Natural England

High Weald

• A well-wooded landscape rising above the Low Weald and deeply incised in many places to give a complex pattern of ridges and steep stream valleys.

• Distinctive and scattered sandstone outcrops or 'bluffs' rise above the farmland and woodland.

• The Ashdown Forest, in contrast to the more intimate green woods and pastures elsewhere, is a high, rolling and open heathland lying on the sandstone ridges to the west of the area.

• Main roads and settlements are sited along the prominent ridge-lines with a dense network of small, narrow, and winding lanes linking scattered villages, hamlets and farms. Large reservoirs are significant features within the High Weald landscape adding to the area's interest and variety.

• The legacy of the early iron industry, based on sandstone, ore, water and timber, has left extensive areas of coppice woodland and the characteristic 'hammer ponds' which provided power.

• High forest, small woods and copses, and a network of hedges and shaws link small, irregular fields created from cleared woodland. Many of these contain flower-rich meadows bordered by species-rich hedgerows. Heavy clay soils have reduced the impact of agricultural change in the area and it is still, in the main, a quiet pastoral landscape with mixed farming predominating.

• The cultivation of fruit and hops, together with the associated distinctive oast houses and the seasonal appearance of hop poles, are still a characteristic feature of the eastern High Weald. 

• Distinctive red tile, brick, local stone and timber building materials, often including hung tiles and white weatherboarding, are characteristic of the historic settlements, farms and cottages. Local building materials characterise the area but recent `suburbanisation' of farmstead buildings is eroding the distinctive local style in many places.

For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.