Summary of Landscape Character

• Sheer gorge-like rock face and steeper valley sides to west becoming broader and shallower eastwards

• Flat river margins along central section

• Railway with multi-arched red brick support crosses western end of area and tunnel at western end

• Woodland on steep slopes and pasture on lower gentle slopes

• Few hedges, no longer stockproof.

• Sandstone retaining walls along part of river bank

• Visible outcrops of Pennant Sandstone along valley sides

• The A4174 crosses the valley locally introducing noise into otherwise tranquil landscape

• Pylons to south of area intrusive from certain viewpoints

Description

Landform and Drainage Pattern

7.11.4 This area comprises the north facing side of a narrow valley containing the River Avon. It varies in profile along the length of the character area. The land rises from a level of 10m adjacent to the river up to 50m at the top of the sheer rock face at the southern edge of the character area. The valley is gorge-like at the western end, featuring a sheer rock face and steeper valley side and becomes broader and shallower eastwards where it meets the River Avon flood plain. The railway cuts diagonally through the western end of the area at a point where the landform drops from the dramatic cliff face to moderate slopes. The shelved appearance of the lower landform at the western end has been created to accommodate the railway line at the required grade. The shallow to moderate slopes are undulating and indented by small dry valleys. Some of the characteristically indented landform of the hillside results from periods of quarrying in the past. Mid-way along the character area a very narrow flat margin at the river edge broadens out before narrowing again at the eastern end where it is contained between the steep but low valley side and the River Avon and floodplain.

Land-uses

7.11.5 The steeper parts of the character area are covered in woodland. Fields on the gentler slopes down to the river edge are used for grazing. A wider margin at the river edge on the eastern half is owned by British Waterways Board who have a building adjacent to the lock. Part of this neglected pasture is used for ad hoc storage of materials. The valley historically provided a source of pennant stone that was used in building and was conveniently located for transporting it along the river.

Fields, Boundaries and Trees

 7.11.6 The majority of the area is under woodland cover. Its character varies throughout the area. The steeper western half comprises a mix of young and middle aged trees; the gentler slopes contain scrub and small trees with occasional large mature to over mature oaks. The predominant species is ash and other deciduous trees include oak and beech. No evergreen trees were noted. Towards the west of the area Fox’s Woods is registered as ancient semi-natural woodland.

7.11.7 The fields are bounded on the northern side by an unmanaged hedge that is no longer stock-proof. Scrub is colonising the pasture and the sloping grassed areas west of the road-bridge. Some significant lengths of a dry sandstone wall are evident at the base of the slopes of the middle part of the character area, becoming less evident further eastwards. Parts of the river edge have also been retained by local sandstone retaining walls. The small and irregularly shaped fields originate from the 17th century enclosure of medieval deer parks for cultivation.

Settlement and Communications

 7.11.8 Until the construction of the A4174 in recent years this character area was quite isolated from the road network. A single track ‘no through road’ at Durley Park that passes under the A4 and railway ended at the eastern end of the character area. There is no public vehicular access into the area. Access is limited to private moorings and to British Waterways Board who are responsible for the lock. Farm access appears to be from the small industrial area adjacent to Chandos Lodge at the end of Durley Park. The A4174 spans the valley and allows glimpses of the dramatic gorge and the more open landscape of the River Avon to the east. The design of the bridge is simple. The horizontal section and the supports are fairly slender so the structure is not overly dominant and an open view is maintained along the valley beneath the bridge. Public rights of way within the character area are limited to a footpath entering at the eastern end of the area by the river and some 200 metres along the riverside rising up the hillside and out of the area again.

7.11.9 The main railway line from London to Bristol cuts diagonally through the western end of the character area between the sheer rock face and the lower land, and then follows the alignment of the river supported by a multiarched red brick bridge. 300 metres from the boundary it enters a tunnel. Trains are fairly regular, but they do not detract from the tranquil experience of the valley, and apart from the bridge, which is an interesting and distinct feature, other railway paraphernalia is generally not visible from public rights of way.

7.11.10 The only building within the character area is the British Waterways Board building at the lock. The wider area is rural, surrounded by Keynsham and the suburbs of Bristol and features clusters of traditional buildings, scattered farms and large properties, converted to nursing homes or offices. Traditional buildings are mainly constructed in the local Pennant Sandstone with red clay roof tiles. Some buildings have been rendered. The road-bridge is constructed in concrete, however part of the steep banks beneath the bridge have been surfaced using the local stone.

Landscape Characteristics

7.11.11 The dramatic hanging woods of the gorge, the rock outcrops and features along the riverside such as the small settlement at Hanham Weir and evidence of the mill including a lock and other former industrial associations create a very strong sense of place to this character area. Public rights of way on the north bank close to river level and at varying heights within the woodland afford characteristic views of the River Avon and its dramatic woodland setting. The brick arched railway support at the river edge is an interesting feature within the wooded valley landscape. Large pylons just within the adjacent character area to the south are discordant elements in the landscape when seen from the higher level paths, but are less so from viewpoints lower within the valley where trees dominate the views and partly screen the structures.

7.11.12 The landform combined with meanders in the river and woodland valley sides creates a strong sense of enclosure across much of the character area. As the valley broadens the views become more extensive across the floodplain to the Cotswold hills in the distance. The A4174 Bristol Ring Road has brought traffic noise to the area, however the general impression is that it does not detract from the tranquil experience enjoyed from public footpaths at the river edge and within the woodland on the north side of the river, a major recreational route in the area.