©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
Shallow bowl bounded by the western Beane valley slopes to the east, the Panshanger estate to the south and the higher ground beyond Bramfield to the north and west.
©Crown
Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001
A very gently undulating to flat area of open arable land, unsettled and with little woodland. It is enclosed to the north west by the wooded ridge of the Tewin-Datchworth plateau and by river valleys to south (Mimram) and east (Rib).
Bramfield post office (P. Shears)
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Geology and soils. Deep, well-drained fine loamy and sandy soils, locally flinty, over glaciofluvial drift. (Ludford series).
Topography. Flat to very gently undulating.
Degree of slope. 1 in 120.
Altitude range. 70m to 80m.
Hydrology. This area is bounded to the east by the valley of the river Beane and there is one eastward-flowing ditch or stream within it. The Bramfield swallowhole is unique. A spring at one end of a wet grassland field rises to form a stream which then disappears down a hole at the opposite end of the field. This is the source for Goldings canal (see Beane valley character area description).
Land cover and land use. This area consists mainly of open arable farmland, with a few large blocks of woodland (Priests Wood) and small areas of pasture. On its eastern edge there is a large mineral extraction site, which is being restored as a nature reserve. Elsewhere a small extraction site has been backfilled and restored to arable cultivation.
Vegetation and wildlife. The few woodland blocks in this area tend to be large and prominent, the more so for the surrrounding lack of hedges, with some blocks of ancient woodland. Species are sweet chestnut, beech coppice and hornbeam, with standard oaks, also field maple, hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn and elder. Within the woodland the almost calcareous conditions give rise to a bluebell and orchid ground flora, despite the clay. Field boundaries are marked by hedgebanks.
The pre-20th century pattern of this area is apparent, despite the loss of hedges. Within Priest Wood, west of Stapleford, lie well preserved earthworks of banks and ditches, which almost certainly represent the remains of an Iron Age or Roman field system.
Field pattern. The field pattern is generally irregular and the field size consistently large. This is an area in which 19th-century enclosure overlies a pattern of pre-18th century 'organic' enclosure.
Transport pattern. The transport pattern is very simple, with one lane (Tattle Hill) linking Bramfield to Hertford and another linking to the Beane valley, winding their way between the hedgebanks which are a consistent feature. The area is bounded by larger roads, with the B1000 along the southern boundary and the A119 within the Beane valley to the east.
Settlements and built form. Bramfield village is an ancient settlement and has some of the character of an estate village, with groups of cottages in a consistent style, in red or yellow brick, usually with dark blue paintwork detail. Bramfield House occupies a prominent position within the village. A house with ornamental grounds is shown on a map of 1766 and it appears currently to have extensive ornamental grounds with a lake.
Pevsner, N., rev. Cherry, B., Hertfordshire, Penguin (2000).
Hertfordshire Sites and Monuments Record.
HCC data on historic parks and gardens.
See also Area 68: Lower Beane Valley
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This area is generally visible from the high ground to the north west and the slopes below, and it commands extensive views to the edge of Hertford. This is a coherent, long-settled, tranquil, medium-scale landscape.
Rarity and distinctiveness. Unusual by virtue of its flatness in this generally undulating county, but otherwise an unremarkable arable landscape.
There has been little visual impact on this area from built development, other than extensive mineral extraction on its eastern edge. This has markedly changed the local landform but will extend the range of local biodiversity and will help link it to the Beane river valley. The northwestern edge of Hertford is well screened from view and there has been little obtrusive development within Bramfield. Loss of field boundaries is likely to have been a result of arable intensification and visually this area resembles a prairie, more typical of areas to the north east.
Noted recreational land uses are walking and family play.
There is an extensive footpath network, in good condition with a wide hoggin surface in some parts
This area includes various distinctive elements in the landscape, including Bramfield (C).
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: | low |
| Impact of land-use change: | moderate |
| ROBUSTNESS | |
| Impact of landform: | prominent |
| Impact of land cover: | apparent |
| Impact of historic pattern: | continuous |
| Visibility from outside: | widely visible |
| Sense of enclosure: | open |
| Visual unity: | coherent |
| Distinctiveness/rarity: | unusual |
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Waterford Heath nature reserve (R. Hare)
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