LCA5E King’s Somborne River Valley Floor

General Description

King’s Somborne River Valley Floor is a narrow valley containing a small tributary joining the River Test at Horsebridge and with a relatively steep gradients making it prone to swift rises in water levels.

The tributary starts life above ground at New Lease Farm, where it then runs a reasonably straight course across open fields, with only the occasional adjacent shrub or tree. Descending into the settlement of King’s Somborne, it aligns the main street. Leaving King’s Somborne it then forms a distinctive tree lined feature, connecting small woodland copses while meandering across long linear pasture fields.

The area is crossed by the Clarendon Way.

Location

King’s Somborne River Valley Floor runs up from the River Test, through King’s Somborne to New Lease Farm, contrasting sharply with the adjacent landscape character of the Open Chalklands valley sides.

Local Physical Influences

Geology and Soils: Alluvium below King’s Somborne with Valley Gravels up stream.

Landform: A ‘V’ shaped river valley between the rising slopes of the chalk downlands.

Drainage: A small watercourse, partly braided west of King’s Somborne.

Local Biodiversity and Vegetation Pattern

The dominant pattern in this area is permanent pasture with patches of woodland. There is a diverse flora and fauna particularly in those habitats associated with seasonal or permanent waterlogging. Many of the wet meadows are typical traditional grazed hay meadows that are becoming increasingly rare due to agricultural pressures. They are dominated by fine-leaved grasses such as Red Fescue, Crested Dogs-tail and Velvet Bent, with a variety of flowering plants including White Clover, Red Clover, Birds-foot Trefoil, Knapweed, Bulbous Buttercup, Yarrow, Yellow Rattle, Selfheal and Oxeye Daisy, and can include frequent orchids such as Bee Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, and Early Purple Orchid. Wetter areas include Yellow Flag, Water avens, King cup, and Milkmaids. Other notable habitats include areas of wet carr woodland, which with hedgerows, link to patches of ancient and semi-natural woodland and provide an important resource.

Local Historical Influences

The sides of the river valley have been extensively cultivated during the 19th and 20th centuries and so evidence of earlier field systems has largely been removed by the construction of parliamentary field systems to the north and east. To the south an expanse of open prairie fields dominate the landscape (probably associated with Compton Manor) which has removed evidence of earlier field systems in this area.

The remains of a park pale or medieval boundary bank flanks the river valley on its southern side and which possibly belongs to a precursor manorial site of Compton Manor to the south.

Settlement Pattern

King’s Somborne with its historic core is located partway up the valley while later 19th century development has extended down the valley towards Horsebridge (another smaller settlement which dates largely to the 19th century).

This valley occupied almost exclusively by 19th century parliamentary field systems. As such the farmsteads, while focused around the settlement at King’s Somborne do lie within territories which extend away from the settlement and onto the surrounding uplands.

King’s Somborne is a nucleated settlement, which has a linear tail of development to the west. This area of linear development follows the tributary along the edge of the valley floor on the higher gravels.

Roads converge on King’s Somborne, with one road following the valley floor just above the flood plain up to New Lease Farm. This road then continues further into LCA10B along the old line of gravel deposits.

Local Settlements and Features of Built Form

King’s Somborne: Chalk River Valley Settlement Type

Traditional building styles include brick and flint, brick and chalk cob walls with thatch, clay tile and slate roofs. Timber frame buildings and timber cladding are occasionally to be found.

Community Perceptions

There is a wish to see King’s Somborne stay a compact village. There were also comments on the adverse effects of traffic and development which is not considered to be in scale with the local built form and landscape character.

Remoteness and Tranquillity

Part of King’s Somborne River Valley Floor is busy with road crossing points centered on King’s Somborne. However a greater level of tranquillity exists in the lower and higher reaches away from the village.

Key Characteristics

Lower valley floor dominated by pasture creating a strong rural character

Upper valley floor dominated by an open arable landscape

A bourne with a ‘v’ shape valley

Busy roads intrude into the southern valley side

Remnant of a medieval park boundary along the southern extent of the valley floor

Extensive 19th and 20th century field systems flank the valley floor.

Local Natural and Cultural Landscape Issues

Visual and noise impact from the volume of local traffic on a quiet rural landscape

Pollution of the river and its tributaries through fertiliser run off and aqua culture ventures (fish farms, water cress beds)

Loss of pasture to arable use.

Designations

Nature Conservation

SSSI

River Test (<1% of SSSI) - Running water, marginal vegetation and adjacent habitats including marshy grassland and broadleaved woodland

Volume 2: LCA5E Strategies and Guidelines