Armagh / Banbridge Hills Landscape

Key Characteristics

• Rolling hills and ridges, with variations in scale; broad shallow slopes to the west and rocky outcrops to the south east on the margins of Knockiveagh.
• Varied patchwork of fields, woodlands, hedgerow trees and patches of regenerating scrub, with a diverse texture and pattern.
• Valleys have flat pastures with drainage ditches, areas of damp woodland and patches of bog.
• Large farmsteads and their stone outbuildings are prominent landscape elements.
• Relatively open landscape, with long views from local ridges.
• Traditional stone gateposts.

Landscape Description

The Armagh/Banbridge Hills character area traverses the border of Banbridge and Armagh Districts. The Upper Bann corridor runs north-south along this border from which hills rise eastwards towards Banbridge and westwards towards Markethill. The landscape is characterised by rolling hills, ridges and shallow valleys. Most slopes have a relatively smooth profile but there are rocky outcrops on the slopes leading up to the summit of Knockiveagh to the south. This is a varied farmland landscape, with a diverse pattern of fields, woodlands and patches of scrub. There are areas of both arable and pasture land but pasture predominates overall. Arable land is generally concentrated on the broad, upper slopes of ridges. To the south, the fields become larger and more open in character as the landform flattens out at the base of the slopes. Here, there is extensive sheep grazing and stud farming. The broader valleys have flatter pastures subdivided by drainage ditches, with patches of moss and regenerating birch-alder woodland.

Substantial farmsteads and outbuildings are often prominent on the upper slopes. Many buildings are associated with shelter stands of mixed broadleaf trees but elsewhere there are typically few hedgerow trees. Many of the buildings are of stone. There are many groups of residential dwellings scattered along rural roads in this area, as well as larger farmhouses and estates. The main settlement is Banbridge which is situated on the A1.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

In general, the landscape is in good condition, particularly on the upper slopes but there are patches of gorse and brambles in the poorly-drained areas towards the valley floor. Hedgerow loss is evident as a result of agricultural intensification and field enlargement. The ridges are the most sensitive areas of the landscape and changes such as new built development, new cropping patterns and the amalgamation of fields would be prominent. Scattered residential development along rural roads is prominent where roads follow local ridge-lines. It is detrimental to landscape character in some areas close to Banbridge and the A1.

Principles for Landscape Management

• The conservation of existing hedgerows and the re-establishment of hedgerows where they have been removed, would ensure that the varied pattern of the landscape is retained and that it becomes less sensitive to future change.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• Broadleaf woodland planting would help to reinforce the small-scale character of parts of the landscape and to contain recent and future built development.
• The use of local building materials, in particular local stone, will help to integrate new buildings into the landscape.
• Extensive woodland planting may be a suitable way to integrate new built development into the landscape.