East Dorset Landscape Character Assessment - Dorsetforyou.com

5) Gussage ValleyContextLandscape Character Type: Chalk river valleyExtension to Landscape Description Unit No. 398Michael. The valley sides are steeply pronounced particularly on thesouth side which rise to Sovell and Thickthorn Downs. These lie on thehigh ridge dividing the Gussages from the Crichel valley further to thesouth. Sovell Down lying midway between Gussage All Saints and St.Michael, adjacent to the course of a Roman Road, is a former chalk pitwhich is now a local nature reserve.Beyond Gussage St. Michael, to the north, the valley flattens out and itsgeneral character merges with the downland. There are, however, ahandful of important traditional farmhouses that continue along the‘valley’ beyond the A.354 as far as Gussage St. Andrew.The historic churches within each village represent important localfeatures, but their influence is restricted by the surrounding landform andtreescape. The trees tend to be concentrated within the generouscurtilages that characterise the villages.Many of the buildings in Gussage All Saints are set well inside their plots,away from the road. The older, thatched buildings however tend to bepositioned close to the road and this feature in particular reinforces therural character of the village and strengthens local identity. Smallhumped bridges over Gussage Stream at each end of Gussage AllSaints and the eighteenth century Packhorse Bridge at Gussage St.Michael emphasises the valley's historic significance.The steep sides of the Gussage valley, the village is ‘hidden’ in the views from ridge toridgeDescriptionBeyond Bowerswain Farm in the Allen Valley lies a valley containing theGussage stream and the villages of Gussage All Saints and Gussage St.East Dorset District Council District Landscape Character Assessment 200822