4C: BEAULIEU OPEN HEATH
Open heath at Wormstall Hill, expansive open landscape – with occasional furze /
gorse and varying amounts of heather.
Open heath meets heath associated Angling at Hatchett pond created by Controlled burning is an important
small holdings and dwellings at damming clay diggings – © Jim part of the heather management ©
Champion Geograph
Jim Champion Geograph
Broomhill.
Bronze Age barrows are
covered with gorse making
more prominent in this
landscape; Laurence’s Barrow
Champion Geograph
often Campsite at Roundhill – surrounding Commoners cattle have right of way
them inclosures help limit the visibility of on the highway – Turgcutters Arms
open the campsite © Jim Champion East Boldre © Jim Champion
Geograph.
© Jim Geograph
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
1
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
2
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
1.0
1.1
Location and Boundaries
The extent of poor sandy
soils and landcover of
continuous
tracts
of
heather and gorse broken
only by woodland or pines
growing singly or in clumps
or along the upper part of
the
Beaulieu
stream
corridor
defines
this
character
area.
The
boundary
extends
to
include the small holdings
and dwellings on the edge
of the heath outside the
perambulation of the New Forest on the south and east sides.
1.2
Component County Landscape Types
Open heath
1.3
Composition of Borough/District LCAs:
New Forest District Council (includes Hampshire part of the New Forest
National Park)
Beaulieu Heath
The boundary is aligned closely with the District level assessment apart from this
area includes the plantations at Newlands and Beckheath as they are considered to
be visually part of the same landscape.
1.4
Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas:
NCA 131: New Forest
NA 77 New Forest
2.0
Key Characteristics
•
Gently undulating plateau of predominantly open heath, bog and occasional
woodland with small holdings on the southern and eastern edges.
•
Short small streams e.g. the Crockford and open bodies of water most notably
Hatchett pond and boggy hollows and wet flushes.
•
Large expanse of open lowland heath grazed by ponies with small isolated
clumps pine trees and furze.
•
Large area of open access land which feels natural and peaceful.
•
Occasional distant views to the Isle of Wight and Fawley complex.
•
Dominated by lowland heath which is recognised by designation as
internationally important habitat.
•
Bronze Age burial mounds are visible archaeology features.
•
Open forest landscape which has been stable in appearance and subject to little
change, during Forest Law to the current day.
•
Settlement form of linear low density detached small holdings and modest
sized properties which face onto the heath confined to the south and east
sides.
3.0
Physical Characteristics and Land Use
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
3
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
3.1
An elevated gently domed landscape sandwiched between the Lymington and
Beaulieu valleys. Geologically the area is underlain by the Barton Group of
predominantly sand formations including Headon Beds, Becton, Charma and Barton
Clay. This sandy geology is overlain extensively by plateau gravels. These shelly clay
areas impede drainage and produce conditions for small ponds and bog areas. The
marine deposits laid down in the Tertiary period include a sequence of clays of
international importance, including the Barton formation – it is rich in molluscun and
associated fossil faunas56. The extent of this character area is mirrored by the
distribution of the ‘Bolderwood’ soil a naturally vary acid coarse loam over clayey
soils with a bleached subsurface horizon – subject to seasonal waterlogging. There
are humose or peaty surfaces typically with some flints which are agriculturally very
poor.
3.2
The predominant landcover is open heath, mire and bog. The land is managed
through the historical continuation of common grazing at low intensity. Specific
controlled heather management burning takes place periodically. There is a small
inclosure of ancient woodland and ornamental woodland at Norley. There is very
little built development and that which does occur is on the south and eastern edges
as detached houses of various form and ages.
3.3
There are frequent small short streams and boggy shallow valleys and ponds. The
Crockford stream in the flows into the Sawley river. There are some areas where
the drainage has been improved by herring bone drainage such as Dibden bottom or
areas formalised into ponds such as at Hatchet pond. The dark acidic waters of
these streams are and enduring feature of this landscape.
4.0
4.1
Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics
Large scale expansive views across predominantly open heath, ending in wooded
horizons and piecemeal small holding development to the south and east give rise to
a visually contained landscape. The predominantly open and expansive character is
broken up by gentle undulations and hollows or ‘bottoms’ and low ridges. Although
elevated, there are few visual links with the Solent and Isle of Wight.
4.2
This landscape is full of access opportunities being open access land – with a
network of informal tracks leading from numerous parking facilities. There are a few
rights of way outside the area of open heath while bridleways and footpaths in
adjoining character areas terminate on the open heath boundary.
4.3
There is an overwhelming sense of tranquillity due to a high degree of perceived
naturalness and lack of fields and intensive agriculture. The lack of development and
fast road traffic makes the area particularly quiet. Summer visitor traffic can lower
the feeling of tranquillity.
5.0
5.1
Biodiversity Character
The majority of this landscape character area is covered by internationally important
habitats forming part of the wider New Forest RAMSAR and SAC. Habitat types
include: Wet and dry heaths, valley mires including alkaline fens, transition mires,
quaking bogs, and Rhynchosporion habitat. There is also wet and dry acid grassland,
wood pasture, beech woodland, oak woodland, riverine woodland (alluvial forest)
and bog woodland, rivers, streams, oligotrophic and temporary ponds and Inclosure
woodland managed for silviculture. The New Forest SSSI extends across the same
geographical areas as the SAC and covers the largest area of unsown vegetation in
lowland England and includes the representation on a large scale of habitat
formations formerly common but now fragmented and rare in lowland western
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
4
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
Europe. Nowhere else do these habitats occur in combination and on so large a
scale.
5.2
This landscape also contains the Norley Copse and Meadow SSSI which comprises a
small unimproved highly species-rich grazing meadow and the adjacent woodland
known as Norley Copse. The SSSI also includes the Crockford stream, a clear
unpolluted water course which links the two major habitat features. The meadow
exhibits a mixture of lime-loving species together with neutral or acid-loving species
in the more leached areas. Dyer’s greenweed is abundant in parts of the meadow,
and other notable species include the heath dog-violet, sneezewort, yellow
loosestrife, narrow-leaved lungwort, spotted and marsh orchids, and the pale sedge
Carex pallescens. The flora totals some 140 species of higher plants. The meadow is
particularly rich in invertebrates with, amongst other things, eight species of
dragonfly, large numbers of green hairstreak butterflies, a rare picture-winged fly and
a very local crab spider. The copse is predominantly oak woodland with hazel
coppice. The flora is significantly richer than most woods in the wider New Forest
area because of the comparatively base-rich soils and the absence of grazing by
commoners’ animals, to which the Forest woodlands are subject.
5.3
Within the designated areas and also beyond, the heathland habitat is predominantly
dry heath, sometimes existing in mosaic with acid grassland. There is also a
significant resource of wet heath and these three types of heathland tend to exist
together, in a mosaic with strips and patches of unimproved acidic grassland and
dense scrub. Bracken is much more limited here than elsewhere where heathland is
a dominant habitat. Woodland is varied in type with patches of broadleaved
woodland existing on the peripheries of the heath with coniferous plantation and
mixed woodlands. The woodland tends to separate the heath from the wider
landscape. There are occasional patches of amenity grassland and gardens which
provide further habitat diversity and opportunity.
5.4
This landscape character area is covered by the New Forest BOA which indicates
high opportunity for restoring and linking heathland, grassland and woodland habitats
and linking to the coastal habitats.
5.5
There are a few SINCs in this landscape character area, most are designated for
their ancient and semi-natural woodland resource.
6.0
6.1
6.1.1
Historic Character
Archaeology
Although there are no Mesolithic finds within the character area, it falls within a
general area of the New Forest that is being exploited by hunter gathering in this
period and would also have been utilised. This is also true in the Neolithic despite
no direct evidence, and it is likely that this area was exploited for hunting and
grazing.
6.1.2
In the Bronze Age a considerable number of burial mounds reveal that this landscape
was used and valued, but the absence of settlement sites presumably reflects its
continued extensive not intensive use. Boiling mounds have also been found here
and possibly a Bronze Age enclosure on the heath, which may be stock enclosure of
some sort. Unusually there is a small settlement enclosure on the heath during the
Iron Age and there are no Roman sites in the area.
6.1.3.
The New Forest was declared a Royal hunting reserve by William 1. Forest Law
meant that erecting fences to keep out deer was not permitted. Thus is both the
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
5
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
Saxon and Medieval period this area remained as heath and there was no settlement.
Overall it seems most likely that the area has only ever been extensively exploited
and has never been settled.
6.2
6.2.1
Historic Landscape
The patterns in this landscape seen today reflect the continuity of open heath and
changes which took place in the medieval and post medieval periods. Formal
cultivation was not possible - but inhabitants had commoner’s grazing rights which
consisted of wood pasture and grazing on the open heaths. Small fields, for winter
hay were associated with a very few smallholdings in this area such as at Home Farm
nr Ashurst, Ipley manor, Culverley Farm and Holbury. These tended to be areas of
purlieus commonly of at least post medieval origin, the latter may have extended
over what is now Holbury.
6.2.2
From the 15th century the management of the Forest’s coppices turned away from
the subsistent coppice with standard management to the growth of timber
principally for ship construction. Acts of enclosure were passed from the end of the
17th century to take open forest land into this use. In this character area the areas
tended to be small. There appears to have been little inclosure at time of the OSD
mapping in the early 19th century and the first edition mapping in the early part of
the second half of the 19th century shows Norley as being enclosed. However the
early 20th century intensification of the inclosure process which affected other New
Forest heath landscapes did not spread this far south.
6.2.3
A WW2 airfield at Ladycross Walk is now disused but the historic track network in
this area has been lost because of this development. Overall although there are no
extensive and overt modern landscape uses in this character area, there are
frequent informal, treed car parking areas set short distances from roads.
6.3
6.3.1
Built Environment
The road network is sparse but most of the roads are characteristically very
straight, with no fencing, pavements or raised kerbs and very few signs mounted on
poles. The lane network is less direct in the lowland mosaic heath associated
landscape on the edge of the character area.
6.3.2
The pattern of development is confined to a distinctive linear pattern of residential
properties and former houses associated with small holdings. All houses face onto
the heath and there is a variety of ages indicating infill at various times. There are
small Forest edge hamlets such as Norley wood and East end on the south edge of
the character area of medieval origin which still retain their traditional low density of
detached and individual character houses. Despite this development traditional
forms are still apparent including whitewashed walled thatched cottages with small
windows and traditional red brick.
6.3.3
There are few farmsteads and most have retained their small scale nature and
survive as small holdings. Norley farm is a good example where it is set in a system
of ancient enclosure purlieus.
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
6
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
EVALUATION
7.0
Forces for Change
1. Changes in plantation forest land management and commoner’s grazing
patterns.
2. Probable increase in demand for access and recreation.
3. Potential new vertical structures especially in the adjoining character area
to the east.
4. Climate change especially unpredictable weather fluctuations and increased
likely hood of storms.
5. Incremental but cumulative effect of settlement infill, edge and backland
development – particularly on the Forest edge.
KEY QUALITIES AND EFFECTS OF FORCES
7.1
An extremely unusual example in lowland Britain of a surviving extensive tract of
ancient, predominantly unenclosed working Forest landscape with a significant
concentration of visible Bronze Age burial mounds and indications of past settlement;
adding to the tangible sense of considerable time depth of low intensity management.
FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES
CHANGE:
1.2
Threats:
Viability of commoning culture and traditional grazing land management on the open heath.
Loss of commoning culture and traditional skills.
Forcing out of commoners and sale to those not interested in taking on the role of
commoning resulting in loss of back up grazing land adjoining the open Forest.
Opportunities:
Need to guarantee adequate resourcing for Verderers and Agisters and continuation or
similar of The Verderer’s countryside stewardship scheme after 2013.
The majority of the character area was under Countryside Stewardship in 2007.
Commoners in the New Forest have more Environmental Stewardship tiers available to
them than in other areas – opportunities should be sought to recognise and conserve this
unique open forest historic landscape for example by looking into assisting commoners in
acquiring forest-edge smallholdings, in order to maintain common grazing practises and the
resulting traditional landscape.
Raise awareness and uniqueness of the commoning way of life and involve local groups and
parishes in valuing this aspect in local level assessment and parish planning.
Support initiatives like Forest Friendly Farming which has a wide variety of projects among
which support traditional ways of life and land management.
7.2
Large expanse of open lowland heath forming part of a larger mosaic of heath related
habitats, of international importance.
FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES
CHANGE:
All
Threats:
Not achieving the right intensity of grazing management to retain the open heathparticularly not overgrazing this habitat.
Need to guarantee adequate resourcing for Verderers and Agisters and continuation or
similar of The Verderer’s countryside stewardship scheme after 2013.
Climate change, weather extremes particularly affecting ephemeral ponds, stream water
levels, isolated small woodland and water table heights for various heathland sites island
sites being more vulnerable than larger connected sites.
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
7
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
Opportunities:
There are priorities for habitat restoration and management including habitat linking for
lowland heath, acid grassland, purple moor grass and rush pastures, wet woodland.
Continuation of stream management water levels (now EU Life project is finished)
especially holding water levels up, and channel profile management for the Crockford
stream and associated damp habitats.
Large scale heathland habitat restoration through externally funded projects.
Build on partnership/multi agency approach to on the ground heathland habitat
management projects as there are so many interested parties in this landscape.
Influence River Catchment Flood plans for the Beaulieu river.
Support BOA target habitats for conservation, habitat linking, creation and reversion
opportunities for lowland heath, lowland dry acid grassland, purple moor grass and rush
pastures, lowland meadow and to a lesser extent in this character area, lowland mixed
deciduous woodland and wet woodland.
7.3
This is a tranquil landscape with a high degree of wildness, natural beauty and cultural
interest, characterised by a remote and exposed feel, with long views to the Isle of Wight
and wooded horizons and expansive skies with a large expanse of open access land.
FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES
CHANGE:
1.2.3
Threats:
Recreation facilities including car parks, picnic spots, campsites and visitor facilities can
reduce the sense of remoteness and tranquillity.
There is a heavy reliance on access by car to visit the New Forest affecting tranquillity.
Imbalance between recreational pressures and damage to fragile habitats and reducing
sense of wildness.
Potential additional visual intrusion from vertical structures along Southampton Water.
Night time light pollution/spill from the Waterside parishes is of particular concern because
of the openness of this landscape and its proximity to light emitting sources e.g. Fawley.
There is a shortage of accessible landscape outside the New Forest and close to settlement
which transfers pressure onto the open access land of character areas like this one within
the National Park.
Opportunities:
The island woodland and plantations sites are often used as the setting to the car parking
facilities and ensuring the long term screening these provide needs to be safeguarded and
their capacity to accommodate more visitor cars could be assessed.
Local level testing with interest groups of the CPRE 2006 tranquillity mapping could add to
understanding as to what element specifically contribute or detract from tranquillity as high
tranquillity is so fundamental to this landscape.
Reversion of conifer plantation to broadleaves and pasture wood such as Norley wood will
potentially increase perception of wildness.
Ensuring access to more area of landscape close to settlement, outside the National Park
could alleviate some of the recreational pressures on this landscape.
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
8
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath
7.4
A predominantly undeveloped landscape with the linear common edge settlement of
Boldre and in the sooth small settlements with occasional isolated farmsteads and few
roads.
FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES
CHANGE:
3
Threats:
Pressure to fence roads against grazing animals increasing the visual impact of the roads,
potentially making speeding more likely and restricting open access and grazing animal
movements.
Recognise the that in particular that further changes to the linear settlement of East Boldre
in terms of further infill and backland development would have a detrimental effect on the
landscape as it cuts across much of this landscape.
Susceptibility of farmsteads to conversion to residential seems to have affected a few of the
farms in the character area especially considering their very desirable location, pressure is
going to continue.
Potential of visual intrusion of settlements expansion adjoining the character area should be
thoroughly considered and also in the context of future land management e.g. the effect of
felling in adjoining woodland areas.
Opportunities:
Raise awareness of different settlement morphologies in local level assessments – and
promote understanding of where changes could radically alter settlement impact on the
open Forest and traditional built form.
Promoting local produce/farm shop and other value added initiatives to aid farm survival.
The successful ethos to highway design in the Forest which encourages low visual impact,
low traffic speed and minimal clutter should be upheld and seen in context with the
pressure to provide access and enjoyment opportunities.
Hampshire County
Integrated Character Assessment
9
Status: Final May 2012
Beaulieu Open Heath