Northamptonshire Uplands

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Northamptonshire Uplands
National Character Area
Northamptonshire Uplands Collage.png
Location Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire (United Kingdom)
Max. elevation Arbury Hill, 225m

The Northamptonshire Uplands are an English National Character Area that lie predominantly in the western half of the district of West Northamptonshire, with a small area of the NCA extending into Cherwell District, Oxfordshire, Harborough District, Leicestershire and Stratford-on-Avon District and the Borough of Rugby, both of which are part of Warwickshire.

Contents

Extent

The NCA runs from the northern border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire in a south westerly direction towards Banbury, roughly following the border between West Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, until reaching, and extending around 8 km into Oxfordshire.

It encompasses nearly all of the former Daventry District, as well as the western half of the former district of South Northamptonshire.

Geology

Sandstone has been used as a building material in the area since the stone age. Great Brington Main Street and Post Office - geograph.org.uk - 5932947.jpg
Sandstone has been used as a building material in the area since the stone age.

Much of the area lies on a mixed strata from the Jurassic Period when Limestone was deposited in the north of the area, with the east and the south of the district capping off the Limestone deposits with ironstone-rich sandstone. [1]

Over time the weathering of these minerals by a previously formed ocean has given many of the rocks in the area a wide variety of distinctive colours. [1]

Above the solid geology there is a mixture of clay like soil (till) and sand and rock (alluvium), which made early agricultural efforts difficult and restricted drainage to the rivers and streams in the region. [2]

Geography

Physical Geography

The view from Borough Hill looking onto Arbury Hill and Big Hill. Borough Hill view of Arbury and Big Hill - panoramio.jpg
The view from Borough Hill looking onto Arbury Hill and Big Hill.

The area is mainly characterised by its fairly low, rolling hills that are often rounded. The Watford Gap and Cherwell Valley split the area into the North, Central and South uplands.

North Uplands

A view from the edge of the North Uplands, overlooking Yelvertoft and the Vale of Rugby from Honey Hill Skiing at Cold Ashby Golf Club - geograph.org.uk - 1457946.jpg
A view from the edge of the North Uplands, overlooking Yelvertoft and the Vale of Rugby from Honey Hill

The North Uplands begin roughly around Long Buckby and are at their most prominent around Cold Ashby, Naseby and Guilsborough. To the Northwest, the uplands are interrupted by the Vale of Rugby, a flat, yet undulating area formed by the floodplain of the River Avon. To the Northeast, the uplands see the Brampton Valley give way to a more open landscape in the form of the Brampton Floodplain.

Several Valleys can be found in this area, and they have been frequently used as sources of water storage, with Hollowell Reservoir, Ravensthorpe Reservoir, and Pitsford Reservoir making up a considerable portion of the county's water storage capacity.

Central Uplands

The Central Uplands form the bulk of the NCA and begin at the southwestern edge of the Watford Gap. They continue to the Cherwell Valley, around Banbury, which forms the border with Oxfordshire, where the land flattens.

The Central Uplands are most extreme along the A361 Corridor between Daventry and Banbury, as well as the area immediately surrounding Daventry, Likely due to the amount of water sources in the area, with the Cherwell, Leam and Nene Rivers' sources lying in this area.

The Nene Valley, situated immediately to the South of Daventry lies between Newnham Hill and Bunkers and Church Hills in Badby. Further West, the Leam Valley sees Catesby Viaduct and Tunnel cross the Valley between Staverton and Hellidon Hills. These sets of Hills, alongside Borough Hill form a basin in which Daventry sits.

Southern Uplands

The southern section of the Uplands comprises the area west of the Cherwell Valley and the areas immediately surrounding Banbury.

Human Geography

Settlements

The area contains two major towns: Daventry and Banbury, as well as several other important settlements including Long Buckby, Weedon Bec, Brixworth, Crick and Staverton.

Transport

The Watford Gap forms an important transport corridor between the north and south parts of the Uplands WCML alongside M1 at Watford Gap (2) 10.21.jpg
The Watford Gap forms an important transport corridor between the north and south parts of the Uplands

There are several major transport corridors which pass through the area.

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Oxfordshire is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town.

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Staverton is a village and civil parish in the south-west of Northamptonshire, England. It is 2.3 miles west of Daventry, 7.9 miles east of Southam and 15.3 miles east of Leamington Spa. It straddles the A425 road from Daventry to Leamington. The Jurassic Way long-distance footpath between Banbury and Stamford passes through the village.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arbury Hill</span>

Arbury Hill, at 225 m (738 ft), is the joint highest point in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of the town of Daventry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Northamptonshire</span> District in England

West Northamptonshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. It contains the county town of Northampton, as well as Daventry, Brackley and Towcester; the rest of the area is predominantly agricultural villages though it has many lakes and small woodlands.

A National Character Area (NCA) is a natural subdivision of England based on a combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity and economic activity. There are 159 National Character Areas and they follow natural, rather than administrative, boundaries. They are defined by Natural England, the UK government's advisors on the natural environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Northamptonshire</span>

Rail transport in Northamptonshire is an integral part of transport in Northamptonshire and part of the national rail network of Great Britain. Rail in the county of Northamptonshire began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies. There used to be 92 railway stations in Northamptonshire, however following the Beeching cuts today there are only six: Kings Sutton, Long Buckby, Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, and Corby.

References

  1. 1 2 Cherwell District Council
  2. ↑ "Northamptonshire Uplands: NATIONAL CHARACTER AREA 95" (PDF). Historic England. February 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
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