The North Wessex Downs
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of
Berkshire,
Hampshire,
Oxfordshire and
Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better known by various overlapping local names, including the
Berkshire Downs, the North
Hampshire Downs, the
White Horse Hills, the Lambourn Downs, the Marlborough Downs, the
Vale of Pewsey and
Savernake Forest.
Topography
The AONB covers an area of some . It takes the form of a horseshoe, with the open end facing east, surrounding the town of
Newbury and the
River Kennet catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
. The northern arm reaches as far east as the suburbs of
Reading in mid-
Berkshire and as far north as
Didcot in
South Oxfordshire, whilst the southern arm extends to
Basingstoke in northern
Hampshire. To the west, the AONB reaches as far as
Calne and
Devizes. The highest points are the 297 m (974 ft) summit of
Walbury Hill, situated southeast of
Hungerford in
West Berkshire (and the highest point in southern England east of the
Mendip Hills), and the
Milk Hill-
Tan Hill plateau northeast of
Devizes in central
Wiltshire, at 295 m (968 ft) above sea level.
At its northeast extreme,
Lardon Chase
Lardon Chase is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Streatley in Berkshire. It is in the North Wessex Downs, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is part of the Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down National Trus ...
within the North Wessex Downs AONB faces across the
Goring Gap to the
Chilterns AONB
The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England.
The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. ...
on the other side of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
. From here working anti-clockwise around the horseshoe, the Berkshire Downs have a steep
scarp
Scarp may refer to:
Landforms and geology
* Cliff, a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure
* Escarpment, a steep slope or long rock that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevatio ...
slope facing north over the
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically a north-west projection of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of ''the'' White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway Na ...
and a gentler
dip slope facing south into the valley of the Kennet. This area includes the horse-racing village of
Lambourn and is hence sometimes known as the Lambourn Downs. Beyond the town of
Marlborough the downs (now called the Marlborough Downs) sweep in a semicircle to the south around the headwaters of the River Kennet, with the Vale of Pewsey cutting through these downs carrying the headwaters of the
Hampshire River Avon. Here too can be found the wooded area of
Savernake Forest. Finally, the highest stretch of the Downs runs east along the Berkshire-Hampshire border on the opposite side of the River Kennet from the Berkshire Downs. Again the scarp slope is to the north (facing down in the valley of the Kennet) and the dip slope is to the south into Hampshire.
Geology and natural history
The
downland is part of the
Southern England Chalk Formation which runs from
Dorset in the west to
Kent in the east and also includes the
Dorset Downs,
Purbeck Hills,
Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase () is an area of central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The area is dominated by ...
, Wiltshire Downs,
Salisbury Plain, the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...
,
Chiltern Hills and the
North and
South Downs.
The area is a site of scientific interest in numerous fields and has an internationally important habitat for early
gentian.
Geologically, its chalk downs,
dry valley
A dry valley may develop on many kinds of permeable rock, such as limestone and chalk, or sandy terrains that do not regularly sustain surface water flow. Such valleys do not hold surface water because it sinks into the permeable bedrock.
There ...
s and
sarsen
Sarsen stones are silicified sandstone blocks found in quantity in Southern England on Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire; in Kent; and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Hampshire.
Geo ...
outcrops are of note, the last in the area around Marlborough providing material for many of the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
sites in the area such as
Avebury Henge.
Economy
Horse racing forms a major industry in the area, largely because of the good quality turf that comes with the chalk underlay, and much of upland area is made over to gallops and other training areas. Several of the upland villages, and especially the large village of
Lambourn, are home to major racing
stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
s. Other villages with strong horse racing connections include
Beckhampton,
Kingsclere and
West Ilsley. The term
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
originated in this area, a steeplechase originally being a race between two villages, navigated by reference to the church
steeples visible across the rolling downs.
Literature
On the south-east arm of the AONB can be found
Watership Down where the book ''
Watership Down'' by
Richard Adams is set, to the north of the small market town of
Whitchurch, Hampshire.
Significant parts of ''
Jude the Obscure'' by
Thomas Hardy are set on and in the villages connected to the
Berkshire Downs.
AONB Council of Partners
The
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was designated in 1972. It is managed by a Council of Partners whose members are:
* Local Authorities:
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
,
Hampshire County Council,
Vale of White Horse District Council,
West Berkshire Council,
Wiltshire Council,
Oxfordshire County Council,
South Oxfordshire District Council,
Swindon Borough Council and
Test Valley Borough Council
* Representing the interests of nature conservation:
Natural England,
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a Wildlife Trust with 27,000 members across the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, England.
The trust describes itself as the leading local wildlife conservation charity in Hampshire and ...
and Action for the River Kennet
* Representing the interests of the historic environment:
Council for British Archaeology
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and futu ...
and
English Heritage
* Representing the interests of farming and rural business: Axis Farming,
Country Land and Business Association
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation for owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales. It was until quite recently called the Country Landowners' Association.
Membership
CLA members ...
,
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England.
The Forestry Commission was previously also resp ...
,
Government Office for the South East and the
National Farmers' Union
* Representing the interests of communities and parishes: Connecting Communities in Berkshire, the Friends of Pang, Kennet and Lambourn Valleys, Whitchurch Town Parish Council and Hungerford Town Council
* Representing the interests of recreation and rural tourism: Friends of the Ridgeway and the
Ramblers' Association.
References
External links
North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Website
{{Authority control
Hills of Hampshire
Hills of Oxfordshire
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England
Hills of Berkshire
Hills of Wiltshire
Protected areas established in 1972
Protected areas of Hampshire
Protected areas of Oxfordshire
Protected areas of Berkshire
Protected areas of Wiltshire