Designed by the designteam, SCC © August 2006

Why is Shropshire’slandscape important?Shropshire has one of the most impressive landscapes inEngland. A very wide range of different rock types can befound in the county, from nearly all geological periods. Thecounty’s landscape also has a rich human history; rangingfrom the ancient patchwork of fields and farms in theShropshire Hills, to the ordered pattern of straight lanes andbrick farmsteads on the heathlands of the north-east. And itsupports wide range of habitats, including the ancientwoodlands along Wenlock Edge, the upland heathlands on theStiperstones and The Long Mynd, and the raised peat bog atWhixall Moss. In combination, these different physical andcultural aspects determine landscape character. Geology,landform and soils tell us about its physical character, whilstsettlement, tree cover and land use inform us about the culturaldimensions of landscape. Landscape character influenceshow we feel about the places where we live, work and relax. Italso makes a significant contribution to our quality of life.

An Introduction toShropshire’s Landscapes

What is theShropshireCharacterFramework?The Shropshire CharacterFramework provides us with ameans of assessing the highlyvaried landscapes of thecounty. It has two components:the Landscape CharacterAssessment (LCA) and theHistoric Landscape Character(HLC) Assessment. The first ofthese operates at a county widescale, and contains informationabout the overall character andcondition of the landscape,whilst the second providesinformation about the historicaldevelopment of the landscape,at a parish scale.

Lowland Moors – Flat, lowlying, unsettled wetlandlandscapes that weregradually drained from the16th onwards.

Riverside Meadows – Flat,unsettled floodplainlandscapes, with meadowstraditionally used forseasonal grazing.

Lowland Moss – Raisedpeat bog which remainsunsettled and unenclosed.

Coalfields – Undulatingplateau of coal bearingrocks, overlain by small,irregular pasture fields and ascatter of cottages andsmall farms. Spoil tips andother industrial remainsoccur throughout.

What is this informationbeing used for?Shropshire County Council is using this information towork with partners to enhance and protect the county’slandscape character. We are currently assistingcommunity groups to undertake their own LandscapeCharacter Assessments to inform their Parish Plans.We are also proposing a Supplementary PlanningDocument on Landscape as part of the new planningsystem. In addition, we provide comments on HistoricLandscape Character to farmers applying for HigherLevel Environmental Stewardship. We are also workingwith the Forestry Commission and other partners on theWest Midlands Woodland Opportunities Map.

If you have an idea or project where this data may be of use,we would like to hear from you.

Where can I find out more?You can find out more information about theShropshire Character Framework, includingdetailed descriptions for each Landscape Type,by logging onto the Country Council’s website:www.shropshire.gov.uk/sustainability

You can also explore a map showing thelandscape types that occur in your area on theEnvironment and Waste section of Shropmap,the County Council’s online information mapservice. Follow the ‘Locate it’ link on theShropshire County Council website:www.shropshire.gov.uk/index.nsf

You are welcome contact the CountyCouncil directly at the following address:

Sustainability GroupEconomy & EnvironmentShropshire County CouncilShirehallAbbey ForegateShrewsbury SY2 6ND

Tel: (01743) 252562Email: sustainability@shropshire-cc.gov.uk

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The Shropshire Character Framework was produced in partnership with:

Wooded Forest – Unsettledlandscapes with nearcontinuous woodland coverand very little farmland.

Forest Smallholdings –Landscapes of smallirregular fields, cottages andfarms, which wereprogressively cleared fromwoodland from the medievalperiod onwards.

Timbered PlateauFarmlands – Low, rolling hillsdived by steep sided,wooded stream valleys.Ancient fields, with hedgescontaining many trees, areused for mixed farming.Scattered farms and cottagesoccur throughout, with smallvillages in some areas.

Principal TimberedFarmlands – The small-medium sized fields wereenclosed directly fromwoodland or rough grazingland, whilst small woodsand hedgerow trees givethese lowland landscapes awooded feel. Scatteredfarms and cottagesrepresent the main form ofsettlement.

Timbered Pastures –Undulating lowlands withheavy soils used for stockrearing and diary farming.Numerous hedgerow treesand woods provide awooded feel.

Wooded Estatelands –Rolling lowlands with mixedfarming landuse and large,locally prominent blocks ofancient woodland. Historiccounty houses withparklands occur throughout,and many villages contain19th century estate cottages.

Estate Farmlands –Lowland landscapestraditionally associated withmixed farming. Largecountry house withparklands are common, andmost woods are plantations.Villages represent the mainform of settlement, togetherwith outlying 18th and 19thcentury farms.

Settled Pastoral Farmlands– Lowland landscapes withheavy soils which arepredominantly used fordairying and stock rearing.Small, irregular fields arepresent throughout, togetherwith scattered farms andcottages,.

Principal SettledFarmlands – Lowland,mixed farming landscapeswith small villages andhamlets.

Enclosed Lowland Heaths– Lowland landscapes whichwere enclosed directly fromopen heathland between the16th and 19th centuries.

The LandscapeTypes in brief

High Open Moorland –Open, unsettled uplandlandscapes with large areasof moorland and panoramicviews.

High Enclosed Plateau –Upland landscapes withscattered farms and aregular pattern ofrectangular fields enclosedfrom open moorland in the18th and 19th centuries.

High Volcanic Hills andSlopes – Steep hills ofvolcanic rock that formstriking landmarks. Theselandscapes remain unsettledand contain large areas ofopen, unimproved grasslandused for rough grazing.

Upland Smallholdings –Upland landscapes withcottages and smallholdingsthat were created betweenthe 16th and 19th centuries.

Upstanding EnclosedCommons – Low hills withfield systems and scatteredfarmsteads that wereestablished on formercommon land between16th and 19th centuries.

Pasture Hills – Hills withscattered farms and cottages,and largely ancient fieldsused for pastoral farming.

Principal Wooded Hills –Steep, heavily wooded hills,with few fields and littlesettlement.

Wooded River Gorges –Steep, heavily woodedvalley sides with littlesettlement or farmland.

Wooded Hills andFarmlands – Rolling hillswith large blocks ofwoodland and a patchworkof ancient fields, scatteredfarms and cottages.

Wooded Hills andEstatelands – Rolling hillswith large blocks of ancientwoodland and mixedfarming landuse. Manyvillages and hamlets contain19th century estate workscottages, whilst largecountry houses andparklands are present insome places.

Sandstone Hills – Lowsandstone hills covered bylight sandy soils, withwoodland on the steeperslopes, including plantationsof Scots Pine.

Sandstone Estatelands –Gently undulating, openlandscapes formed oversandstone rocks, with sandysoils that are used for arablefarming. Villages andhamlets are the main formof settlement, and largecountry houses andparklands occur throughout.

Incised Sandstone Valleys– Shallow, steep sided rivervalleys cut throughsandstone rocks.

What are Landscape Types?We have used the detailed information containedwithin the ShropshireCharacter Frameworkto identify anddescribe 27differentLandscapeTypes withinShropshire.Each typerepresents a differentcombination of thephysical (natural) andcultural (human)aspects that definelandscape character.We have producedsupportingdescriptions thatexplain the keycharacteristicsthat make onelandscapetypedifferentfrom another.They alsoexplain where eachtype occurs within thecounty, and what they look like ‘on the ground’.

High open moorland

High enclosed plateau

High volcanic hills & slopes

Upland smallholdings

Upstanding enclosed commons

Pasture Hills

Principal Wooded Hills

Landscape TypesTimbered plateau farmlands

Principal timbered farmlands

Timbered pastures

Wooded estatelands

Estate farmlands

Settled pastoral farmlands

Principal settled farmlands

Enclosed lowland heaths

Wooded river gorge

Wooded hills & farmlands

Wooded hills & estatelands

Sandstone hills

Sandstone estatelands

Incised sandstone valleys

Wooded forest

Forest smallholdings

Lowland moors

Riverside meadows

Lowland moss

Coalfields

Urban

© Crown Copyright. All rightsreserved. Shropshire County Council

100019801 (2006)

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