Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Character Assessment 1:90,000 0 2.25 4.5 9 Kilometers January 2018 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Context 1.2 Landscape Partnership Area 1.3 Structure of the Report 1.4 Acknowledgements 2.0 EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE 2.1 General 2.2 Physical Influences 2.3 Human Influences 2.4 Landscape Scale Habitats 2.5 Access and Recreation 2.6 Tranquil Areas 3.0 THE CHARACTER OF THE LANDSCAPE TODAY 3.1 General 3.2 Approach to Characterisation 3.3 Wooded Chalk Downland (A) A1 - Ashmore Wooded Chalk Downland A2 - Rushmore Park & Chase Woods Wooded Chalk Downland A3 - Stonedown Wood to Vernditch Chase Wooded Chalk Downland 3.4 Chalk Escarpment (B) B1 - Melbury to Blandford Chalk Escarpment B2 - Win Green to Bowerchalke Chalk Escarpment B3 - Donhead St. Andrew to Fovant Chalk Escarpment 3.5 Open Chalk Downland (C) C1 - Chettle to Woodyates Open Chalk Downland C2 - Martin Down to Coombe Bissett Down Open Chalk Downland 3.6 Downland Hills (D) D1 - Pentridge Hill Downland Hills Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley January 2018 Landscape Character Assessment 11126101-LCA-F-2018-01-08-V2 Chris Blandford Associates 3.7 Broad Chalk River Valley Slopes (E) E1 - Upper Ebble/Chalke River Valley Slopes E2 - Lower Ebble/Chalke River Valley Slopes 3.8 Broad Chalk River Valley Floor (F) F1 - Lower Ebble/Chalke River Valley Floor 3.9 Narrow Chalk River Valley (G) G1 - Tarrant, Crichel, Gussage, Crane and Allen Narrow Chalk River Valleys 3.10 Greensand Terrace (H) 4.0 WHAT MAKES CRANBORNE CHASE & CHALKE VALLEY DISTINCTIVE? 4.1 General 4.2 The Special Qualities of the Landscape Partnership Area BIBLIOGRAPHY FIGURES 1.1 The Landscape Partnership Area 2.1 Topography and Hydrology 2.2 Geology 2.3 The Cranborne Chase Medieval Hunting Area 2.4 Historic Landscape Character 2.5 Historic Sites, Monuments and Designations 2.6 Wildlife Habitats 2.7 Biodiversity Designations 2.8 Access and Recreation 2.9 Tranquil Areas 3.1 Landscape Character Types 3.2 Local Landscape Character Areas 4.1 Significant Features of the Landscape Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley January 2018 Landscape Character Assessment 11126101-LCA-F-2018-01-08-V2 Chris Blandford Associates 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Context 1.1.1 This Landscape Character Assessment was commissioned in 2017 by the Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership to support a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Landscape Partnership programme, which provides grants for the conservation and enjoyment of areas of distinctive landscape character. The study was prepared by Chris Blandford Associates (CBA). 1.1.2 The overall aim of the Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme is to enable a wide range of people to engage in the conservation and enjoyment of the area’s historic, natural and cultural landscapes. 1.1.3 The purpose of this study is to provide a Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) of the area to inform the Partnership’s Landscape Conservation Action Plan to be submitted in support of the HLF bid. The objectives of the LCA are twofold: • To provide an up-to-date and consistent technical assessment of the Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley landscape by developing a classification and descriptions of locally distinctive landscape character areas; evaluating the key qualities, forces for change and sensitivity of the character areas to change; and providing guidelines for protecting, conserving and enhancing the distinctive characteristics of the areas. Particular emphasis is given to how the historical development of the area and its habitats contribute to the current character of the landscape. • To develop a non-technical, accessible and simple narrative that brings the story of the historic evolution and current character of the Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley landscape to life. This is intended to help improve people’s understanding of the area’s unique sense of place and its importance as a cultural landscape and their connections to it, and encourage greater participation in conserving and enhancing the special qualities of the landscape for future generations to enjoy. 1.1.4 The study was undertaken in accordance with the principles of Natural England’s Approach to Landscape Character Assessment (2014), taking into account current best practice. The study was informed by feedback from consultation on the draft LCA with local stakeholders and the projects’ partners. January 2018 3 Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Character Assessment 11126101-LCA-F-2018-01-08-V2 Chris Blandford Associates 1.1.5 The LCA informs, and should be read in conjunction with, the following other studies commissioned to support the Landscape Partnership Scheme: • Heritage Compendium • Biodiversity Permeability Mapping • Interpretation Strategy • Audience Development Strategy 1.1.6 Together, these documents provide the evidence base for many of the projects and the delivery partners’ activities set out in the Landscape Conservation Action Plan. 1.2 Landscape Partnership Area 1.2.1 In accordance with the HLF’s Landscape Partnerships Application Guidance (2013), Landscape Partnership Areas should have ‘a distinctive landscape character, recognised and valued by local people’ in terms of ‘the built and natural heritage, management practices and the range of cultural heritage associated with the area’. The HLF’s Guidance also advises that the scheme boundary area should normally not exceed 200km2, unless there is clear justification for doing so. 1.2.2 As shown on Figure 1.1, the Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership Area covers 265km2. The boundary of the Landscape Partnership Area has been defined with reference to the topography, geology and soils, which in turn have influenced the distinctive historic patterns of settlement and field enclosure, and chalk grassland and woodland habitats associated with successive periods of agricultural land use. 1.2.3 Located in southwest England, the Landscape Partnership Area is within the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which lies within the extensive chalklands that stretch north-eastwards from the Dorset coast to Salisbury. The AONB is a strongly rural area with scattered villages and narrow roads, and no large settlements. 1.2.4 The Landscape Partnership Area encompasses an historic borderland, where the ancient shire boundaries of Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire coincide. It is dominated by four distinct but interrelated chalk landscape types: the unusual wooded chalk downland of the Cranborne Chase; dramatic chalk escarpments; open chalk downland and the broad chalk river valley landscape of the Chalke Valley. January 2018 4 Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Character Assessment 11126101-LCA-F-2018-01-08-V2 Chris Blandford Associates KEY Wilton Landscape Partnership Area Tisbury Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty County Boundary Main Roads Broad Chalke WILTSHIRE Shaftesbury HAMPSHIRE Martin N 'Warminster 0 4 8km Ashmore Tollard Royal Salisbury Tisbury ' ' Sixpenny Shaftesbury Handley ' Fordingbridge ' DORSET Blandford Forum ' Ringwood ' Wimborne Minster ' Provisional Cranborne Chase Cranborne Chase Area of Landscape Partnership Area Outstanding Natural Beauty County Boundary Dorset Area of Outstanding Fordingbridge New Forest National Park Natural Beauty N 01.5 3 Kilometres © Crown copyright and database rights 2017 Ordnance Survey 100031673 CRANBORNE CHASE & CHALKE VALLEY LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT FIGURE 1.1 CRANBORNE CHASE & CHALKE VALLEY LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP THE LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP AREA January 2018 11126101-LCA-Figs-F-2018-01-08-V2 1.2.5 The Landscape Partnership Area focuses on the traditional heart (known as the ‘inner bounds’ – see Figure 2.3) of the Cranborne Chase Medieval royal hunting grounds, together with the river valley to the north known locally as the Chalke Valley. 1.2.6 The special hunting laws rigorously applied to protect the inner bounds of Cranborne Chase were not dissolved until 1829. This has led to the high level of survival of Medieval land use patterns, woodland archaeology and a wealth of archaeological sites (including important Prehistoric, Roman and Saxon features), in addition to extensive tracts of ancient woodland and lowland calcareous grassland habitats. 1.2.7 There have long been historical, natural and social links between the inner bounds of Cranborne Chase and the Chalke Valley. Historic Medieval parishes in this area provided a slice of river bottom, valley sides and open downland grazing beyond. People have traditionally worked and travelled across the valley onto the downland areas as well as along the valley bottoms, a story which continues today. 1.2.8 The Landscape Partnership Area lies between the market towns of Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum, on the western edge, and the village of Coombe Bissett on the east. This is a deeply rural, sparsely populated area of 11,000 people. A further 60,000 people live in the adjacent market towns. Just under half a million people live within half an hour’s drive in the conurbation of Poole/Bournemouth/Christchurch. The area covers all or part of 30 modern parishes, and includes the villages of Sixpenny Handley, Tollard Royal, Ashmore, Berwick St John, Broad Chalke, Iwerne Minster, Bishopstone, Coombe Bissett, Tarrant Gunville, Bowerchalke and Martin. 1.2.9 The Landscape Partnership Area is bounded on the western and northern sides by steep chalk escarpments, including settlement along the scarp spring