Lyneham is located on a large
plateau which is rimmed to the south by the scarpment of
the Marlborborgh Downs and the ground falls away down to
Avon Vale to the north west. The terrain in this area, varies
from scarp to undulating higher
ground,
and
the character
of this landscape yields a number of significant views, particularly
to the north west. These include the M4 corridor and various
points on the A3102,
which
travels through the village.
The B4069 which joins the main A3102 at Lyneham Green, travels
northwest towards the undulating hills of Dauntsey banks.
The scarp slope, offers a picturesque backdrop to the lower
landscape and variation of intimate valleys with wide exposed
views of the upper areas.
The countryside provides mixed arable landscape of the higher
ground as it runs to the lower ground to the east, with small
settlements and woodland clumps.
The prominence and exposed nature of the scarp slope and
the related edge of the plateau or top of ridge makes the
area particularly unsuitable for development. The Air Ministry
decided during the nation's generation to World War II, the
proximity of this raised expanse of land was ideally suited
for the development
of an airstrip. Early development of the new maintenance
unit and aerodrome, the base had a grassed unpaved runway,
making
Lyneham
suitable for the Spitfires
and smaller
aircraft. With the later introduction of larger and faster
jet aircraft, the runways had to be extended and paved to
allow two lengthy surfaced runways to be constructed. The
main
runway was surfaced in ashpalt, and is currently 2,386 metres
long, geographically positioned at 60 degrees. Additionally
the alternate standby runway is positioned running north-south
approximately 1,826
metres
long.
The thresholds
of
all runways
are
at
their
limits
of possible
expansion
as
the sharp falling scarp at the south-western part of the
main runway, limits any future development. The North eastern
part
of this runway is very close to the village and B4069 Chippenham
Road, again reducing any future development.
On the wider plateau area set back from the scarp slope the
majority of the vicinity away from Lyneham has an essentially
rural, agricultural character, which has small scope for future
development. The existing infrastructure could be successfully
accommodated redevelopment and change of use without adverse
landscape effects.
Around Lyneham, the landscape is affected by the existing
built form including the airfield and housing estates and
in parts is less sensitive to development, where enclosed
from wider view by vegetation.
The average yearly rainfall for the whole county of Wiltshire
may be taken at about 30 inches yearly, which is less than
the adjoining districts on the south and west. There is a
line of chalk downs which intercepts the southerly and south-westerly
winds causing some of the prevailing winds moisture to fall
as rain; still the rainfall is not as great as in Dorset
to the south or in Devon or Cornwall further west.
The absorbent nature of the rock underneath causes the surface
of the chalk county to be almost dry, but under surface aquifers
located on the Lyneham plateau allow excellent citing of
wells, supplying water of excellent quality, albeit of considerable
hardness. This residual underlying water did
cause serious questions for the Air Ministry during initial
surveys
for
the airbase. Scattered around the leading edges of the escarpment
are many sources of springs and water tributaries gather
to join the river Avon and Marden to the west.
None of the Wiltshire rivers which are carved into the soft
rock through the surrounding low lying community are much
use for navigation but they did serve as a useful supply
to keep many of the water mills running and also topped up
the old canals.
Canals
Wiltshire used to have in the north three great lines
of canal. The Thames and Severn Canal skirting the northern
border, passing by Cirencester, Cricklade and Lechlade. The
Kennet and Avon Canal passed through the middle of the county
by Hungerford, Devizes and Bradford and near Trowbridge to
Bath and Bristol. The local Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal
joined the above to the south of Melksham passing through
he valleys via Dauntsey to Wootton Bassett and further north
joining the Thames and Severn Canal by a branch between Cricklade
and Swindon.
The history of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal has been
subject to increasing interest over recent years and The
Wiltshire & Berkshire
Canal Trust is committed to returning this historic waterway
to a navigable state. The Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal always
proved of limited economic value during its latter life;
the Kennet and Avon, built as
a wide canal
offering
passage for 14 feet beam boats (compared to the W & B
narrowboats with only a seven feet beam) provided a shorter,
speedier and more economic route to the London market.
The
best times of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal came in
the 1830s, a mere 15 to 25 years after completion - ironically,
because peak
revenues and profits for the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal
company came about through Isambard Kingdom Brunel's GWR,
the Great Western,
or more affectionately God's Wonderful Railway; the Wiltshire
and Berkshire Canal provided an efficient means of transporting
the vast quantities
of iron, brick, stone, aggregate and timber needed in the
building of the railway which, apart from the eastern and
western extremities, is never more than a mile or two away
from the line of the canal. Thus did the Wiltshire and
Berkshire
Canal contribute towards its own eventual and probably
inevitable downfall.
With the canal all but useless, certainly for navigation,
various parties attempted to officially abandon it and thus
absolve themselves of their obligations and liabilities,
but it was to be another 13 years before the official Act
of Abandonment was passed by Parliament, with the land on
which the canal had been built returned or sold to the adjoining
landowners.
Since abandonment, the canal has continued to degenerate
as nature gradually reclaims this work of man, aided in places
by deliberate actions, such as the in filling with domestic
rubbish of the locks in urban areas, even the use of the
structures for military demolition practice during the Second
World War, as at Seven Locks near Lyneham.
Yet despite such
destruction, much of the canal remains in surprisingly
good condition, particularly in the rural areas which constitute
the majority of its original course, requiring little more
than the clearance of choking undergrowth and some dredging
of the accumulated silt of decades to restore the Wiltshire
and Berkshire Canal
to a fair semblance of its former glory.
The major works
required consist of the rebuilding of structures, locks,
bridges, wharves, etc., including new ones to cope with
the effects of developments undertaken since abandonment,
such
as the crossing of the M4 Motorway south of Swindon. Post-abandonment
development has taken place mainly in the urban areas of
Abingdon, Wantage, Grove, Swindon, Wootton Bassett, Chippenham
and Melksham and alternative routing has had to be considered
in many of these areas. In 1977 Neil Rumbol, who had recently “discovered” the
remains of the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal, called a
meeting, via a letter to Waterways World, of persons who
were interested
in preserving the remains of the canal. From this meeting
the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal Amenity Group
was formed.
At that time the Group’s aims were simply
to try to record and preserve what remained of the canal,
and
to develop isolated parts of it as amenities for the local
population. In this they were successful and several stretches
of canal were cleared and rewatered. The project is well under
way and many areas are being restored. For further information
on the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal restoration project click
here
Understanding the ground under your feet
Understanding geology is vital when determining the stability
(and thus value) of land, property, and the safety of its
occupiers. The geology of the Lyneham area is fully explained
in another section of this website,
but owing to the soluble rocks under our area, particularly
on the B4069
Dauntsey Banks route down to the Avon Vale and the contributing
abundance of under ground aquifers and springs, the trend
is for much of the soft rocks to be dissolved and eroded
away. Clay is able to shrink and swell with seasonal changes
in water content too and often the underground water wash
is causing the roads to landslip down the Avon Vale.
The
B4069 is notorious for its bad road surface and many areas
of this hill hugging road has to undergo frequent major
road surface repairs to
restore it to a safe condition for motorists. Extensive
studies are being undertaken to see their is a better constructive
design to alleviate the under road water erosion that
is attributing to a high maintenance penalty of the byway. |
