East Dorset Landscape Character Assessment - Dorsetforyou.com

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downland, both in appearance and function. This long associationepitomises the Chase and accounts for its unique identity.Historically, this area comprised the heartland of the medieval huntingground of Cranborne Chase and was known as the "Inner Bounds". Thearea retains much of its remote and quiet character.• Remote and quiet in character• Important historic environmentKey Features• Chase Woods• Garston Wood Nature Reserve• Distinctive Estate-managed landscapes of Rushmore Park to thenorth-west of Minchington Down• Nationally protected landscape (AONB designation)Valley north of Deanland leading into Chase WoodsKey Characteristics• Rolling landform, rising and steepening to the north• Woodland blocks on the rising ground enclosing open areas ofcommon, small scattered settlements and farmsteadsView south from Garston Wood to tower of St Mary’s Church• Valuable wildlife habitats provided by older woodlandEast Dorset District Council District Landscape Character Assessment 20089
2) East Dorset Downs/South BlandfordDowns/Bloxworth DownsContextLandscape Type: Chalk downlandLandscape Description Unit Nos. 458, 450, 452, 482, 51, 49, 404, 396,397, 403, 402, 406, 340, 438.DescriptionThe chalk downland comprises nearly half of the District and extendswell beyond East Dorset to the north-east (Hampshire), to the west(North Dorset) and south-west (Purbeck). It is an open, low-profile,undulating, and smooth landscape, with panoramic views. A largelyuncluttered landscape of simple shapes, where line tends to be asimportant as colour.Most of the natural downland has been converted to arable. The largefield sizes, low trimmed thorn hedges and few individual trees create anopen, large-scale appearance.This area includes some of the most dramatic parts of the Chase withinEast Dorset District. Penbury Knoll is the highest point at 185m and ismarked by a picturesque group of pines. Although visually the hill formsan integral part of the chalk landscape, its geology is somewhat different,being capped with clay and flints.The area comprises a plateau that dips gently from north to south.Within the north eastern section of the downland landscape are chalkstreamvalleys that divide the landform into a series of parallel northwesterly,south-easterly ridges marked by Bottlebush Down, HarleyDown and Gussage Hill, Sovell Down and Crichel Down and RushtonHill, thus giving this part of the downland landscape a characteristic‘grain’. (See geology and relief maps in Appendix 2 and 3).The whole area contains many significant archaeological sites, includingBokerley Dyke (a Romano-British defensive ditch); Ackling Dyke (aRoman Road); the Dorset Cursus (a neolithic monument) and to thesouth west, Badbury Rings, an Iron Age fortification, which forms themost important landmark in the area.Characteristic rolling landform of the downland character areaIn terms of geology, gently undulating topography, large fields and open,empty character this large countryside tract extends to the River Stourand then beyond to the south west to encompass the South Blandfordand Bloxworth Downs. These two areas of chalkland are separated bythe narrow valley of the Lower Winterborne.East Dorset District Council District Landscape Character Assessment 200810
Page 1: East Dorset Landscape Character Ass
Page 7 and 8: Regional guidanceThe draft Regional
Page 9 and 10: Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) p
Page 11: 1) Chase WoodsContextLandscape Type
Page 15 and 16: distinctive profile of Badbury Ring
Page 17 and 18: To the north east of this valley th
Page 19 and 20: Handley Road. The strong contrast b
Page 21 and 22: 3) Allen Valley Flat water meadows
Page 23 and 24: 4) Monkton Up Wimborne ValleyContex
Page 25 and 26: 5) Gussage ValleyContextLandscape C
Page 27 and 28: 6) Crichel ValleyContextLandscape C
Page 29 and 30: 7) Lower Winterborne ValleyContextL
Page 31 and 32: • A31 Trunk road - has an adverse
Page 33 and 34: Horton Tower, a Grade II* listed bu
Page 35 and 36: • O/h powerline at Pamphill (adve
Page 37 and 38: View of Henbury Plantation from Bla
Page 39 and 40: that mark the former floodplain. Ho
Page 41 and 42: The Stour looking north eastwards f
Page 43 and 44: that lies within Poole is set on a
Page 45 and 46: 13) Hampreston River TerraceContext
Page 47 and 48: golf course suggest this character
Page 49 and 50: • Urban influencesKey Features16)
Page 51 and 52: Key CharacteristicsKey Features•
Page 53 and 54: 18) Ringwood-Hurn Forest/Heath Mosa
Page 55 and 56: Forest which reaches back into the
Page 57 and 58: appearance, it has more in common w
Page 59 and 60: 21) Horton Common-Three Legged Cros
Page 61 and 62: a National Nature Reserve the heath
Page 63 and 64:
Stour Valley northwards to Alderhol
Page 65 and 66:
Historically the River was an impor
Page 67 and 68:
Landscape DescriptionUnit boundarie
Page 69 and 70:
Appendix 2 Appendix 3© Crown Copyr
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