©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001
| Landscape Character Assessment | HertsDirect | Environment | |||
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©Crown
Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001
This area is located between Radlett and Watford. The valley of the Colne lies to the north-west and the Borehamwood plateau to the south-east.
©Crown
Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001
An area of predominantly gently undulating arable farmland interspersed with a number of distinctive villages clustered around greens and with a good mix of vernacular buildings. Areas of grazing are prevalent in association with modest parklands on the edge of the settlements. Medium to tall hedgerows and sunken lanes help to enclose the open arable fields and retain a rural and tranquil character which only changes at the approaches to the noisy M1/A41 corridor.
East Lane hedgebank (E. Staveley)
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Geology and soils. To the north the underlying geology is a combination of plateau and river terrace drift. The soils are well-drained flinty coarse loamy and sandy over some gravels (Sonning 1 association). To the south, including Letchmore Heath, the geology is Eocene and Jurassic loam and clay with fine deep and coarse loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils and seasonal waterlogging (Bursledon association).
Topography. Within this undulating plateau area the highest ground is to the east and centre around Kemprow and the edge of Radlett. Most of the central plateau areas have minimal falls while to the edges the landform becomes more strongly undulating, e.g. at Hill north of Radlett. There are a number of sunken lanes in the core of the area.
Degree of slope. Across the plateau, slopes are typically less than 1 in 50, but on the slopes can be up to 1 in 25.
Altitude range. 70 to 100m.
Hydrology. The clay soils support a number of streams that flow off the plateau towards the Colne. There are also a number of ponds associated with farmsteads, woodlands, village greens or larger houses.
Land cover and land use. The primary land use is arable. Areas of grazing are mixed with the arable fields or found closer to individual farms, e.g. Hill Farm. These fields are often enclosed with fencing. Woodland cover is not generally significant. Aldenham golf course occupies the north-west corner of the area.
Vegetation and wildlife. Woodlands are few, being discrete and linear in character. Species include oak, hazel, ash and sycamore. In some locations Leyland cypress and poplars have been introduced as shelterbelts, but they are not in harmony with the landscape pattern. The only major woodlands are close to the M1 within the Aldenham Country Club golf course grounds. These include oak/hazel, e.g. Berrygrove, which reflects the acidic and relatively wet ground conditions, although these ancient woods now also contain areas of conifers. Where present, hedges are tall and prominent features in the landscape, with mixed species including hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple and hazel. Elm is locally very significant in this area, however many of the elms are suffering from Dutch elm disease. Field trees are locally important, particularly around and within areas of pasture which are often, but not exclusively, linked to the modest areas of parkland close to the clustered villages, e.g. Patchetts Green, Batlers Green and Edge Grove. There are a few acidic to neutral buttercup pastures remaining, e.g. Batlers Green.
Aldenham is recorded in the Domesday Book. Letchmore Heath was not recorded before the 16th century, but its name comes from the Old English word meaning 'dirty pond'.
Field pattern. The historic field pattern is one of pre-18th century organic enclosure. This pattern is largely intact, except to the north where there has been considerable 20th-century enclosure and field enlargement. Despite the continuity of the field pattern there has been considerable hedge removal in the arable areas. The hedges are best retained along the local minor roads.
Transport pattern. The historic pattern of narrow winding lanes is partly retained between the villages. The lanes are often sunken where they run down locally steeper slopes. The 'improved' B462 between Radlett and Bushey skirts the villages, but is unsympathetically planted with a mix of 100% hawthorn. Much of the area is only served by farm tracks.
Settlements and built form. In the estate farmlands the settlement is sparse and dispersed. However, the small historic villages are one of the key features of the area. Building materials include brick, clay tile and flint. Letchmore Heath is a picturesque village centred around a village green, pond and groupings of 16th and 17th-century cottages. Aldenham is centred around a leafy village green and chuch. The tower and buttresses of the parish church are unique, being made of Hertfordshire 'puddingstone', a hard conglomerate rock.
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The relatively elevated level nature of the land and the enclosing vegetation means it is only locally visible from the surrounding areas. There are some long views from the area to the north as far as St Albans cathedral. The area is generally quiet except where close to the M1. The localised decline in hedges in the arable areas opens up views to some urbanising elements.
Rarity and distinctiveness. This landscape type is frequent. The distinctive features are the small villages clustered around greens.
The M1/A41 corridor and the associated urbanising elements are well contained by the adjacent woodland and the road cutting. The sewage works on Oakridge Lane are well screened, their presence given away by the concrete access road. Two rows of pylons cross the area and detract from the rural character. Built development on the edges is generally well absorbed although there are exceptions, e.g. suburban housing in Patchets Green, the northern edge of Radlett and views to tower blocks in Watford. There has been a move from pasture to arable and to recreation at Aldenham Country Park, where the tree planting style and species are out of keeping with the traditional pattern.
There are a number of footpaths in the area. However, the links between the small villages are limited and often rely on walking down the narrow sunken lanes, which can be dangerous. Aldenham golf course lies to the north west. Batlers Green Farm Shop complex is just outside Radlett.
The greens and village landscapes in this area are significantly valued for their distinctiveness, including respondents for whom villages are not their favourite feature in the environment (C).
Re. Letchmore Heath: 'It is a suprisingly beautiful little place in view of the fact that "much of the building seems to have been around 1872"' (Hertfordshire Countryside Vol.20, No.83, March 1966).
Watling Chase Community Forest.
| CONDITION | |
|---|---|
| Land cover change: | widespread |
| Age structure of tree cover: | mixed |
| Extent of semi-natural habitat survival: | relic |
| Management of semi-natural habitat: | variable |
| Survival of cultural pattern: | declining |
| Impact of built development: | moderate |
| Impact of land-use change: | high |
| ROBUSTNESS | |
| Impact of landform: | apparent |
| Impact of land cover: | prominent |
| Impact of historic pattern: | interrupted |
| Visibility from outside: | locally visible |
| Sense of enclosure: | partial |
| Visual unity: | coherent |
| Distinctiveness/rarity: | frequent |
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Aerial view of Batlers Green (Environmental Land Management Service (Rural
Estates) HCC)
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