The Cheshire Historic Landscape Characterisation Rob Edwards Cheshire County Council & English Heritage The Cheshire Historic Landscape Characterisation Final Report November 2007 (Minor revisions December 2008) Transport & Regeneration Service Cheshire County Council Backford Hall Backford Chester CH1 6PZ © Cheshire County Council & English Heritage 2007 Front Cover: Peckforton and Beeston Castles © Cheshire County Council & Mike Wellman The Cheshire Historic Landscape Characterisation Contents Acknowledgements......................................................................................................1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................3 The Project Area: An Introduction ................................................................................9 HLC Classification......................................................................................................19 Settlement..................................................................................................................21 Managing Historic Settlements...............................................................................25 Woodland...................................................................................................................29 Managing Woodland Heritage ................................................................................37 Non-improved Land....................................................................................................43 Managing Non-improved Landscapes....................................................................49 Ornamental Landscapes............................................................................................53 Managing Historic Ornamental Landscapes...........................................................59 Ancient Fieldscapes...................................................................................................63 Managing Ancient Fieldscapes...............................................................................87 Post Medieval Fieldscapes ........................................................................................93 Managing Post Medieval Fieldscapes ..................................................................123 C20th Fieldscapes ...................................................................................................131 Managing C20th Fieldscapes ...............................................................................141 Military......................................................................................................................145 Managing the Military Heritage.............................................................................149 Communications ......................................................................................................153 Managing the Historic Communication Network...................................................157 Industry ....................................................................................................................161 Managing the Industrial Heritage..........................................................................171 Recreation................................................................................................................177 Managing the Recreational Heritage ....................................................................179 Water Bodies............................................................................................................183 Managing the Historical Aspects of Water Bodies................................................185 Select Bibliography ..................................................................................................189 Copyright Information...............................................................................................197 The Cheshire Historic Landscape Characterisation Figures Figure 1: The Location of the Project Area ..................................................................3 Figure 2: Countryside Character Areas........................................................................5 Figure 3: Topography...................................................................................................9 Figure 4: HLC Groups in the Modern Landscape ......................................................19 Figure 5: Great Budworth, Cheshire. .........................................................................21 Figure 6: The Modern Extent of the Settlement HLC Group ......................................22 Figure 7: Cheshire Ancient Woodland .......................................................................29 Figure 8: The Modern Extent of the Woodland HLC Group .......................................30 Figure 9: Evidence for the Extent of Woodland in the Medieval Period .....................33 Figure 10: Burton marshes.........................................................................................43 Figure 11:The Modern Extent of the Non-improved HLC Group................................44 Figure 12: Eaton Park near Chester ..........................................................................53 Figure 13: The Modern Extent of the Ornamental Landscapes HLC Group ..............54 Figure 14: The Evidence for Medieval and Early Post Medieval Deer Parks.............56 Figure 15: Ancient Field Systems at Coddington, Cheshire.......................................63 Figure 16: The Modern Extent of the Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group .....................64 Figure 17: Open Field Arable .....................................................................................66 Figure 18: The Historic Extent of the Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group .....................68 Figure 19: The Composition of the Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group ........................69 Figure 20: The Composition of the Ancient Field Systems HLC Type .......................69 Figure 21: Origins of the Ancient Fieldscapes Group ................................................70 Figure 22: The Presence of Marl Pits in the Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group ..........71 Figure 23: The Presence of Ridge & Furrow in the Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group71 Figure 24: Ancient Fieldscapes: Interpretative Areas ................................................72 Figure 25: Area A.......................................................................................................72 Figure 26: Area B.......................................................................................................74 Figure 27: Area C.......................................................................................................75 Figure 28: Area D.......................................................................................................75 Figure 29: Area E.......................................................................................................77 Figure 30: Area F .......................................................................................................78 Figure 31: Area G.......................................................................................................79 Figure 32: Area H.......................................................................................................79 Figure 33: Area I ........................................................................................................80 Figure 34: Area J........................................................................................................81 Figure 35: Area K.......................................................................................................82 Figure 36: Area L .......................................................................................................83 Figure 37: Area M ......................................................................................................84 Figure 38: Ancient Fieldscapes HLC Group; Field Size.............................................85 Figure 39: Post Medieval Field Systems of the Peak Fringe .....................................93 Figure 40: The Modern Extent of the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group ..........94 Figure 41: The Historic Extent of the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group...........96 Figure 42: Origins of the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group..............................98 Figure 43: The Composition of the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group............100 Figure 44: The composition of the C19th Field Systems HLC Type ........................102 Figure 45: The composition of the Post Medieval Field Systems HLC Type ...........102 Figure 46: The Presence of Marl Pits in the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group ..........................................................................................................................104 Figure 47: The Presence of Ridge & Furrow in the Post Medieval Fieldscapes HLC Group................................................................................................................104 Figure 48: Post Medieval Fieldscapes: Interpretative Areas....................................105 Figure 49: Area A.....................................................................................................106 Figure 50: Area B.....................................................................................................107 Figure 51: Area C.....................................................................................................108