| Chew Valley | |
|---|---|
  Chew Valley Location withinSomerset | |
| Area | 182 sq mi (470 km2) |
| Population | 5,000[1][2] |
| OS grid reference | ST571600 |
| District | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS40 |
| Dialling code | 01275 01761 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°20′15″N2°36′55″W / 51.337421°N 2.615197°W /51.337421; -2.615197 | |
TheChew Valley is anaffluent area in NorthSomerset, England, named after theRiver Chew, which rises atChewton Mendip, and joins theRiver Avon atKeynsham. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by thewater catchment area of the Chew and its tributaries; however, the name Chew Valley is often used less formally to cover other nearby areas, for example,Blagdon Lake and its environs, which by a stricter definition are part of theYeo Valley. The valley is an area of richarable anddairy farmland, interspersed with a number of villages.
The landscape consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging fromDundry Down and the south western boundary of Keynsham town to the north, theLulsgate Plateau to the west, theMendip Hills to the south and theHinton Blewett,Temple Cloud,Clutton andMarksbury plateau areas to the east. The valley's boundary generally follows the top ofscarp slopes except at the southwestern and southeastern boundaries where flat upper areas of the Chew Valley grade gently into the Yeo Valley and eastern Mendip Hills respectively. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to createChew Valley Lake, which providesdrinking water for the nearby city ofBristol and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for itsnature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.
The area falls into the domains of councils includingBath and North East Somerset,North Somerset andMendip. Part of the area falls within the Mendip HillsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the undeveloped area is within the Bristol/BathGreen Belt. Many of the villages date back to the time of theDomesday Book and there is evidence of human occupation since theStone Age. There are hundreds oflisted buildings with the churches being Grade I listed. The main commercial centre isChew Magna.
There is no clear origin for the name "Chew", found scarcely anywhere else; however, there have been differing explanations of theetymology, including "winding water",[3] the 'ew' being a variant of the Frencheau, meaning water. The wordchewer is a western dialect for a narrow passage, andchare is Old English for turning. One explanation is that the name Chew began in Normandy asCheux, and came to England with the Norman Conquest during the eleventh century. However, others agree with Ekwall's interpretation that it is derived from the Welshcyw meaning "the young of an animal, or chicken", so thatafon Cyw would have been "the river of the chickens".[4] Other possible explanations suggest it comes from the Old English wordceo, 'fish gill'.[5]
The villages in the valley have their ownparish councils which have responsibility for local issues. They also elect councillors to district councils e.g.Mendip andSomerset County Council or unitary authorities e.g. Bath and North East Somerset orNorth Somerset, which have wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse and tourism.
Each of the villages is also part of a constituency, eitherNorth East Somerset and Hanham orNorth Somerset.[6]Avon and Somerset Constabulary provides police services to the area.
The western end of the area (aroundNempnett Thrubwell) consists of the Harptree Beds which incorporate silicifiedclay,shale andLias Limestone.Clifton Down Limestone, which includes calcite anddolomiticmudstones of theCarboniferous period, is found in the adjoining central band anddolomiticconglomerate of theTriassic period. There are two main soil types, both generally well-drained.[7] The mudstones around the lakes give rise to fertile silty clay soils that are a dull dusky red colour because of their high iron content. The clay content means that where unimproved they easily become waterlogged when wet, and hard with cracks and fissures during dry periods.[7] The main geological outcrops around the lake are mudstone, largely consisting of redSiltstone resulting in the underlying characteristic of the gently rolling valley landscape. Bands ofSandstone of theTriassic period contribute to the undulating character of the area. There are also more recentalluvial deposits beside the course of theRiver Chew.[7] The transition between the gently sloping landscape of the Upper Chew and Yeo Valleys and the open landscape of the Mendip Hills plateau is a scarp slope of 75 to 235 metres (250–770 ft). The predominant formation is Dolomitic Conglomerate of the Triassic period. It formed as a result of desert erosion and weathering of the scarp slopes. It takes the form of rock fragments mainly derived from olderCarboniferous Limestone cemented together by lime and sand which hardened to give the appearance of concrete.[7] The northern boundary is formed by the sides of theDundry Plateau where the most significant geological formation is theInferior Oolite of theJurassic period found on the higher ground aroundMaes Knoll. This overlays the LowerLias Clay found on the adjoining slopes. The clays make a poor foundation and landslips are characteristic on the slopes. This area was once connected to the Cotswolds. The intervening land has subsequently been eroded leaving this outlier with the characteristics of the Cotswold Plateau.[7] The unusual geological features have been recognised asSites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their geological interest includingBarns Batch Spinney,[8]Hartcliff Rocks Quarry[9] andDundry Main Road South Quarry.[10]
The oldest geological formation in the valley is the Supra-Pennant Measures of the Carboniferous period. It is a significant feature towards the north-eastern part of the area and is represented by thePensford Syncline coal basin, which formed part of theSomerset coalfield. It is a complex formation containing coal seams and is made up of clay and shales. The landscape is typically undulating and includes outcrops of sandstone. Most of the area aroundStanton Drew have neutral to acid red loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils. Soils to the eastern part of the area are slowly permeable clayey and fine silty soils. They are found on Carboniferous clay and shales typical of the Supra-Pennant Measures. They are frequently waterlogged where the topography dictates. They tend towards being acid and are brown to grey brown in colour.[7] In the south and south east of the area there are coal measures which are sufficiently near the surface for coal mining to have taken place aroundClutton andHigh Littleton.[7] In the eastern area of the valley as theRiver Chew flows throughPublow,Woollard and Compton Dando before joining theRiver Avon at Keynsham there are alluvial deposits of clay soils.[7]
The valley has several areas designated asSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for biological interest, includingBlagdon Lake,[11]Burledge Hill,[12]Chew Valley Lake,[13]Compton Martin Ochre Mine,[14]Harptree Combe[15] and two sites atFolly Farm.[16]
The small and medium-sized fields of the valley are generally bounded by hedges and occasionally by tree belts and woodland, some of which date back to the most evident period ofenclosure of earlier open fields which took place in the late medieval period. Hedgerows support the nationally rareBithynian vetch (Vicia bithynica). Matureoak (Quercus) andash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees are characteristic of the area with occasional groups ofscots pine (Pinus sylvestris) andchestnuts (Castanea sativa).Elm (Ulmus) trees have been lost in this area, and dead/dying elms are also evident in the surrounding landscape.[7]
Wildlife abounds in the valley, particularly the water birds around the rivers and lakes, with Chew Valley Lake considered the third most important site in Britain for wintering wildfowl. In addition to the water birds includingducks,northern shoveler,gadwall andgreat crested grebes,[17] a wide variety of other bird species can be seen. These range from small birds such asgreat tits andwrens tomistle thrush. Larger birds includegreat spotted woodpeckers andcommon buzzard.
The valley also has a wide variety of small mammals with larger species includingEurasian badger anddeer. The valley is home to fifteen of the sixteenbats found in England including a roost, at Compton Martin Ochre Mine, forgreater horseshoe bats. A rare and endangered species, the greater horseshoe bat is protected under theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed in Annex II of the 1992European Community Habitats Directive.[18]
Archaeologicalexcavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake found evidence of people belonging to the consecutive periods known asUpper Palaeolithic,Mesolithic andNeolithic (Old, Middle and NewStone Age),Bronze Age andIron Age, comprising implements such as stone knives,flint blades and the head of amace, along with buildings and graves.[19][20] Other evidence of occupation from prehistoric times is provided by thehenge monument atStanton Drew,[21]long barrow at Chewton Mendip,[22] andFairy Toottumulus atNempnett Thrubwell.[23][24]Maes Knoll fort, onDundry Down in the northern reaches of the valley, is aScheduled Ancient Monument that dates from the Iron Age; it later served as a terminus for the early medievalWansdyke earthworks.[25]
There is evidence ofRoman remains in particular a villa and burial pits. Artefacts from the valley were sent to theBritish Museum. Other Roman artefacts from the lake are on display at theBristol Museum & Art Gallery.[20] TheChew Valley Hoard consists of coins from the 11th century.[26] There are historic parks and mansion houses, includingThe Court in Stanton Drew,Hunstrete House,Stowey House,Chew Court,Chew Magna Manor House andSutton Court. Almost all of the villages have churches dating back to the fifteenth or sixteenth century.
The area aroundPensford was an important coal mining area during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when it formed part of theSomerset Coalfield, although there are no working coal mines today. The line of the now disusedBristol and North Somerset Railway runs south from Bristol crossing over the River Chew on the surviving distinctivePensford Viaduct and on toMidsomer Norton. The area suffered during the1968 Chew Stoke flood, which prompted localised evacuation of populated valley areas in the lower parts of the valley around Pensford and Keynsham.[27]
The small fields in the western part of the area are particularly characteristic of the Chew Valley and date back to the most evident period of enclosure of earlier open fields which took place in the latemedieval period. Fields of this category are generally small in size, regular in outline and often the boundaries preserve the outlines of the earlier strip field system. Regional variations in field size and pattern do occur. For example, there is evidence of medieval clearance of woodland on the slopes aroundNempnett Thrubwell, south ofBishop Sutton and west and south ofChelwood.[7]
Along with the rest ofSouth West England, the Chew Valley has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.[28] The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50.0 °F).Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common.[28] In the summer theAzores high pressure affects the south-west of England, howeverconvective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours.[28] In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused byAtlantic depressions or byconvection. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (28 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.[28]
Many of the large houses in the valley were built or bought by wealthy merchants from Bristol and Bath who employed local people in their households.[30]Bess of Hardwick (1527–1606) is known to have lived inSutton Court,Stowey, for a few years in the sixteenth century when, after the death of her first husband SirWilliam Cavendish, she married SirWilliam St. Loe, who was Chief Butler of England and captain of the guard toQueen Elizabeth, and owned several manors within the valley and surrounding areas.[31] Around this period a close neighbour wasSir John Popham (1533–1607) who was a judge and theSpeaker of Parliament.[32] In the seventeenth century the eminent philosopherJohn Locke (1632–1704) lived inBelluton; his house is still known as John Locke's cottage.[33] In the eighteenth century the poetJohn Langhorne (1735–1779) became thecurate atBlagdon[34] around the time thatAugustus Montague Toplady (1740–1778) was the priest. GeologistWilliam Smith (1769–1839) moved to the valley in 1791 to make a valuation survey of the Sutton Court estate and later worked for theSomersetshire Coal Canal Company.[35]
John Sanger, the circus proprietor, was born in Chew Magna in 1816.[36]William Rees-Mogg, former editor ofThe Times, took the title Baron Rees-Mogg ofHinton Blewett in 1988.[37][38]JazzclarinettistAcker Bilk lived in Pensford.[39]Dr Phil Hammond and wildlife television producerRichard Brock also live in the valley.[40][41]
In the past part of the population worked in coal mining, although there are no working mines in the area now. There is still a fairly large agricultural workforce and in light industry or service industries, although many people commute to surrounding cities for work. According to the2011 census the valley has a population of approximately 5,000,[1][2] largely living in one of the dozen or so villages and in isolated farms and hamlets. The average age of the population is 42 years, with unemployment rates of 1–4% of all economically active people aged 16–74, however these figures are approximations because the ward areas covered and described in the census statistics do not relate exactly to the area of the valley. In theIndices of deprivation 2010 all of the areas within the valley were considered to be in the most affluent third in England.[42]
The villages tend to have been built at the points where it was possible to cross the rivers and streams. Chew Magna is the business centre with a range of shops, banks etc. Other villages have local shops, often combined with post offices. Most villages havepubs andvillage halls which provide the majority of the social activity.
The traditional building material is white LiasLimestone, sometimes incorporating redsandstone or conglomerate, with red clay tiled roofs. Buildings, particularly the churches, date back hundreds of years, for example those atMarksbury andCompton Martin, the latter incorporating acolumbarium.[43]
There are hundreds oflisted buildings in the valley. Listing refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. The authority for listing is granted by thePlanning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and is administered byEnglish Heritage, an agency of theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Grade I covers buildings of exceptional interest, Grade II* particularly important buildings of special interest and Grade II buildings of special interest. Listed buildings in the valley include five churches dating back to the fourteenth century or even earlier, with grade I status:Church of St Andrew, Chew Magna,[44]Church of St Bartholomew, Ubley,[45]Church of St James, Cameley,[46]Church of St Margaret, Hinton Blewett[47] and theChurch of St Michael the Archangel, Compton Martin.[48]
Trains serveKeynsham railway station on theGreat Western Main Line andWessex Main Line with services provided byGreat Western Railway andSouth Western Railway. Buses also connect withBristol Temple Meads.
At the western end of the valley is theA38 andBristol Airport, which means parts of the valley are on the flight path. The valley is also crossed by theA37 and they are joined by theA368. Most of the roads in the valley are small single track lanes with little traffic although a bottleneck often occurs within Chew Magna. The "Chew Valley Explorer" bus route 672/674 provided access to the villages in the valley. The nearest mainline railway station for most of the valley isBristol Temple Meads.[49] Cyclists can gain access via part of thePadstow to Bristol West Country Way,National Cycle Network Route 3.
TheMonarch's Way long-distance footpath crosses the valley.[50]
Chew Valley School[51] is the main secondary school (11–18 years) for the valley. It is situated between Chew Magna andChew Stoke. The latest (2011)Ofsted Inspection Report[52] describes this specialist Performing Arts College as a mixed comprehensive school with 1,201 pupils on roll. The school is popular and oversubscribed with 226 students in the sixth form. The school has been successful in gaining a number of national and regional awards. There are state primary schools (4–11 years) in most of the local villages.
The local villages have football pitches and children's play areas. Gymnasium facilities, squash courts, badminton etc., and outdoor all-weather pitches are available at the Chew Valley Leisure Centre between Chew Magna and Chew Stoke.[53] There are a range of clubs and societies for young and old, includingScout groups, gardening society, and theWomen's institute. There are areas in the valley which theCountryside Agency has designated as access land: Burledge Hill (south of Bishop Sutton)(grid referenceST589590), Castle Earthworks (betweenStowey andBishop Sutton)(grid referenceST597592),Knowle Hill (Newtown south of Chew Magna)(grid referenceST583613), Round Hill (Folly Farm)(grid referenceST605608) and Shortwood Common (Litton) (grid referenceST595553).[54]
ABowls club is in Chew Stoke,cricket pitches and teams in Chew Magna[55] and Blagdon.[56] There are football teams in the valley including Chew Valley Football Club[57] andBishop Sutton F.C. The rugby club is based next to the leisure centre.[58] The Bishop Sutton Tennis club[59] is the largest in the valley, and there are also tennis clubs at Pensford and East Harptree. Both Chew Valley Lake andBlagdon Lake provide extensive fishing under permit from Bristol Water. TheRiver Chew and most of its tributaries also have fishing but this is generally under licences to local angling clubs. Chew Valley Sailing Club[60] is situated on Chew Valley Lake and provides dinghy sailing at all levels and hosts national and international competitions. Swimming is not allowed in the lakes and there are no swimming pools in the valley; however these are available locally in Bristol, Bath,Cheddar andMidsomer Norton.
Each October the Chew Valley Arts trail takes place in venues around the valley during which over 50 local artists display their works in such media as painting,printmaking, sculpture,decorative glass,pottery, photography, jewellery and sugar craft.[61] The valley and lakes have been an inspiration to artists and there is a small art gallery at Chew Valley Lake.[62] Live music and comedy events take place in local pubs and village halls, with the village ofPensford holding a music festival every year.
