102 - Teme Valley : Description

Physical and functional links to other National Character Areas

This small National Character Area (NCA) nestles between six others, sharing parts of its northerly boundaries with the Oswestry Uplands and Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau NCAs, and its south and south-eastern boundaries with the Malvern Hills and Severn and Avon Vales NCAs. The Herefordshire Plateau NCA is located to the south-west boundary and shares some common characteristics with the Teme Valley, but this is limited to the triangle between Bromyard, Tenbury and the Teme Valley. This NCA overlies a Silurian limestone ridge running north-east to south-west, while the rest of the area is characterised by mudstones, sandstones, siltstones and occasional thin limestones and cornstones of the Lower Old Red Sandstone. The River Teme lends its name to this area and provides a key feature and physical link with the westerly Herefordshire Lowlands, briefly entering the Shropshire Hills NCA to the north-west.

The River Teme is the second largest tributary of the River Severn, rising in the Kerry Hills in Wales and flowing in a south-easterly direction through the towns of Knighton and Ludlow. Its main tributaries include the rivers Onny, Corve and Rea before it joins the River Severn south of the city of Worcester in the Severn and Avon Vales NCA. Large volumes of water flow into the area from higher up the catchment of the River Teme resulting in subsequent flood risk. The main uses of water in the catchment are for public water supply and agriculture.

Ancient woodland is one of the important habitats distributed throughout this NCA. The woodlands of the Teme Valley interconnect with those in the Malvern Hills NCA and into the substantial woodland of the Wyre Forest complex in the Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau NCA, making an extensive and well-connected area of ancient woodlands of regional and national importance.

The undulating landscape restricts views out of the NCA from the valley bottoms. From the higher elevations longer vistas looking out of the NCA can be gained, often with dramatic views towards the Malvern Hills and the contrasting heather-clad high ridge of the Shropshire Hills, particularly Titterstone Clee Hill in the north and far views west to the receding Herefordshire plateau and the mountains of Wales beyond. This creates a contrast to the NCA’s intimate landscape features and provides the context for its setting.

The Teme Valley has long provided an important transport corridor from the more settled landscape of central Worcestershire and the West Midlands into Herefordshire and Shropshire – the Welsh Marches.

The Teme Valley today

The Teme Valley lies primarily within north-west Worcestershire, extending into Shropshire and Herefordshire. The unchanging, undisturbed character is one of its defining features. It is a complex, undulating, tranquil landscape, formed by the River Teme and River Rea with small, steeply incised tributaries. The River Teme cuts through Old Red Sandstone upstream of Knightwick, and below this point meanders across marls of the Mercian Mudstone into the neighbouring NCA. Varied geology is reflected in the soils, ranging from thin acidic, through deeper neutral to calcareous soils. Most of the area is characterised by undulating hills, composed of sandstones, alternating with siltstones and occasional thin limestones and cornstones of the Lower Old Red Sandstone, supporting a landscape with deep alluvial soils and fertile farmlands.

A prominent Silurian limestone ridge, principally the Abberley Hills, bisects the area from north to south, providing a physical and visually dominant continuation of the north-south Malvern Hills range.

The River Teme meanders through a narrow flood plain between steep, wooded valleys, retaining many natural characteristics along its course. It is a distinguishing feature of the area, with very strong influences on the way in which the landscape is experienced, from accessibility, evident from the main roads running parallel to it and the restricted movement across the valley, to flooding. However, it is also tranquil and one of the best sandstone and mudstone rivers in Britain, supporting a diverse range of plants, fish, insects and mammals. It is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and species include salmon, twaite shad, otter, lamprey, bullhead and important invertebrates – native crayfish and freshwater pearl mussels. Woodland, one of the most important habitats, covers 17 per cent of the total area. Of this, 40 per cent is ancient semi-natural woodland or plantations on ancient woodland sites. Many of the steeply incised tributary valleys are wrapped in ancient woodland. Limestone ridge woodlands have a rich shrub layer and ground flora.

Ancient woodland indicators such as toothwort, nettle-leaved bellflower, butterfly orchid and stinking iris are typical of the richer sites. Steep stream dingles feature ramsoms, male fern, buckler fern and opposite-leaved golden saxifrage. Wild service tree and small-leaved lime are characteristic of woods and hedgerows. Notable bat populations are also supported by the diversity of habitats and features of the area including woodland, pasture, freshwater, buildings, trees and rock exposures. Ancient wood pasture and parkland, wet grassland and mosaics of seminatural habitats are scattered throughout the area complementing dispersed, floristically rich, unimproved lowland meadows lying on steeper slopes and known for waxcaps (fungi), indicative of unimproved pasture, where livestock have created open sward structures, with mature trees offering good views of the landscape. Loamy soils between Abberley and Clows Top are important for cereal, oilseed rape and some potato growing.

Field patterns are characterised by predominately re-organised piecemeal enclosure, mixtures of regular and irregular hedgerows and mature trees. Damson hedgerows are a striking feature in some parts in spring when hedgerows come alive with stunning displays of white blossom. Hop yards and traditional orchards, particularly cherry, are characteristic of the sloping valleys and lower hillsides in the north and west, remaining important for fruit growing, including cider apples. This and the surrounding NCAs are important for mistletoe which thrives on old fruit trees, lime and poplar. Mistletoe, annual orchard blossom and fruit displays provide striking seasonal features with strong cultural associations within the area.

Significant rights of way dominate with recreation assets including the Worcestershire Way, networks of paths running through the area (but little used), passing over the Abberley Hills to the Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau NCA, creating important links to the Malvern Hills and north-east Herefordshire. The Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark (one of three UK geoparks which are not members of the European Geoparks Network) links outstanding geology across the area. The Geopark Way, a long-distance trail, passes through stunning countryside, exploring 700 million years of geological history. The Shelsley Hill climb, the oldest motorsport venue in the world, takes advantage of steep slopes on the south of the Teme Valley.

This is a tranquil rural area with high-density dispersed settlements intermixed with small villages and hamlets set within an anciently enclosed landscape, interspersed with woodland and relic common. Secluded wooded valleys offer high levels of tranquillity set within a gentle and intimate landscape. Views to higher ground in neighbouring areas such as the Malvern Hills to the south or the Shropshire Hills to the north can be dramatic and contrasting. Nucleated settlement and large-scale farmsteads, resulting from piecemeal enclosure of open fields around shrunken medieval settlement nuclei, are concentrated along the river valley. High-status manorial centres, including moated sites, dating from the 12th-14th centuries lie at the heart of many villages, hamlets and isolated farmsteads. There is good survival of historic farmsteads retaining working agricultural buildings, cider houses and cowsheds, distinguished by double wooden doors, many converted into dwellings. Weatherboarding is typical with wattle infill to upper panels. Field barns were a distinctive part of the postmedieval landscape but are becoming increasingly rare.

Settlement is generally sparse – valley-side hamlets and farmsteads linked by narrow, commonly single-track lanes. Tenbury Wells, an important local centre in the west of the area, has one of the few crossings over the River Teme. Abberley is one of the larger villages (Abberley Hall clock tower is a notable landmark). There is a high concentration of timber-framed, red, pink and grey sandstone buildings. Red brick was increasingly used from the mid-to-late 18th century. Weatherboarding is a common form of cladding for timber-framed buildings including a high proportion from the 16th century or earlier. Many are associated with medieval manors and home farms. Isolated churches, associated with manorial sites, are a distinctive feature. The increased gentrification of estates during the 18th and 19th centuries brought large-scale re-organisation of the partially enclosed landscape and redevelopment of manorial sites into large country houses with landscaped parks and model farms. Some manor houses lie near medieval mottes, although less so than in other parts of the Marches.

The landscape through time

Composed of limestones and siltstones, the Abberley Hills form the most conspicuous landscape feature with sediments deposited during the Silurian (428-416 million years ago) in a tropical marine environment containing abundant fossil assemblages including corals. In the Abberley Hills, limestone was extracted for agricultural lime and the construction industry, Shavers End Quarry leaving a prominent scar.

Resting on Silurian marine rocks is a succession of sandstones and siltstones forming Old Red Sandstone, representing the transition from a marine to continental terrestrial environment during the latest Silurian and early Devonian. The sediments represent a coastal plain that, with uplift of land to the west, developed into an arid alluvial plain in which calcareous soil horizons developed, forming thin limestones or cornstones, giving rise to small scarp features. Fossils of jawless fish are occasionally found. The sandstones, which vary from red to green and grey, have been used locally in dwellings and churches.

Late Carboniferous rocks occur in the east, formed of sandstones and mudstones with thin coals and limestones resting unconformably on the Devonian sediments, which are represented by alluvial plains bounded by uplands to the south. Extensive collieries and mineshafts which worked coal from the 18th to 20th centuries are recorded north-west of Abberley and in the Mamble area. Small outcrops of breccias of Permian age probably represent debris fans formed at the margins of a semi-arid basin aligned with the complex fault system associated with the Malvern and Abberley Hills and the Severn Valley. During the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, Variscan mountain-building resulted in the folding and faulting of the Silurian rocks, forming the Abberley Hills. The north-eastern part of the NCA is underlain by early Triassic sandstones and conglomerates deposited by northward flowing rivers on a semi-arid plain. In the most south-eastern extremity the late Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group rests on earlier Triassic sandstones.

The varied geology is reflected in the soils, ranging from thin acidic to deeper neutral and calcareous soils associated with the limestones. The rich red soils derived from the underlying mudstones give rise to fertile farmlands.

The course of the River Teme Valley was originally southwards towards the River Wye. Ponding of meltwater trapped between upland and glaciers led to the rerouting of the Teme, cutting the gorge at Downton near Ludlow. East of Tenbury Wells, on either side of the River Teme, are river terrace deposits, remnants of the former valley floor which was at a higher level during the last interglacial period.

The River Teme, with steep sides and wooded dingle valleys, has a fertile narrow flood plain supporting arable and pasture land. There are few drift deposits of glacio-fluvial origin but alluvium and terrace deposits are found along the flood plain and its major tributaries. Tufa, a deposition of calcium carbonate dissolved from limestone rocks, occurs. Southstone Rock is a fine example of active tufa depositions and is considered to be one of the largest deposits in England.

Extensive evidence of human settlement is evident from prehistoric sites and finds along the top of the valley sides, with gradual Roman and Anglo-Saxon influence. The medieval landscape, with its manorial and moated sites, churches, open fields and common pasture, forms the foundation of settlements. The landscape retains the small-scale, piecemeal enclosures of open field, common and woodland despite later re-organisation and improvement. The Victorian influence is visible in the area, for example Abberley Hall, Tenbury Wells and the railway (which strongly influenced the viability of fruit growing), and numerous large houses and rectories.

Food shortages during and after the Second World War led to intensive farming practices and areas of unimproved, wet valley-bottom grassland were ploughed up. Following the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy, this trend continued, resulting in changes to the landscape and a decline in biodiversity value including the loss of traditional hedgerows, traditional orchards and unmanaged woodlands. However, agricultural stewardship is now being successfully used as a means of addressing these issues. Many traditional orchards survive, of cider apples and cherry, characteristic of the sloping valleys to the north and west and retaining an important genetic resource. Though commercially superseded by bush orchards, traditional orchards are rich in wildlife, providing the UK stronghold for the noble chafer beetle, nest sites and rot holes for birds and bats. This and surrounding NCAs are renowned for mistletoe thriving on old fruit trees, lime and poplar. Mistletoe, annual orchard blossom and fruit displays provide striking seasonal features with strong cultural associations within the area. The Tenbury mistletoe festival and auction is an important event. Historically the Teme Valley was a relatively poor farming area, supplemented by fruit and hop growing. There was a long tradition of planting damsons, apples and pears into hedgerows, maximising potential growing capacity. Damson hedgerows remain a distinctive feature of the area.

There are over 600 km of rights of way, probably one of the highest densities in England; the Worcestershire Way passes over the Abberley Hills to the Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau, creating important links to the Malvern Hills and Herefordshire plateau, and enabling public access and enjoyment of the natural environment. The Geopark Way runs north to south along the length of Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark (one of three UK geoparks which are not members of the European Geoparks Network), linking outstanding geology across the area.

Some redundant farm buildings have been abandoned, or converted to permanent residences or holiday homes, possibly due to the amalgamation of farms and financial incentives. Up until 1990 there was very little development in the area and little disturbance and intrusion into its tranquil character. Impacts of development are currently minimal and limited to specific places (Tenbury Wells, Cleobury Mortimer, Clows Top, Dunley and a little at Abberley). By 2007 there was development around the boundary of the NCA, particularly around Tenbury Wells and the eastern boundary bordering Stourport-on-Severn, and at the southern boundary due to the development of the A44 near Knightwick. However, more recently locals may argue that the area is quieter than it was in the 1980s due to less agricultural activity and more commuters leaving the area.