(Redirected from Berkshire Downs)The 'North Wessex Downs
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (AONB) is located in the
English counties of
Berkshire,
Hampshire,
Oxfordshire and
Wiltshire. 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 '
White Horse Hills', the '
Lambourn Downs', the '
Marlborough Downs', the '
Vale of Pewsey' and '
Savernake Forest'.
Topography
The AONB covers an area of some 1,730 sq
km (668 square
miles). It takes the form of a horse shoe on its side, with the open end facing east, surrounding the town of
Newbury. The northern arm reaches as far east as the suburbs of
Reading whilst the southern arm similarly reaches
Basingstoke. The western extreme of the AONB reaches as far as
Calne and
Devizes. Its highest point is the 297m (974 ft) summit of
Walbury Hill, situated to the south of
Hungerford in
West Berkshire, close to the
Hampshire border.
At its northeast extreme, 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 horse-shoe, 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
River Kennet. The 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 semi-circle to the south around the headwater of the River Kennet, and the Vale of Pewsey cuts 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
The
downland is part of the
Chalk Formation of southern
England 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
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 made over to gallops and other training areas. Several of the upland villages, and especially the 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, a steeplechase originally being a race between two villages, navigated by reference to the church
steeples visible across the rolling downs.
Literature
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.
AONB partnership
The
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was designated in
1972. It is currently managed by a partnership of
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,
Hampshire County Council,
Vale of White Horse District Council,
West Berkshire Council,
Wiltshire County Council, the
Countryside Agency and
Wiltshire Food Links.
External link
★
North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Website
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