively featureless reclaimed or restored opencast land. The valley terraces have long been an important communications corridor and carry major roads, railway lines and overhead transmission lines.

The landscape is typically open in character and broad in scale. The limestone escarpment forms a middle distance horizon to the east, as do the spurs of the West Durham Coalfield to the west. Urban areas are often prominent and Durham Cathedral in its wooded setting is an important component in many views. The landscape has been heavily influenced by urban and industrial development - its scattered mining towns and villages and busy roads give it a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places.

Broad Character Areas The Lowland Valley Terraces landscape type is represented by two Broad Character Areas.

The Eastern Valley Terraces. Gently rolling farmland between the incised valley of the River Wear and the Limestone Escarpment. An open landscape of largely arable farmland with sub-regular patterns of old hedges, fragmented in places, with scattered hedgerow trees and few woodlands. The landscape becomes more wooded towards the Wear where parklands and wooded estates spread onto the terraces at Lambton, Croxdale and Whitworth. The terrace landscape runs up to the escarpment and into the escarpment vales where it becomes more wooded in places, and notable in the former parkland and estate landscapes of Elemore east of Pittingdon. There are large areas of reclaimed colliery land and restored opencast land which contain young hedges, plantations and shelterbelts. Frequent mining towns and villages and the western outskirts of Durham City are connected by a network of busy modern highways and older, narrow, winding lanes. The area is crossed by the A1(M), the east coast main line and the Leamside line, and by major power lines. The escarpment forms a strong horizon to the east.

159 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALLEY TERRACES The Western Valley Terraces. Gently rolling or undulating farmland between the incised valley of the Wear and the valleys of the West Durham Coalfield. The terraces are incised by steep-sided wooded denes running to the Wear. Glacial sands and gravels are associated with undulating terrain which has been worked for sand in places and supports lowland heath at Waldridge Fell. An open landscape of largely arable farmland with sub-regular patterns of old hedges, fragmented in places, with scattered hedgerow trees and few woodlands. There are parklands at Brancepeth and smaller relic parklands at Sniperley, Plawsworth and The Hermitage. The landscape is heavily settled with scattered mining villages and the fringes of the larger settlements of Durham and Chester- le-Street spreading westwards onto the valley terraces. Busy roads and the east coast main line cross the area

160

161 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Dene pastures Terrace farmland: open arable

Disturbed land Terrace farmland: open pasture

Floodplain farmland: arable Terrace farmland: pasture

Floodplain farmland: pasture Terrace farmland: wooded arable

Heaths and fells Terrace farmland: wooded estate arable

Infrastructure Terrace farmland: wooded estate pasture

Lowland woods Terrace farmland: wooded pasture

Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Urban

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Valley farmland: open arable

Mineral working Valley farmland: open pasture

Nurseries & market gardens Valley farmland: open pasture

Parkland Valley farmland: wooded arable

Parks and recreation grounds Valley farmland: wooded estate arable

River: middle reaches Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture

River: lower reaches Valley farmland: wooded pasture

Terrace farmland: arable

162 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Dene pastures Incised denes and steeply sloping bluffs of improved or semi-improved pasture or rough grazing. Steeply sloping pastures are often difficult to manage or improve agriculturally and tend to be more diverse than the surrounding farmland. Tree cover is very variable. Hedgerow oak and ash are locally common. Steeper slopes may support areas of bracken, or scrub of hawthorn or gorse.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns may be irregular or sub-regular and tend to reflect the underlying topography. Boundaries are typically hedgerows.

Open heath.

Areas of open, heathy pasture, with bracken and gorse.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings or the reclamation of derelict land. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Surveyor enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field patterns are regular grids of hedges or walls which often ignore the underlying topography.

Disturbed land A variable type made up largely of abandoned mineral workings and railway lines.

Subtypes Old clay pits & gravel workings

Abandoned clay pits and gravel workings. A variable type but generally comprising ponds or lakes formed from flooded extraction areas surrounded by areas of disturbed ground, rough grassland or secondary woodland. Water bodies tend to be relatively deep and steep-sided with only narrow fringes of marginal vegetation (often reedmace). Secondary woodland and scrub colonising areas of disturbed ground is dominated by pioneer species like birch, alder and goat or grey willow.

Old colliery workings

Abandoned colliery workings. A variable type but often including areas of bare colliery wastes, rough grassland and scrub or secondary woodland. Structures like coal tipplers, coke ovens, waggonways and derelict buildings survive in places. Acidic colliery spoils often support diverse acid grasslands or heath and secondary woodland or scrub of birch, alder, aspen, hawthorn, gorse and goat willow.

Old railway

Abandoned railway lines survive as narrow linear features running through other landscapes. Most are made up of alternating cuttings and embankments. Many structures survive along their routes including bridges and viaducts, culverts, tipplers and station platforms. Some associated buildings like station houses and railway cottages have been converted to other uses. Most abandoned lines have been colonised by natural regeneration and support a diverse grassland and woodland flora which reflects the range of naturally occurring or imported

163 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES materials found in cuttings and embankments. Pioneer or ruderal species are particularly characteristic. Many old railway lines have been adopted as recreational multi-user routes.

Old sandstone quarry.

Abandoned sandstone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are horizontally bedded Carboniferous Sandstone varying in colour from buff to grey. Base-poor sandstone wastes and overburdens often support an acid-loving flora and are typically colonised by pioneer tree and shrub species like birch, alder, goat willow, hawthorn, gorse, broom and dog rose.

Floodplain farmland: arable Low lying arable farmland on the fertile alluvial soils of the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains. Fields tend to be large and bounded by hedges or fences, and may be subject to seasonal flooding or protected by artificial levees.

Subtype Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees. Smaller fields have often been amalgamated to create large irregular parcels.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure, usually piecemeal rather than part of larger parliamentary enclosure systems. The relatively small scale of the floodplains, and the loss of boundaries in areas of field amalgamation, means that the regular patterns typical of this period of enclosure rarely occur. Field boundaries are straight but otherwise the subtype differs little from the Old enclosure subtype.

Floodplain farmland: pasture Low lying pastoral farmland on the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains including both productive improved pasture and poorly drained or seasonally flooded, wet rushy pasture. Pastures may border directly onto the river or be separated from it by narrow riparian woodlands or fenced, often tree lined, river banks. In places floodplain pastures contain meandering minor watercourses and oxbow lakes, or relics of watermills and associated features. Pastures are generally divided by hedgerows, but in areas subject to regular flooding and more dynamic, shifting watercourses the floodplain may remain open.

Subtype Modern field system.

C20th field system – usually a rationalisation of earlier enclosures. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are usually lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees.

Parkland.

Areas of ornamental parkland on the floodplains haughs characterised by the presence of parkland features such as copses and parkland trees. In some areas only a small number of relic features survive.

Reclaimed Land.

164 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees. The landform may have an engineered character.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. The relatively small scale of the floodplains means that the regular patterns typical of this period of enclosure rarely occur. Field boundaries are straight but otherwise the subtype differs little from the Old enclosure subtype.

Heaths and fells Areas of lowland and mid-altitude heath and open fell. This very variable type includes both small commons and stinted pastures, areas of parliamentary enclosure in the upland fringes which have reverted to heath, and fragments of heathland vegetation that have survived elsewhere or regenerated naturally on disturbed land.

Subtype Heath.

Vegetation dominated by shrub-heath, or mosaic of heath and acid grassland

Reclaimed fell.

Heath restored following mineral extraction. Largely dominated by species poor acid grassland.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Landfill

Active landfill or other waste management facilities. Most feature voids – usually left from prior mineral extraction – currently being infilled. Tipping activities and litter trap fencing may be prominent.

Military

A variable type consisting of military installations such as active, dormant or abandoned ordnance dumps and firing ranges.

Railway

Only major railways are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Railway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and sidings.

Substation

Electricity substation. Usually associated with large numbers of overhead transmission lines. Only larger complexes are mapped.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are

165 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES subsumed within the Urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences.

Lakes and ponds A variable type covering a range of natural and man made water bodies.

Subtypes Flooded clay pits & gravel workings

The water bodies of abandoned or restored clay pits, sand and gravel working. Abandoned features tend to have an irregular form with steep bank sides and fairly deep water, surrounded by areas of semi-natural vegetation, rank grassland, secondary woodland and scrub made up of species such as willows, alder and downy birch. Restored water bodies have a more designed form with shallower margins.

Ornamental lake

Ornamental lakes of parklands and recreation grounds. Only larger features are mapped. Many similar features may be found within the Parkland and Parks and Recreation grounds local types. They typically have a designed but ‘naturalistic’ shape and may be planted with ornamental or native species depending on their context.

Lowland woods A variable type covering the diverse woodlands of lowland valleys, plains and plateaux.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift that covers much of the lowlands the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Some Oak-birch woodlands (NVC W16) occur on less fertile sandy soils, and stands of Alder (NVCW5) woodland are found on flushed slopes or wet ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past.

Secondary woods and wood pasture

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods.

Lowland woods: denes, bluffs & river terraces Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side or escarpment bluffs. Woodland plant communities are diverse and reflect the range of underlying parent rocks and drift materials that occur – often within a single wood.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift into which many lowland denes are incised the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland, with Common or Sessile Oak the major

166 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES canopy species (NVC W10). Similar woodlands occur on river terrace gravels and rocky gorges on carboniferous sandstones and shales. On poorer soils, and particularly in the west, these woodlands may be transitional in character with upland Oak woods (NVC W11). On the more acidic strata of the coal measures they often occur along-side Oak-birch (NVC 16) communities. On the limestone escarpment, and in the coastal denes where limestones are exposed, lowland Ash woodland communities (NVC W8) are found, with occasional stands of pure Yew (W13) on the thinnest soils. Ash communities transitional in character with upland Ash woods (NVC W9) are found where carboniferous limestones are exposed in the west. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past. Woods on the coal measures often contains relics of drift mining – pit- falls, waggonways and small spoil mounds. Some dene woods also contain relics of small scale quarrying activities.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Old wood pastures.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Narrow corridors of woodland on riverbanks and river terraces, usually semi-natural in character and made up of native species, particularly Oak, Ash, Alder, Aspen, Birch and Willows. Many are ancient woods; others are secondary semi-natural woods that have followed the shifting course of the river.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The predominant woodland type on drier ground is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10), with Alder-Ash (NVC W7) and Alder (NVC W6, W5) woodlands on wetter ground and washlands.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Secondary woods & wood pastures

167 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Secondary semi-natural woodlands, often containing similar species to ancient woods, but which have naturally colonised the shifting riverbank environment and are therefore dominated more by pioneers like Alder, Aspen, Birches and Willows.

Plantation.

A variable subtype of planted woodlands including old broadleaved plantations, softwood plantations, poplar plantations and more recent new native woodlands on river floodplains and carrs.

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Clay pit

Clay pits worked for brick-shales and fireclays, and usually associated with adjoining brickworks. Extraction areas tend to be deep voids with steeply sloping sides of grey clays, mudstones and sandstones. There are usually large un-vegetated materials stockpiles either within the void or on adjacent land. The neutral or base poor clays, overburdens and wastes may support areas of diverse acid or neutral grassland and secondary woodland or scrub of birch, alder, aspen, hawthorn, gorse and goat willow where they have been undisturbed.

Nurseries and Market gardens Commercial nurseries, garden centres and market gardens, typically including extensive areas of greenhouses, car parking and storage areas. Some include areas of intensive horticulture, growing trees, herbaceous plants or fruit bushes.

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha- has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes Enclosed parkland arable.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently in arable use. Parkland trees may survive as isolated features within the crop. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern.

Enclosed parkland pasture.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently under pasture. Field systems may date from earlier enclosures or may be contemporary with the layout of the park. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern although field or avenue trees may also be present.

Golf course.

168 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Older parkland developed as a golf course. Parkland features survive along side familiar elements of the modern golf course – bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds – as well as new tree planting usually of a ‘parkland’ character.

Open parkland arable.

Open parkland currently in arable use. Few parkland features other than the larger woodland pattern and occasional isolated trees usually survive

Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens.

Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

Parks & Recreation Grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Allotment gardens.

Allotment gardens vary in character but are typically laid out in regular plots which may be open or surrounded by individual fences. Some allotments contain many buildings & structures – sheds, greenhouses, poultry houses, frames etc – often made out of reclaimed materials.

Caravan sites.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Golf courses.

Extensive areas of amenity grassland with bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds with individual trees, tree groups and copses in varying degrees of maturity. Some contain elements surviving from the previous landscape – veteran trees, hedgerows and woodlands, or fragments of heath.

Monuments.

Ancient monuments and their grounds - usually including areas of amenity grassland, car parks and other facilities.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

River: middle reaches

169 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES The middle reaches of major rivers meandering across narrow floodplains or running through incised denes or larger gorges. Where they cross floodplains the river banks are fenced from the adjacent farmland which is occasionally protected by low artificial levees. The river banks are often lined with narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes Oxbow lake.

Oxbow lakes cut off from the main watercourse and usually heavily vegetated with emergent aquatic plants like Reedmace.

River.

Rapidly flowing watercourses with alternating pools and rifles, shingle banks and occasional islands.

River bank.

River banks fenced from adjacent pasture, or left unfenced from adjacent arable, support rough unmanaged grassland with native riverside species like Butterbur and, in places, introduced species like Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. Bank side trees - Crack Willow, White Willow, Purple Willow, Alder – are common. River banks may be engineered in places, occasionally with low flood-protection levees.

River: lower reaches The lower reaches of major rivers meandering across narrow floodplains, protected in places by low artificial levees. The river banks are often lined with trees or narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes River.

Generally sluggish and meandering watercourses. Below the tidal limit the river is flanked by mud banks exposed at low tide.

River bank.

River banks fenced from adjacent pasture, or left unfenced from adjacent arable, support rough unmanaged grassland with native riverside species like Butterbur and, in places, introduced species like Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. Bank side trees - Crack Willow, White Willow, Purple Willow, Alder – are common. River banks may be engineered in places, occasionally with low flood-protection levees.

Terrace farmland: open arable Open, rolling or undulating arable farmland. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular but often disrupted by field amalgamations.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric.

Surveyor Enclosed.

170 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, often disrupted by field amalgamations.

Terrace farmland: open pasture Open, rolling or undulating farmland of improved pasture. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges or wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Modern field system.

C20th field system – usually a rationalisation of earlier enclosures. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are usually lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular but often disrupted by boundary loss.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, often disrupted by boundary loss.

Terrace farmland: pasture Rolling or gently undulating farmland of improved pasture with some pockets of less improved pasture, often associated with areas of relic rig and furrow. Field systems are generally sub-regular enclosures of early post- medieval origins. Field boundaries are clipped or overgrown hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn, in which hedgerow Ash, Oak and Sycamore trees are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of 20th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of hedges with no trees. Relics of medieval rig & furrow are found locally.

Terrace farmland: wooded arable Rolling wooded arable farmland. Fields are bounded by low clipped hawthorn hedges. The pattern of woodland is variable though generally this type gets its wooded feel from the woods of denes and riverside bluffs it borders onto.

Subtypes Modern field system.

C20th field system – usually a rationalisation of earlier enclosures. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are usually lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Old Enclosure.

171 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular, locally disrupted by field amalgamations. There may be scattered hedgerow ash, oak or sycamore.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric. There may be small linear coniferous shelterbelts and field corner copses. There are no mature hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, locally disrupted by field amalgamations. There are few hedgerow trees

Terrace farmland: wooded estate arable Rolling wooded arable estate farmland of the lowland valley terraces. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular with scattered hedgerow ash, oak or sycamore.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric. There may be small linear coniferous shelterbelts and field corner copses. There are no mature hedgerow trees.

Terrace farmland: wooded estate pasture Rolling wooded pastoral estate farmland of the lowland valley terraces. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates. Areas of older rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Subtypes Modern field system.

C20th field system – usually a rationalisation of earlier enclosures. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are usually lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn. Mature hedgerow or parkland trees occur locally

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular. Mature hedgerow or parkland trees occur locally.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following C20th opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are

172 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES bounded by young hedges or wire fences. There may be small linear coniferous shelterbelts and field corner copses. There are no mature hedgerow trees.

Terrace farmland: wooded pasture Rolling wooded farmland of improved pasture with occasional older semi-improved pasture, often associated with areas of relic rig and furrow. Fields are bounded by hawthorn hedges – generally trimmed but locally tall and overgrown. The pattern of woodland is variable though generally this type gets its wooded feel from the woods of denes and riverside bluffs it borders onto.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular, locally disrupted by boundary loss. There may be scattered hedgerow ash, oak or sycamore and areas of relic rig and furrow.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric. There may be small linear coniferous shelterbelts and field corner copses. There are no mature hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, locally disrupted by boundary loss. Hedgerow trees are scarce.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial and retail estates

Industrial and retail estates typically have a planned layout, often with significant areas of structure planting and amenity planting. Buildings are generally large in scale and industrial in character. There may be significant areas of open operation land or vacant land awaiting development. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Gypsy and traveller site

Small developments, often in rural or urban-fringe locations, with a planned layout of roads, hard-standings and utility blocks.

Institutions

A variable subtype including schools, hospitals, colleges and other institutions in rural situations. Large individual buildings or building complexes set in areas of open green space and amenity planting.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial and retail estates subtype).

173 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Valley farmland: open arable Open arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges, or, more rarely, dry stone walls. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns are regular and geometric.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids, disrupted in places by field amalgamations.

Valley farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland of the coalfield valleys. Large fields of improved pasture with some pockets of semi- improved pasture or rough grazing, occasionally with patchy gorse or hawthorn scrub. Field boundaries are typically species poor hawthorn hedges, or a mixture of hedges and fences. Hedges are often sparse and overgrown or grazed through and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent. Patches of rigg & furrow survive from medieval agriculture and later periods of improvement. Small field ponds, some being ‘subsidence flashes’ caused by underground workings, are fairly common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field systems are generally sub-regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field systems regular although the pattern has often been disrupted by the removal or decline of hedgerows.

Valley farmland: wooded arable Wooded arable farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by low hawthorn hedges or border onto woodlands. The pattern of woodland is very variable, being typically a combination of small ancient broadleaved woodlands in narrow denes and along watercourses, and larger blocky plantation of mixed or coniferous species.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Field boundaries are trimmed hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but sometimes more diverse, with scattered hedgerow ash and oak.

174 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges or wire fences with few hedgerow trees.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of trimmed hawthorn hedges, occasionally walls, disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Hedgerow trees are scarce.

Valley farmland: wooded estate arable Wooded arable estate farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but disrupted in places by field amalgamations. Field boundaries are trimmed hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn but sometimes more diverse, with scattered hedgerow ash and oak.

Valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Wooded pastoral estate farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by trimmed hedges or estate fencing, or border onto woodlands. Small copses, spinneys and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates. Areas of older rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn. Mature hedgerow or parkland trees occur locally

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges or wire fences with few hedgerow trees.

Valley farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the valley landscapes of the exposed coal measures. Fields are bounded by hedges, often tall and overgrown, or dry stone walls. The pattern of woodland is very variable, being typically a combination of small ancient broadleaved woodlands in narrow denes and along watercourses, and larger blocky plantation of mixed or coniferous species.

Subtypes Modern field system.

C20th field system – usually a rationalisation of earlier enclosures. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are usually lacking in mature hedgerow trees.

175 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Field boundaries are hedgerows, usually dominated by hawthorn, or dry stone walls with scattered (locally abundant) hedgerow oak and ash. Areas of rig and furrow may survive in less improved pastures.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids of hedgerows or walls with occasional hedgerow trees.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas restored following opencast coal mining. Field patterns are regular and geometric. Fields are bounded by young hedges, wire fences or new dry stone walls with few hedgerow trees. Small shelterbelts and copses, often of softwoods, are common.

176 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE INCISED LOWLAND VALLEYS

177 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE WEAR LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWLAND VALLEY TERRACES

178 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU

The East Durham Limestone Plateau

The East Durham Limestone Plateau The East Durham Magnesian Limestone Plateau Countryside Character Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • Gently rolling low plateau dipping southwards to the Tees plain and eastward to the coast where it is incised by steep sided denes.

• Soft Permian magnesian limestones are overlain by thick glacial boulder clays.

• A low west-facing escarpment is dissected in the north by minor valleys separated by well-defined spurs.

• Varied coastal topography of low limestone cliffs and clay slopes, sandy bays and rocky headlands, despoiled in places by the tipping of colliery wastes.

• Open largely arable farmland on heavy clay soils with large fields bounded by low clipped hedges and few hedgerow trees.

• Remnants of magnesian limestone grassland on thin calcareous soils on steeper escarpment slopes and drift free ridges. Limestone plant communities in old quarries.

• Woodland cover is low. Ancient ash woods are found in steep sided limestone denes towards the coast and on the escarpment inland.

• Widespread urban development with scattered mining towns and villages becoming more concentrated towards the coast. Large industrial estates fringe the main settlements.

• Strong corridors of infrastructure in the east and west including major roads, the A1 (M) and A19, railway lines and transmission lines.

• Large limestone quarries are prominent on the escarpment. Areas of derelict or recently restored colliery land are found close to towns and villages.

• A landscape heavily influenced by development with a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places.

180 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU

Description A low upland plateau of Magnesian Limestone falling eastwards to the sea and southwards to the Tees plain and defined in the west by a prominent escarpment. The soft Permian rocks that underlie the plateau are covered in most places by a thick mantle of glacial drift but outcrop on the escarpment and coast. The escarpment is deeply divided in the north forming a spur and vale landscape, which becomes less sharply defined in the south and merges with the low eastern ridges of the Pennine fringe. The topography of the plateau is gently undulating and is deeply incised in the east by coastal denes. The coastline is one of clay crested limestone cliffs, giving way in the south to low dunes, with a foreshore of sandy beaches and rock outcrops heavily despoiled in the north by tipping of coal wastes.

The heavy clay soils that cover much of the plateau support mixed, predominantly arable, farmland in an open rolling landscape of low hedges with few trees. Field patterns are fairly regular in places but more often fragmented by amalgamation into large arable fields. The shallow calcareous soils of the steeper escarpment slopes have a more pastoral emphasis and contain areas of older, more diverse, magnesian limestone grassland.

Tree cover is sparse and there is little woodland. Ancient semi-natural ash woodlands are found in the coastal denes and occasionally on escarpment spurs and valley sides together with areas of scrub.

Old agricultural villages are scattered thinly across the landscape. Buildings are of local limestone or carboniferous sandstone with roofs of slate or clay pan tile and are often set around a village green. Mining towns and villages are more widespread and increase in density towards the coast. Many were built on the site of older villages and some retain an older core. Most have a centre of 19th century terraced housing of brick or stone and slate surrounded by estates of post-war public housing. Settlement edges are often abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens, pony paddocks or industrial estates. The large new town of Peterlee lies in the south. The landscape is locally dominated by industrial land use and its associated infrastructure including major roads, railways and transmission lines, particularly in the coastal (A19) and central (A1(M)) corridors

The landscape has been heavily influenced by coal mining both in its settlement pattern and Infrastructure, and in the substantial areas of derelict and recently claimed land in the urban fringe. The escarpment and parts of the plateau have also been affected by the quarrying of limestone. Large active and disused quarries occupy prominent sites on the escarpment. A number of older quarries that have naturally re-vegetated are managed as nature reserves.

The landscape is generally open and broad in scale although the plateau terrain rarely affords long distance views. From the higher ground of the escarpment there are panoramic views across the Wear lowlands to the Pennine fringes beyond, and south across the Tees plain to the Cleveland Hills. The landscape of the plateau has been heavily influenced by urban and industrial development and its scattered mining towns and villages and busy roads give it a semi-rural or urban fringe character in places.

181 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU

Broad landscape types The East Durham Plateau can be broadly divided into escarpment and plateau landscapes. In the north, and to a lesser degree in the south where it merges with the eastern ridges of the Pennine fringe, the Limestone Escarpment is deeply divided by minor valleys giving rise to distinctive ‘spur and vale’ topography. In its central section it forms a more singular ridge.

East of the escarpment, on the Clay Plateau, the limestone is overlain by thick glacial drift and is rarely expressed at the surface. Towards the coast – roughly east of the A19 - it outcrops more frequently in the low rounded hills and steep-sided coastal denes of the Coastal Limestone Plateau. The Limestone Coast, with its low cliffs and dunes, is also identified as a separate landscape type, defined inland generally by the coastal railway line

182 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LIMESTONE ESCARPMENT Limestone Escarpment

Limestone Escarpment East Durham Limestone Plateau County Boundary

Key characteristics • A low escarpment, deeply dissected in places to form a series of short valleys between well-defined spurs.

• Occasional steep sided incised valleys and glacial melt-water channels.

• Gently rounded topography of soft magnesian limestones covered in places by glacial drift.

• Thin calcareous soils over limestones with heavier clays on boulder clay and brown earths on glacial sands and gravels.

• Open, predominantly arable farmland, with pasture on steeper slopes.

• Remnants of limestone grassland on the thin soils of scarp slopes, spurs, ridge tops and incised valleys.

• Varied limestone plant communities in abandoned limestone quarries.

• Semi-regular patterns of medium and large-scale fields bounded by low, clipped hawthorn hedges.

• Few trees – thinly scattered hedgerow ash.

• Sparsely wooded – ancient ash woodlands and areas of hawthorn scrub on steep spurs and vale-sides.

• Occasional small ‘green’ villages on ridge tops and valley floors. Scattered mining towns and villages.

• Large limestone quarries often in prominent locations on ridges and spurs.

• A visually open landscape with panoramic views across the surrounding lowlands.

• Rural in character in places but with a semi-rural or urban fringe quality in settled areas.

Description A low escarpment, deeply dissected in places to form a series of short valleys between well defined spurs, but forming a simpler low ridge elsewhere. Soft and easily weathered creamy yellow magnesian limestones (dolomites) and sands form gently rounded, convex slopes. They are overlain in places by boulder clays, or locally by glacial sands and gravels that give rise to a more undulating terrain. There are occasional steep-sided glacial melt water channels that cut down into valley floors or breach the escarpment ridge. Valleys are often dry in their upper reaches and there are occasional springs at the base of the scarp. Watercourses are small and

183 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LIMESTONE ESCARPMENT inconspicuous. Soils are diverse, with thin calcareous soils over limestone outcrops, heavier neutral clays on glacial boulder clay and free draining brown earths on sands and gravels.

Agricultural land-use is mixed but predominantly arable, with pasture generally restricted to the steeper slopes. Field boundaries are hedgerows, or, very occasionally, low limestone walls. Hedges are usually clipped low and dominated by hawthorn. Field patterns are semi-regular in pattern and most date from the enclosure of the common town fields of the older escarpment villages in the 1600s. There are remnants of old, flower rich limestone grasslands – with Blue Moor-grass, Sheep’s Fescue and herbs such as Wild Thyme and Common rockrose - on the thin soils of scarp slopes, spurs, incised valleys and ridge tops.

Tree and woodland cover is low. The landscape is generally very open with thinly scattered hedgerow ash and sycamore. Ancient ash woods and areas of hawthorn or gorse scrub are found on steeper spurs and valley sides. There are patches of scrub in and around abandoned limestone quarries and colliery land, and a few areas of mature plantations associated with former parklands.

Old agricultural villages are found on ridge tops and valley floors. Buildings are of local limestone or sandstone from the nearby coal measures with roofs of clay pan tile or welsh slate and are typically set around a central village green. Mining villages and small towns are scattered irregularly across the escarpment, some having absorbed older villages. They are made up of buildings from a number of periods including Victorian terraced housing of red brick and slate, estates of the inter-war and post-war public housing and more recent private development. Settlement edges are abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens and pony paddocks,

The magnesian limestone of the escarpment has been worked for building and agricultural lime since the Middle Ages, and more recently for construction aggregates and refractory products. Large active and abandoned quarries are prominent features in the landscape. Many older quarries have naturally re-vegetated and contain very diverse limestone plant communities. Coal mining has also had a substantial influence on the landscape, although much of its legacy has been removed by land reclamation in recent years. Areas of land restored to open agricultural land or coniferous forestry are found around the colliery villages. The escarpment is crossed by the A1 (M), the east coast main line and major overhead transmission lines.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale with panoramic views out across the Wear Lowlands to the east and the Tees Lowlands to the South. Within the escarpment valleys it is often more enclosed and intimate in scale. In places it has a very rural character, but generally its frequent mining villages, quarries and waste disposal sites, busy roads and overhead services give it a semi-rural or urban fringe quality.

Broad Character areas The Limestone Escarpment landscape type is represented by three Broad Character Areas.

The Limestone Escarpment Ridge. A low escarpment with moderately sloping scarp slopes and more gently undulating dip slopes, divided by the steep-sided gorge of the Ferryhill Gap. A patchwork of arable and improved pasture, predominantly arable in the east, with old pre-enclosure field systems which are locally fragmented. Field boundaries are hedges, usually clipped low, with few hedgerow trees. There are occasional limestone walls, notably in the medieval deer park of Bishop Middleham. An open landscape with little woodland other than the young plantations of reclaimed colliery land, and ancient ash woods which line the gorge. Old green villages and hamlets on the ridgetop (Kirk Merrington, Westerton) and in the fringes of the carrs to the south (Bishop Middleham, Mainsforth) are connected by narrow winding lanes. Larger colliery villages lie on the ridgetop (Ferryhill, Cornforth) and the southern dipslope (Chilton, Fishburn). Large limestone quarries are found on the ridge in the east: the chimney of Thrislington Quarry is a prominent landmark. The ridge is crossed by the A1(M) and busy trunk roads. There are commanding views across the Wear Lowlands from higher ground. To the south the Cleveland Hills form a strong distant horizon. 184 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LIMESTONE ESCARPMENT The Northern Limestone Escarpment. A deeply dissected low escarpment of well defined spurs and valleys running northwards along the edge of the Wear lowlands. A patchwork of arable fields and improved pastures, with areas of limestone grasslands on the steeper slopes of spurs and valley sides. Field systems are generally pre-enclosure with old hedges, clipped low, or tall and overgrown, and few hedgerow trees. Ancient ash woodlands are found occasionally on steep slopes but woodlands are generally sparse. There are areas of hawthorn or gorse scrub on steeper slopes. Valley floors are incised in places by shallow denes, or flat-floored glacial melt water channels containing semi-improved pastures and areas of scrub. Colliery villages are scattered across the escarpment, often on prominent ridgetop or valley side sites (Sherburn Hill, Quarrington Hill, Kelloe). Active and abandoned limestone quarries are a regular feature of the landscape. The large quarry face of Cornforth (Raisby) Quarry is a notable landmark.

The Southern Limestone Escarpment. The limestone outcrops along the edge of the Wear valley in a landscape which is transitional in character between the Limestone Escarpment and the Coalfield Valleys. An open landscape of arable farmland in shallow valleys falling to the Wear or on low gently sloping ridge-tops between the villages of Coundon and Shildon.

185 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE CLAY PLATEAU CLAY PLATEAU

Clay Plateau East Durham Limestone Plateau County Boundary

Key characteristics • Low plateau of flat, gently rolling or undulating terrain.

• Soft magnesian limestones are covered by a thick mantle of boulder clay.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils.

• Mosaic of improved pasture and arable cropping - mostly cereals and oilseed rape.

• Regular or semi-regular patterns of medium and large-scale fields bounded by low hawthorn hedges.

• Few trees – thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore.

• Sparsely wooded – occasional small broadleaved woods and larger conifer plantations.

• Scattered mining villages connected by a well developed network of busy roads.

• Telecommunications masts and pylons frequently feature on the skyline.

• Areas of derelict colliery land, reclaimed land and old clay pits.

• Abandoned railway lines, many in use as cycleways.

• A visually open landscape, broad in scale, with a semi-rural or urban fringe quality in places.

Description A low plateau of flat, gently undulating or gently rolling terrain. Soft magnesian limestones (dolomites) are overlain by glacial drift - mostly boulder clays with isolated pockets of sands and gravels – often to a substantial depth. Soils are heavy, seasonally waterlogged brown stony clay soils with pockets of lighter calcareous soils where there is no drift. Pockets of peaty clay soils occur in poorly drained areas.

Agricultural land use is mixed with a mosaic of improved pasture and arable cropping of cereals and oilseed rape. Field boundaries are hawthorn-dominated hedgerows, usually low and trimmed in arable areas but occasionally tall and overgrown around pastures. Field patterns are variable but are generally regular or semi- regular. Some date from the enclosure of the town fields of older villages, or enclosures from the manorial wastes associated with individual farms - often called ‘granges’ - from the late 1500s. Others date from the enclosure of open wastes from the mid 1700s – usually indicated by the place name ‘moor’ - and have the characteristic regular grid patterns of land enclosed by surveyors. Field patterns have been heavily disrupted in places by the amalgamation of smaller units into large arable fields. 186 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE CLAY PLATEAU Tree and woodland cover is low. The landscape is very open with thinly scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. There are few woodlands other than occasional small broadleaved woods and a number of larger conifer plantations. Areas of scrub and young woodland are found on pockets of derelict colliery land, old railway lines and abandoned grassland.

Historically a sparsely settled landscape of scattered villages and extensive wastes on the heavy and poorly drained soils of the central plateau. Some older villages and farms survive. Most are of local limestone, or more durable Carboniferous sandstones imported from the west of the county, with roofs of red clay pan tile. Mining villages are scattered across the plateau, some having absorbed older villages. They are made up of buildings from a number of periods including Victorian terraced housing of red brick and slate, estates of the inter-war and post-war public housing and more recent private development. Settlement edges are abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens and pony paddocks. Villages are connected by a relatively dense network of busy roads, and old railway lines - many now in use as recreational cycleways.

Coal mining has had a substantial influence on the landscape. Much of its legacy has been removed by land reclamation in recent years, but some areas of dereliction remain. Areas of land restored to agriculture or forestry are found around the colliery villages. Many villages also had small brickworks associated with them and old flooded clay pits are common. Telecommunications masts and the pylons of overhead transmission lines feature frequently on the skyline.

The landscape is visually very open and broad in scale, and has a semi-rural or urban fringe quality in most places coming from its dense settlement pattern, busy roads, overhead services and areas of derelict land.

Broad Character Areas The Clay plateau landscape type is represented by a single Broad Character Area.

The Central East Durham Plateau. The plateau runs from the county boundary north of Murton to the Tees Plain south of Station Town and Trimdon Colliery, defined in the east by the A19. An open landscape of gently rolling, in places almost flat, farmland; a patchwork of arable cropping and improved pasture. Old pre-enclosure 187 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE CLAY PLATEAU hedges or those of the later enclosures of the ‘moors’ are low and trimmed or tall and overgrown and there are few hedgerow trees. The landscape around Wingate and Wheatley hill is heavily wooded with large mixed plantations, but elsewhere there are few woodlands. Colliery villages are scattered across the plateau connected by minor roads. Overhead power lines are regular features of the skyline. The area is crossed by a number of disused railway lines including the Haswell to Hart walkway.

188 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COASTAL LIMESTONE PLATEAU Coastal Limestone Plateau

Coastal Limestone Plateau East Durham Limestone Plateau County Boundary

Key characteristics • Low coastal plateau of rolling terrain, incised by narrow steep-sided denes.

• Gently rounded topography of soft magnesian and shell limestones covered in places by glacial drift of boulder clay, sands and gravels.

• Heavy, seasonally waterlogged clay soils and lighter brown earths.

• Predominantly arable farmland of cereals and oilseed rape.

• Semi-regular patterns of medium and large-scale fields bounded by low hawthorn hedges.

• An open landscape exposed to the sea with few trees or woodlands.

• Ancient ash woods in sheltered denes.

• Large mining towns and villages connected by a well-developed network of busy roads.

• Scattered older agricultural ‘green’ villages connected by narrow winding lanes.

• Occasional areas of parkland and estate farmland rich in hedgerow trees.

• A visually open landscape, broad in scale but with spaces defined by the rolling terrain.

• The sea is often visible forming the eastern horizon.

• A semi-rural or urban fringe quality in places.

Description A low coastal plateau of gently rolling terrain, incised by narrow steep sided denes. Soft magnesian limestones (dolomites) and shell or reef limestones are overlain generally by glacial drift of boulder clays and sands and gravels. Soils are heavy, seasonally waterlogged brown stony clay soils with pockets of lighter calcareous soils where there is no drift, and fertile brown earths over deposits of sands and gravels.

Agricultural land use is largely arable and dominated by cereals and oilseed rape. Field boundaries are low, clipped, hawthorn hedges. Field patterns are semi-regular, and most date from the enclosure of the town fields of older villages in the 1600s. Field patterns have been heavily disrupted in places by the amalgamation of smaller units into very large arable fields.

189 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COASTAL LIMESTONE PLATEAU Tree cover is generally very low with only isolated hedgerow ash or sycamore. There are, however, localised areas of parkland and estate farmland that is rich in hedgerow and field trees. The landscape is generally very open and exposed to the strong, salt laden winds and sea frets of the North Sea. Woodlands are almost entirely restricted to the sheltered denes that contain ancient woodlands of ash, oak, wych elm and yew.

Historically a settled landscape with a nucleated pattern of small agricultural villages of early medieval origins. A number of these survive and most have buildings of local limestone, or more durable sandstone imported from the west of the county, and roofs of red clay pan tile. Buildings are typically set around a central green. Old villages and scattered farms are connected by narrow winding roads and lanes.

The new town of Peterlee and large mining villages developed around major coastal collieries occupy a substantial part of the coastal plateau. They are made up of buildings from a number of periods including Victorian terraced housing of red brick and slate, estates of the inter-war and post-war public housing and more recent private development. Settlement edges are abrupt or fringed by allotment gardens and pony paddocks or large industrial estates.

Coal mining has had a substantial influence on the landscape, its main legacy being in the settlement pattern. Extensive areas of colliery land are currently being reclaimed to housing and industry. The coastal plateau is an important communications corridor and is crossed by the busy A19 trunk road and the coastal railway line.

The landscape is visually open and broad in scale, with spaces defined by the rolling topography. The sea is often visible, forming a strong distant horizon to the east. A densely settled landscape with a semi-rural or urban fringe quality in many places, but with a strongly rural character in some areas.

Broad Character Areas The Coastal Limestone Plateau landscape type is represented by two Broad Character Areas.

The Coastal East Durham Plateau. A rolling plateau incised in places by narrow denes. A densely settled landscape dominated by the towns of Peterlee, Seaham and Easington Colliery. Between the settlements lie

190 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE COASTAL LIMESTONE PLATEAU open arable farmlands with low hedges and few trees. The denes are heavily wooded and contain ancient ash woods and mixed plantations; woodlands are largely absent elsewhere. South of Peterlee the estate farmland of Castle Eden is rich in hedgerow trees. The busy A19 trunk road runs along the boundary of the character area in the west.

Sheraton. An undulating coastal plain, transitional in character between the Coastal Limestone Plateau and the Lowland Plain to the south, and extending outside of the county to the south and east. The terrain is for the most part gently undulating, though strongly undulating in places, forming discrete low hills. A predominantly arable landscape with old pre-enclosure hedgerow networks, locally heavily fragmented, and few hedgerow trees. The area is crossed by the busy A19 in prominent cuttings and embankments. There are occasional small broadleaved woodlands on prominent hill-tops and large ancient woodlands in incised denes. The deserted medieval village of Sheraton with associated areas of rig and furrow pasture lies beside the A19.

191 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LIMESTONE COAST Limestone Coast

Limestone Coast East Durham Limestone Plateau County Boundary

Key characteristics • Varied coast of shallow bays and headlands.

• Cliffs of pale magnesian limestone with crests of boulder clay, occasional caves and stacks.

• Sand or shingle beaches and rock platforms - despoiled in places by colliery wastes.

• Shallow denes cut down into the cliff-top boulder clay. Larger denes breach the limestone cliffs.

• Gently rolling cliff-top farmland of open arable fields or rough coastal grassland.

• Varied grassland flora – red fescue, sea plantain, and bloody cranesbill.

• Patches of wind-shaped blackthorn scrub with occasional hazel and juniper on clay slopes and cliff top denes.

• Ancient woodlands of ash, oak, wych elm and yew in deeper sheltered dene-mouths.

• Localised sand dunes with marram grass, sea couch and red fescue.

• Generally undeveloped other than the port and sea front of Seaham and localised caravan parks and recreation facilities.

• Bordered inland by the coastal railway line or the edges and allotment gardens of mining settlements.

• Areas of recently reclaimed colliery land.

• A visually open landscape with extensive views out across the North Sea.

• A natural coastline damaged in places by colliery workings and with an urban fringe quality in places.

Description A varied coastline of shallow bays and headlands. Much of the coastline is made up of cliffs, 20 to 30 metres in height, of pale, creamy yellow Permian limestones crested by steep slopes of boulder clay, with occasional caves and stacks. The limestones exposed in the cliffs vary in character and include soft dolomites, thinly bedded or ‘’brecciated” by the collapse of underlying strata, oolithic and concretionary limestones, and fossil-rich reef limestones.

The foreshore is made up of beaches of sand and shingle or cobbles with occasional wave-cut rock platforms. Beaches are despoiled in places by the past tipping of colliery wastes, now being gradually eroded by the sea. 192 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LIMESTONE COAST Shallow denes cut down into the cliff-top boulder clay and the mouths of larger inland denes breach the limestone cliffs. In the south, low sand dunes bound by marram grass and sea couch mark the transition with the lower lying coastal plain.

Above the cliffs lie relatively flat or gently rolling open arable fields and rough coastal grasslands. These grasslands, and those on the clay slopes, have a varied flora of red fescue, sea plantain and bloody cranesbill. Patches of wind-shaped blackthorn scrub with occasional stunted hazel and juniper are found on clay slopes and cliff top denes. Ancient woodlands of ash, oak, wych elm and yew lie in the deeper and more sheltered dene- mouths.

The coastline has no natural anchorages and is relatively undeveloped. There is a single working port at Seaham, which also has a developed sea front, and there are caravan sites in the south at Crimdon. It is bordered inland by the coastal railway line and by the edges of mining settlement. Allotment gardens and industrial estates spill onto the coast in places. There are areas of recently reclaimed colliery land, restored to open grassland.

The landscape is exposed and visually open with extensive panoramic views out across the North Sea, and dramatic scenic views along the coastline. It has natural and elemental qualities, coming from its geology, its semi-natural vegetation and the influences of the sea, but has a despoiled or urban fringe quality in places.

Broad Character Areas

The Limestone Coast landscape type is represented by a single Broad Character Area: The Durham Coast.

193 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Carr farmland: open pasture Infrastructure

Coastal arable Lakes and ponds

Coastal gills & denes Limestone cliffs & clay slopes

Coastal grassland Lowland woods

Coastal plain farmland: pasture Lowland woods: denes & bluffs

Coastal plain farmland: wooded arable Mineral working

Dene pastures Parkland

Dene pastures (limestone) Parks and recreation grounds

Disturbed land Plateau farmland: arable

Escarpment ridges & spurs: arable Plateau farmland: open arable

Escarpment ridges & spurs: open arable Plateau farmland: open pasture

Escarpment ridges & spurs: open pasture Plateau farmland: pasture

Escarpment ridges & spurs: pasture Plateau farmland: timbered estate arable

Escarpment ridges & spurs: wooded estate arable Plateau farmland: timbered estate pasture

Escarpment ridges & spurs: wooded pasture Plateau farmland: wooded arable

Escarpment valley farmland: arable Plateau farmland: wooded estate arable

Escarpment valley farmland: open arable Sand dunes

Escarpment valley farmland: open pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: arable

Escarpment valley farmland: pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: open arable

Escarpment valley farmland: steep pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: open pasture

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded arable Scarp and dipslope farmland: pasture

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded arable

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded pasture Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded pasture

Foreshore Urban

194 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Carr farmland: open pasture Open flat pastoral farmland on the poorly drained alluvial gleys and earthy peats of the lowland carrs. Pastures are a mixture of improved and wet rushy pasture. Fields vary in size, being large in the more extensive carrs but with some smaller pastures elsewhere. Boundaries are a mixture of water-filled ditches and hedges. Hedges tend to be thin, gappy and overgrown with few hedgerow trees, and field patterns are often heavily fragmented. The land is drained by ditches, ‘drains’ or ‘stells’ which feed into engineered watercourses, sometimes flowing above field level and protected by levees. Sporadic tree lines and patches of scrub follow the main drains and raised features like road and railway embankments. The dry meandering courses of old rivers and streams occur locally as do seasonal and permanent ponds.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Ditches are often more ‘wandering’ than ‘ruler straight’, although they may have been straightened over time with mechanisation.

Coastal arable Open, exposed, gently sloping arable farmland above the cliffs and clay slopes of the coast. Fields are large and featureless with few internal boundaries, defined by the sinuous edge of the coast on the seaward side and by roads or railway lines on the landward side. Cropping is restricted to cereals or oilseed rape. There are no trees.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are sub-regular, with low, often gappy, hawthorn hedges.

Open coastal arable

The type.

Coastal gills & denes Narrow, steep-sided coastal valleys including shallow ‘hanging’ gills incised into the drift above the limestone cliffs, and deeper, flat-floored denes which breach the cliffs. The more sheltered areas contain woodlands (see Lowland woods: denes & bluffs) – typically ancient ash woodlands (NVC W8) - which give way to open mixed scrub of hawthorn, gorse, blackthorn, privet, hazel and willow in more exposed seaward areas. Trees and woodlands are heavily influenced by exposure and salt spray: exposed trees and bushes are sculpted by the wind and dead trees are common in the canopy. The scrub in turn gives way on more exposed slopes to open rough grassland or a mosaic of grassland, bracken and scrub, merging with the very similar clay slopes which top the limestone cliffs. Watercourses in the gills are generally dry for much of the year. In the deeper and broader dene-mouths, small streams meander across flat, open rough grasslands on the dene floor.

Subtypes Gill & dene-side grasslands

Steep slopes of unmanaged maritime grassland on steep dene sides which merges with the clay slopes of the coastal cliffs – sometimes with thinly scattered scrub of blackthorn, privet, burnet rose and creeping willow with the occasional juniper.

195 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Dene floor grasslands.

Rough unmanaged maritime grassland on the dene floor. In places this has been improved as amenity grassland as part of recreational facilities.

Coastal grassland Open, exposed, gently sloping grasslands above the cliffs and clay slopes of the coast. Fields are large and featureless with few internal boundaries, defined by the sinuous edge of the coast on the seaward side and by roads or railway lines on the landward side. There are no trees other than small areas of immature reclamation planting and occasional patches of gorse scrub. Small pockets of species-rich maritime grassland and heath occur locally. Most of the grassland is recent arable reversion and is species poor, rank and unmanaged. Surfaced footpaths, cycleways, small car parks, seating and interpretation facilities occur along the coastal edge.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas where evidence of old enclosures survive. Field patterns are sub-regular. Boundaries are gappy thorn hedges or wire fences. Fragments of rig & furrow are discernible in places.

Open maritime grassland.

The type.

Restored maritime grassland.

Rough and relatively species-poor unmanaged grassland including both land in reversion from arable and restored colliery land.

Coastal plain farmland: pasture Gently undulating pastoral farmland on the fertile brown earths of the Hart Coastal Plain. Only small areas of pasture – usually associated with farmsteads - survive in this predominantly arable landscape. Pastures are improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of medieval rig and furrow. Boundaries are pre-inclosure hedgerows, typically clipped low and dominated by hawthorn with few hedgerow trees.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

The type.

Coastal plain farmland: wooded arable Gently undulating arable farmland on the fertile brown earths of the Hart Coastal Plain. Field boundaries, where they survive, are pre-inclosure hedges but most have been removed in field rationalisations to leave large irregular fields defined only by crop margins or tracks. The landscape is open and broad in scale but defined and locally enclosed by the continuous linear woodland edges of large incised denes and scattered small broadleaved copses. There are few hedgerow or field trees.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

The type.

Denes pastures

196 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Incised denes and steeply sloping bluffs of improved or semi-improved pasture or rough grazing. Steeply sloping pastures are often difficult to manage or improve and tend to be more diverse than the surrounding farmland. Tree cover is very variable. Hedgerow oak and ash are locally common. Steeper slopes may support areas of bracken, or scrub of hawthorn or gorse.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns may be irregular or sub-regular and tend to reflect the underlying topography. Boundaries are typically hedgerows. In places relics of ridge and furrow or cultivation terraces may be found.

Dene pastures: limestone Incised valleys and narrow, flat-floored, glacial melt-water channels of the limestone escarpment and coastal plateau. Soils are may be stagnogleys on boulder clays, brown earths on glacial gravels, calcareous brown earths on limestone outcrops, or a mosaic of all three. Pastures are generally less improved than in the surrounding landscapes, containing pockets of species rich calcareous or neutral grassland. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, more rarely limestone walls, in sub-regular patterns with scattered, locally abundant hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Steeper pastures often contain areas of hawthorn or gorse scrub. There may be relics of medieval features: deserted settlements and rig & furrow.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Reclaimed colliery land of improved pasture and wire fences

Disturbed land A variable type made up largely of abandoned mineral workings and railway lines.

Subtypes Old clay pits & gravel workings

Abandoned clay pits and gravel workings. A variable type but generally comprising ponds or lakes formed from flooded extraction areas surrounded by areas of disturbed ground, rough grassland or secondary woodland. Water bodies tend to be relatively deep and steep-sided with only narrow fringes of marginal vegetation (often reedmace). Secondary woodland and scrub colonising areas of disturbed ground is dominated by pioneer species like birch, alder and goat or grey willow.

Old colliery workings

Abandoned colliery workings. A variable type but often including areas of bare colliery wastes, rough grassland and scrub or secondary woodland. Structures like coal tipplers, coke ovens, waggonways and derelict buildings survive in places. Acidic colliery spoils often support diverse acid grasslands or heath and secondary woodland or scrub of birch, alder, aspen, hawthorn, gorse and goat willow.

Old Permian Limestone quarry.

Abandoned limestone quarry. Typical elements include extraction faces, spoil mounds and haul roads, softened

197 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES by varying degrees of natural regeneration. Some quarries contain small ponds or larger areas of standing water. Quarry faces are of soft creamy yellow Permian Limestones. Lime-rich quarry wastes, overburdens and lime heaps support a very diverse calcareous grassland flora including many stress tolerant species like orchids, and secondary woodland of ash, elder. Hawthorn, goat willow, grey willow and wild rose species.

Old railway

Abandoned railway lines survive as narrow linear features running through other landscapes. Most are made up of alternating cuttings and embankments. Many structures survive along their routes including bridges and viaducts, culverts, tipplers and station platforms. Some associated buildings like station houses and railway cottages have been converted to other uses. Most abandoned lines have been colonised by natural regeneration and support a diverse grassland and woodland flora which reflects the range of naturally occurring or imported materials found in cuttings and embankments. Pioneer or ruderal species are particularly characteristic. Many old railway lines have been adopted as recreational multi-user routes.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: arable Arable farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are a mixture of stony calcareous brown earths on limestone outcrops and heavier stagnogleys on clay drift. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in sub-regular patterns, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Hedgerow trees are sparse.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: open arable Open arable farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are a mixture of stony calcareous brown earths on limestone outcrops and heavier stagnogleys on clay drift. Field boundaries are largely pre- inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Fields are often large, and the sub- regular patterns of former field systems are in most places heavily disrupted by field rationalisations. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Surveyor Enclosed. Areas of piecemeal 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: open pasture Open pastoral farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are a mixture of stony calcareous brown earths on limestone outcrops and heavier stagnogleys on clay drift. Pastures are mostly improved, with pockets of semi-improved pasture including some limestone grasslands. Field boundaries are largely pre- inclosure hedges in relatively regular or sub regular patterns. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn and are often tall, overgrown and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are scarce. There may be patches of scrub on less improved pastures, or areas of relic rig and furrow.

Subtypes

198 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Old Enclosure.

The type.

Modern field system.

Areas of C20th rationalisation, often enclosed by fences.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery or limestone workings with young hedges or fences and no mature trees.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: pasture Pastoral farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are a mixture of stony calcareous brown earths on limestone outcrops and heavier stagnogleys on clay drift. Pastures are mostly improved, with pockets of semi-improved pasture including some limestone grasslands. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in relatively regular or sub regular patterns. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn. Hedgerow trees are typically scarce though locally abundant. There may be patches of scrub on less improved pastures, or areas of relic rig and furrow.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: wooded estate arable Wooded arable farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are stagnogleys on clay drift. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Fields are often large, and the sub-regular patterns of former field systems are in most places heavily disrupted by field rationalisations. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment ridges and spurs: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland on the high divided ridges of the escarpment. Soils are shallow calcareous brown earths over limestone outcrops. Pastures are generally improved but with some areas of semi-improved limestone grassland. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in relatively regular or sub regular patterns. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn and are often tall, overgrown and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are common. There may be patches of scrub or broadleaved woodland and areas of medieval earthworks and rigg & furrow.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: arable Arable farmland on the escarpment valleys. Soils are predominantly heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays but there are areas of calcareous brown earths on drift-free patches of limestone. Field

199 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Field patterns are sub regular. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: open arable Open arable farmland on the escarpment valleys. Soils are predominantly heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays but there are areas of calcareous brown earths on drift-free patches of limestone. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Fields are often large, and the sub-regular patterns of former field systems are in most places heavily disrupted by field rationalisations. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: open pasture Open pastoral farmland on the escarpment valleys. Soils are predominantly heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays but there are areas of calcareous brown earths on drift-free patches of limestone. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in sub regular patterns disrupted by field amalgamations. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn and are often tall, overgrown and supplemented by wire fences. Hedgerow trees are scarce. Pastures are generally improved and grazed by cattle, sheep or horses, or cut for silage. There are isolated patches of semi-improved pasture – often associated with relic rig and furrow – and scattered scrub in places.

Subtype Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery or limestone workings with young hedges or wire fences and no mature trees.

Escarpment valley farmland: pasture Pastoral farmland on the escarpment valleys. Soils are predominantly heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays but there are areas of calcareous brown earths on drift-free patches of limestone. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in sub regular patterns. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn and are often tall and overgrown. Hedgerow trees are typically scarce though may be locally more abundant. Pastures are generally improved and grazed by cattle, sheep or horses, or cut for silage. There are isolated patches of semi-improved pasture – often associated with relic rig and furrow.

Subtype Old Enclosure.

The type.

200 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery or limestone workings with young hedges or wire fences and no mature trees.

Escarpment valley farmland: steep pasture Steeply sloping pasture land on the flanks of the escarpment spurs. Thin calcareous brown earths over outcropping limestones support unimproved or semi-improved limestone grasslands. Field boundaries, where they exist, are pre-inclosure hedges though patterns are heavily fragmented. Some pastures contain substantial areas of scrub – often dominated by hawthorn or gorse. There are patches of relic rig and furrow, often on the lower slopes.

Subtype Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded arable Wooded arable farmland on the floor of escarpment valleys. Soils are heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges in sub-regular patterns, dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent. The wooded character of this local type is derived from woodlands on adjacent escarpment slopes.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded estate pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the escarpment valley floor. Soils are heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays. Field boundaries are trimmed hedges with scattered hedgerow and avenue trees. Improved pastures are enclosed by planned estate woodlands of mixed conifer and broadleaved species on steep valley sides. Farmsteads and cottages are of a planned estate style.

Subtype Surveyor enclosed.

The type.

Escarpment valley farmland: wooded pasture Wooded pastoral farmland of the escarpment valley floor. Soils are heavy surface water gleys developed from underlying boulder clays. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges in sub regular patterns, disrupted in places by the loss of hedgerows. Hedges are usually dominated by hawthorn and may be clipped or tall and overgrown. There are scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Pastures are improved and grazed or cut for silage. The valley floor is visually enclosed by broadleaved woodlands on steep valley sides.

Subtype Old Enclosure.

The type.

Foreshore

201 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Foreshore of alternating bays and headlands with sand or sand and shingle beaches, modified in places by the tipping of colliery wastes, and wave-cut rock platforms.

Subtype Rock platforms

Natural rocky foreshore of eroding wave-cut limestones.

Sea defences. Artificial sea defences of loose-tipped angular boulders.

Beaches

Natural sand or mixed sand and shingle beaches.

Modified beaches.

Beaches that have been heavily modified by the tipping of colliery waste. Such beaches are typically surcharged above natural levels by a mixture of colliery waste and marine sands and gravels, and occasionally support sporadic vegetation including woody scrub. These beaches are currently eroding rapidly and returning to natural conditions.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Airfield

Small scale airfields, generally very open in character, with runways, hangers and ancillary buildings.

Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype therefore covers the larger scale sections of carriageway, major cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Landfill

Active landfill or other waste management facilities. Most feature voids – usually left from prior mineral extraction – currently being in-filled. Tipping activities and litter trap fencing may be prominent.

Railway

Only major railways are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Railway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and sidings.

Substation

Electricity substation. Usually associated with large numbers of overhead transmission lines. Only larger complexes are mapped.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are subsumed within the Develop: urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences

Lakes and ponds 202 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES A variable type covering a range of natural and man made water bodies.

Subtypes Lowland lakes & ponds

Natural lakes or ponds. These are typically shallow features with irregular margins set in open pastures. Those mapped appear to have arisen from subsidence or water table rebound on the coal measures and the magnesian limestone, or from impeded field drainage. They may be fringed with marginal emergent vegetation (common reed, Reedmace) or be grazed to the water’s edge. Submerged fences and other field boundaries may occur in the more recently developed features. Only larger water bodies are mapped. Smaller ponds are subsumed within the larger tracts in which they occur.

Flooded clay pits & gravel workings.

The water bodies of abandoned or restored clay pits, sand and gravel working. Abandoned features tend to have an irregular form with steep bank sides and fairly deep water, surrounded by areas of semi-natural vegetation, rank grassland, secondary woodland and scrub made up of species such as willows, alder and downy birch. Restored water bodies have a more designed form with shallower margins.

Limestone cliffs and clay slopes Low ( 20 to 30m) cliffs of pale, creamy yellow magnesian limestones with occasional caves and stacks crested by steep slopes of boulder clay. The limestones exposed in the cliffs vary in character and include soft dolomites, thinly bedded or ‘’brecciated" by the collapse of underlying strata, oolithic and concretionary limestones, and fossil-rich reef limestones. The clay slopes have a varied flora of red fescue, sea plantain, thrift, common scurvy grass and bloody crane's-bill, with patches of wind-shaped blackthorn scrub, and the occasional stunted hazel and juniper.

Lowland woods A variable type covering the diverse woodlands of lowland valleys, plains and plateaux.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift that covers much of the lowlands the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Some Oak-birch woodlands (NVC W16) occur on less fertile sandy soils, and stands of Alder (NVCW5) woodland are found on flushed slopes or wet ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods.

Secondary woods and wood pasture.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or

203 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES unmanaged pasture or heath.

Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side or escarpment bluffs. Woodland plant communities are diverse and reflect the range of underlying parent rocks and drift materials that occur – often within a single wood.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift into which many lowland denes are incised the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland, with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Similar woodlands occur on river terrace gravels and rocky gorges on carboniferous sandstones and shales. On poorer soils, and particularly in the west, these woodlands may be transitional in character with upland Oak woods (NVC W11). On the more acidic strata of the coal measures they often occur along-side Oak-birch (NVC 16) communities. On the limestone escarpment, and in the coastal denes where limestones are exposed, lowland Ash woodland communities (NVC W8) are found, with occasional stands of pure Yew (W13) on the thinnest soils. Ash communities transitional in character with upland Ash woods (NVC W9) are found where carboniferous limestones are exposed in the west. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past. Woods on the coal measures often contains relics of drift mining – pit- falls, waggonways and small spoil mounds. Some dene woods also contain relics of small scale quarrying activities.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings.

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Permian limestone quarry

Large quarries worked primarily for road stone, chemical and refractory products. Quarry faces are of soft creamy

204 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES yellow magnesian limestones. Crushing, screening and coating plant occupy parts of the quarry floor. Lime-rich quarry wastes, overburdens and lime heaps support a very diverse calcareous grassland flora including many stress tolerant species like orchids, and secondary woodlands of ash, elder, hawthorn, goat willow, grey willow and wild rose species which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha- has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes Enclosed parkland pasture.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently under pasture. Field systems may date from earlier enclosures or may be contemporary with the layout of the park. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern although field or avenue trees may also be present.

Golf course.

Older parkland developed as a golf course. Parkland features survive along side familiar elements of the modern golf course – bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds – as well as new tree planting usually of a ‘parkland’ character.

Open parkland arable.

Open parkland currently in arable use. Few parkland features other than the larger woodland pattern and occasional isolated trees usually survive.

Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens. Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

Parks & Recreation Grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Allotment gardens.

Allotment gardens vary in character but are typically laid out in regular plots which may be open or surrounded by individual fences. Some allotments contain many buildings & structures – sheds, greenhouses, poultry houses,

205 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES frames etc – often made out of reclaimed materials.

Caravan sites.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Golf courses.

Extensive areas of amenity grassland with bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds with individual trees, tree groups and copses in varying degrees of maturity. Some contain elements surviving from the previous landscape – veteran trees, hedgerows and woodlands, or fragments of heath.

Country parks.

Formal recreational facilities in the countryside usually with areas of amenity grassland, car parks and other facilities.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

Race courses & race tracks

Race courses typically include a race track and associated building complex and car parking.

Plateau farmland: arable Open, flat or rolling arable farmland on the heavy clays and brown earths of the limestone plateau. Field boundaries are low hawthorn hedges. Hedgerow trees are sparse, though locally more abundant. Cereals and oil- seed rape are the dominant crops.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure (of common town fields) with sub-regular field patterns and winding lanes.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Tracts of late 18th or 19th century enclosure (of former wastes) often distinguished by the place name ‘moor’. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns regular.

Plateau farmland: open arable Open, flat or rolling arable farmland on the heavy clays and brown earths of the limestone plateau. Field boundaries are low hawthorn hedges with few hedgerow trees. Field sizes are large and field patterns are often heavily disrupted by field amalgamations. Cereals and oil-seed rape are the dominant crops.

Subtypes Modern field system.

Areas of C20th rationalisation, often enclosed by fences.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure (of common town fields) with sub-regular field patterns and winding lanes. In areas 206 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES where the majority of hedgerows have been removed it may be difficult to distinguish this from the other subtypes.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Tracts of late 18th or 19th century enclosure (of former wastes) often distinguished by the place name ‘moor’. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns regular where they haven’t been affected by boundary removal.

Plateau farmland: open pasture Open, flat or rolling pastoral farmland on the heavy clays and brown earths of the limestone plateau. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedges – which may be cut low or left tall and overgrown - or wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent. Grasslands are generally improved pasture though with some isolated pockets of semi-improved pasture which may contain relics of medieval rigg and furrow and deserted or shrunken medieval villages.

Subtypes Modern field system.

Areas of C20th rationalisation, often enclosed by fences.

Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure (of common town fields) with sub-regular field patterns and winding lanes. In areas where the majority of hedgerows have been removed it may be difficult to distinguish this from the other subtypes.

Reclaimed Land.

Areas of C20th enclosure following the restoration of mineral workings. Field patterns tend to be regular. Boundaries may be hedges or fences and are lacking in mature hedgerow trees. The landform may have an engineered character.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Tracts of late 18th or 19th century enclosure (of former wastes) often distinguished by the place name ‘moor’. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns regular where they haven’t been affected by boundary removal.

Plateau farmland: pasture Enclosed, flat or rolling pastoral farmland on the heavy clays and brown earths of the limestone plateau. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedges – often tall and overgrown – with scattered, locally abundant hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular. Grasslands are generally improved pasture though with some isolated pockets of semi-improved pasture which may contain relics of medieval rigg and furrow and deserted or shrunken medieval villages. Small field ponds are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plateau farmland: timbered estate arable Gently undulating arable farmland. Field patterns are sub-regular and relatively intact. Field boundaries are pre- inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn with abundant hedgerow ash, oak, beech and sycamore. Hedges vary in their management and condition, and are reduced in places to lines of hedgerow trees.

207 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plateau farmland: timbered estate pasture Gently undulating pastoral farmland. Field patterns are sub-regular and relatively intact. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn with abundant hedgerow ash, oak, beech and sycamore. Pastures are largely improved, with pockets of semi-improved pasture often associated with areas of relic rig and furrow.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plateau farmland: wooded arable Gently rolling or gently undulating wooded arable farmland on the heavy clays and brown earths of the limestone plateau. Field boundaries are low hawthorn hedges with few hedgerow trees, or woodland edges. Field sizes are large and field patterns are often heavily disrupted by field amalgamations. Cereals and oil-seed rape are the dominant crops. Similar to the’ open arable’ type but influenced visually by adjacent woodlands – including large dene woods and blocky plantations.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure (of common town fields) with sub-regular field patterns and winding lanes. In areas where the majority of hedgerows have been removed it may be difficult to distinguish this from the other subtypes.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Tracts of late 18th or 19th century enclosure (of former wastes) often distinguished by the place name ‘moor’. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns regular where they haven’t been affected by boundary removal.

Plateau farmland: wooded estate arable Undulating wooded arable farmland on glacial sands and gravels. Fields are defined by the edges of adjacent dene woodlands or linear shelterbelts and copses. Cereals and oil-seed rape are the dominant crops.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Sand dunes Low hummocky sand dunes dominated by Marram Grass with areas of more diverse maritime grassland in dune slacks. The dunes are crossed by numerous worn and eroding tracks.

Scarp and dipslope farmland: arable Sloping or rolling arable farmland on the mixed clays, gravels and limestones of the escarpment. Arable crops are principally cereals and oil-seed rape. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by

208 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES hawthorn and regularly trimmed with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak and ash. Field patterns are sub- regular and relatively intact.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed former opencast workings in which the older field systems have been retained largely intact.

Scarp and dipslope farmland: open arable Sloping or rolling arable farmland on the mixed clays, gravels and limestones of the escarpment. Arable crops are principally cereals and oil-seed rape. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and regularly trimmed. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent. Field patterns are fairly regular or sub-regular but generally heavily disrupted by field amalgamations.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery land

Scarp and dipslope farmland: open pasture Sloping or rolling pastoral farmland on the mixed clays, gravels and limestones of the escarpment. Pastures are generally improved, though with some pockets of older and more species rich grassland, often associated with areas of relic rig and furrow. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and either regularly trimmed or tall, overgrown and gappy. There are thinly scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are fairly regular or sub-regular, but heavily disrupted by hedgerow removal and decline.

Subtypes Modern field system.

Areas of C20th rationalisation, often enclosed by fences, with no mature trees.

Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery land, often divided by wire fences or young hedgerows, with no mature trees.

Scarp and dipslope farmland: pasture Sloping or rolling pastoral farmland on the mixed clays, gravels and limestones of the escarpment. Pastures are generally improved, though with some pockets of older and more species rich grassland, often associated with areas of relic rig and furrow. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and either regularly trimmed or tall, overgrown and gappy. There are scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are fairly regular or sub-regular and relatively intact.

209 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery or quarry land where some older field boundaries survive.

Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded arable Rolling arable farmland on glacial sands and gravels at the base of the escarpment dipslope. Arable crops are principally cereals and oil-seed rape. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and regularly trimmed. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent, though more abundant in the past. Field patterns are sub-regular, disrupted in some degree by field amalgamations. There are scattered small broadleaved plantations.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Scarp and dipslope farmland: wooded pasture Rolling pastoral farmland on glacial sands and gravels at the base of the escarpment dipslope. Pastures are generally improved, though with some pockets of older and more species rich grassland, associated with areas of relic rig and furrow. Field boundaries are a mixture of pre-inclosure hedges and straighter young hedges planted as part of the reclamation of colliery land. Hedgerow trees are largely absent but occur locally in older field systems. Many fields are defined by the geometric shapes of large mixed plantations planted on reclaimed ground.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land.

Areas of reclaimed colliery land.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial and retail estates

Industrial and retail estates typically have a planned layout, often with significant areas of structure planting and amenity planting. Buildings are generally large in scale and industrial in character. There may be significant areas of open operation land or vacant land awaiting development.

Industrial land

Land in industrial use. A variable type but generally containing large industrial buildings and areas of operational 210 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES land. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial land or Industrial and retail estates subtype).

211 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LIMESTONE ESCARPMENT

212 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE CLAY PLATEAU

213 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE COASTAL LIMESTONE PLATEAU

214 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE EAST DURHAM LIMESTONE PLATEAU LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LIMESTONE COAST

215 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS

The Tees Lowlands

The Tees Lowlands The Tees Lowlands Countryside Character Area County Boundary

Key characteristics • A broad lowland plain of gently undulating, occasionally flat terrain.

• Carboniferous and Permian limestones and sandstones are masked by thick layers of glacial drift.

• The meandering River Tees flows through the heart of the area on a narrow floodplain between low gravel terraces.

• An open landscape of arable and mixed farmland on clay soils.

• Sub-regular patterns of low clipped hedges, often fragmented by the amalgamation of arable fields, with scattered hedgerow oak and ash

• Low lying ‘flats’ and ‘carrs’ with peaty or alluvial soils are drained by ditches and stells.

• Occasional heavily wooded parklands – woodland cover is generally low elsewhere.

• A nucleated settlement pattern of old villages connected by winding lanes and occasional larger towns. Older buildings are typically of sandstone with clay pan-tile roofs.

• Numerous deserted or shrunken medieval villages. Relics of rigg and furrow cultivations.

• A visually open and broad scale landscape with panoramic views to distant hills.

• A predominantly rural landscape with occasional larger settlements, busy roads, railway lines and overhead transmission lines.

216 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS

Description The lowlands of the Tees form a broad plain that merges with the gentle dip slope of the Magnesian Limestone escarpment and the low hills of the Pennine fringe in the north. The underlying geology of Permian limestones in the east and Carboniferous sandstones, mudstones and shales in the west is generally masked by deep glacial drift.

The topography is gently rolling or undulating with low lying ‘flats’ and 'carrs' and areas of more undulating terrain relating to pockets of fluvio-glacial sands and gravels. The River Tees falls very gradually to the North Sea; its meandering course incised between low terraces and flat gravel benches. It is fed by slow moving tributaries like the River Skerne which have been straightened and deepened in places. Water levels in the carrs are maintained by systems of ditches and stells. Soils are heavy drift-derived surface water gleys, with pockets of brown earths on gravels, and earthy peats in poorly drained carrs.

Agricultural land use is mixed but predominantly arable. Field systems are ‘sub-regular’ in pattern and largely date from the enclosure of open town fields in the 16th and 17th centuries. They have been heavily fragmented by the amalgamation of arable fields in the 20th century. Hedgerows tend to be cut low and regularly trimmed. Tree cover is generally low with scattered hedgerow trees, principally Ash and Oak, though some areas are rich in trees. In the carrs field boundaries are water-filled ditches, often supplemented by fences.

Woodland cover is sparse, being generally restricted to a scattering of small plantations although there are some heavily wooded areas associated with ornamental parklands. There are occasional narrow riverside woods along the Tees.

The settlement pattern is nucleated with small ‘green’ villages of Saxon or medieval origins connected by winding lanes. There are many deserted medieval villages, or shrunken villages reduced to single farms or farm clusters. The landscape is predominantly rural though with occasional larger settlements including, in Durham, the modern new town of Newton Aycliffe. The plain is crossed by a number of major roads (the A1(M), A66 and A68) and railway lines and by overhead transmission lines.

The landscape is generally open and broad in scale. The Cleveland Hills form a strong far horizon in the south and east. In flat or rolling areas views of the landscape tend to be shallow and skyline features such as hedgerow trees and woodlands become important in defining and articulating space.

217 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS

Broad landscape types Landscapes of very similar character cover large tracts of the Tees Plain. A broad distinction can be made between the open arable landscapes of the Lowland Plain in the east, and the mixed farmland of the Lowland Vale with its frequent villages to the west. The flat Lowland Carrs of the River Skerne are distinguished by their peaty and alluvial soils, their wet pastures and boundary ditches: the Lowland River Terraces of the River Tees by their sand and gravel soils and their association with the meandering River Tees.

218 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALE Lowland Vale

Lowland Vale The Tees Lowlands County Boundary

Key characteristics • Broad lowland vale.

• Varied Carboniferous and Permian rocks are covered by a thick mantle of drift.

• Gently rolling or undulating topography of glacial moraines, boulder clays and sands and gravels. Occasional flats.

• Seasonally waterlogged loamy clay soils and more free-draining brown earths.

• Mixed, but predominantly arable farmland – a mosaic of improved pasture and arable cropping.

• Semi-regular patterns of old enclosures bounded by thorn hedges.

• Relics of rigg and furrow in older pastures.

• Scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore – abundant in places.

• Sparsely wooded but with some heavily wooded areas of old parkland and estate farmland.

• Nucleated pattern of small green villages connected by narrow, winding, hedged lanes.

• Buildings of local stone with roofs of clay pan tile. Farms of the Raby Estate are painted white.

• The high incidence of hedgerow trees creates a degree of enclosure in places, but the landscape remains fairly broad in scale with views to distant high ground.

• A tranquil settled rural landscape.

Description A broad lowland vale defined by higher ground to the north and south. Carboniferous and Permian rocks are overlain in most places by a thick mantle of boulder clay, morainic drift and sands and gravels. The topography is gently rolling or gently undulating with occasional flats. Soils are a patchwork of seasonally waterlogged loamy clay soils and more free-draining brown earths. In areas where the drift is absent on Permian magnesian limestones there are small pockets of calcareous brown earths.

Agricultural land use is mixed, with much of the landscape being dominated by arable cropping – primarily of cereals and oil-seed rape – but with a mosaic of pasture and arable in some areas. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedges and are usually cut low. Field patterns are semi-regular, most dating from the enclosure of the common fields of villages in the 1600s. Field systems are heavily fragmented in places by amalgamation into 219 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALE large arable fields. Relics of rigg and furrow are found in older, less improved pastures. There are small areas of more regular ‘surveyor enclosed’ field systems dating from the enclosure of manorial wastes in the C18th.

Tree cover is variable with scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore typical of arable farms and more abundant hedgerow trees in areas of mixed or pastoral farming. The landscape is generally sparsely wooded with occasional small broadleaved woodlands and a single example of a larger ancient oak wood. There are several heavily wooded areas of old parkland and estate farmland where parkland features such as mature field trees, avenues and park walls are found.

The landscape has a long history of settlement and a nucleated pattern of small green villages, most of Saxon or later medieval origins. Buildings are of local sandstone with roofs of clay pan tile or slate, and are set around a central village green. Between the villages lie scattered farms. Farms and farm buildings of the Raby Estate, which covers much of the northern vale, are painted white. Villages are connected by a network of narrow hedged lanes. There are occasional very small abandoned limestone and sandstone quarries worked in the past for building stone and lime.

A broad scale landscape in which the high ground of the coalfield to the north, and the Yorkshire Dales to the south, form strong middle distance horizons. Locally the high incidence of hedgerow trees creates a degree of enclosure and an intimacy of scale. Hedgerow trees are often important skyline features and help articulate and define space. A settled rural landscape.

Broad Landscape Types

The Lowland Vale landscape type is represented by two Broad Character Areas

The Northern Tees Vale: Staindrop & Ingleton. Rolling, occasionally flat, farmland north of the River Tees. A patchwork of arable fields and improved pastures with old pre-enclosure field systems of clipped hawthorn hedges with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow trees. There are areas of flat poorly drained carrs along the Langley Beck with areas of wet, rushy pasture and occasional ponds. The landscape is wooded in places with frequent broadleaved plantations. There are heavily wooded parklands and estate farmland at Raby Castle, and 220 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND VALE parklands at Selaby Park and Langton Grange. Tree lines follow minor watercourses and ditches. The large green village of Staindrop lies in the west. Smaller villages and scattered, white painted, farms in the east are connected by a network of narrow winding lanes.

The Southern Tees Vale: Hutton Magna. Gently rolling or undulating farmland in the south of the vale. An open, predominantly arable, landscape with old pre-enclosure field systems of clipped hawthorn hedges and scattered hedgerow trees. The area is sparsely wooded, with occasional small broadleaved plantations. Small hamlets and scattered farms are connected by narrow winding lanes.

221 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND CARRS Lowland Carrs

Lowland Carrs The Tees Lowlands County Boundary

Key characteristics • Flat, low lying and poorly drained carrs.

• Deep glacial clays overlain in places by alluvium and shallow peat.

• Seasonally waterlogged alluvial and brown clay soils with tracts of earthy peats.

• Arable and mixed farmland on higher lying ground. Improved and wet rushy pasture on poorly drained flats.

• Straight watercourses flanked by levees.

• Occasional pumping stations.

• Regular grids of water-filled ditches and wire fences on lower ground.

• Semi-regular field patterns of gappy thorn hedges on drier ground.

• Few trees – occasional willow along watercourses.

• Few woodlands – thinly scattered small broadleaved plantations.

• Occasional farms in the fringes of the carrs and on pockets of higher ground.

• Few roads or footpaths.

• The carrs are crossed by the A1 (M) and the East Coast railway line on raised embankments.

• A visually open landscape defined by the slightly higher ground of the surrounding lowland plain.

• A sparsely settled rural landscape with a strong sense of place.

Description Flat low lying and poorly drained carrs. The underlying Permian rocks are masked by a deep mantle of glacial drift of laminated and boulder clays which is overlain in the flattest areas by alluvium and shallow peat. The main watercourses are artificially straightened and raised above the level of the flats by banks and levees. The flats are drained by a system of ditches and stells from which water is pumped via pumping stations. Soils are seasonally waterlogged alluvial soils and earthy peats on the wetter flats, with heavy brown clay soils on higher ground.

222 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND CARRS Agricultural land use reflects the drainage of the carrs, with arable and mixed farmland on higher lying ground and improved and wet rushy pastures on the poorly drained flats. Field boundaries are a mixture of water-filled ditches, often supplemented by wire fences, and gappy hawthorn hedges. Ditches are laid out in regular patterns and date from successive periods of drainage improvement from the C18th to the late C20th. Hedgerows are on older alignments, with semi-regular patterns suggesting enclosure in the late medieval or early post-medieval period.

Tree cover is low with thinly scattered hedgerow ash and oak and occasional willows along the watercourses. Small broadleaved plantations are thinly scattered across the area. The landscape is sparsely settled, with isolated farms on islands of higher ground or around the fringes of the carrs. There are few roads or footpaths. The carrs are crossed by the A1(M) and the East Coast railway line on raised embankments.

A visually very open landscape defined by the slightly higher ground of the surrounding lowland plain. A sparsely settled rural landscape with a strong sense of place.

Broad Character Areas

The Lowland Carrs landscape type is represented by two Broad Character Areas

Bradbury, Preston and Mordon Carrs. An extensive area of open, largely flat, carrs east of Newton Aycliffe. The lower lying parts of the carrs are improved or wet grassland with large fields bounded by straight ditches. Slightly higher ground in the carr fringes and at Little Isle and Great Isle are mixed farmland of improved pasture and arable cropping with fragmented sub-regular field patterns, occasional hedges and few trees.

Nunstainton, Mainsforth and Middleham Carrs. Narrow carrs of wet pasture fringed by low undulating farmland. The carrs are drained by the River Skerne and the Mainsforth Stell. There are a number of shallow or seasonal ponds, and small areas of wet woodland in the carr fringe.

223 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND RIVER TERRACES Lowland River Terraces

Lowland River Terraces The Tees Lowlands County County Boundary

Key characteristics • Flat, narrow floodplain fringed in places by low, steep-sided bluffs.

• Coarse loamy and sandy soils on alluvial river terrace drift.

• Meandering rivers with alternating riffles and pools.

• Arable cropping on the floodplain.

• Semi-improved pastures on bluffs.

• Low hawthorn hedges with scattered hedgerow oak and ash.

• Fragments of rigg and furrow survive in older pastures.

• Ancient oak woodlands on steeper bluffs.

• Narrow riparian woods or tree lines of alder, oak, ash and willow on river banks.

• Old villages closely associated with the river, often on bridging or fording points.

• Buildings of local stone with roofs of slate or clay pan tile.

• Occasional recreational sites – lidos and caravan parks.

• A visually enclosed landscape of an intimate scale.

• A settled but tranquil rural landscape of high scenic quality and historical depth.

Description Flat, narrow (200-400m) floodplains merging with the gently rolling topography of the wider vale or fringed by steep-sided bluffs. Rivers are meandering with alternating shallow, quick flowing riffles and broader slow moving reaches. Soils are coarse loamy or sandy brown earths on alluvial river terrace drift.

Agricultural land use is mixed, with arable cropping – mostly of cereals – on the flat floodplain haughs and improved and semi-improved pastures on the steeper ground of bluffs and valley sides. Field boundaries are hedgerows with scattered hedgerow oak and ash. Field systems are generally irregular or sub-regular in pattern, dating from the enclosure of common meadows and pastures of the surrounding villages in and around the C17th century. They include many older boundaries and occasional fragments of rigg and furrow in less improved pastures. 224 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND RIVER TERRACES The landscape is well wooded, with ancient oak woodlands on steeper bluffs overlooking the floodplain and narrow riparian woods or tree lines of alder, oak, ash and willow on the river banks.

The floodplain terraces are followed by a chain of old villages that are closely associated with the river, often on bridging or fording points. Villages are of Saxon or later medieval origins with buildings of local stone with roofs of slate or clay pan tile set around a central green. Also associated with the river are occasional recreational sites like lidos and caravan parks. Road and railway bridges from several different periods cross the river.

The landscape is often visually enclosed and intimate in scale, though forming part of the broader vale landscape in many views. It is a settled and tranquil rural landscape of high scenic quality and strong sense of historical depth.

Broad Character Areas

The Lowland River Terraces landscape type is represented by a single Broad Character Area.

The River Tees. The River Tees meanders across a narrow floodplain between low river terrace bluffs of pasture, rough pasture or broadleaved woodland, or flows through narrow wooded denes flanked by low scars. Narrow riparian woodlands line the banks of the river. The floodplain is a mosaic of arable fields and improved or semi-improved pastures, open in places, divided in others by old hedges with scattered hedgerow trees. Fragments of rigg and furrow survive in the less improved pastures. Small green villages, hamlets, halls and building clusters line the river terraces above the floodplain.

225 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND PLAIN Lowland Plain

Lowland Plain The Tees Lowlands County County Boundary

Key characteristics • Open lowland plain.

• Permian rocks are masked by a thick mantle of glacial clays, sands and gravels.

• Gently rolling or undulating topography with areas of flat or hummocky terrain.

• Seasonally waterlogged brown and reddish-brown clay soils with pockets of brown earths and brown sands.

• Mixed but largely arable farmland of cereals and oil-seed rape.

• Semi-regular patterns of old enclosures, often fragmented by amalgamation into large arable fields.

• Low clipped hawthorn hedges.

• Relics of rigg and furrow in older pastures.

• Few trees – thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore.

• Sparsely wooded but with some heavily wooded areas of old parkland and estate farmland.

• Nucleated pattern of small green villages connected by winding lands. Many shrunken or deserted medieval villages. Scattered farms.

• Busy trunk roads and overhead transmission lines in places.

• A visually open and broad scale landscape with long distance views to the Cleveland Hills to the south. Heavily wooded areas create a greater degree of enclosure and a more intimate scale.

• A sparsely settled rural landscape.

Description An open lowland plain. A thick mantle of glacial drift of boulder clays and sands and gravels masks the underlying Permian rocks. The topography is flat, gently rolling or gently undulating, with areas of more hummocky terrain associated with glacial moraines and pockets of sands and gravels. Watercourses are small and inconspicuous, often straightened to follow field boundaries, and occasionally incised in small shallow denes. Soils are heavy, seasonally waterlogged brown and reddish-brown clays with pockets of stonier brown earths and brown sands.

226 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND PLAIN Agricultural land use is mixed but largely arable, dominated by the cultivation of cereals and oil-seed rape. Field boundaries are hawthorn hedges and are usually cut low. Field patterns are semi-regular, most dating from the enclosure of the common fields of older villages in the 1600s. Field systems are heavily fragmented in places by amalgamation into large arable fields.

Tree cover is low, with thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. The landscape is generally very open and sparsely wooded with occasional small broadleaved plantations. It is locally more heavily wooded in areas of old parkland or wooded estate farmland.

The landscape has a long history of settlement and a nucleated pattern of small green villages, most of Saxon or later medieval origins. Buildings are of Carboniferous sandstone imported from landscapes to the west. Roofs are usually of clay pan tile. The settlement pattern is relatively sparse and there are many shrunken or deserted medieval villages. Isolated farms, often with large agricultural buildings and grain silos, are scattered across the plain. In areas of undulating terrain they often sit in prominent positions on low sand hills. Villages and farms are connected by a network of narrow hedged lanes. The plain is crossed by a number of busier modern highways, and by overhead transmission lines.

A visually open and broad scale landscape in which the Cleveland Hills form a distant horizon to the south. Despite the low tree cover, hedgerow trees are often important skyline features and help articulate and define space. In heavily wooded areas there is a greater degree of enclosure and a more intimate scale. A sparsely settled rural landscape.

Broad Character Areas

The Lowland Plain landscape type is represented by four Broad Character Areas

Butterwick & Shotton. Open flat or gently undulating arable farmland east of Sedgefield. A landscape of large arable fields with a fragmented boundary network of clipped hedges and few trees. Small pockets of pasture have more intact old field systems, scattered hedgerow ash and oak and occasional fragments of rigg and furrow. Tree lines follow small watercourses and ditches. Scattered farms and hamlets or farm clusters are connected by 227 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND PLAIN narrow lanes. Woodland cover is very low, with thinly scattered small broadleaved plantations. The area is crossed by the busy A177 and A689 and by major transmission lines.

Embleton. Gently rolling or flat wooded farmland. A patchwork of improved pasture and arable fields bounded by a fragmented network of old hedges, clipped low in places; tall and overgrown in others. There are few hedgerow trees. Broadleaved woodlands lie in incised steep sided denes of the branching Amerston Beck, and mixed plantations are scattered across the area. The Hurworth Burn Reservoir lies on the River Skerne in the north. Isolated farms are connected by narrow winding lanes and farm tracks. The area is crossed by the Castle Eden walkway on a disused railway line.

Sedgefield, Windlestone & Aycliffe. Gently undulating or rolling farmland in the fringes of the lowland carrs. A patchwork of arable and improved pasture, but predominantly arable, with old pre-enclosure field systems which are locally fragmented. Field boundaries are hedges, usually clipped low, with scattered hedgerow trees. Tree lines follow small watercourses and ditches. Small broadleaved plantations are scattered across the area. There are more heavily wooded areas associated with parklands at estate farmland at Hardwick and Windlestone. The large new town of Newton Aycliffe lies in the west and the large village of Sedgefield in the east. Smaller villages and scattered farms are connected by narrow lanes. The area is crossed by the busy A167 and A689. There are occasional small limestone quarries and old sand pits.

228 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS BROAD LANDSCAPE TYPE LOWLAND PLAIN

229 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Local Landscape Types Carr farmland: open arable Plain farmland: arable

Carr farmland: open pasture Plain farmland: open arable

Dene pastures Plain farmland: open pasture

Disturbed land Plain farmland: pasture

Floodplain farmland: arable Plain farmland: wooded arable

Floodplain farmland: pasture Plain farmland: wooded estate arable

Infrastructure Plain farmland: wooded estate pasture

Lakes & ponds Plain farmland: wooded pasture

Lowland reservoirs River: middle reaches

Lowland woods Urban

Lowland woods: denes & bluffs Vale floor farmland: arable

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside woods Vale floor farmland: open arable

Mineral working Vale floor farmland: open pasture

Nurseries & market gardens Vale floor farmland: pasture

Parkland Vale floor farmland: wooded estate arable

Parks and recreation grounds Vale floor farmland: wooded estate pasture

230 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES

Carr farmland: open arable Open flat arable farmland on the rich alluvial gleys and earthy peats of the lowland carrs. Crops are predominantly wheat and oil-seed rape. The land may be subject to seasonal flooding. Fields are typically large and field patterns generally fragmented by C20th amalgamations. Boundaries are a mixture of water-filled ditches and hedges. Hedgerow and boundary trees are absent or scarce. The land is drained by ditches, ‘drains’ or ‘stells’ which feed into engineered watercourses, sometimes flowing above field level and protected by levees.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular but usually heavily fragmented by field amalgamations so that their pattern is no longer legible

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight. Overall field patterns are often heavily fragmented by field amalgamations.

Carr farmland: open pasture Open flat pastoral farmland on the poorly drained alluvial gleys and earthy peats of the lowland carrs. Pastures are a mixture of improved and wet rushy pasture. Fields vary in size, being large in the more extensive carrs but with some smaller pastures elsewhere. Boundaries are a mixture of water-filled ditches and hedges. Hedges tend to be thin, gappy and overgrown with few hedgerow trees, and field patterns are often heavily fragmented. The land is drained by ditches, ‘drains’ or ‘stells’ which feed into engineered watercourses, sometimes flowing above field level and protected by levees. Sporadic tree lines and patches of scrub follow the main drains as well as raised features like road and railway embankments. The dry meandering courses of old rivers and streams occur locally as do seasonal and permanent ponds.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular. Ditches are often ‘relatively straight’ rather than ‘ruler straight’.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries and ditches are ‘ruler straight’.

Dene pastures Incised denes and steeply sloping bluffs of improved or semi-improved pasture or rough grazing. Steeply sloping pastures are often difficult to manage or improve and tend to be more diverse than the surrounding farmland. Tree cover is very variable. Hedgerow oak and ash are locally common. Steeper slopes may support areas of bracken, or scrub of hawthorn or gorse.

Subtypes Old enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns may be irregular or sub-regular and tend to reflect the underlying topography. Boundaries are typically hedgerows. In places relics of ridge and furrow or cultivation

231 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES terraces may be found.

Floodplain farmland: arable Low lying arable farmland on the fertile alluvial soils of the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains. Fields tend to be large and bounded by hedges or fences, and may be subject to seasonal flooding or protected by artificial levees.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

Areas of early, often piecemeal, enclosure. Field patterns are generally sub-regular and bounded by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees. Smaller fields have often been amalgamated to create large irregular parcels.

Floodplain farmland: pasture Low lying pastoral farmland on the flat ‘haughs’ of the river floodplains including both productive improved pasture and poorly drained or seasonally flooded, wet rushy pasture. Pastures may border directly onto the river or be separated from it by narrow riparian woodlands or fenced, often tree-lined, river banks. In places floodplain pastures contain meandering minor watercourses and oxbow lakes, or relics of watermills and associated features. Pastures are generally divided by hedgerows, but in areas subject to regular flooding and more dynamic, shifting watercourses the floodplain may remain open.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Infrastructure A variable local type covering a range of different forms of infrastructure.

Subtypes Highway

Only major roads are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Highway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and interchanges.

Railway

Only major railways are mapped and only where the scale of development is significant. The Railway subtype therefore covers larger scale cuttings, embankments and sidings.

Water treatment works

Sewerage or water treatment works. Only features in rural or urban fringe situations are mapped; others are subsumed within the Develop: urban type. Treatment works are typically made up of large concrete reservoirs, water tanks, filtration beds, lagoons, and ancillary buildings. Most are surrounded by security fences.

Lakes and ponds A variable type covering a range of natural and man made water bodies.

Subtypes Flooded clay pits & gravel workings.

The water bodies of abandoned or restored clay pits, sand and gravel working. Abandoned features tend to have an irregular form with steep bank sides and fairly deep water, surrounded by areas of semi-natural vegetation,

232 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES rank grassland, secondary woodland and scrub made up of species such as willows, alder and downy birch. Restored water bodies have a more designed form with shallower margins.

Lowland lakes & ponds

Natural lakes or ponds. These are typically shallow features with irregular margins set in open pastures. Those mapped appear to have arisen from subsidence or water table rebound on the coal measures and the magnesian limestone, or from impeded field drainage. They may be fringed with marginal emergent vegetation (common reed, Reedmace) or be grazed to the water’s edge. Submerged fences and other field boundaries may occur in the more recently developed features. Only larger water bodies are mapped. Smaller ponds are subsumed within the larger tracts in which they occur.

Ornamental lake

Ornamental lakes of parklands and recreation grounds. Only larger features are mapped. Many similar features may be found within the Parkland and Parks and Recreation grounds local types. They typically have a designed but ‘naturalistic’ shape and may be planted with ornamental or native species depending on their context.

Lowland reservoir Small water supply reservoirs in the lowlands and upland fringes. Reservoirs may be bordered by fringes of pasture or rough grassland, or flanked by areas of woodland or forestry. Dams, spillways, pump houses and other buildings, sometimes built of stone in a formal ‘estate’ style, are often notable features. Bare draw down zones may be prominent when water levels are low.

Subtypes Reservoir.

Reservoir water body.

Reservoir fringes.

Areas of pasture, rough grazing or unmanaged grassland bordering the reservoirs & containing dams, spillways and other infrastructure.

Lowland woods A variable type covering the diverse woodlands of lowland valleys, plains and plateaux.

Subtypes Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods.

Lowland woods: denes, bluffs & river terraces Woodlands of incised denes and steeply sloping valley-side or escarpment bluffs. Woodland plant communities are diverse and reflect the range of underlying parent rocks and drift materials that occur – often within a single wood.

233 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. On the base-poor glacial drift into which many lowland denes are incised the predominant woodland type is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland, with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10). Similar woodlands occur on river terrace gravels and rocky gorges on carboniferous sandstones and shales. On poorer soils, and particularly in the west, these woodlands may be transitional in character with upland Oak woods (NVC W11). On the more acidic strata of the coal measures they often occur along-side Oak-birch (NVC 16) communities. On the limestone escarpment, and in the coastal denes where limestones are exposed, lowland Ash woodland communities (NVC W8) are found, with occasional stands of pure Yew (W13) on the thinnest soils. Ash communities transitional in character with upland Ash woods (NVC W9) are found where carboniferous limestones are exposed in the west. Stands of Alder-Ash woodland (NVC W7) and Alder carr (NVC W5) occur on flushed slopes or waterlogged ground. Some woodlands show signs of having been managed as coppice in the past. Woods on the coal measures often contains relics of drift mining – pit- falls, waggonways and small spoil mounds. Some dene woods also contain relics of small scale quarrying activities.

Modified ancient woods.

This subtype includes re-planted ancient woodland sites and ancient woods that have been heavily modified by the introduction of commercial or exotic species, or species not native to the locality.

Old wood pastures.

Ancient woodlands that have long been managed as wood pasture. A mosaic of open woodland, scrub and neutral grassland containing ancient and veteran trees.

Plantation.

Planted woodlands of very variable character, including hardwood plantations of species such as Beech, Oak and Sycamore often planted as part of parkland or estate landscapes, and plantations dominated by softwoods – some planted historically for pit-wood, others under taxation incentives in the late C20th or as part of the reclamation of derelict land and opencast coal workings.

Secondary woods and wood pastures.

Secondary semi-natural woodlands dominated by pioneer species (Birch, Ash, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Sallows, Gorse) that have colonised areas of disturbed land such as railway embankments and colliery tips, or unmanaged pasture or heath.

Lowland woods: floodplain & riverside Narrow corridors of woodland on riverbanks and river terraces, usually semi-natural in character and made up of native species, particularly Oak, Ash, Alder, Aspen, Birch and Willows. Many are ancient woods; others are secondary semi-natural woods that have followed the shifting course of the river.

Subtypes Ancient woods.

Ancient semi-natural woodlands. The predominant woodland type on drier ground is a lowland mixed broadleaved woodland with Common or Sessile Oak the major canopy species (NVC W10), with Alder-Ash (NVC W7) and Alder (NVC W6, W5) woodlands on wetter ground and washlands.

234 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Plantation.

A variable subtype of planted woodlands including old broadleaved plantations, softwood plantations, poplar plantations and more recent new native woodlands on river floodplains and carrs.

Secondary woods & wood pastures

Secondary semi-natural woodlands, often containing similar species to ancient woods, but which have naturally colonised the shifting riverbank environment and are therefore dominated more by pioneers like Alder, Aspen, Birches and Willows.

Mineral working A diverse type made up of active or dormant mineral workings ranging from hard-rock quarries to opencast coal sites, gravel pits and clay workings. Typical common elements include extraction voids and faces, soil mounds, overburden and waste heaps, haul roads, buildings and processing plant.

Subtypes Permian limestone quarry

Large quarries worked primarily for road stone, chemical and refractory products. Quarry faces are of soft creamy yellow magnesian limestones. Crushing, screening and coating plant occupy parts of the quarry floor. Lime-rich quarry wastes, overburdens and lime heaps support a very diverse calcareous grassland flora including many stress tolerant species like orchids, and secondary woodlands of ash, elder, hawthorn, goat willow, grey willow and wild rose species which may colonise undisturbed areas.

Nurseries and Market gardens Commercial nurseries, garden centres and market gardens, typically including extensive areas of greenhouses, car parking and storage areas. Some include areas of intensive horticulture, growing trees, herbaceous plants or fruit bushes.

Parkland The designed landscapes of ornamental parks typically include formal gardens together with larger areas of open pastoral parkland. Veteran native and exotic trees are scattered across the park or arranged in formal avenues. Clumps of trees, copses and larger woodlands are deployed for their aesthetic effect. Other ornamental features – lakes, ponds, cascades and follies may be present. Buildings – gatehouses, lodges and farms – are typically designed in a formal style to compliment the main house. The park may be visually open, often with boundary ha- has to maintain an open character, or enclosed by boundary fences or hedges and particularly in areas away from the parkland core. The park as a whole is often bounded by a high mortared stone wall.

Subtypes Enclosed parkland pasture.

Enclosed ornamental farmland currently under pasture. Field systems may date from earlier enclosures or may be contemporary with the layout of the park. The parkland character often survives largely in the woodland pattern although field or avenue trees may also be present.

Open parkland arable.

Open parkland currently in arable use. Few parkland features other than the larger woodland pattern and occasional isolated trees usually survive

235 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Open parkland pasture.

Open pastoral parkland. grasslands may be improved or semi-improved and often contain relics of the medieval landscape including rig and furrow and building platforms. Veteran parkland trees – both native and exotic - are scattered across the parkland, sometimes in great numbers. Other parkland relics – avenues, ornamental water bodies, small copses, ha-has etc may be present.

Ornamental gardens.

Ornamental gardens are very diverse but often include walled vegetable gardens, bordered walks and formal parterres.

Parks & Recreation Grounds A varied type incorporating a large range of recreational landscapes.

Subtypes Allotment gardens.

Allotment gardens vary in character but are typically laid out in regular plots which may be open or surrounded by individual fences. Some allotments contain many buildings & structures – sheds, greenhouses, poultry houses, frames etc – often made out of reclaimed materials.

Caravan sites.

Permanent caravan sites, sometimes with touring pitches. Often located within areas of woodland. Most contain a permanent infrastructure of roadways and service buildings.

Churchyards, cemeteries & crematoria.

The designed amenity landscapes of churchyards, cemeteries and crematoria.

Golf courses.

Extensive areas of amenity grassland with bunkers, greens, fairways, roughs and ponds with individual trees, tree groups and copses in varying degrees of maturity. Some contain elements surviving from the previous landscape – veteran trees, hedgerows and woodlands, or fragments of heath.

Playing fields & urban green space.

Open spaces of amenity grassland including sports pitches and areas of informal public open space.

Race course

Race courses typically include a race track and associated building complex and car parking

Plain farmland: arable Gently rolling or gently undulating arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low, with scattered (locally abundant) hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, often preserving the curving alignment of medieval strip fields, and are locally disrupted by field amalgamations.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

236 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Surveyor Enclosed.

Small tracts of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are straight and field patterns are regular grids.

Plain farmland: open arable Open, gently rolling or gently undulating arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low. Field sizes are large and the sub-regular patterns of former field systems are heavily disrupted by field amalgamations. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plain farmland: open pasture Open, gently rolling or gently undulating farmland of improved and semi-improved pasture on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Fields are often large and bounded by low clipped thorn hedges or wire fences. Hedgerow trees are absent or infrequent. Older pastures often preserve relics of medieval rigg and furrow and deserted or shrunken medieval villages.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Reclaimed land

Small areas of reclaimed landfill. Open, poor quality pasture lacking mature landscape features.

Plain farmland: pasture Open, gently rolling or gently undulating farmland of improved and semi-improved pasture on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Fields boundaries are hawthorn hedges, clipped in places and tall and overgrown in others, with scattered, locally abundant, hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, often preserving the curving alignment of medieval strip fields. Older pastures often preserve relics of medieval rigg and furrow and deserted or shrunken medieval villages. Small field ponds are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plain farmland: wooded arable Gently rolling or gently undulating wooded arable farmland on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Field boundaries are largely pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low, with scattered (locally abundant) hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, often preserving the curving alignment of medieval strip fields, but heavily disrupted by field amalgamations in places.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

237 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES The type.

Surveyor Enclosed.

Small tracts of late 19th century enclosure. Field boundaries are generally straight.

Plain farmland: wooded estate arable Undulating wooded arable farmland. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and trimmed fairly low, with scattered (locally abundant) hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, occasionally preserving the curving alignment of medieval strip fields, but more often disrupted by field amalgamations. Small copses, coverts and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plain farmland: wooded estate pasture Undulating wooded pastoral farmland. Fields of improved and semi-improved pasture are bounded by low, clipped thorn hedges or wire fences with scattered hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are sub- regular. Small copses, coverts and shelterbelts are common along with other elements of the estate landscape: designed farmsteads, lodges, gatehouses, mortared stone walls and entrance gates. Older pastures often preserve relics of medieval rigg and furrow. Field ponds are common in poorly drained hollows.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Plain farmland: wooded pasture Wooded, gently rolling or gently undulating farmland of improved and semi-improved pasture on the heavy clay soils of the Tees plain. Fields are often large and bounded by low, clipped, often gappy thorn hedges or wire fences with scattered, locally abundant hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, occasionally preserving the curving alignment of medieval strip fields. Older pastures may preserve relics of medieval rigg and furrow and deserted or shrunken medieval villages. Small field ponds are common.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

River: middle reaches The middle reaches of major rivers meandering across narrow floodplains or running through incised denes or larger gorges. Where they cross floodplains the river banks are fenced from the adjacent farmland which is occasionally protected by low artificial levees. The river banks are often lined with narrow Riverside woods.

Subtypes River.

Rapidly flowing watercourses with alternating pools and rifles, shingle banks and occasional islands.

238 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES River bank.

River banks fenced from adjacent pasture, or left unfenced from adjacent arable, support rough unmanaged grassland with native riverside species like Butterbur and, in places, introduced species like Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. Bank side trees - Crack Willow, White Willow, Purple Willow, and Alder – are common. River banks may be engineered in places, occasionally with low flood-protection levees.

Urban A variable type which covers a broad range of urban development - housing, industry, retail and commerce, community facilities and public open space. The landscape character assessment does not identify variations in character within the urban landscape at any level of detail but does identify a small number of basic subtypes.

Subtypes Industrial and retail estates

Industrial and retail estates typically have a planned layout, often with significant areas of structure planting and amenity planting. Buildings are generally large in scale and industrial in character. There may be significant areas of open operation land or vacant land awaiting development. Smaller areas of land in industrial or commercial use are generally subsumed within the Urban subtype.

Institutions

A variable subtype including schools, hospitals, colleges and other institutions in rural situations. Large individual buildings or building complexes set in areas of open green space and amenity planting.

Urban

The type. Urban land including built development, gardens and public open spaces together with areas of recreational land (unless separately identified as Parks & recreation grounds local landscape type) and industrial/ commercial land (unless separately identified as Industrial and retail estates subtype).

Vale floor farmland: arable Gently rolling or gently undulating arable farmland on the fertile brown earths and heavy clay soils of the Tees Vale. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and regularly trimmed, with abundant hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore. Field patterns are sub-regular, preserving in places the curving alignment of medieval strip fields.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Vale floor farmland: open arable Gently rolling or gently undulating arable farmland on the fertile brown earths and heavy clay soils of the Tees Vale. Field boundaries are pre-inclosure hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn and regularly trimmed. Field patterns are generally sub-regular, often with large fields or field patterns disrupted by hedgerow removal. There are few trees.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

239 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Surveyor enclosed.

Areas of C19th and C20th field rationalisation with straight hedgerows in fairly regular patterns though traversed by winding lanes and with the occasional older hedges.

Vale floor farmland: open pasture Rolling pastoral farmland on the fertile brown earths and heavy clay soils of the Tees Vale. Pastures are mostly improved but with isolated pockets of semi-improved pasture or meadow. Field systems are a mixture of early post-medieval enclosures and later rationalisations, and boundary networks are often fragmented. Field boundaries are hedges, usually dominated by hawthorn though often containing other species (holly, blackthorn). Hedges are generally trimmed, though sometimes tall and overgrown. There are thinly scattered hedgerow ash, oak and sycamore.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type.

Surveyor enclosed.

Areas of C19th and C20th rationalisation.

Vale floor farmland: pasture Rolling pastoral farmland on the fertile brown earths and heavy clay soils of the Tees Vale. Pastures are mostly improved but with pockets of semi-improved pasture or meadow. Field systems are early post-medieval enclosures, much of it being enclosure of the town fields of the vale’s many small villages. Field systems are generally sub-regular in pattern, occasionally preserving the curving linear shape of arable strips. Hedges may be hawthorn dominated but often contain a wider range of species. Holly is present in many hedges and hazel in the oldest hedges such as those on township boundaries. Hedges are regularly trimmed, though occasionally tall and overgrown. Hedgerow oak, ash and sycamore are common, and locally abundant. Relics of the medieval landscape – deserted villages, rigg and furrow, old mill races etc. occur locally.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type

Surveyor Enclosed.

Areas of late, 18th or 19th century enclosure, or later rationalisations. Field boundaries are straight and field systems are regular grids.

Vale floor farmland: wooded estate arable Gently undulating wooded arable farmland. The landscape is largely unenclosed with fields defined by crop margins and tracks or woodland edges, with occasional old hedges. Woodlands include medium to large scale mixed plantations, generally with curving boundaries, and smaller copses and coverts.

Subtypes Old Enclosure.

The type

240 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES Piecemeal enclosure

Areas of C19th and C20th rationalisation.

241 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWLAND PLAIN

242 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWLAND CARRS

243 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWLAND RIVER TERRACES

244 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER THE TEES LOWLANDS LOCAL LANDSCAPE TYPES IN THE LOWLAND VALE

245