LCA 2: Cherwell Valley

Location and key characteristics

The Cherwell Valley forms a narrow strip of land in the centre of the district, adjoining South Northamptonshire to the east and West Oxfordshire to the south and west. The northern half of the valley, where the River Cherwell forms the county boundary, comprises the western side of the valley together with some flatter ridge-top land. From Ockley Brook south to Lower Heyford the Character Area includes both sides of the valley, and south of Lower Heyford only the west side of the valley lies within Cherwell District.

The River Cherwell flows southwards through a well-defined narrow valley, joined by its main tributaries the Sor Brook and River Swere. Flat, low-lying topography with seasonally flooded alluvial floodplains is enclosed by rolling valley sides.
Medium fields in intensive arable use on the valley sides contrast with smaller open fields used for pasture and water meadows on the floodplain.
Transport infrastructure, including the Cherwell Valley railway line and the Oxford Canal, follows the north-south valley landform. The canal, with its associated bridges and locks, is an important feature often running parallel to the river.
Small, often nucleated villages sit on the higher ground of the valley sides. They are largely traditional in character, with limestone common in the south and ironstone in the north. They contain a number of listed buildings, and often have designated Conservation Areas.
The Oxford Canal Walk along the canal is the main form of access to the valley floor, which is often inaccessible. There are limited river crossings.
There are high levels of tranquillity and relative remoteness, particularly in the south away from Banbury and Bodicote.
Limited tree cover results in long, open views across the valley from the higher ground of the valley sides, as well as views towards higher ground from the valley floor. There are very few incongruous features, resulting in a strong rural character.

LCA 2 - View the map full screen in a new tab

Oxford Canal and River Cherwell in seasonal flood

Long views across the valley from Upper Heyford

Traditional villages with strong local vernacular

Prominent residential and commercial development on the edge of Banbury

Description

Natural (landform, water, semi-natural land cover)

The River Cherwell cuts through the Marlstone Rock Bed, and iron-bearing limestone, to the Lias siltstones, mudstones and clays beneath. South of Northbrook, the river instead cuts through Oolitic Clypeus Grit, a fossil bearing limestone, and a substantial layer of micritic White Limestone. Kirtlington Quarry, on the limestone, is a Local Nature Reserve and geological SSSI.
The Cherwell valley was over-deepened by glacial meltwater and the size of the valley is inconsistent with the river’s present flow. The broad, steeply incised valley, typically rising 40-80m above the valley floor, narrows as the river flows through the limestones. The valley in the north is less sharply defined, as the river is joined from the west by two major tributaries, the Sor Brook and the River Swere. In some places the valley sides slope gently down, with the river curving between interlocking spurs, while elsewhere the valley floor opens out and the river winds across a narrow floodplain. The valley floor is subject to seasonal flooding.
A rich flora survives in many of the wet pastures on the valley floor. Willow trees mark the course of the river, with white willow most common along the Cherwell and Swere. Some willows are old pollards, while trees and scrub growing on land between the river and the canal provide valuable wildlife habitats.
Semi-natural habitats include extensive floodplain grazing marsh along the river corridor, good quality semi-improved grassland, occasional deciduous woodlands on the higher ground and small areas of traditional orchards in villages and near farmsteads. Floodplain meadows at Bestmoor are nationally designated as a SSSI for the rich alluvial meadows.

Cultural/social (land use, settlement, infrastructure, historic character)

Fertile clay over the valley sides, which includes areas of Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land near Upper Heyford, supports intensive cereal farming in medium-scale fields. On the steeper slopes and around settlements a pattern of smaller fields and less intensive mixed farming has survived. The smaller fields are usually contained by hedgerows, many of which have grown out into lines of trees which fade out one behind the other into the distance, emphasising the slope and dip of the valley sides.
The wet soils of the broad floodplain support permanent pasture, grazed by cattle. Fields on the floodplain are often bounded by ditches, which are not obvious unless lined by willows.
The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) identifies a mixed historic field pattern. The majority of the area has been formed by 18^th and 19^th century enclosure, including piecemeal enclosure, planned enclosure and reorganised enclosure. There are also areas of prairie/ amalgamated enclosure where 19^th and 20^th century farming techniques have removed field boundaries.
Villages are mainly situated on the valley slopes facing one another, with churches providing focal points. Most of the villages have agricultural origins. Narrow village streets and lanes, and some tree cover creates a sense of enclosure. This is particularly evident at Steeple, Middle and North Aston. Occasional gaps in the built-up frontage provide views into the surrounding countryside (such as The Green at North Aston).
The villages each have their own manor house and medieval church and contain many fine stone listed houses. The majority of the villages are covered by Conservation Areas. Local vernacular reflects the underlying geology, with ironstone in the north and limestone in the south.
Outside of the villages, earthworks show evidence of previous occupation, including east and west of Somerton and the substantial earthworks of an 11^th century motte and bailey castle at Deddington. These are all Scheduled Monuments. A small part of the Grade I Registered Park and Garden at Rousham Park lies within this Character Area, although the majority lies within West Oxfordshire District.
Running close to the river, the Oxford Canal and its crossing points are prominent features on the valley floor. Distinctive hump-backed bridges, the iconic balance beam lift bridges, locks and mill buildings associated with the canal are listed buildings.
Transportation routes are common through the valley. The Cherwell Valley railway runs along the length of the valley, while the A4260 runs along the western valley ridge. A small section of the Chiltern mainline railway and the M40 cross the north-east of the valley.
Public Rights of Way cross the valley, connecting the settlements. River crossings are limited, and the canal and its towpath (the promoted Oxford Canal Walk) are the only means of access to much of the valley floor.

Perceptual (views, tranquillity, associations)

The low-lying pasture landscape is traditional and unspoilt, with very few incongruous features in views. The exception to this is in the north, where the modern edges of Banbury and Bodicote, including large warehouses, are visible.
Long views across the valley floor from the valley sides, with lines of trees resulting from outgrown hedges and small clumps of trees in field corners providing a localised well-treed character. These combined elements result in pockets of pleasingly patterned landscape.
Mechanised farming has resulted in the prevailing rolling arable landscape with a weak, open and unstructured field pattern, but this does allow long views across the valley. Occasional solitary oak trees stand vulnerably within open ploughland.
Heyford Park, a new development on a former airbase at Upper Heyford (within LCA 6: Upper Heyford Plateau), is visible from the western valley side.
The Cherwell Valley forms the landscape backdrop to Rousham Park (predominately within West Oxfordshire District), with important views from the park across the river towards Upper Heyford.
The north of the LCA provides a rural setting to Banbury, including new residential development at Bodicote, with long views across the valley and into West Northamptonshire.

County landscape typology

In the Oxfordshire Wildlife and Landscape Study (see the map at the top of the page) the river and its immediate floodplain are classified as River Meadowlands, with the lower valley defined as Vale Farmland or Clay Vale rising to Farmland Slopes and Valley Sides, Upstanding Village Farmlands and, further south, Wooded Estatelands.

Valued qualities

The landform affords long views from higher slopes into and across the valley, and views from the valley floor to higher ground.
Traditional patterns of land management and the valley floor’s relative inaccessibility contribute to the richness and variety of wildlife habitats within the Cherwell Valley, which in turn enhance landscape character. Of particular note are the floodplain meadows at Bestmoor SSSI, near Somerton, which have a long history of traditional grassland management, with grazing following a summer hay cut. The nutrient-rich, alluvial meadows support a number of plants associated with unimproved meadows, and Somerton Meadows are also a well-known feeding ground for wintering waterfowl.
A small section of Rousham Park lies within Cherwell District. William Kent remodelled the landscape gardens between 1733 and 1740, and they represent his only surviving intact landscape. The Cherwell Valley forms the landscape backdrop to Rousham with important views from the park across the river towards Upper Heyford. A large area of countryside in Cherwell is designated as part of the Rousham Conservation Area to reflect this.
Small, attractive villages on the valley-side brows contain many historic, listed buildings, and are valued for their time-depth and localised vernacular of ironstone in the north and limestone in the south. Conservation Areas are designated at Adderbury, Deddington, North and Steeple Aston, Somerton and Upper and Lower Heyford.
Impressive, listed structures include the fifteenth century bridge over the River Cherwell at Lower Heyford, and a fourteenth century tithe barn at Upper Heyford. Huge mounds which mark the bank and ditch enclosure of Deddington Castle site and earthworks indicating the site of a deserted medieval village at Somerton are both Scheduled Monuments
The Oxford Canal is a historic transport route, with unique diamond shaped weir locks near Shipton on Cherwell and Aynho, humpbacked bridges and iconic balance beam lift bridges creating a strong sense of place.
Kirtlington Quarry is designated as a geological SSSI, as it has the richest assemblage of Middle Jurassic mammal fossils in the world.

Forces for change

In the north, expansion of the industrial edge of Banbury, and the residential edges of Banbury and Bodicote is altering the rural character of the landscape. This is particularly the case south-east of Bodicote, where the open landscape between the settlement edges and the M40 is diminishing, although planned tree planting on the edge of these new developments will help to screen them from the wider valley landscape.
The Cherwell and its tributaries are in a mix of moderate and poor ecological condition. This is caused by a range of issues, including poor livestock management, physical modification of the river channel and banks, and sewage discharge. The Cherwell and Ray Catchment Partnership seeks to tackle issues involving water quality, quantity and habitat. These issues and interventions may alter the character of the Cherwell valley.
The landscape is susceptible to the impacts of climate change, including higher average temperatures and drier summers, wetter winters, more frequent winter storms and flooding leading to:
- Changes to seasonal flooding and flash floods, and potential for increasing demand for flood defence activity. This could create more physical habitat degradation and introduce potentially detracting features.
- Loss of woodland /trees due to wind-throw and of dieback in drought prone locations.
- Spread of non-native and invasive species such as giant hogweed.
- Changes in cropping and land use as a response to climate change impacting the character of the farmland.
- Drought conditions leading to crop failures, and reduced productivity changing the character of the farmed landscape.

Landscape strategy and guidelines

Retain the role of the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal as distinctive landscape features contributing to a sense of place.

Maintain the open character of farmland, contributing to long views across the valley.
Maintain tree cover that contributes to linear character of river and canal and avoid planting that would detract from this linear character. The valley floor of the Cherwell is open and characterised by hedgerows and therefore not a suitable location for large areas of woodland. However, small stands or copses on the valley slopes or brow may be appropriate.
Consider opportunities for meandering and naturalised sections of the River Cherwell to slow water flows and reduce flood impacts, in accordance with the Cherwell and Ray Catchment Partnership and Thames River Basin Management Plan.
Maintain the canal and associated historic bridges and locks.
Ensure that new development does not detract from the sense of place associated with the river and canal. Retain views across the river and canal from the settlement edges, particularly at Bondicote in the north.
Further vehicular crossings of the River Cherwell and its valley should be restricted.
Enhance recreational access, including developing east-west connections across the river valley.

Preserve the tranquillity and strong rural character of locations remote from transport infrastructure and urban edges.

Avoid development that would intrude on locations currently remote from urbanising influences, either through its size, scale or character, or its impact on levels of activity (such as traffic generation).
Avoid development within the Rousham Conservation Area that would detract from the protected vista from Rousham Park.
The Oxfordshire Treescape Project considers that sites with multiple benefits for woodland opportunities are located along the M40, the edge of Banbury and around Middle Aston and Steeple Aston.

Retain the traditional character of the area’s villages.

Use new planting to soften the edges of new development, integrating it where possible with existing vegetation. Consider the biodiversity value of new planting as well as the landscape value.
Retain important views to, and the setting of, important landmark buildings such as churches. Where Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings retain a strong relationship with open land avoid development that would weaken this link.
New development should respect the scale, historic form and local vernacular of each village.
New development should reflect the landscape setting of villages, by not encroaching beyond any topographical, visual or environmental limits (such as beyond the valley slope onto the brow of the hill, or undermining important gaps between neighbouring villages).
Where there is important open space, which forms an integral part of the character of the village, such as at Steeple Aston, this space should remain undeveloped.