1. 1 Settlements 1 Geoff says: What is a settlement?

2. 2 Basically it is where people live A single house can be a settlement But so is a hamlet (what’s this?) A village A town A city A conurbation (that’s a ?)

3. 3 They began a long time ago Once people started to domesticate animals and plant crops, then people stayed in the same place. These were settlements. As people got better and growing food, they has some left over, They had a surplus. So they began to trade with other settlements Then they needed transport networks. Some settlements proved to be better places to live and so they grew.

4. 4 What would the places that grew need? If I lived a long time ago and wanted to build a settlement, what would I need? Where would I choose to go? What do you think?

5. 5 Here are some thing to think about when when locating a settlement: How many did you think of? 1.Protection - good views from a hilltop give you warning if you are about to be attacked. Or maybe a bend in a river so you only have to guard one side of it. E.g. Edinburgh castle is on the top of a rock, with little chance of attackers 2. Water Supply - Plenty of water is needed for drinking, cooking and washing. Water might come from a river, spring or well.

6. 6 Here are some thing to think about when when locating a settlement: How many did you think of? 3. A Risk of Flooding - Sites must not flood or be marshy. E.g. Ely – this is a small town on a hill above what used to be the Fens – a very wet place 4. Proximity to a River - Needs to be easy to cross either on foot at a ford or by a bridge. Rivers can also aid transport, provide power and a source of food.

7. 7 Here are some thing to think about when when locating a settlement: How many did you think of? 5.Building Materials - Needed wood or stone. Useful to be near a wood or a rocky hillside. 6. Supply of Fuel - Wood needed for fires for warmth and to cook on. 7. Shelter - In the northern hemisphere a south facing slope will have more sun and will be protected from the cold north wind and crops will grow better. 8. Flat Land - Easier to build on, for growing crops and travelling to other towns. 9. Good, fertile soil – being able to produce your own food was very important.

8. 8 This is a Diamond 9 Try this on the work sheet – put the most important one at the top And the silliest one at the bottom This is all about your needs Then fits the other ones in between

9. 9 These are the ones you need to sort Protection Water supply A risk of flooding Building materials Shelter Supply of fuel Flat land Good soil Proximity to route way Now try this one about siting a settlement – talk to Mum about why you are choosing which one to goes where

10. 10 What you have been thinking about is.. Part of the idea of location The location is where a place is Location is made up of 2 ideas The site – where it is and why. This determines where it was placed in the first place See over for an example of a description of a site The situation – which is where we are going after that

11. 11 River Wye Narrow part of river Castle mound Why did Rhayader become a settlement? What made its site special? This is an annotated picture – a picture with labels explaining about things

12. 12 Situation Situation – where a place is in relation to other places and to the physical surroundings This determines whether it will grow or not. So ask: Physical situation: what is the land like? What about rivers? Flooding? Human Influences: How is it joined to other places? Is it close to the centre of a country or is it isolated

13. 13 What is Rhayader’s physical situation? Will it get any bigger? Limits of the town High ground Ground that often floods River Wye Bridge This is an annotated map – Why?

14. 14 Example Rhayader is about 30 miles East of Aberystwyth, 30 west of Leominster and 20 miles north of Llandridod Wells. It is the river valley of the Upper Wye, quite close to where the Wye begins so the valley is narrows and the Cambrian Mountains rise to the west and other lower hills are to the East So it will never get much bigger – even though it is on the cross-roads of 2 main roads, there simply is not enough space!

15. 15 Settlement patterns As well as coming in a variety of sizes, settlements also come in a variety of shapes or patterns Settlements usually develop in a particular pattern (but not always). A nucleated settlement is where the buildings are clustered around a central point, e.g. a bridge or market square or a crossroads.

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17. 17 Settlement patterns A linear settlement is where the buildings are arranged in a line - usually along a river or road, or in Wales along the valley floor

18. 18 Settlement patterns A dispersed settlement is where the buildings are spread out or scattered. Dispersed settlements are often found in remote, sparsely-populated areas such as hill farming areas

19. 19 Settlement patterns Over the past 100 years many new settlements have been planned and developed by the UK government - for example, the town of Harlow in Essex. New towns like this follow distinctive patterns, with their shape often influenced by decisions made by planners

20. 20 Harlow Essex

21. 21 Talking only What are the things you have learnt today?

22. 22 So review Location is …… …… tells you where it is in relation to other places …… tells you why it is there in the first place Settlements have a particular shape or …. A Settlement that that is clustered around a crossroads is a … settlement When individual houses are scattered over an area upland for example then these settlements are … If a settlement runs along a river valley, it is a … settlement

23. 23 So homework Either using an annotated map or drawing or simple sentences, describe the location of a place you know well or if you are really stuck, imagine where a place might be and describe the site (why it was there in the first place) and the situation (where it is in the bigger picture) and so decide or explain why it has/has not grown Geoff says: I think I will look on Google maps for places near me – that has maps and satellite pictures