National Landscape in England
North Wessex Downs National Landscape
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This is a typical view of the chalk North Wessex Downs in the north west part of
Hampshire
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Location of the North Wessex Downs AONB in the UK
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Location
| England
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Designated
| 1972
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The
North Wessex Downs National Landscape
(until November 2023 an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
or AONB) is located in the English counties of
Berkshire
,
Hampshire
,
Oxfordshire
and
Wiltshire
.
[1]
[2]
The name
North Wessex Downs
is not a traditional one, the area covered being better known by various overlapping local names, including the
Berkshire Downs
, the North
Hampshire Downs
, the
White Horse Hills
, the Lambourn Downs, the Marlborough Downs, the
Vale of Pewsey
and
Savernake Forest
.
Topography
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]
The AONB covers an area of some 1,730 km
2
(670 sq mi). It takes the form of a horseshoe, with the open end facing east, surrounding the town of
Newbury
and the
River Kennet
catchment area
. The northern arm reaches as far east as the suburbs of
Reading
in mid-
Berkshire
and as far north as
Didcot
in
South Oxfordshire
, whilst the southern arm extends to
Basingstoke
in northern
Hampshire
. To the west, the AONB reaches as far as
Calne
and
Devizes
. The highest points are the 297 m (974 ft) summit of
Walbury Hill
, situated southeast of
Hungerford
in
West Berkshire
(and the highest point in southern England east of the
Mendip Hills
), and the
Milk Hill
-
Tan Hill
plateau northeast of
Devizes
in central
Wiltshire
, at 295 m (968 ft) above sea level.
At its northeast extreme,
Lardon Chase
within the North Wessex Downs AONB faces across the
Goring Gap
to the
Chilterns AONB
on the other side of the
River Thames
. From here working anti-clockwise around the horseshoe, the Berkshire Downs have a steep
scarp
slope facing north over the
Vale of White Horse
and a gentler
dip slope
facing south into the valley of the Kennet. This area includes the horse-racing village of
Lambourn
and is hence sometimes known as the Lambourn Downs. Beyond the town of
Marlborough
the downs (now called the Marlborough Downs) sweep in a semicircle to the south around the headwaters of the River Kennet, with the Vale of Pewsey cutting through these downs carrying the headwaters of the
Hampshire River Avon
. Here too can be found the wooded area of
Savernake Forest
. Finally, the highest stretch of the Downs runs east along the Berkshire-Hampshire border on the opposite side of the River Kennet from the Berkshire Downs. Again the scarp slope is to the north (facing down in the valley of the Kennet) and the dip slope is to the south into Hampshire.
Geology and natural history
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]
The
downland
is part of the
Southern England Chalk Formation
which runs from
Dorset
in the west to
Kent
in the east and also includes the
Dorset Downs
,
Purbeck Hills
,
Cranborne Chase
, Wiltshire Downs,
Salisbury Plain
, the
Isle of Wight
,
Chiltern Hills
and the
North
and
South Downs
.
The area is a site of scientific interest in numerous fields and has an internationally important habitat for early
gentian
.
Geologically
, its chalk downs,
dry valleys
and
sarsen
outcrops are of note, the last in the area around Marlborough providing material for many of the
Neolithic
and
Bronze Age
sites in the area such as
Avebury Henge
.
Economy
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]
Horse racing
forms a major industry in the area, largely because of the good quality turf that comes with the chalk underlay, and much of upland area is made over to gallops and other training areas. Several of the upland villages, and especially the large village of
Lambourn
, are home to major racing
stables
. Other villages with strong horse racing connections include
Beckhampton
,
Kingsclere
and
West Ilsley
. The term
steeplechase
originated in this area,
[
citation needed
]
a steeplechase originally being a race between two villages, navigated by reference to the church
steeples
visible across the rolling downs.
Literature
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]
On the south-east arm of the AONB can be found
Watership Down
where the book
Watership Down
by
Richard Adams
is set, to the north of the small market town of
Whitchurch, Hampshire
.
Significant parts of
Jude the Obscure
by
Thomas Hardy
are set on and in the villages connected to the
Berkshire Downs
.
AONB Council of Partners
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]
The
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
was designated in 1972. It is managed by a Council of Partners whose members are:
- Local Authorities:
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
,
Hampshire County Council
,
Vale of White Horse District Council
,
West Berkshire Council
,
Wiltshire Council
,
Oxfordshire County Council
,
South Oxfordshire District Council
,
Swindon Borough Council
and
Test Valley
Borough Council
- Representing the interests of nature conservation:
Natural England
,
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
and Action for the River Kennet
- Representing the interests of the historic environment:
Council for British Archaeology
and
English Heritage
- Representing the interests of farming and rural business: Axis Farming,
Country Land and Business Association
,
Forestry Commission
,
Government Office for the South East
and the
National Farmers' Union
- Representing the interests of communities and parishes: Connecting Communities in Berkshire, the Friends of Pang, Kennet and Lambourn Valleys, Whitchurch Town Parish Council and Hungerford Town Council
- Representing the interests of recreation and rural tourism: Friends of the Ridgeway and the
Ramblers' Association
.
References
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]
Further reading
[
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]
External links
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]
51°27′25″N
1°30′29″W
/
51.457°N 1.508°W
/
51.457; -1.508