| area-number | 2 |
| buildings | varied-shapes |
| character-area | HICKS GATE ROUNDABOUT EAST - UP TO AND INCLUDING DURLEY LANE, INCLUDES CHANDOS MOORINGS AND HANHAM LOCKS |
| date | 18/02/2014 |
| greenery | trees bushes hedges green-backcloth-to-buildings |
| landmarks-text | DURLEY LANE ESCARPMENT, Quarrying - There is considerable evidence of quarrying along the outer edge of the escarpment, immediately to the west of Durley Lane. The quarried pennant stone was of high quality and there is evidence of its use in the majority of buildings within the survey area. It is very likely that stone from the quarry at the southern end of Durley Lane was used by the Romans for the construction of the large villa on the site of Keynsham Cemetery. Coal Mining - In 1730 George Bridges, together with his cousin, James Bridges (Duke of Chandos), financed a number of exploratory mine shafts on land between Chandos Lodge and Hicks Gate. Coal was discovered in quantity but could not be worked profitably, because of the ingress of water from the River Avon. |
| layout | irregular |
| layout-text | The greater part consists of mixed-use agricultural land. The fields to the north of the by-pass are currently used for grazing horses. Little or no grass remains on the field between the railway line and the hill-fort on the ridge above the river. The ground here has been excavated and completely re-contoured to make a motor cycle scramble track. A small part of this field is used by the Severn Project for growing horticultural crops in polytunnels. The residents of the houseboats, moored along the riverbank, have erected a number of sheds on the wooded slope, which runs down to the river. Whilst the field between the by-pass and the edge of the Humpty Dumps is used for grazing, there have been a number of occasions recently when motor cycle scrambling has taken place on this land. The field between the by-pass and the A4175 is divided in two. The western portion, formerly used for cattle grazing, is designated as being used for arboriculture (this site has recently been the subject of an application for exploratory gas drilling). The eastern portion is farmed for crops, especially brassicas. |
| materials-text | WALLS - PENNANT SANDSTONE, ROOFS - CLAY DOUBLE ROMAN TILES |
| negative-text | DE-SPOLIATION RESULTING FROM LACK OF PROPER PLANNING CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENT |
| positive-text | CRITICAL GREEN BELT BUFFER TO PRECLUDE RIBBON DEVELOPMENT |
| roads-text | GWR Railway - Brunel's iconic railway, opened in 1840, divides the area in two. The spoil from the deep cutting to the west was deposited in an area adjacent to the stream running into the Avon from Scotland Bottom. A public footpath runs through this area, which is known locally as the Humpty Dumps. This has provided an adventure playground for generations of Keynsham children. A4 By-Pass - The dual carriageway, which by-passes Keynsham, took two years to complete and was opened in 1966. Durley Lane - a private road providing a roadway to Chandos Lodge, the river moorings and Lock Cottage, the lane gave the people of Keynsham access to the ferry, which until the mid 1950s crossed the river to the Chequers Pub and the road to Hanham. Historically Durley Lane served the adjacent quarries for the carting of stone for building. |
| spaces | green-spaces |
| topography | hilly |
| topography-text | The ground, bounded to the north and part- bounded to the west by the River Avon, rises steeply from the river valley and its flood plain. The area is sub-divided diagonally by the main Bristol to London railway line, the A4 Keynsham By-pass and a small stream originating from Scotland Bottom, to the west of Hicks Gate. The underlying strata are pennant sandstone with inter-layered coal seams. The entire area is designated as Green Belt on the local area plan. |
| views-in-text | YES |
| views-out-text | SOMERDALE, KEYNSHAM (INCLUDING THE PARISH CHURCH), KELSTON ROUNDHILL |
| weather | overcast |
| wildlife | area-used/inhabited-by-wildlife |
| wildlife-text | GREY SQUIRRELS, FOXES, BADGERS, BATH ASPARAGUS |
Download the data in the table above page as RDF: NQuads