summary

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

LOCATION

A broad band on the north bank of the Stort between Stanstead Abbotts in the west and the south-western edge of Sawbridgeworth, divided into four sub-areas of parklands.

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

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER

Parkland and arable farmland on gently undulating south-facing slope interrupted by valleys of the Stort's tributaries. Cultural pattern overrides topographical change. An area of ancient settlements, dominated by the many parklands on the south-facing slopes above the Stort valley.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

• parkland: Stanstead Bury, Bonnington, Hunsdonbury and Briggens Park; Eastwick (relic); Gilston Park and former deer park around Sayes Park Farm; Pishiobury
• large-scale arable farmland with little woodland out of the valleys
• views of Harlow across river valley with taller buildings nestling in trees
• change from floodplain to rounded slopes is apparent throughout
• constant noise from cars and aircraft

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

• country houses
• southerly aspect
• relic cultural pattern reflects topographic change and different landcover, e.g. Hunsdon Mead - Hunsdon Mill - Hunsdonbury
• dovecote water tower at Briggens
• historic moats at Eastwick
• transition to adjoining area, with small parklands on boundary

Cottages at Eastwick (P. Shears)

assessment

PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Geology and soils. Slowly permeable calcareous clayey soils over chalky till (Hanslope series) on the higher ground, with better drained loamy soils towards the river (Melford series).

Topography. South-facing undulating valley slope with minor tributaries of the Stort.

Degree of slope. 1 in 10 to 1 in 65.

Altitude range. 40m to 70m.

Hydrology. Hunsdon Brook, Fiddlers Brook and other un-named tributaries of the Stort flow southwards into the main river at gradients of 1 in 125.

Land cover and land use. This area consists of wooded farmland and parkland with well-integrated landholdings, a mix of parkland, open arable farmland, woodland and water meadow (sub-area A). The primary land use is arable cultivation (sub-areas A, B and C) but there is also significant parkland (all sub-areas except Eastwick), some of which is now being developed with secondary settlements around the original mansion (sub-area C).

Associated features: dovecote, water tower, moats, estate fencing. Some fly-tipping

Vegetation and wildlife. The south-western part of sub area A has little woodland, while the north-eastern part contains several important, isolated blocks of old woodland, with elm, ash, hawthorn, willow and hornbeam. Around the parklands in this area there are extensive deciduous plantations, some grassland and ornamental lakes which are valuable locally for birds.

• The parkland at Bonningtons is scarcely visible, most having gone to arable production; the large lake is completely screened by vegetation from the B180.
• Eastwick is notable as being devoid of ecological value, except for the neutral/calcareous rough grassland associated with the old moats.
• Gilston Park has some notable veteran trees and a lake, but has lost much of its grassland to the plough.
• Sayes Park is mainly open arable, but has some important old woodland. Field boundaries are either medium hedgerows or rows of individual trees, such as a young lime avenue. Usual hedgerow species are blackthorn/hawthorn, hazel, willow and field maple, with wild clematis. There are many individual relic oak standards and some ash.
• Pishiobury has important riverside alder/willow woodlands, some good neutral pasture on its undulating slopes and a spring-fed lake on the line of an old meander.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES

The historic pattern of this area is very prominent, with the field pattern reflecting its planned, estate character.

• Sub-area A contains the parklands and associated farmlands of Bonnington, Hunsdonbury, Briggens and Stansteadbury.
• Sub-area B consists of the farmland and village of Eastwick. To the north of the village are two Scheduled Ancient Monuments, moated sites with associated earthworks which are the relics of a manor belonging to Edward III, which burned down in the 1840s. Although partly used as a local fly-tipping site, the low-key site is jointly managed by English Heritage and the Countryside Agency.
• Within Gilston Park (sub-area C) there is another SAM, a moated site with associated deer-pen enclosure and park pale, south of the existing house and indicating the location of the former deer park. This may have extended into or been adjacent to a deer park (pre-1676) on the land now occupied by Sayes Park Farm, and was possibly linked to either The Manor of Groves or High Wych Park, both of which lie on the boundary of the adjoining area.
• Sub-area D consists of the designed parkland of Pishiobury, south of Sawbridgeworth, somewhat isolated from the other parklands

Field pattern. The regular fields are generally small to medium size, with some larger arable fields.

Transport pattern. The transport pattern in this area is of narrow, winding, sunken lanes running north-south from the river valley. Most lanes are hedged on one side only, and are frequently ditched. Verges area usually absent. The A414 forms part of the southern boundary of the area and divides Briggens from the other parklands in this area.

Settlements and built form. Settlements are of varying sizes within this area, most of them at least Victorian in age, several older. Stanstead Abbotts has a partly 15th-century church and several 17th and 18th-century houses, including Stanstead Hall, the Red Lion Inn and The Old Clock School, plus Victorian buildings such as the Mill. The streetscape has white weatherboard and black bargeboards on white rendered houses.

• Sub-area A:
  Stanstead Bury dates from the late 15th century and has, according to Pevsner, 'an eminently picturesque exterior, the result of several centuries' alterations. The shapes and textures and colours of the approach side (W) must delight the eye of any painter'. It has a garden and park of some 25 hectares.
  Briggens was built in 1719 for a director of the South Sea Company. The grounds were worked on by Charles Bridgeman in 1720 and had a deer park from at least the 16th until the late 19th century. The house has been considerably altered over time and is now an hotel, with a young lime avenue and a golf course laid out among the mature parkland trees. Salmon described Briggens in 1728 as standing 'upon a beautiful hill overlooking the Meadows, the river Stort, and part of Essex', and its features included 'a graceful Plantation of Trees, with Variety of Slopes, adorned with Statues' (N. Salmon, History of Hertfordshire). 'The turfed ramps and terraces forming these "Slopes" are familiar elements in Bridgeman's designs ....' (Charles Bridgeman and the English Landscape Garden, by Peter Willis, London (1977)). Hunsdon House, adjacent to Hunsdonbury park and well south of the village, is of great historic significance, being a remnant of a great mansion belonging to Henry VIII, where the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth spent a great deal of their childhood. It had an established deer park in 1296.
  At Bonningtons there is c.86ha of informal parkland dating from pre-1760, much of which appears to be in arable cultivation.
• Sub-area B:
  Eastwick church, with a 13th-century chancel arch, stands outside the ancient hamlet on the edge of the Stort floodplain. There is now no parkland here. Many of the cottages in the village are mid-Victorian, built by the Hodgson family who held both Eastwick and Gilston Park.
• Sub-area C:
  Gilston Park was enclosed in the 17th century and its present house, replacing one demolished in 1851, is a 'large asymmetrical mansion of random rubble in the Early Tudor style with Gothic details' (Pevsner). The estate is now (2000) being refurbished and large new houses are being built within the parkland. The half-coppiced lime avenue, neat hedges and estate fencing lend an estate influence to the surrounding arable farmland. The church of cut and uncut flint with red brick tower stands isolated from the park and village.
• Sub-area D:
  Pishiobury is described as 'mildly medievalizing' in Pevsner. It is a red brick late Tudor mansion, remodelled or rebuilt by James Wyatt in 1782 with castellations. It had a deer park in 1343. The stables and barn are still essentially c.1600, while the lake (part of the river Stort) and planting are due to Capability Brown.

OTHER SOURCES OF AREA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Pevsner, N., rev. Cherry, B., Hertfordshire, Penguin (2000).

Hertfordshire Gardens by Anthony Wigens, Hatfield, 1970.

English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

HCC list of historic parks and gardens

evaluation

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION

Views within the area are extensive across the floodplain to the industrial edge of Harlow. The southern edge of the area is also widely visible from the A414, which forms part of its boundary. It is a fairly tranquil area away from the roads but has lost unity because of the different land uses to which the parklands have been put. Near-constant noise from planes in and out of Stansted also reduces tranquillity generally.

Rarity and distinctiveness. This area is most unusual in having so many associated parklands. Not all are in good condition and the landscape flow is broken by mineral workings between Gilston and Pishiobury.

VISUAL IMPACT

From the valley slopes there are views across the Stort valley to the northern edge of Harlow, its tall chimneys and industrial buildings in some contrast to the wetlands within the shallow valley.

ACCESSIBILITY

The Harcamlow Way extends along various routes in this area through the river valley, but is not extensive on the slopes. There is little access to the parklands.

COMMUNITY VIEWS

Some aspects of this area are valued for their distinctiveness (D).

LANDSCAPE RELATED DESIGNATIONS

SAM at Eastwick moats and in Gilston Park.

Landscape Development Area includes Briggens, Pishiobury and extreme southern edge of area.

Pishiobury and Stansteadbury are Grade II listed by English Heritage. Gilston Park and Briggens are referred to in HCC documentation on historic parks and gardens

 

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:	interrupted
Impact of built development:	low
Impact of land-use change:	low
ROBUSTNESS
Impact of landform:	apparent
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

guidelines

STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND CONSERVE

• encourage landowners to safeguard existing hedges, increase hedged field boundaries, create permanent grass strips around field margins and prevent spray drift, using financial incentives as available
• encourage the authorities responsible for the Eastwick moats to review their management of the site to achieve a more informative balance between nature conservation and historic objectives
• disseminate information about the historic landscape and ecological value of veteran and parkland trees
• discourage ploughing up of parkland grasslands
• encourage a reversion from arable to pasture where practicable, and the management of new and existing grasslands to maximise their biodiversity potential
• encourage management of woodland to ensure age diversity, favour locally indigenous species and maintain species-rich ground flora
• encourage the planting of new woodland around existing woodlands where this will contribute to ecological diversity and will not damage the local landscape character or historic features such as banks and ditches
• encourage the replanting of hedges along historic field boundaries, using locally indigenous species
• ensure that new features and planting within historic parklands, especially in connection with development within them, respects their historic integrity by reflecting the dominant period of the house and parkland and using similar species to those planted originally in order to reinforce its character
• ensure that proposed development is only permitted where it will enhance local landscape character

Briggens Park with mature trees and ha-ha (P. Shears)