30 - Southern Magnesian Limestone : Analysis: Landscape Attributes & Opportunities

Analysis supporting Statements of Environmental Opportunity

The following analysis section focuses on the landscape attributes and opportunities for this NCA.

Further analysis on ecosytem services for this NCA is contained in the Analysis: Ecosytem Services section.

Landscape attributes

An elevated ridge of smoothly rolling landform, dissected by narrow river valleys, some dry.

Justification for selection:

• The NCA is a long ridge of higher land, running north-south and formed by underlying Southern Magnesian Limestone, rising to a maximum of 196 m with an average height of 64 m.
• The topography, has a steeper scarp to the west, dipping more gently with rolling topography to the east, and is more elevated towards the south.
• The low rolling ridge is cut by river valleys running west to east, some of which follow fault lines. There are several smaller valleys, which are often dry in their upper parts.

Underlying Magnesian Limestone geology and glacial drift deposits strongly influence soils, landform, historical and ecological character.

Justification for selection:

• The solid geology of the NCA is predominantly Permian dolomitic limestone, overlying Upper Carboniferous Coal Measures, which are only exposed where river valleys have cut through the limestone. Exposures are most obvious in the gorges allowing access and research of the geology.
• Widespread use of the local creamy warm coloured limestone in towns, villages and farmsteads gives visual unity and a sense of history to some settlements. Boundary and estate walls are also often built of local limestone.
• Magnesian Limestone (calcareous) grassland is nationally scarce and is found in fragmented patches throughout the NCA, for instance around Sprotbrough, Maltby and near Bramham. A number of scarce specialist species like Yorkshire Broomrape and the brown Argus butterfly are associated with this habitat.
• The dolomitic limestone has been extensively worked for roadstone and aggregates, and the harder bedded layers for building stone.
• Sand and gravel has been extracted from areas around the Swale and Ure in the north, with land restored to agriculture or wildlife habitats, including open water.

Free draining and fertile soils support productive arable cropping.

Justification for selection:

• 49 per cent of the land is classified as Grades 1 and 2, with 37 per cent at Grade 3.
• In the north glacial deposits tend to obscure the underlying limestone topography. These thin to the south, and there are some alluvial deposits in the river valleys.
• Nearly three quarters of the farms are large, with holdings over 100 ha, accounting for 75 per cent of the land.
• The dominant land use, covering about two thirds of the farmed land, is cereals, along with oilseeds, cash roots and other arable crops.
• Livestock numbers have declined over recent years, with predominantly more pigs than other livestock – 100,000 pigs, 62,000 sheep and 34,000 cattle, including dairy herds.

Large fields bounded by low-cut hedges creating a generally large- scale, open landscape.

Justification for selection:

• Field boundaries are usually low, flailed thorn hedges through stone walls also occur in some places.
• Hedgerow trees are relatively sparse giving an open character to the landscape.
• Smaller field patterns can occasionally be found, often dating from earlier periods of enclosure, for example around Clifford and Bagthorpe.

Large number of abbeys, country houses and estates with designed gardens, parklands, estate woodlands and game coverts.

Justification for selection:

• The fertile and free draining soils attracted the establishment of monasteries, such as Fountains, Welbeck, Roche and Newstead Abbeys, with associated large estates.
• The good-quality land later attracted industrialists to establish large designed parklands and estates, using the wealth generated from the industrial activity in the west.
• There are 26 registered parks and garden within the NCA; these include Newby Hall, Bramham Park, Lotherton Hall, Hardwick Hall and Barlborough Hall.
• The combined Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal gardens are a World Heritage Site.

Reasonably high woodland cover, much of it estate woodlands, combining with open arable land to create a wooded farmland landscape in some places.

Justification for selection:

• 9 per cent woodland cover (12,355 ha).
• 6.7 per cent of the total land area is broadleaved woodland, with just 1 per cent mixed, and smaller areas of coniferous woodland (1.2 per cent).
• There are 3,284 ha of ancient woodland covering 2.5 per cent of the land area, but these woodlands are often isolated and 54 per cent of this figure includes PAWS.

Rivers cutting through the ridge, often through dramatic gorges, form important transport routes and defensive sites.

Justification for selection:

• A series of castles remain where rivers form narrow valleys to pass through the limestone, for example Knaresborough, Sprotbrough, Conisbrough and Tickhill.
• As well as being striking landscape features, the rivers provide important ecological links across the ridge.

Fragmented semi-natural grasslands, notably the Magnesian Limestone grasslands, survive on marginal land, rich in flowers and supporting scarce fauna and flora.

Justification for selection:

• Magnesian Limestone grassland is a nationally scarce habitat but tends to be limited to scattered and fragmented patches through the NCA. Some of the most significant stretches can be found around Maltby, west of Sprotbrough, around Castleford and Micklefield, and near Bramham.
• Neutral grasslands occur more frequently towards the north, on the drift soil deposits.
• There are a number of wet grasslands, reedbeds and flushes within the NCA supporting plants such as marsh arrowgrass. These habitats are most evident to the west of Doncaster, near Castleford and in smaller patches along the Wharfe valley, while significant areas of fen can be found along rivers such as the Ure and Aire.

Industrial influences in the Aire and Don valleys, in the south and along the fringe of the Coal Measures to the west, along with a busy road network.

Justification for selection:

• Coal has been exploited in the area through a number of deep mines; however most mines are now closed with former coalfield settlements nearby.
• The area is crossed by a number of main roads including the A63, A64, A57, M18 and A630, while the A1 (M) runs north south along the drier elevated ridge.

Archaeological evidence, with some notable prehistoric sites, reflects the long standing importance of the area for occupation and transport.

Justification for selection:

• Mesolithic and Neolithic history is revealed through extensive archaeological finds such as stone tools and flints, with notable finds in caves at Creswell Crags.
• Nationally important groupings of Neolithic long barrows and henge monuments can be found in the NCA, notably the stone circles and associated features around Thornborough Henges lying between the Swale and the Ure.
• The A1 follows the route of the Roman Dere Street, and there are several Roman forts, camps, roads and villas included in the suite of Scheduled Monuments.
• Medieval settlement is reflected through the pattern of nucleated settlements, as well as evidence of deserted settlements.

Landscape opportunities

• Protect the character of the farmed landscape, with its productive arable cropping, along with the many estate woodlands. Manage field boundaries, restoring where appropriate, so that they form stronger networks and reinforce historic patterns.
• Protect the designed parklands of the abbeys and country houses, their settings and the vistas both looking out and in and manage designed parklands and estates to restore key elements and make them fit for the needs of 21st century society.
• Manage and expand grasslands, wetlands and other semi-natural habitats, ensuring sympathetic adjacent land management, so that they are resilient and connected.
• Protect, manage, extend and buffer the scarce limestone grasslands.
• Protect distinctive landform features such as wooded limestone gorges and crags, and interpret the communications and defensive roles of the river valleys over time.
• Protect historic features such as barrows, henges, hill forts, early settlements, and their settings and provide interpretation to reveal the connections with the wider landscape.
• Protect traditional villages and farm buildings constructed of limestone.
• Manage existing woodlands, to ensure that they make an improved contribution to biodiversity and continue to contribute as landscape features in the long term. Encourage appropriate stocking for game management to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity.
• Plan for increases in biomass and woodfuel, through improved management of existing woodlands.
• Create new broadleaved woodlands to support the existing habitat network avoiding important heritage assets and other important habitats such as the rare Magnesian Limestone grasslands.
• Manage archaeological sites and historic ground features, through changes to land management such as reverting arable to permanent grassland, and scrub management.
• Plan to create links between urban areas and the rural countryside through the incorporation of green infrastructure within new developments, and linking with river corridors.
• Plan for the restoration of mineral extraction sites and other sites such as waste management to productive agriculture, and incorporating the creation of appropriate landscape features and wildlife habitats to reinforce the existing character of the area such as hedges, woodlands and appropriate semi-natural habitats both to enhance biodiversity and provide new access opportunities for local residents.
• Plan to improve access to the countryside, in particular improving access to historic parklands where appropriate and improve the network of footpaths.
• Plan to use local building materials such as limestone in restoration of vernacular architecture and within villages and for maintenance of drystone walls.
• Manage road verges to strengthen biodiversity and links.
• Interpret the communications and defensive roles of the river valleys over time.