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General description of the South Herts Plateau

Summary:

This includes the Shenley Ridge and Broxbourne Woods and is a region of generally small fields, woodland and heaths, of some historic, scientific and amenity importance.


Landform:

This region is quite complex topographically, having many valleys cut into it, often dry, with vegetation obscuring the topography. In general, this plateau is a broad south-west to north-east ridge, with rivers draining from it into the Colne and Ver to the north-west and into the Lea to the east. In places this river erosion has created near-isolated landforms, such as the Shenley Ridge.


Soils:

The soils of this region are formed from London clays, which produce heavy, acidic soils prone to waterlogging in winter over level areas with the extremes of shrinking and cracking in summer. This has made them difficult to cultivate and has had a number of consequences.


Vegetation:

The eastern part of this region is heavily wooded with a mix of Oak (Quercus robur) and Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). There are also significant and distinct pockets of the other native Oak (Quercus petrea), which are likely to be a relic population. Much of this is traditional coppice woodland with oak standards and hornbeam under coppice. Due to the lack of continuing management, many areas have not been coppiced correctly and have allowed the coppice stand to grow into dense unnatural "high forest". As a result, the woods have become very dark, with limited understory and reduced wildlife value. Where coppicing has been maintained or reintroduced, the woods have developed a multi-layered canopy creating a more interesting visual experience, of greater ecological benefit. Birch (Betula pendula) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) are also found in this region.

The more western part of this region is less heavily wooded, probably because of its proximity to a greater number of Roman roads (the A5 along Watling Street and the A1).These routes would have facilitated clearance and also encouraged development adjacent to the settlements nearby.


Field Pattern:

These vary greatly with those in the east being small and generally organic in form. Some still look as though cut out from the "Wildwood" and provide examples of the traditional wood and pasture agriculture.

The western part of this region having been more extensively developed has a mix of more rigid forms (of the later Enclosure Act fields) superimposed over the ancient organic field patterns. Most are defined by hedges, although there are several areas where fences are more common due to pressure of 'horsiculture', (horses eat hedges).


Settlement Pattern:

This region contains several medium-sized towns such as Borehamwood, Potters Bar and Bushey, as well as several smaller towns and villages such as Cuffley, Brookmans Park, Shenley and Welham Green. To the north-east, this region contains several very small villages such as Brickendon, Epping Green, Little Berkhamsted etc.


Significant Features:

• The Broxbourne Woods are the main feature of this region, being a large continuous expanse of woodland cover of great landscape and ecological value.

• Dramatic changes occur as one moves out from the enclosed "tunnel" effect within woodland or between hedges, to sudden unexpected framed views over the extensive panorama down across the Lea Valley and North London.

• Shenley Ridge is an area of very attractive landscape with well maintained farms, interesting land forms and extensive views.

• Significant detracting elements include the M25, especially where it cut across the "grain" of the landscape. A good example of this is at Ridgehill, near the Salisbury Hall Aircraft Museum, where the motorway sits in a 'notch' through the ridge.

• Poorly designed and garish developments in the Vale of St Albans.

• Power lines in places disrupting the flow of the landscape.

• Ancient Woodland, Heathland.