LCA 7: Oxfordshire Estate Farmlands

Location and key characteristics

The Oxfordshire Estate Farmlands are east of the Upper Heyford Plateau (LCA 6), where the limestone dips into a series of gentle undulations. This area runs from Bletchingdon on the edge of the Cherwell Valley in the south, around to the north of Bicester and up to the county boundaries with Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

Gently undulating landform with shallow valleys created by the numerous watercourses which vein the landscape.
A well-wooded landscape with large areas of arable cultivation.
Extensive remains of eighteenth-century parklands and estate farmland spanning Oxfordshire and into Northamptonshire.
Long views are available across the open fields where there are substantial breaks in tree cover.

LCA 7 - View the map full screen in a new tab

Trow Pool near Ardley Trackways SSSI

Parkland at Tusmore

Long views across large-scale farmland to wooded horizon

Deciduous woodland at Shelswell Plantation

Description

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

This character area is situated upon White Limestone and Combrash, a bluish-grey limestone which contains shell debris and has a high clay content. Both bands trend south-west to north-east, rising up to about 120m in the north in a series of gentle undulations.
A major watershed divides the area on an east-west alignment – streams rising around Stratton Audley and Bucknell drain southwards into the River Ray and then the Thames river system, while streams to the north of Fringford and Stoke Lyne join Padbury Brook and the Great Ouse river system, flowing eastwards to drain into the Wash.
A well-wooded landscape with extensive coverage in some parts, either as long plantation belts bordering roads adjacent to arable farmland, or in association with historic parkland. Dense corridors of willows and poplars, and belts of semi-natural woodland bordering the valley streams are other locally prominent features. There are also a significant number of small, mixed plantations.

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

Arable is the primary agricultural land use of the area with small areas of semi-improved grassland on the steeper slopes. The scale of arable land varies from a patchwork of fields with well-defined hedgerows and copses, to large-scale fields on the well-drained loams of the open plateau. North of Bicester, the landscape becomes more rolling, woodland cover decreases, and the countryside opens out. The landscape is structured on a large scale by woodland belts.
The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) identifies much of the area as comprising post-medieval ‘reorganised enclosures’ and ‘amalgamated enclosures’, with ‘planned enclosures’ mostly featuring in the north.
The landscape is also characterised primarily by the extensive remains of 18th century parklands and estate farmland which lie in a band across Oxfordshire that continues into Northamptonshire.
Six areas of 18^th century enclosed parkland survive at Bletchingdon, Kirtlington, Middleton, Bignell, Tusmore and Shelswell, many of which are surrounded by original limestone walls containing woodland and pasture with fine specimens of single trees such as beech, oak, lime and horse chestnut. Adjacent to the parklands, farmland displays estate farm characteristics such as metal railings and avenues of trees.
Plantations are located in long strips along watercourses, roads or other natural boundaries. However, in places the structure of the landscape is disappearing as intensive arable use has resulted in the removal of field boundaries so that only broken lines of hedgerow trees remain. Road verges are generous widths, and often have a ditch and hedge on either side or are lined by tall, clipped hedgerows.
There are a number of villages in the character area but most are small and are not prominent in the landscape over large distances, due to landform and woodland cover. They are of agricultural origin and have been established close to permanent water sources within or adjacent to small valleys, avoiding the highest land in the immediate area.
Village edges are open in places, such as at Stoke Lyne and Stratton Audley, but in others are enclosed by woodland and limestone walls associated with the parkland which fringes the settlements, such as at Middleton Stoney and Cottisford. Individual trees are important features within many villages.
Horse grazing often features close to settlements or farmsteads, and sheep grazing features on steeper slopes or where pasture is adjacent to watercourses.
The A43 and the A4421 trace parts of the eastern and western edges of the character area, the A421 crosses through the north and the A4095 crosses through the south.
The landscape is well traversed by footpaths and bridleways which provide recreational access to the area. The Bernwood Jubilee Way and the Cross Bucks Way pass through the east of the character area and the Oxfordshire Way features in the south.

Perceptual (views, tranquillity, associations)

This is a well enclosed landscape owing to the substantial areas of woodland which contribute significantly to the rural character and high levels of tranquillity.
Views over the rolling countryside are punctuated by numerous small copses and coverts, a well-maintained asset in an area where hunting and shooting are still regular features of rural life. Long views can be had across the rolling open fields where there are substantial breaks in tree cover and localised high points.
Treed shelterbelts knit together with riparian vegetation to form a well-wooded, farmland landscape which sometimes restricts views and creates a strong sense of enclosure, particularly at lower elevations and near watercourses.
The development of the parkland character arose from the character area being favoured by the gentry since it was within easy travelling distance from London. The estatelands provide a sense of time-depth and an important part of the local landscape history.

County landscape typology

The Oxfordshire Wildlife and Landscape Study (see the map at the top of the page) the area is largely classified as Wooded Estatelands. A small area in the south is classified as Clay Vale, the western fringes include parts of the Farmland Plateau LCT that is more typical of the Upper Heyford Plateau and the northern edge includes Farmland Slopes and Valley Sides running down to the River Great Ouse on the county boundary. East of Stratton Audley and Fringford there is a more varied terrain including small elements of Clay Vale, Rolling Farmland, Estate Farmlands and River Meadowlands.

Valued qualities

Extensive woodland cover, much of which is ancient, is valued for its contribution to the wider parkland character, as well as for the strong sense of enclosure and tranquillity it provides across much of the character area.
Numerous streams and watercourses vein the landscape, creating topographic undulations, contributing to the historic setting of settlements, and adding a sense of enclosure when flanked by riparian vegetation such as the willow-lined Fringford Brook.
Strong rural qualities and historic vernacular character are associated with the eighteenth-century parklands, two of which – Middleton and Kirtlington – are Registered Parks and Gardens. Kirtlington was landscaped by Capability Brown between 1751 and 1762 – the belts of Scots Pine and the loosely grouped coppices around the park became hallmarks of Brown’s later work. He is also known to have worked at Middleton Stoney and influenced the park at Bletchingdon.
Locations away from transport infrastructure and the urban edge of Bicester are valued for their tranquillity and strong rural character. The presence of such areas even quite close to Bicester is additionally valued for the sense of escape to the countryside that it provides for urban residents.
Some of the settlements contain clusters of Listed Buildings and are covered by Conservation Area Designations which reflect the traditional character of the area and provide a sense of time depth, such as at Mixbury, Cottisford and Weston-on-the-Green. Notable listed buildings include the 11^th-Century Church of Saint Peter at Bucknell and the country house at Middleton Park.
Historic quarries near Ardley and Stratton Audley contain surviving fragments of limestone grassland which are an important biodiversity feature. These quarries are also of geological importance.

Forces for change

Pressure for increased development on the edges of Bicester has resulted in large development allocations which have begun, and will continue, to expand the town. To the west of Bicester these include the north-west Bicester eco-town and Himley Village.
There has been a historic decline in maintenance of hedgerows, with many being replaced by post and wire or post and rail fences, or leaving only broken lines of hedgerow trees. Substantial numbers of hedgerow oaks have died back, detracting from the traditional, rural character, though some healthy specimens remain.
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.
Net zero targets are likely result in pressure for larger scale solar development and potentially for wind turbines on farmland plateau locations.

Landscape strategy and guidelines

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).
Maintain areas of open, rural character within the farmland landscape, which forms gaps between settlements and affords long distance views from the more open areas of high ground.
Maintain the valued recreational use of the landscape and consider opportunities to introduce additional public rights of way connectivity, particularly near parklands, to enhance appreciation of views and landscape character.

Retain the traditional character of the area’s villages.

Maintain the distinctive sparse settlement pattern and minimise the impact of any new development on local character and on views from other areas. Use careful design, in terms of siting, scale, style, layout and materials to stay in keeping with the historic form of each particular village. Preserve the openness of areas/features which are important to the landscape setting of settlements.
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.
Open space which forms an important part of the character of a village, should remain undeveloped. The creation of new public space can help maintain the rural character of the villages where there is new development.
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.

Woodland cover should continue to provide a strong sense of enclosure, and contribution to parkland character and ecological value within an otherwise arable landscape.

Retain and enhance woodland copses and riparian woodland along watercourses.
Encourage the appropriate management of woodland, including to reduce the impacts of pests and diseases and to increase its age structure and structural heterogeneity. Consider the promotion of natural colonisation adjacent to existing woodland, allowing locally native species to develop resilience to the pressures of climate change through natural processes.
Explore opportunities to expand and connect existing woodland and tree cover through natural regeneration or small-scale planting, particularly around settlements. This will strengthen landscape character and bring benefits for biodiversity.
Seek to prevent further loss or decline in the quality of remaining boundary hedgerows and encourage their restoration/reinstatement, whilst maintaining characteristic long-distance views between breaks in tree cover; when establishing new hedges, aim to diversify the range of species and select species and provenances adapted to a wider range of climatic conditions.
Use trees and woodland to integrate residential, commercial and industrial development, including quarries and associated bunding, into the landscape.
The Oxfordshire Treescape Project considers that sites with multiple benefits for woodland opportunities are located in the middle of the character area, particularly west of Bicester, between Stoke Lyne and Middleton Stoney.