A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Upland landscapes: values and prospects
Upland scenery has been particularly valued by the British since the time of the Picturesque landscape movement and the Romantic literary movement. More recent active mountain and moorland recreation has increased interest in upland landscapes without diminishing the value attached to their beauty.
The key elements of upland scenery are open moorland, fell or mountain on high ground; pastoral land; and deep ravines along which streams flow. The variety of each place arises from the variations of these elements and the relation between them.
The wild bareness of open moorland vegetation covering skylines is a key characteristic of British uplands. Coniferous forestry is being established across large areas of moorland; whether some areas should be kept free of forestry does not at present seem to be a definite part of land strategy.
New agricultural grass intakes are enclosing and fragmenting some moors, for instance Exmoor, the North Yorks Moors and parts of mid Wales. The impact of such intakes on scenery is greatest where the junction between moorland and pastoral land is hard‐edged or where land forms are simple.
A strong pattern of stone walls or hedgebanks encloses fields in some regions. In some areas field sizes are increasing without breaking up the network of boundaries. Elsewhere traditional field patterns are being replaced by a less defined spread of grassland enclosed by fences. This reduces the humanised appearance of the landscape and is a change that is all but irreversible. Vernacular buildings too are slowly becoming fewer. And many small deciduous woods, often originally features of designed picturesque landscapes, are declining or being converted into coniferous woodland of geometric outline.
The impact of such changes varies from place to place. Sometimes change which could be beautiful detracts from a landscape only because it is initiated without sensibility to the appearance of that landscape. Sometimes a place is so appealing that maintenance of its present character may be valid.
Upland landscapes: values and prospects
Upland scenery has been particularly valued by the British since the time of the Picturesque landscape movement and the Romantic literary movement. More recent active mountain and moorland recreation has increased interest in upland landscapes without diminishing the value attached to their beauty.
The key elements of upland scenery are open moorland, fell or mountain on high ground; pastoral land; and deep ravines along which streams flow. The variety of each place arises from the variations of these elements and the relation between them.
The wild bareness of open moorland vegetation covering skylines is a key characteristic of British uplands. Coniferous forestry is being established across large areas of moorland; whether some areas should be kept free of forestry does not at present seem to be a definite part of land strategy.
New agricultural grass intakes are enclosing and fragmenting some moors, for instance Exmoor, the North Yorks Moors and parts of mid Wales. The impact of such intakes on scenery is greatest where the junction between moorland and pastoral land is hard‐edged or where land forms are simple.
A strong pattern of stone walls or hedgebanks encloses fields in some regions. In some areas field sizes are increasing without breaking up the network of boundaries. Elsewhere traditional field patterns are being replaced by a less defined spread of grassland enclosed by fences. This reduces the humanised appearance of the landscape and is a change that is all but irreversible. Vernacular buildings too are slowly becoming fewer. And many small deciduous woods, often originally features of designed picturesque landscapes, are declining or being converted into coniferous woodland of geometric outline.
The impact of such changes varies from place to place. Sometimes change which could be beautiful detracts from a landscape only because it is initiated without sensibility to the appearance of that landscape. Sometimes a place is so appealing that maintenance of its present character may be valid.
Upland landscapes: values and prospects
Moggridge, Hal (author)
Landscape Research ; 8 ; 2-6
1983-12-01
5 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
Unknown
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