Landscape Character Type in Hampshire

Brief Description

Map showing landscape character types in Hampshire. See full description below for character areas.

Creator

Archaeology and Historic Buildings Record

Owner

Archaeology and Historic Buildings Record

Contributor

Archaeology and Historic Buildings Record

Full Description

Character Areas1. The Hampshire downs is a remote and high chalk land forming a broad belt across Hampshire. It is predominantly arable and open with large and medium fields, but with woodlands particularly on the clay caps. 2. The Mid Hampshire downs are lower parts of the chalk downs, and like (1) are dominated by arable. 3. The South Hampshire Downs forms a high and prominent ridge, dominated by arable, well enclosed, with numerous woodlands.4. Cranborne Chase is a small part of a larger area lying mostly outside Hampshire. It is high open chalk downland, with arable farmland and small valleys.5. The North Hampshire Lowland and Heath is a generally low lying area with both arable and grazing in a wooded setting, many of which are ancient woodlands. It is a small scale landscape, with many old hedgerow, irregular fields and winding lanes. 6. The Western weald Lowland and Heath is a distinctive, varied and complex area, with heathland, woodland and steep escarpments. It is a well enclosed landscape, with the land form reflecting the underlying geology.7. The South Hampshire Lowland and Heath which is a well enclosed low lying area, with small scale enclosures and well wooded areas, with many ancient woodlands.8. The New Forest Lowland and Heath has high open heathland plains with extensive tracts of woodlands. 9. The New Forest Coast is a gently undulating coastal plain, with arable and an open and exposed coast. 10. The South Hampshire Coast which is open gently undulating coastal plain with wooded valleys and much urban development.11. The River Valleys of the Avon, Test, Itchen and Meon are shown in a light blue cutting through the landscape. They are often broad and open, with flood plain and arable.