summary

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

LOCATION

'Elbow' within curve of river Lea through Ware, south of Ware, extending westwards to Balls Park and south to Hertford Heath and the northern edge of Hoddesdon.

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

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER

A complex semi-urban area with two settlements and combined-urban edge and rural land uses.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

• * north west/south east ridgeline bounded by Lea valley slopes to north east and dry bowl landform to south west
• * parkland remnants
• * 20th-century residential development
• * woodland with public access
• * flint walls and sunken lanes
• * severance by road transport network

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

• * redundant mineral workings
• * recreational use (golf course)
• * country houses in institutional use
• * monument at Great Amwell and source of New River

Water in Lea Valley (C. Bailey)

assessment

PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Geology and soils. Deep well drained silty soils, locally flinty or over gravel, sometimes affected by groundwater, over glaciofluvial drift (Hamble 1 series) or silty drift (Hamble 2 series).

Topography. Narrow north west/south east ridge with Lea valley to the north and shallow bowl to the south west, then rising to Hertford Heath plateau.

Degree of slope. Locally 1 in 20 and 1 in 27.

Altitude range. 31m to 90m.

Hydrology. The New River rises from a spring at Great Amwell and flows in canal south-eastwards to London.

Land cover and land use. This area is a complex mix of wooded farmland, parkland and forestry, with mineral extraction, recreational and amenity use, industry, nursery production and settlement. The farmland is a mix of pasture near the settlements and on the valley slopes, with arable around the A10(T). Formal and informal recreational facilities are located around the settlements and along the river valley.

Vegetation and wildlife. This is an ecologically mixed but generally impoverished area, due to the spread of arable cultivation. The oak/hornbeam woodland at Post Wood is mixed with other planted species, including weeping willow, alder, poplar, ash, horse chestnut, sycamore, hazel, holly and pine, with much secondary growth of sycamore. Hedges on the valley slopes are medium in height and of hawthorn and blackthorn. There is one small relic orchard near the floodplain. Hedgebanks define the boundaries of the sunken lanes, with elm, hawthorn and hornbeam present, often as medium height pure hawthorn hedges (modern), and often provide the only remnants of the natural mixed calcareous/heath grassland of this area. There are remnant old meadows between Great Amwell and Ware, containing meadow saxifrage, etc. on alluvial gravels.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES

This area has undergone many changes to its historic pattern, chiefly from the growth of settlements and the impact of the modern road transport network. There has been much 20th-century development in the triangle between the A10(T)/A119 and 21st-century development between the New River and the Lea Navigation, in an area which historically consisted of unenclosed grazing meadows. Former parkland has changed to institutional use and public amenity, with some relic features retained. The historic pattern of tracks has been retained as footpaths and bridleways and offers a very regular network over and along the small ridge.

• * The space north of the church in Great Amwell is described in Pevsner as 'one of the most delightful spots in Herts', thanks to Robert Mylne. He erected a monument to the creator of the New River, Sir Hugh Myddelton, who achieved the feat of supplying water to London in only four years, between 1609 and 1614. The monument stands on a small island with weeping willows, a wellingtonia and a yew tree nearby on manicured lawns

Field pattern. Field sizes vary between small (pasture) and medium-large (arable), with a modern pattern of fences in the pasture and loss of boundaries in the arable. Hedgebanks mark the old tracks and the sunken lanes, while fields are either hedged or fenced, with some loss of field boundaries in the arable areas.

Transport pattern. Modern trunk and primary roads are a feature of this landscape area. The A10(T), A10, A414 and A119, plus B1502, B181 and other minor roads, all divide the area into discrete chunks and destroy its unity. The New River provides a strong linear element in the north-eastern section, as does the railway.

Settlements and built form. Although there are isolated farms on the valley slopes, the main form in this area is clustered and infilled settlements, probably old but with significant 20th-century components and generally lacking a coherent or vernacular style.

• * Amwellbury is a large timber-framed farmhouse with a 17th-century polygonal dovecote with cupola.
• * There are many flint walls associated with settlements, and some stone (ragstone?)
• * In the 19th century Italianate pumping stations were built along the New River, the earliest of which is at Amwell Hill (1847).
• * There is a notable flint house in Great Amwell, near the Myddleton monument (see above)

evaluation

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION

From outside the form of this area is quite visible, especially the low ridge near the river and the sloping ground in the south west, but the elements within it are generally concealed by vegetation. From within the area there are extensive views from high ground over a medium-scale, rather incoherent landscape, enclosed by the slopes to southwest and northeast. The vegetation along the river Lea acts to conceal the presence of the river and associated waterbodies, so that the natural boundary appears to be the slopes between Stanstead Abbotts and Ware. This is not a tranquil area, due to the constant traffic on the many roads. The New River is, however, remarkably peaceful apart from the passage of trains on the railway.

Rarity and distinctiveness. This is certainly an unusual area, due to the complexity of land uses, but its rarity lies in the historic associations with the creation of the New River and the limpid tranquillity of the area around the monument. The New River is unusual and its monument unique.

VISUAL IMPACT

This is a very visually disturbed landscape, with many different elements within it. The impact of built development in the form of the road transport network, housing and utilities is widespread and dominant, making this predominantly a suburban rather than a rural area. This is also demonstrated by the presence of degraded pasture and neglected orchards.

Mineral extraction has also had an impact on the local landform south of Great Amwell.

ACCESSIBILITY

Noted recreational land uses include dog walking/fishing/narrow boating on the canal/cycling

There is a widespread network of footpaths, with a variety of surfacing, mainly good. Signage to and parking at the monument could be improved.

COMMUNITY VIEWS

The area around Great Amwell, particularly that part linked closest to the Lee valley, is regarded as significantly distinctive (C).

LANDSCAPE RELATED DESIGNATIONS

Landscape Development Area.

Amwell Pool and Grove is listed Grade II in the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

 

CONDITION
Land cover change:	widespread
Age structure of tree cover:	mixed
Extent of semi-natural habitat survival:	fragmented
Management of semi-natural habitat:	poor
Survival of cultural pattern:	declining
Impact of built development:	high
Impact of land-use change:	high
ROBUSTNESS
Impact of landform:	prominent
Impact of land cover:	apparent
Impact of historic pattern:	interrupted
Visibility from outside:	widely visible
Sense of enclosure:	open
Visual unity:	incoherent
Distinctiveness/rarity:	unusual

guidelines

STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND CONSERVE

• * every effort should be made to protect and enhance the area around the Mydddelton monument and the New River
• * encourage the replanting of orchards on former sites, where this is economically viable
• * encourage the reversion of arable farmland to pasture, and the reversion of horse pasture to cattle and sheep grazing, to increase biodiversity
• * encourage appropriate management of woodland to ensure a good age-spread and the establishment of a species-rich ground flora
• * encourage the planting of locally indigenous tree and shrub species of local provenance
• * promote the planting of new native woodland around existing woodlands to protect them and increase biodiversity, ensuring that this would not conflict with the protection of historic features such as hedgebanks, ditches, etc. on the edge of woodland
• * encourage the replanting of hedges along historic field boundaries, using only locally indigenous species of local provenance
• * ensure that development proposals are only permitted where they will contribute to the distinctiveness of the local landscape character. Any screening required should be appropriate to this character area, reflecting local species diversity and woodland form, i.e., small woodland blocks with linking hedgerows

Great Amwell Valley from Post Wood (E. Staveley)