CROXLEY MOOR summary assessment evaluation guidelines area 5

County Map showing location of LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREA

Bishops Stortford

Hertford

Hemel Hatfield Hempstead

Watford

area 5

LOCATION KEY CHARACTERISTICS This area follows the floodplain of the River Colne and the • level river valley between 0.6 and 1km wide lower reaches of the for 4.5km between • extensive and numerous waterbodies following in the east and in the west. restoration of sand and gravel workings • areas of remnant and restored pasture LANDSCAPE CHARACTER • semi-natural habitats A varied though coherent landscape created by a mix of • recreational opportunities associated with waterways, mineral extraction, agriculture, education and transport rights of way and wetlands corridors. A jumbled but peaceful area on the edge of • restricted access to areas, creating a tranquil character extensive urbanisation. Scattered pasture and semi-natural • strong vegetated character to some boundaries hiding habitats survive throughout the area, giving an indication of extent of adjoining settlements the original landscape character, but there is a strong 20th- century influence. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES • and locks • Croxley Common Moor • watercress beds

Croxley Common Moor • (J. Billingsley)

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PHYSICAL INFLUENCES HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES Geology and soils. The geology comprises river alluvium Recorded settlement goes back to the Mesolithic Period, overlaid by stoneless clayey, fine silty and fine loamy soils, e.g. at Hampermill, where findings appear to represent a affected by groundwater (Fladbury 3 series). Croxley Moor river valley base camp for exploiting the resources of the Common is located on an area of freely draining sandy soils wider wooded area. The historic landscape pattern of on the Colne gravels. floodplain meadows has been largely altered over the last Topography. The area is essentially flat along the 200 years, particularly as a result of mineral extraction floodplain core. Outside the floodplain yet within the between 1920 and 1940. Most of the sites have been character area visually related slopes, e.g. at Croxley Hall restored as wetlands. Areas of meadow pasture still remain Woods and Manor of the Rose, provide enclosure. at Hall and on the side slopes at Manor of the Degree of slope. Valley floor less than 1 in 500. Side slopes More. 1 in 20 to 1 in 40. Field pattern. In the floodplain there are still areas of Altitude range. Valley floor 47-52m. Side slopes 50-70m. enclosed meadow pasture. Common Moor is unenclosed. Hydrology. Wetland habitats and watercourses still form a On the valley slopes the field pattern is a mix of organic key component of the landscape. These comprise the rivers pre-18th century enclosure and 20th-century enclosure. Colne, Chess and Gade which meet close to Batchworth. Fields are irregular in shape and medium in scale. Historically the rivers contained a mix of meanders and relic Transport pattern. The area has been strongly affected by meanders, however most of these have been lost. The canal and railway construction. The Grand Union Canal Chess is regarded as one of the best chalk river sources in passes through the area, close to the course of the River the county while the Colne is more acidic. The Grand Union Gade. Tolpits Lane is the only road that crosses the area and Canal follows the valley of the Gade and then the Colne. runs on an embankment. Most of the railways are still in Causeway and railway embankments etc., have affected the use. natural drainage patterns. A number of lakes have been Settlements and built form. Settlement within the created following extraction of sand and gravels and there floodplain was historically limited to the occasional Victorian are also areas of upwelling chalky water. Watercress beds lock-keeper's cottage and isolated industrial buildings such are a feature at the confluence of the Chess and the Colne. as pumping stations. Adjacent to this character area there Land cover and land use. Land cover comprises a mix of have been several substantial industrial developments in the improved grassland, woodland, waterbodies and a range of late 20th century, e.g. off Tolpits Lane. Elsewhere isolated semi-natural habitats. The land use includes grazing, mainly traditional brick farmsteads sit on the edge of the for cattle, education and recreation, both passive and floodplain, e.g. Brightwells Farm and Croxleyhall Farm, active. which has a splendid late medieval barn c.1400. Vegetation and wildlife. A significant habitat type is the river valley floodplain and grasslands. Croxley Common OTHER SOURCES OF AREA-SPECIFIC Moor (SSSI), is an area of particular wildlife interest. It INFORMATION comprises natural floodplain features with flood bars, gravel English Nature SSSI notification. bars, alluvial peat deposits and relic meanders. The soils range from acidic to basic and support a variety of habitats, including patchy heath on the raised gravels and pockets of fen in the hollows. Species include sweet vernal grass, betony and a range of rushes and sedges on the wetter ground. A county rarity, fen bedstraw, is also present. Rickmansworth Meadows are similar in character to Common Moor but are topographically more evened out. There are discrete areas of woodland, with the main species being poplar, alder and willow. Typical floodplain woodland comprises an oak/alder/willow mix. Withy Beds is an area of old osier beds with some old oaks. There is also extensive secondary tree cover in the form of linear belts which follow lakesides, railways and local roads, combining to create an enclosed character. Hedges are generally confined to the local roads and comprise mainly hawthorn and willow with field trees. On the valley slopes Croxley Hall Wood is an ancient semi-natural wood with oak/ash/beech/hazel on the chalky dip slope of the Chilterns. Some of the pasture is traditionally managed wet meadow, e.g. Lairage Land (LNR).

pg 30 South Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment CROXLEY MOOR summary assessment evaluation guidelines area 5

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION ACCESSIBILITY The area is only locally visible from outside, being screened There is a range of recreational activities in the area, by a mix of built development, landform, fringeing including fishing, walking, canal boating, cycling and bird vegetation and woodland. There are open views from the watching. There are a number of long-distance waymarked A4125 by Oxhey Hall across the meadows and more paths including the Ebury Trail, which follows a disused framed views on Sandy Lodge road adjacent to the railway from Watford to Rickmansworth, and the Grand Merchant Taylors School. Within the area the views along Union Canal Walk. The facilities are not clearly signed for the canal and Ebury Trail are contained by planted tree belts the wider population. and regenerating woodland. There are views across the valley between Watford and Tolpits Lane and from COMMUNITY VIEWS Croxleyhall Farm Common. There is a clear sense of This area is valued for its distinctive landscapes (C). tranquillity throughout much of the area. Re. watercress in 1966: ‘largest areas of production are Rarity and distinctiveness. Some of the floodplain habitats those which occur naturally below the level of an adjacent are both rare and uncommon. This is unusual in close waterway. A large expanse of what would otherwise be proximity to urban areas. waste ground is then used along the sides of the and the river Colne and their tributaries and VISUAL IMPACT in the Chess and Gade Valleys ... about one third of the Mineral extraction has changed the character of much of total amount marketed in is delivered from the landscape. Restoration has created a different but Hertfordshire.’ (in ‘Watercress-growing in Hertfordshire’, attractive area. The area is locally degraded by a number of Herts Countryside, Vol. 20, No. 82, Feb 1966, pp 232-33). unkempt or insensitively located industrial buildings and sites, including the industrial estate adjacent to Croxley Hall LANDSCAPE RELATED DESIGNATIONS Common. Pylons across the Common also detract from the SSSI: Croxley Common Moor. area. Some of the built forms are attractive, e.g. Springwell SAM: Oxhey Hall moated site and The Manor of the More. locks.

CONDITION ROBUSTNESS Land cover change: localised Impact of landform: apparent Age structure of tree cover: mature or young Impact of land cover: prominent Extent of semi-natural habitat survival: fragmented Impact of historic pattern: interrupted Management of semi-natural habitat: variable Visibility from outside: locally visible Survival of cultural pattern: interrupted Sense of enclosure: partial Impact of built development: moderate Visual unity: coherent Impact of land-use change: moderate Distinctiveness/rarity: unusual

Strengthen Conserve Safeguard and and and reinforce strengthen manage

Improve Improve Conserve and and and reinforce conserve restore MODERATE

CONDITION Restore Improve condition Reconstruct and to maintain POORrestore GOOD character

WEAK MODERATE STRONG STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

South Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment pg 31 CROXLEY MOOR summary assessment evaluation guidelines area 5

STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND CONSERVE • promote sustainable and integrated multiple uses for gravel pits and canals • resist further development on the floodplain or the loss of grassland and other semi/natural habitats • promote opportunities to enhance the nature conservation value of riparian habitats and their importance as a wildlife corridor • encourage the establishment of buffer strips of semi- natural vegetation along all watercourses, avoiding potential conflict with recreational use • control erosion and pollution of water bodies, canals and water courses • avoid the construction of flood management or retention features that would be difficult to integrate into the natural landscape of such areas • improve the management of old meadows and pastures by ceasing fertiliser and herbicide application and introducing sensitive grassland management such as late hay cutting and low-density livestock grazing • encourage retention of traditional grazing patterns • improve management of formal recreational areas, including school grounds, to enhance their river valley setting and the biodiversity interest • support sympathetic management of key habitats including Croxley Common Moor, and consider extending to other suitable sites • manage waterside tree population, particularly those that are shortlived, by selective felling, coppicing, pollarding and replanting on a rotation basis to maintain tree cover • consider viability of restoring the Withy Beds as a productive site • promote the management of watercress beds for nature conservation • support woodland management of woodlands on valley slopes • promote woodland planting to screen unsightly development within or adjacent to the area • promote greater opportunities for public access throughout the area, providing links to existing routes

• Batchworth Heath (J. Billingsley)

pg 32 South Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment