summary

 
©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001

LOCATION

North-west and west-facing slope south of Stevenage, between the Datchworth plateau and the linear urban development associated with the A1(M) between Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City.

 
©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER

Undulating and gently sloping, west-facing, open arable farmland. An ancient landscape with modern settlements. Large blocks of woodland (Harmergreen Wood) screen views of some of the urban development and block views to the south. This is very much an 'in between' area, still rural but exhibiting a stronger urban influence than the adjoining areas to the east and south.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

• sloping intermediate area with extensive views up to Datchworth plateau
• farms and villages linking the plateau settlements to the urban edges - a curving link between Knebworth and Digswell
• large-scale open arable farmland, lacking hedges
• large area of woodland and a few scattered blocks
• small semicircular greens along winding lanes and sunken ways

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

• sinuous open lanes, some very narrow and steeply banked
• extensive views towards Stevenage
• proximity of urban settlements (Oaklands, Knebworth)
• veteran hornbeams west of Burnham Green

Hempstall Spinney hornbeam coppice woodland (P. Shears)

assessment

PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Geology and soils. Deep fine loam and clay over slowly permeable clay subsoils, over plateau drift (Hornbeam 3 series). Superficial deposits of clay-with-flints at Woolmer Green.

Topography. Undulating west-facing slope with local variations - slight valley formation running north-south and now containing a railway, often in tunnel.

Degree of slope. 1 in 50.

Altitude range. 85m to 120m.

Hydrology. There is little water in this area; one ditch drains westwards to Hempstall Spinney but the local topography discourages any northwards drainage into Stevenage Brook. There are some springs. Mardleybury Pond is one of the few waterbodies in this area.

Land cover and land use. Open arable farmland and woodland.

Vegetation and wildlife. Although the cropped fields generally lack hedges, the woodlands are of interest, being generally oak/hornbeam with holly. Hempstall Spinney is coppiced hornbeam with hornbeam standards, with a ground flora of bluebells and mixed hornbeam and holly around the perimeter. Nearby lanes lie between steep hedgebanks supporting a wide range of chalk-loving wildflowers. Remnants of old commons (Barns Green) and isolated greens with old grasslands (Sedge Green) are typical of the area, with remnant pasture and little grazing greens as semi-circular verge details along the lanes. To the west of Burnham Green there are several veteran hornbeams.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES

Pevsner refers to a site at Six Hills, south of Stevenage, with Roman barrows. This area of arable farmland with associated farm buildings and of hamlets developed as outliers of the plateau or valley settlements and enlarged during the 20th century.

Field pattern. Most of the former field pattern has been lost as fields have been enlarged during arable intensification.

Transport pattern. Within this area there is a strong network of winding lanes linking the villages to the larger plateau settlements. The B197 runs parallel to the railway on the western edge, between Mardley Heath and Knebworth, through Woolmer Green. The Roman road between Welwyn and Watton has dwindled here to a lane and a footpath.

Settlements and built form. Datchworth, Woolmer and Harmer Greens are the settlements in this area and the 'green' suffix denotes their evolution as outliers of larger settlements.

Woolmer Green benefits from natural springs, around which the manor of Mardley Bury developed. Its population was swelled by railway workers after 1851 and it has a more urban character than most of the villages in this part of Hertfordshire.

Datchworth Green consists of 19th and 20th-century cottages around an extensive green, but is a considerably older settlement than this suggests.

Harmer Green is similar in character to Burnham Green, on the plateau, but changes noticeably where it becomes Digswell. The former is small scale, domestic and rural, while the latter is gradually larger in scale, still in woodland but with a much denser, more urban character, linking with Welwyn.

evaluation

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION

The variable topography and extensive woodland in this area serve to block long-distance views within and outside this area, adding to its character as an 'in between' area, remote yet close to the urban centres along the A1(M), rural yet influenced by the proximity of the 20th-century developments around Welwyn. There is a certain uneasiness to this area, a conflict between old and new.

Rarity and distinctiveness. Hempstall Spinney is a good example of hornbeam coppice with standards. The UK contains nearly 25% of the world total of bluebell woods, of which this is a good example. The impact of housing on the rural landscape is very typical of the county.

VISUAL IMPACT

Much of the urban impact of the A1(M) and associated development is screened in this area by topography and woodland. Despite this there is an underlying sense of the encroachment of urban influence.

ACCESSIBILITY

Noted recreational land uses: none

There are footpath links between Hamer Green and Oaklands, but little elsewhere

COMMUNITY VIEWS

This area is valued as a distinctive landscape (C)

LANDSCAPE RELATED DESIGNATIONS

A mix of Landscape Development Area and Landscape Conservation Area.

 

CONDITION
Land cover change:	localised
Age structure of tree cover:	mature
Extent of semi-natural habitat survival:	fragmented
Management of semi-natural habitat:	not obvious
Survival of cultural pattern:	declining
Impact of built development:	high
Impact of land-use change:	low
ROBUSTNESS
Impact of landform:	prominent
Impact of land cover:	prominent
Impact of historic pattern:	interrupted
Visibility from outside:	concealed
Sense of enclosure:	contained
Visual unity:	incoherent
Distinctiveness/rarity:	unusual

guidelines

STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND CONSERVE

• integration of new development within the historic landscape fabric is a priority in this area. The use of woodland planting to screen new/recent development as well as to create ecological corridors linking to existing woods should be carefully considered
• any proposed development in this area should respect its character and reflect current land use.
• encourage landowners and tenant farmers to reinstate historic hedges and maintain relic hedges where appropriate, preferably alongside public rights of way and significant field boundaries rather than along roadsides. The open views within this area are part of its distinctiveness.
• encourage landowners and tenant farmers to create and manage verges for their biodiversity and wildlife interest. Similarly, where the reinstatement of former hedges is held to be inappropriate, consideration could be given to the creation of beetle banks, nature conservation headlands and other biodiversity initiatives. Advice and possible grant aid may be available.
• proposals for new woodland planting should focus on existing woodlands with a view to creating buffer zones around them and links to other woodlands or areas of nature conservation interest (grasslands, etc.). All woodland planting should be of native species of local provenance, to reinforce local distinctiveness.

Datchworth Green Post Office historic building reflecting age of settlement (P. Shears)