40 Holderness
The key characteristics of Holderness are:
Low lying, predominantly flat or gently undulating plateau, jutting into the North Sea and dividing it from the Humber Estuary.
Glacial landscape of till deposits, gravels and alluvium over chalk, with many glacial features such as drumlin mounds, hummocky terrain, moraine like ridges and kettle holes.
Rapidly eroding soft clay cliff coast.
High quality agricultural land, used predominantly for large scale arable cultivation and intensive livestock farming.
Fields bounded by ditches in some areas, especially the floodplain of the River Hull, but by hedges on higher ground.
Sparse tree and woodland cover leading to a generally open landscape with long views, though enclosed by the wolds to the north and west.
Highly fragmented, though locally prominent remnants of semi-natural vegetation including Hornsea Mere and various carr, swamp and damp grassland habitats.
Winding roads linking dispersed villages and hamlets, with village churches providing important landmarks in the generally flat landscape.
Vernacular buildings of red brick and red pantile, with some older buildings, especially churches, built in limestone, and with use of cobbles near the coast.
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.
