Summary of Landscape Character

• A fairly flat limestone plateau / ridge with gentle undulations

• Shallow well-drained clay soils on higher ground

• Most farmland is arable with more grassland in the western part

• Open landscape with wide views to surrounding areas

• Fields usually enclosed by low clipped hedges

• Unclipped hedges though less common are found more towards the west of the area

• Large fields that are regular in shape

• Infrequent small woodlands that are often regularlyshaped

• Woodland on batches often containing a proportion of coniferous trees

• Small roads that run along the ridge or straight across it

• Fosse Way runs diagonally across the ridge

• Large prominent villages of Peasedown St. John and Paulton with coal mining history

• 20^th century expansion of Peasedown St. John and Paulton widely visible

• 19^th century farms often with prominent modern buildings

Description

Landform and Drainage Pattern

7.13.5 This is a simple landscape that consists of a relatively flat plateau with shallow undulations. It ranges in height from about 100 m to high points of 164 m at Camerton Farm and 168 m at White Ox Mead Knoll. The area is above the spring line of the ridge and so open water is absent. However there are springs along the edges of the area and most farms have a well.

Land-uses

7.13.6 The land is mainly used for arable crops but in the western part up to half the area is grassland.

Fields, Boundaries and Trees

7.13.7 Hedges are the most common boundary though in places fences have replaced them. The hedges are usually low and well clipped. In the western half there are also characteristically unclipped and taller hedges. Where stock is farmed the hedges are generally supplemented with post and wire fences. Trees in the hedgerows are common but not abundant and are mostly oak or ash. The fields are medium to large and regular in shape reflecting the field pattern of late medieval times. There are infrequent woodlands that are usually less than one hectare in size. These are also regular in shape and fit easily with the grain and texture of this landscape. The woodlands are mostly broadleaf consisting of mainly oak and ash, with a proportion of sycamore. Many woods have a small conifer element but this is not universal. The batches at Camerton, Braysdown and Tyning have a higher proportion of conifers in common with many of the other batches in the area.

Settlement and Communications

7.13.8 Peasedown St John, the largest settlement, is located in a prominent position near the centre of the area. It is quite visible from much of the surrounding areas. Likewise Paulton occupies a prominent location at the western end. Clandown at the edge of Radstock adjoining the area is sited at the head of a small valley. All three are former mining settlements established in the 19th century. The expansion of these settlements in the 20th century has made them stand out prominently in the landscape. The regular size, form, ‘newness’ in colour and the lack of mature tree cover mean that the housing development on the south side of Peasedown St John stands out from the rest of the village and its surrounding countryside. Although Paulton has a mining history, printing has been the predominant industry since the beginning of the 20th century. The works are on the north side of the village and the large buildings dominate the surrounding urban and rural areas.

7.13.9 There are scattered individual farmsteads located across the area. These tend to be of typical 19th century design using mostly local materials and so harmonise well with the landscape. However many of them have large modern out buildings and barns that have a high impact due to their size, material and functional design.

7.13.10 The roads are few and narrow. They generally run either along the line of the ridge or straight across it. In either case they are often sunken into the ground or enclosed by hedges on either side giving a ‘closed in’ feeling to them. The exception to this is the A367 Radstock to Bath road, which cuts diagonally across the plateau. Part follows the Roman Fosse Way which has been a major route way leading south from Bath for hundreds of years.

 Landscape Characteristics

7.13.11 This is an open landscape often with a windswept character. Long views over the valleys on either side to the surrounding hills are typical. There is rarely a sense of enclosure as woodlands are not common and the hedges are mostly low and well clipped. The sky is an important feature of the views and the few tall elements such as pylons, telecommunication towers and floodlights are consequently highly visible.

7.13.12 The A367 is a major feature adding movement and noise to this landscape. Away from this busy road it is tranquil, typified by the spring and summer sounds of skylarks. Other detractors include a covered reservoir north of Clandown, a landfill site beside Bath Old Road north of Tyning and large modern barns and associated unnatural earthworks. There are dark night skies in those areas away from the larger settlements.

7.13.13 There is considerable archaeological evidence to show that this plateau has been settled for thousands of years. There are Neolithic flint finds that date from the 5th century BC. There are Bronze-age burial mounds near Camerton, the site of a Roman settlement near Clandown and the site of a Roman villa near White Ox Mead Knoll.