An Historic Landscape
The Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB has had a long and fascinating history and has been an object of study and interest for the last 200 years. Within its boundary there are many important archaeological and historical sites and landscapes all of which are treasured features of the area and are fully deserving of protection and enhancement. The landscape we see today is an expression of the interaction between people and the landscape over the millenia.
This page gives details of how the AONB Partnership is striving to fufill it objectives regarding the Histoirc Environment. Its prime aims are to ensure that Historic, Archaeological and Cultural features are conserved, enhanced and managed as key elements of the AONBs landscape and to make sure that the historic value of the landscape is appreciated by land managers, residents and visitors alike.
Historic Landscape Characterisation
The AONB Partnership cannot conserve and enhance the historic enviornment of the AONB without first fully understanding the historical development of the landscape.
Therefore between January 2007 and June 2008 English Heritage are funding a programme of Historic Landscape Characterisation within the bounds of the AONB.
Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) is a programme of study which aims to map the historic dimension of the entirety of the modern day landscape. It is concerned with the locally distinctive and identifies time depth to record the dynamic nature of landscape change.
The principles behind historic characterisation are simple. They concern mapping the historic dimension of today’s rural and urban landscapes. In summary:
* The present day landscape is the object of study.
* The whole landscape is characterised, the most important characteristic being its time depth.
* An archaeologists approach is used to identify change in the landscape, and to identify the processes at work.
* Landscape is and has always been dynamic; therefore management of change, not conservation, is the aim.
* The aim is to capture distinctiveness at a local level and though this starts from an expert view, broader perceptions should be eventually integrated.
Our associated website is now available to view for greater information and will be continually enhanced as analysis progresses.
Website: www.historiclandscape.co.uk/
Historic Landscape Project Officer: Emma Rouse
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Deer Parks
Deer Parks date broadly from the medieval period (11th to 15th centuries AD) when enclosing an area to keep one's own deer was very much a status symbol for aristocracy. Few remain day but the evidence for them is still fossilised in the modern landscape and form an important historical element of the AONB.
In order to understand these key features better an SDF project undertaken by Katherine Barker and Dorset Gardens Trust sought to identify the potential locations of genuine deer parks, those that had been reworked in later centuries to become landscaped parks, and those that had been createre more recently. The identification of deer parks is not only valuable in increasing out understanding of the history of the landscape, but also suggests locations where there has been a continuity of wildlife, such as veteran trees.
This project progressed to a two day seminar entitled "The Chase, the Hart and the Park" held at Sixpenny Handley Village in November 2006 which was attended by over 80 people. The first day was comprised of a series of lectures by authorites on the history and landscape of the AONB. Whilst the second day comprised a follow up field visit to Rockbourne Deer Park(s).
The presentations will be soon be available in published form as the first of a series of occasional papers published by the AONB...so watch this space.
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Conservation Areas
Conservation Areas are designated by the local planning authorities, usually focused on the historic core of a town or village, and detailed descriptions should be sought from them.
Generally speaking they are designated to protect their character and appearance. This means that there are additional planning controls in order to preserve and enhance those aspects of character and appearance that define the special character of indivdiual conservation areas.
Certain types of development, which elsewhere are normally classified as permitted development (such as the insertion of dormor windows in roof slopes, the erection of satellite dishes on walls, roofs or chimneys fronting a highway) will require planning permission. Permission is also needed to undertake works on trees as they are frequently invaluable visual assets in the character and setting of many Conservation Areas.
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Archaeology
The CCWWD AONB has a rich legacy of prehistoric and historic archaeology. A total of 396 archaeological fetaures have currently been designated as Scheduled Ancient Monuments and there are 18 registered Historic Parks and Gardens within its boundaries.
Many more archaeological features are recorded in the County Sites and Monuments Records/Historic Environment Record. However many still remain to be discovered.
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