LCA 1: Upper Cherwell Basin

Location and key characteristics

The Upper Cherwell Basin (see map below) forms the northernmost part of the district and county, adjoining Warwickshire to the north and Northamptonshire to the east. The edge of Banbury marks the southern boundary. A small area in the south-east is isolated by commercial development on the edge of Banbury and the country boundary.

The Upper Cherwell Basin encompasses the floor and sides of the valley of the River Cherwell and tributaries to the north. It also extends eastwards to include land beyond the valley crest. Land to the east and south of Wardington, and an isolated area of land east of the M40 and A361 are more associated in character with the ironstone hills that form the north-western part of Cherwell, and with the undulating hills and valleys of West Northamptonshire.

The River Cherwell and its tributaries run in a valley which transitions from a narrower valley at the edge of Banbury to a broader basin north of Cropredy.
Sloping valley sides form a shallow, windswept basin.
Transport corridors run north-south through the landscape. The Oxford Canal forms a spine through the area, running parallel to the Cherwell south of Cropredy.
Small historic settlements lie on the valley sides, and have a strong local vernacular of ironstone, based on the underlying geology.
Open expanses of arable and pasture fields allow open, long-distance views across the valley. The area retains a remote, rural character despite its close proximity to Banbury.

LCA 1 - View the map full screen in a new tab

Long views across the open valley sides

Oxford Canal provides recreational access

Agricultural landscape with strong ridge and furrow earthworks

Ironstone vernacular in Cropredy

Description

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

The Upper Cherwell Basin lies on the Lower and Middle Lias, which is formed of rhythmically bedded layers of siltstones, mudstones and clays of the Lower Jurassic period. The surrounding Ironstone Downs rise gently to elevations of around 160 metres AOD to the east and west of the River Cherwell. Heavy, poorly drained soils overlie the mudstones and siltstones of the gently sloping valley sides.
The River Cherwell enters the district north of Wardington and flows southwards and westwards. It is joined by a major tributary, Highfurlong Brook, at Cropredy. Areas of priority habitat floodplain grazing marsh are adjacent to the river and canal, and the alluvial floodplains are seasonally flooded.
Tree cover is limited to scattered willows along the river and small stands of oak, alder and poplar, usually around the villages.
On the higher ground, fields of rough pasture are punctuated by patches of gorse, bracken and heathland scrub spreading down the slopes.

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

A highly agricultural area, with grazing dominant on the steep valley sides and floodplain due to the heavy, poorly drained clay soils on either side of the River Cherwell. Land at Nethercote and Huscote is also in use for grazing due to the steep topography. Areas of arable are found on the higher valley sides.
There is a well-defined, geometric pattern of medium-sized fields, the result of parliamentary enclosure. Fields are typically divided by closely trimmed low hawthorn hedges, although many of the traditional hedgerow boundaries have been reinforced or replaced with post and wire or post and rail fences.
The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) indicates that much of the historic field pattern has been altered in the 20^th century through amalgamation. The south-east of the Upper Cherwell Basin retains a 19^th century reorganised enclosure pattern, and between Great Bourton and Little Bourton there is a 19^th century planned enclosure pattern. A strong pattern of ridge and furrow earthworks across the area shows evidence of historic agriculture.
The Battle of Cropredy Bridge took place in 1644, part of the English Civil War. Little has changed in the landscape since the battle, which is a Registered Historic Battlefield. The Battlefields Trail provides access, and links important battlefields at Edgehill (Warwickshire), Cropredy and Edgcote (Northamptonshire).
Small, often nucleated villages are located on the valley sides, although Williamscot and Wardington are more linear in form. Cropredy is located on raised land adjacent to the River Cherwell. Most of the villages have agricultural origins but Cropredy has been influenced in its development by the Oxford Canal and the railway, with wharfs and stations. Most villages retain a traditional, rural character, with Conservation Areas designated at Cropredy, Williamscot and Wardington. Nethercote is a small linear settlement with a long history
Trees and hedges outside villages and in areas of open space within them help to integrate the villages into their valley location. Streets are mainly open in character. This is created through a variety of spaces, including informal verges, village greens, orchards, paddocks and gaps in the built-up frontage providing views into the surrounding countryside.
The railway and the Oxford Canal are prominent features on the valley floor. The canal contributed greatly to Banbury’s industrial growth in the 18^th and 19^th centuries and the steeply hump-backed brick bridges that punctuate its course form prominent features in the open countryside. The canal is designated as a Conservation Area.
The valley floor is sparsely settled with few roads. The A423 and A361 run along on the ridges above the valley, although the A363 descends to the valley floor east of Williamscot. A small section of the M40 crosses the south of the area near Banbury.
The Oxford Canal provides recreational access to the valley floor, although the Upper Cherwell Basin is crossed by the promoted routes the Battlefield Trail, Jurassic Way in the east, and Macmillan Way in the north.

Perceptual (views, tranquillity, associations)

A few isolated hedgerow oaks and a number of willows along watercourses are important vertical elements in this very open landscape. Church towers and steeples are prominent features in long views across the valley.
A highly rural landscape with strong sense of tranquillity. This is diminished in the south where there is a convergence of major transport routes and the northern and eastern commercial edge of Banbury provides an urbanising feature.
Land between Cropredy Bridge and Wardington is of historical interest as the battlefield site where, in June 1644, Parliamentary forces led by Sir William Waller failed to defeat Charles I and the Royalist cavalry. Although the Cherwell itself is no longer a wide and formidable barrier, the landscape of the battlefield is much as it was in the seventeenth century, the main change to it being the construction of the Oxford Canal and railway line.
Banbury is famous for cake, the Banbury Cross and Banbury cheese. The cheese production at Banbury was centred at Nethercote.

County landscape typology

In the Oxfordshire Wildlife and Landscape Study (see the map at the top of the page) the river and its floodplain are classified as River Meadowlands, with the broader basin defines as Clay Vale rising to Upstanding Village Farmlands. The north-eastern edge of the district was omitted from the study.

Valued qualities

The valley landform affords long views from higher slopes into and across the valley, and views from the valley floor to higher ground.
The River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal are distinctive landscape features which give the area a sense of place. The canal’s bridges and locks are an important element of its character. The Oxford Canal Walk provides public access along its entire route.
This is a highly tranquil landscape with a strong rural character. The presence of such areas even quite close to Banbury, including at Nethercote, is additionally valued for the sense of escape to the countryside that it provides for urban residents.
There is a strong sense of time-depth provided by the high concentration of ridge and furrow earthworks, and listed buildings within the villages. The ironstone geology provides a strong local vernacular. Medieval churches at Claydon, Cropredy and Wardington are prominent features in the landscape.

Forces for change

There has been a historic decline in maintenance of hedgerows, with many of the hedgerow field boundaries now replaced with post and wire or post and rail fences. This detracts from traditional, rural character.
Expansion of Banbury, including residential and commercial development, which impinges on the rural character of the south of the area. The commercial development east of Banbury is particularly obvious in the landscape and has effectively cut off the rural areas at Nethercote and Overthorpe from the rest of the district.
The Cherwell and its tributaries are in a moderate 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 interventions may alter the landscape character of the Cherwell valley, including the planting of more riparian vegetation. This is likely to be a positive change.
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 to 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 views.
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 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 bridges and locks.
Ensure that new development does not detract from the sense of place associated with the river and canal.
Further vehicular crossings of the River Cherwell and its valley should be restricted.

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).
Ensure gaps between settlements are maintained to retain the sense of separate, discrete villages.
The Oxfordshire Treescape Project considers that sites with multiple benefits for woodland opportunities are located along the edges of the Upper Cherwell Basin, particularly west of Cropredy and east of the Bourtons.
Ensure commercial development does not cross the M40 / A361 to the east Banbury to preserve the rural character at Nethercote, and its relationship with the rolling landscape of West Northamptonshire to the east.

Retain the traditional character of the area’s villages.

Where trees play a significant role in defining a village edge avoid development that extends the form of the village beyond that boundary.
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.
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 views to, and setting of, important landmark buildings such as churches.
Retain the distinctive ridge and furrow earthworks in fields surrounding villages.

Preserve the open character of the site of the Battle of Cropredy Bridge.

Preserve the role of the River Cherwell as an eastern boundary to the village of Cropredy.
Avoid development that would have a significant visual impact on the open slopes between Cropredy, Williamscot and Wardington, giving particular consideration to views from the Battlefields Trail and the Oxford Canal Walk.