JCA 114 Thames Basin Lowlands
FGU Summary:
The Thames Basin Lowlands Character Area is a narrow band running along the southern edge of the
Thames Basin between Croydon in the east and Aldershot in the west. It is a gently undulating area of
farmland with small woodlands and meandering rivers making their way to the Thames. 38% of the
Character Area is open countryside of which 63.7% is cultivated. A large proportion of the area is urban,
62%, as a result of the urban expansion of London across the northern parts.10.3% of the Character
Area contains woodland. There are no parts of the landscape designated as LFA.
5 sub-units: Esher and Epsom; Lower Mole valley; Lower Wey valley; Ockham to Clandon undulating
farmland; Wanborough chalk ridge.
1. Settlement & Development
The north-east part of the character area is considerable urbanized, being close to outer London.
Several former villages have expanded considerably, merging with neighbouring villages. In the west
and central parts of the area there is both nucleated and dispersed settlement with a string of nucleated
villages and the medieval town of Guildford and scattered farmsteads. This combination of relatively
high numbers of villages intermixed with dispersed settlement is characteristic of the area to the west of
London bounded by the Chilterns to the north and the North Downs to the south.
Timber-framing was widely used until the 18th century, after which time brick became the dominant
building material. Some flint obtained from the nearby North Downs was used with brick in the 19th
century.
During WWII a defence line was constructed across this area and features such as pill boxes survive.
2. Agriculture
The heavy clay soils support a predominantly pastoral farming regime although some areas offered
better soils that could support arable production – a number of relatively large (7-9 bays) timber-framed
barns, including aisled barns, indicate that there was substantial arable production in parts of the area in
the 17th and 18th centuries.
Medium-high concentrations of pre-1750 farmstead buildings. Farmsteads are typically either loose
courtyards where older, often timber-framed, farm buildings survive or brick-built regular L- and U-plan
courtyards dating from the 19th century.
Former open fields strongly associated with nucleated settlements.
3. Fields and Boundary Patterns
Generally fields are small to medium in size and are often irregular in shape – many with slightly curving
boundaries suggesting enclosure by agreement. Some areas of small, highly irregular fields intermixed
with woodland, are seen at the western end of the character area and represent assarted fields. Most
fields are bounded by hedges, often reasonably well wooded, typically with oak, although there are
some areas where there has been considerable hedgerow removal.
There are some small areas of later 18th and 19th century enclosure which have characteristic straight,
single-species, hedgerows.
In the vicinity of urban areas and around some villages, field boundaries have often degenerated,
hedges frequently having gaps or being replaced by fencing. This is accompanied by an often unkempt
appearance associated with horse keeping giving these areas a neglected feel.
4. Trees and Woodland
The farmland of the area is well interspersed with small blocks of woods and shaws, particularly to the
east. The shaws, narrow belts of woodland that stretch out along field boundaries give the landscape a
more wooded feel. To the east of the area there are some larger blocks of woodland which are the
result of afforestation and natural woodland regeneration of heathland. Woodland is predominantly oak
or oak and ash but birch occurs more commonly on the sands and gravels in the east whilst the
woodland in the west is mostly ancient woodland.
Field trees occur almost always in straight lines, indicating the position of vanished hedges. Oak is the
most common hedgerow tree, though ash and field maple also occur.
Wet woods containing alder, oak, lime, willow and poplar, hazel and holly are found along the valleys.
5. Semi-Natural Environments
The west of the area is generally more sparsely wooded but most of this is woodland.
6. River & Coastal Features
Two rivers, the Mole in the east and the Wey in the west, meander northwards towards the Thames.
Valleys are broad and flat, riparian wet woods and water meadows. Wey Navigation Canal which
continually enters and departs from the natural watercourse. North of the M25 landscapes more
degraded although quite unexpected rich fragments of countryside remain especially beside the Wey.