©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
Linear block to east of Hadham valley slopes, bounded to east by large-scale Thorley plateau and to south by the woodland north east of Hunsdon.
©Crown
Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001
Undulating settled uplands with meandering lanes linking hamlets and small villages of varying ages. Predominantly a medium-scale arable landscape of neat hedges and few hedgerow trees. Open, with narrow sunken lanes and very extensive views out but limited views within.
Henry Moore sculpture at Perry Green
(P. Shears)
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Geology and soils. Slowly permeable calcareous clayey soils over chalky till (Hanslope series), with a narrow band of loamy and clayey soils over brown subsoils along a minor tributary of the Ash (Wickham 4 series).
Topography. Gently undulating, rising slightly to the north.
Degree of slope. 1 in 30 to 1 in 40.
Altitude range. 65 to 105.
Hydrology. This poorly draining area drains westwards into the Ash.
Land cover and land use. This is an area of treed arable farmland, with pockets of woodland and pasture around the settlements. Near Perry Green there is a large former mineral extraction site which has been restored to nature conservation and agricultural (pasture) use. There is a large golf course due east of Great Hadham, in the middle of arable farmland.
Vegetation and wildlife. Ecologically this area can be divided into dry and wet boulder clay areas. Around Perry Green there are a few remaining old pastures and good hedgerows with hazel and spindle, but virtually no woods, except the hornbeam hangers on gravel overlooking the Ash. The damper boulder clay around Bury Green and Wickham Hall supports oak/hornbeam/ash/maple woodland with wild daffodil as a local feature. There are rich road verges in some places and many ponds. Hedgerow species are hawthorn, blackthorn, dogwood and hazel or pure elm, in low hedges of mixed condition - new hedgerows of mixed species are in good order but frequently on one side of the lane or track only. There are few hedgerow trees. The formerly extensive grasslands are now largely lost to arable cultivation.
The historic pattern of this settled landscape is widespread, not least in its place names (Tye, Green, End), showing how arable land was gradually carved out of the woodland and the small fields later amalgamated as part of agricultural intensification, but also in the many timber-framed houses. The Henry Moore Foundation is a significant cultural attraction, with large sculptures set out among the fields.
Field pattern. The pattern here is irregular and semi-regular, in a variety of small to medium-sized fields, usually hedged or with a hedgebank, but seldom treed.
Transport pattern. There is a very meandering network of narrow sunken lanes and tracks through this area, linked mainly to the Ash valley and edged with narrow ditched verges. The B1004 links Much Hadham and Spellbrook.
Settlements and built form. The minor settlements in this area date from the 16th/17th century or earlier, with 20th-century additions. A variety of materials are used, including thatch, but more often clay tiles over red brick, rendered, black weatherboarded or flint walls. There are no parklands or mansions in this area but many well-kept former farmhouses and cottages, such as Grudds Farm (moated) and Greentye Farmhouse (16/17th century jettied house) at Green Tye and Buckler's Farm and Hoglands at Perry Green. At Kettlehall Green, Moat Farmhouse (16th-18th century) has several barns, while Lower Farm at Bury Green and Clintons are late medieval houses. Many of these villages are clustered around their village green but also have a linear character, spreading out along the narrow lanes. While Bury Green seems to have a 15th-century character, Cradle End appears to be of the 20th century, albeit possibly with older origins.
Pevsner, N., rev. Cherry, B., Hertfordshire, Penguin (2000).
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Views of the area from outside are limited; it is only locally visible from surrounding upland areas. To the east it is screened from Much Hadham by riverside vegetation within the valley. Views within the area are extensive, very long over the valley and limited locally by vegetation. The scale of landscape elements is medium to large, with a variable sense of enclosure, depending on location. It is a unified and tranquil area away from the A120
Rarity and distinctiveness. Unusual by virtue of the intensity of settlement within an agricultural area, divided up into small linked hamlets and owing allegiance to the large settlements within the valley.
The impact of built development is apparent in the rural housing, especially the linear development along roads, with its mix of 20th-century infill among older dwellings. In addition the Bury Green farm complex can be seen from the south west, the greenhouses at Green Tye are visible from the north west and the golf course at Exnalls Farm is clearly visible from the B1004. The impact of mineral extraction is now insignificant since post-restoration and its integration into the agricultural landscape, although the vent pipes within the fields are a reminder of their former status.
Footpaths are widespread but localised, while waymarked routes are widespread.
Condition is good, with wide soil and gravel surfaces.
A few locations are noted for their distinctiveness, such as Perry Green (D).
Mainly Landscape Conservation Area.
| CONDITION | |
|---|---|
| Land cover change: | insignificant |
| Age structure of tree cover: | mixed |
| 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: | prominent |
| Impact of historic pattern: | continuous |
| Visibility from outside: | locally visible |
| Sense of enclosure: | open and contained |
| Visual unity: | coherent |
| Distinctiveness/rarity: | rare |
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Nether Street, cottages and buttercups (B. Smith)
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