Kent Downs
The air is thick with moisture as clouds of mist roll in from the sea and up to the foot of the cliffs. At first, it’s difficult to make out where the mist ends and the cliff begins, until a breeze lifts the blanket slightly and the dazzling white chalk cliff-face rears up.
Behind me, it’s impossible to see more than a few feet into the water; only the mournful boom of a foghorn gives any inkling that beyond the haze lies one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. It’s hard to believe that barely ten minutes ago, I was surrounded by wheat fields and bathed in summer sunshine. Right at the moment, I can barely see my own feet.
I’ve come to the White Cliffs Heritage Coast on the edge of the Kent Downs to explore the UK’s fifth-largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Designated in 1968, the Kent Downs AONB covers an area of 878 square kilometres – nearly a quarter of the county – stretching from the cliffs at Dover to the edge of Greater London. Because it covers such a long stretch of countryside, running inland from the coast, the area has a very diverse topography, comprising steep escarpments, ancient woodlands, dry valleys, cliffs and plateaus, all linked by a convoluted network of winding lanes. But by far the most prevalent geological influence on the landscape is the large mass of chalk that lies below the soil.
Formation of the Downs
One hundred and forty million years ago, the southeast of England was predominantly swamp. It was slowly covered over with layers of silt, sand and clay until, 110 million years ago, the sea flooded in, bringing with it the thick calcareous sediment that would eventually become chalk. When the pressure generated by Africa pushing against the European mainland began to cause the land to rise around 100 million years ago, the soft chalk layer compacted to create a dome that has gradually eroded to reveal the sandstone beneath. The remaining outer shell of the dome now forms part of a chalk ridge that spreads all the way into France. On this side of the channel, it created the North and South Downs, and the Kent Downs mark the eastern edge of the ridge.
Unsurprisingly, the high level of chalk in the soil has influenced the kinds of flora and fauna found within the region, particularly the large tracts of ancient woodland. These have remained virtually untouched – the poor quality of the soil meant that the land was unsuitable for farming and hence remained uncleared.
As a result, the Kent Downs is the UK’s second most wooded AONB (High Weald being the first), with ancient woodland (land that has been continuously wooded for at least 400 years) covering 17,579 hectares, or almost a quarter of the area. Over the years, farming methods have improved to allow more land to be turned over to agriculture, but with much of the woodland providing a habitat for bluebells, wood anemones, nightingales and nightjars, it’s justifiably protected. In total, the Kent Downs support more than three per cent of the ancient woodland in England and Wales.
Murky past
By virtue of its proximity to both the Continent and London, Dover has been associated with smuggling for centuries. Caverns and outcrops in the cliffs provided ideal sites to store contraband, and smugglers would often sink barrels of illicit goods into the seabed using weights and markers – a practice known as ‘sowing the crop’ – before moving the cargo inland for resale. This kind of illegal trading was so prevalent in the region that by the 1800s, it was estimated that as many as 200,000 people living in Kent were involved in smuggling in some way.
Today, with almost three quarters of the land classed as agricultural, the majority of Kent’s income is generated through farming. As such, the AONB management team is keen to offer support to farmers and landowners, offering them up to six days of free guidance as part of the Kent Downs Rural Advice Service, a scheme that provides advice to farmers who are looking to diversify.
‘Until very recently, the changes in agricultural subsidy could drive farmers to make all sorts of decisions in terms of diversification,’ explains Nick Johannsen, the AONB’s director. ‘It’s our role to intervene, to look at the whole farm and to bring environmental planning and business advice together for farmers and landowners, so that they have a chance of getting planning permission and of working as a business.’
Over the past 18 months, the team has provided advice to around 30 farmers, and Johannsen believes that it’s working out very well. ‘The choices that the farmers make are very important,’ he says. ‘It’s vital to us that this remains a farmed landscape because, in essence, that’s what the Downs is – it’s a farmed, wooded landscape.’
You only have to look out over the sprawling fields, woods and orchards that make up the majority of the Downs to appreciate the truth in this statement. Centuries of arable crop production, coupled with livestock farming and horticulture, have significantly shaped the landscape we see today. A big part of that are the orchards, cobnut platts (coppiced nut orchards) and hop gardens that pepper the horizon.
‘There’s a strong orchard influence within the AONB, and we currently have a project concerned with supporting traditional orchards,’ Johannsen explains. ‘We’re trying to find new economic and social futures for them so there’s a real reason for holding onto them.’
It’s a history worth preserving – the very first fruit orchards in England were planted in Teynham, just north of the AONB, during the reign of Henry VIII, and Kent still produces about half of all the apples grown in the UK. The AONB is also home to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale. With more than 4,000 varieties of fruits, nuts and vines, it’s the largest collection of fruit trees in the world.
The Kentish cobnut, a type of cultivated hazelnut, is another local crop that has become a distinctive feature within the Kent Downs landscape. The nuts have been cultivated in England since the 1500s and were planted in large quantities across Kent during the 19th century. ‘There are still good numbers of cobnut platts here,’ says Johannsen. ‘They’re a gorgeous landscape feature, like the old orchards – they have a similar sort of a feel.’
Early settlers
Farming isn’t the only way in which people have made an impact on the local landscape – Kent was settled well before most other parts of England and its very name is the oldest recorded in the British Isles. The history of the county’s settlement is very closely bound up in its proximity to mainland Europe – not only do archaeological remains from prehistoric times show clear links between Kent and northern Europe, but the area is also thought to have been the point
of entry for the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD.
With locals perhaps learning from the experience, defending this area became a key concern from the Norman era onwards. As a result, there’s a rich heritage of defensive structures along the coastline, from Dover Castle to the 19th-century Martello towers and the remains of anti-invasion structures from both world wars. And although current threats to the Kent Downs AONB – namely encroaching development from London and the huge pressure placed on the landscape by increased visitor numbers – are less military in nature, the need for defence is every bit as vital today as it has ever been.
The AONB already has a resident population of more than 66,000 people, with a further 800,000 living within eight kilometres of the boundary and up to eight million more within an hour’s drive (including populations in northeast France via the Channel Tunnel), so the pressure exerted on the landscape is considerable. With Kent set to accommodate more than 100,000 new households within the next 20 years, as part of outgoing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s Sustainable Communities Plan (an attempt to deal with housing shortages in the Southeast), the future is looking exceedingly cramped.
At least 22 million day visits are already made to the AONB each year. Maintaining the balance between allowing people to enjoy their local landscape and protecting the natural environment is no easy task, particularly because, at 2.2 kilometres per square kilometre, the density of Rights of Way in the AONB is four times higher than the national average.
Thus far, the AONB has largely managed to withstand this onslaught, due to a combination of positive conservation, mitigation measures and planning controls. ‘We feel that the Kent Downs, in terms of the pressures around it, is probably the most pressured of the AONBs, and our response to that must be a positive one,’ explains Johannsen. ‘We work to conserve and enhance the area, but in a way that provides a sustainable future for the communities around, as well as allowing people to enjoy the area in all of its beauty.’
Local knowledge: insiders' tips on the Kent Downs' top spots
‘The bottom of the White Cliffs, at Fan Bay or Langdon Bay (although I must warn people to be aware of the tides), gives you a feeling almost of being in the wilderness. You have these amazing towering cliffs over the top of you and there’s rarely anyone there, so it’s just sea and cliffs
and birds. Pretty wild.’ Nick Johannsen, AONB unit director
‘The Devil’s Kneading Trough is such an iconic place. It’s spectacular and you can get a fantastic view, so it’s a great place to go when the sun’s shining.’ Tim Owen, Sustainable Development Fund manager
‘I would recommend the woods around Hucking Estate – partly because it’s a huge estate owned by the Woodland Trust and they’ve done such good work there, but also because it’s a great place for bluebells and wood anemones.’ Nick Johannsen
‘Because of its proximity to London, I’d say some of the Downs right on the edge of Bromley. I like the fact that when you’re there you don’t know how close to the city you are. There are some really nice open areas and it’s unravaged by the sprawl of London.’ Tim Owen
‘Visit somewhere along the Stour Valley – it’s different to the rest of the downlands’ landscape, because of the shape the water has given it. And
I really like the pollarded trees – willows and ash trees cut at head height with a big fat trunk and lots of growth like a ball on top.’ Tim Owen
August 2007
Behind me, it’s impossible to see more than a few feet into the water; only the mournful boom of a foghorn gives any inkling that beyond the haze lies one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. It’s hard to believe that barely ten minutes ago, I was surrounded by wheat fields and bathed in summer sunshine. Right at the moment, I can barely see my own feet.
I’ve come to the White Cliffs Heritage Coast on the edge of the Kent Downs to explore the UK’s fifth-largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Designated in 1968, the Kent Downs AONB covers an area of 878 square kilometres – nearly a quarter of the county – stretching from the cliffs at Dover to the edge of Greater London. Because it covers such a long stretch of countryside, running inland from the coast, the area has a very diverse topography, comprising steep escarpments, ancient woodlands, dry valleys, cliffs and plateaus, all linked by a convoluted network of winding lanes. But by far the most prevalent geological influence on the landscape is the large mass of chalk that lies below the soil.
Formation of the Downs
One hundred and forty million years ago, the southeast of England was predominantly swamp. It was slowly covered over with layers of silt, sand and clay until, 110 million years ago, the sea flooded in, bringing with it the thick calcareous sediment that would eventually become chalk. When the pressure generated by Africa pushing against the European mainland began to cause the land to rise around 100 million years ago, the soft chalk layer compacted to create a dome that has gradually eroded to reveal the sandstone beneath. The remaining outer shell of the dome now forms part of a chalk ridge that spreads all the way into France. On this side of the channel, it created the North and South Downs, and the Kent Downs mark the eastern edge of the ridge.
Unsurprisingly, the high level of chalk in the soil has influenced the kinds of flora and fauna found within the region, particularly the large tracts of ancient woodland. These have remained virtually untouched – the poor quality of the soil meant that the land was unsuitable for farming and hence remained uncleared.
As a result, the Kent Downs is the UK’s second most wooded AONB (High Weald being the first), with ancient woodland (land that has been continuously wooded for at least 400 years) covering 17,579 hectares, or almost a quarter of the area. Over the years, farming methods have improved to allow more land to be turned over to agriculture, but with much of the woodland providing a habitat for bluebells, wood anemones, nightingales and nightjars, it’s justifiably protected. In total, the Kent Downs support more than three per cent of the ancient woodland in England and Wales.
Murky past
By virtue of its proximity to both the Continent and London, Dover has been associated with smuggling for centuries. Caverns and outcrops in the cliffs provided ideal sites to store contraband, and smugglers would often sink barrels of illicit goods into the seabed using weights and markers – a practice known as ‘sowing the crop’ – before moving the cargo inland for resale. This kind of illegal trading was so prevalent in the region that by the 1800s, it was estimated that as many as 200,000 people living in Kent were involved in smuggling in some way.
Today, with almost three quarters of the land classed as agricultural, the majority of Kent’s income is generated through farming. As such, the AONB management team is keen to offer support to farmers and landowners, offering them up to six days of free guidance as part of the Kent Downs Rural Advice Service, a scheme that provides advice to farmers who are looking to diversify.
‘Until very recently, the changes in agricultural subsidy could drive farmers to make all sorts of decisions in terms of diversification,’ explains Nick Johannsen, the AONB’s director. ‘It’s our role to intervene, to look at the whole farm and to bring environmental planning and business advice together for farmers and landowners, so that they have a chance of getting planning permission and of working as a business.’
Over the past 18 months, the team has provided advice to around 30 farmers, and Johannsen believes that it’s working out very well. ‘The choices that the farmers make are very important,’ he says. ‘It’s vital to us that this remains a farmed landscape because, in essence, that’s what the Downs is – it’s a farmed, wooded landscape.’
You only have to look out over the sprawling fields, woods and orchards that make up the majority of the Downs to appreciate the truth in this statement. Centuries of arable crop production, coupled with livestock farming and horticulture, have significantly shaped the landscape we see today. A big part of that are the orchards, cobnut platts (coppiced nut orchards) and hop gardens that pepper the horizon.
‘There’s a strong orchard influence within the AONB, and we currently have a project concerned with supporting traditional orchards,’ Johannsen explains. ‘We’re trying to find new economic and social futures for them so there’s a real reason for holding onto them.’
It’s a history worth preserving – the very first fruit orchards in England were planted in Teynham, just north of the AONB, during the reign of Henry VIII, and Kent still produces about half of all the apples grown in the UK. The AONB is also home to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale. With more than 4,000 varieties of fruits, nuts and vines, it’s the largest collection of fruit trees in the world.
The Kentish cobnut, a type of cultivated hazelnut, is another local crop that has become a distinctive feature within the Kent Downs landscape. The nuts have been cultivated in England since the 1500s and were planted in large quantities across Kent during the 19th century. ‘There are still good numbers of cobnut platts here,’ says Johannsen. ‘They’re a gorgeous landscape feature, like the old orchards – they have a similar sort of a feel.’
Early settlers
Farming isn’t the only way in which people have made an impact on the local landscape – Kent was settled well before most other parts of England and its very name is the oldest recorded in the British Isles. The history of the county’s settlement is very closely bound up in its proximity to mainland Europe – not only do archaeological remains from prehistoric times show clear links between Kent and northern Europe, but the area is also thought to have been the point
of entry for the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD.
With locals perhaps learning from the experience, defending this area became a key concern from the Norman era onwards. As a result, there’s a rich heritage of defensive structures along the coastline, from Dover Castle to the 19th-century Martello towers and the remains of anti-invasion structures from both world wars. And although current threats to the Kent Downs AONB – namely encroaching development from London and the huge pressure placed on the landscape by increased visitor numbers – are less military in nature, the need for defence is every bit as vital today as it has ever been.
The AONB already has a resident population of more than 66,000 people, with a further 800,000 living within eight kilometres of the boundary and up to eight million more within an hour’s drive (including populations in northeast France via the Channel Tunnel), so the pressure exerted on the landscape is considerable. With Kent set to accommodate more than 100,000 new households within the next 20 years, as part of outgoing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s Sustainable Communities Plan (an attempt to deal with housing shortages in the Southeast), the future is looking exceedingly cramped.
At least 22 million day visits are already made to the AONB each year. Maintaining the balance between allowing people to enjoy their local landscape and protecting the natural environment is no easy task, particularly because, at 2.2 kilometres per square kilometre, the density of Rights of Way in the AONB is four times higher than the national average.
Thus far, the AONB has largely managed to withstand this onslaught, due to a combination of positive conservation, mitigation measures and planning controls. ‘We feel that the Kent Downs, in terms of the pressures around it, is probably the most pressured of the AONBs, and our response to that must be a positive one,’ explains Johannsen. ‘We work to conserve and enhance the area, but in a way that provides a sustainable future for the communities around, as well as allowing people to enjoy the area in all of its beauty.’
Local knowledge: insiders' tips on the Kent Downs' top spots
‘The bottom of the White Cliffs, at Fan Bay or Langdon Bay (although I must warn people to be aware of the tides), gives you a feeling almost of being in the wilderness. You have these amazing towering cliffs over the top of you and there’s rarely anyone there, so it’s just sea and cliffs
and birds. Pretty wild.’ Nick Johannsen, AONB unit director
‘The Devil’s Kneading Trough is such an iconic place. It’s spectacular and you can get a fantastic view, so it’s a great place to go when the sun’s shining.’ Tim Owen, Sustainable Development Fund manager
‘I would recommend the woods around Hucking Estate – partly because it’s a huge estate owned by the Woodland Trust and they’ve done such good work there, but also because it’s a great place for bluebells and wood anemones.’ Nick Johannsen
‘Because of its proximity to London, I’d say some of the Downs right on the edge of Bromley. I like the fact that when you’re there you don’t know how close to the city you are. There are some really nice open areas and it’s unravaged by the sprawl of London.’ Tim Owen
‘Visit somewhere along the Stour Valley – it’s different to the rest of the downlands’ landscape, because of the shape the water has given it. And
I really like the pollarded trees – willows and ash trees cut at head height with a big fat trunk and lots of growth like a ball on top.’ Tim Owen
August 2007
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