The Place: Mapping the Old Knebworth Landscape
Every landscape has its own character, shaped by geology, history, weather and human activity. This page introduces the field at the heart of the project, with a map and views of its surroundings. It offers a sense of place and a little context for the photographs, field notes and seasonal observations found throughout the site.
Setting The Scene
Old Knebworth, Hertfordshire. UK
Old Knebworth lies within the gently undulating countryside of north Hertfordshire, close to the historic Knebworth estate.
Beyond its houses, farms and village pub, the surrounding landscape is a patchwork of cultivated fields, hedgerows and woodland.
Agriculture has shaped this part of Hertfordshire for centuries. Although farming methods and field boundaries have changed, the relationship between cultivated land and woodland remains an important part of its character.
A Knebworth Field explores one small part of this wider landscape: an arable field bordered by established hedgerows and two areas of woodland.
It is here, through photography and regular observation, that I hope to document the changing seasons and the quieter details of an otherwise ordinary place.
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An aerial view of the field and its surrounding landscape, with the principal boundaries and features identified. The appearance of the cultivated land changes throughout the year as crops grow, ripen and are harvested.
Filmed on 23 August 2026, this aerial journey follows the field boundaries, revealing the relationship between the cultivated land, surrounding hedgerows and woodland.
The Arable Field
A cultivated, Agricultural Landscape.
The arable field forms the heart of the project.
Once divided into smaller parcels of land, it is now a broad, open landscape cultivated principally for crops such as winter wheat and oilseed rape.
Among its most distinctive features are nine mature oak trees, standing as reminders of an earlier landscape of smaller fields and hedgerows.
Their presence offers a striking contrast to the openness of the modern cultivated land.
Around the field's edges, grassy margins and flowering buffer strips provide a transition between the crops, hedgerows and neighbouring woodland.
The Western Hedgerow
A Mix of Ancient Hedgerow & Historic Residential Cultivation.
The western hedgerow follows a winding course, its bends and corners reflecting the boundaries of an older, more divided landscape.
Along much of its length, native trees and shrubs such as blackthorn, hazel, holly and oak form a varied and established hedge.
Elsewhere, the influence of neighbouring gardens becomes apparent, with ornamental trees and shrubs growing alongside the native species.
An old pear tree and nearby cherry plums offer another intriguing connection with the area's domestic and agricultural past.
Whether they are remnants of earlier cultivation or more recent garden planting remains uncertain.
Together, these different species give the western boundary a character quite unlike the other edges of the field.
The Southern Boundary - Wide Grassy Margin.
An Expansive Grassy Margin That Sits Between the Arable Field & New Wood.
Between the cultivated field and New Wood lies a broad grassy margin, left outside the regular cycle of ploughing and cropping.
During summer, grasses and wildflowers including buttercups, ribwort plantain, clovers and bird's-foot trefoil grow across this open strip.
Towards its eastern end, young willow and hazel create a denser, scrubby edge where the woodland meets the field.
This gradual transition from open ground to trees provides a variety of habitats within a relatively small area, making it an interesting place to observe seasonal changes in plants, insects and birds.
The Ecological Buffer- Eastern & Northern Boundary.
A Wide Wildflower, Nitrogen Fixing, Ecological Strip.
Along the eastern edge and part of the northern boundary, a broad flowering strip separates the cultivated crops from the surrounding landscape.
During summer, plants including clover, bird's-foot trefoil and alfalfa bring colour to this otherwise agricultural setting, attracting pollinating insects and providing cover for other wildlife.
Such margins can play an important role in supporting biodiversity on working farmland, offering food, shelter and a connection between neighbouring habitats.
The Northern Boundary
The Most "Man-Made" of all the Boundaries.
The northern boundary is perhaps the most visibly influenced by human activity.
Divided by the main track into the field, it includes residential gardens, managed hedges, fencing and small areas of rough grassland and scrub.
Despite its more domestic character, this varied edge still provides opportunities for wildlife, with brambles, grasses and hedgerow shrubs offering food and shelter throughout the year.
The Eastern Boundary - Hedgerow, Dowager's Lane & Park Wood.
An Historic Working Boundary
The eastern boundary is marked by an established hedgerow, beyond which runs a historic trackway separating the field from Park Wood.
The hedge contains a mixture of native trees and shrubs, including hawthorn, hazel and hornbeam.
Its position reflects a longstanding division between cultivated land and woodland, although the precise origins of the boundary remain uncertain.
The track, known today as Dowager's Lane and historically associated with the name Green Lane, continues to provide access through this part of the landscape.
Mature trees along its course hint at a history of woodland management and changing land use.
Beyond the lane lies Park Wood, where mature trees, younger growth and the remains of historic boundaries offer further evidence of a landscape shaped by both nature and human activity.
The Southern Boundary - New Wood
The Remnants of a Working Woodland
New Wood forms the southern boundary of the field. Beneath its dense canopy lie fallen branches, moss-covered timber, leaf litter and the banks and ditches that hint at an earlier, more managed landscape.
Some of the older trees show signs of past coppicing, a traditional method of woodland management that encourages new growth from cut stems.
Historic aerial photographs also suggest that the woodland's appearance has changed considerably over time.
Today, its mixture of mature trees, younger growth and decaying wood provides a variety of habitats.
Fungi and mosses thrive in the damp conditions of the woodland floor, while the canopy above offers shelter and feeding opportunities for birds and other wildlife.