Throughout the area are traces of its past – from the local sandstone churches and walls to the estates and parklands once prevalent along the Greensand Ridge. 

In the countryside, ancient woodbanks, traces of ridge and furrow and the frequency of words such as warren, heath and sand in place names testify to its soils and past land uses.

Ancient Woodland

Ancient woodland can be found across the Ridge, and are areas that have been wooded since at least 1600. With rich ground flora, coppice and veteran trees, they are important habitats for species such as dormice. They also contain important archaeological features such as banks and ditches that hint at how medieval settlements managed their woodlands. 

Sandstone

Quarries along the Greensand Ridge provided a ready building material. Sand, gravel and blocks of sandstone were used to build parish churches, boundary walls, and other structures. Sandstone was used throughout the area, but the Brickhills, Maulden and Clophill, and Sandy and Potton are where it is most commonly seen. Pictured is the Silsoe cage located just off the Ridge.

Monastic institutions

Religious houses, ranging from a hermitage to large abbeys at Wardon and Woburn, were dotted across the landscape. As well as the power of the monks’ and nuns’ prayers, religious houses provided for all levels of society by distributing money, food and clothing, caring for the sick and spreading the word of God.

More information can be found in the Monastic Heritage in Greensand Country resource pack: https://kamino.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/greensands/app/uploads/2023/08/Monastic-Heritage-in-Greensand-Country-1.pdf

Historic designed landscapes

The Greensand Ridge has a dense coverage of historic parkland, often on former monastic sites. These create a strong estate character, with parkland designed by figures such as Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphrey Repton.

The wider agricultural and wooded area of the Greensand Ridge created a characterful backdrop and setting to these landscapes. More formal designed landscapes, such as The Alameda in Ampthill and at Stockgrove House, further contribute to a strong sense of place.