EPSOM ‘HOSPITALS CLUSTER’ CONSERVATION AREAS ST EBBA’S • LONG GROVE • HORTON • THE MANOR • WEST PARK CHARACTER APPRAISAL & MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS June 2009 This document has been written for Epsom and Ewell Borough Council by: The Conservation Studio, 1 Querns Lane, Cirencester, Glos GL7 1RL T: 01285 642428 E:
[email protected] W: www.theconservationstudio.co.uk THE EPSOM HOSPITALS CLUSTER CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL & MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS This document provides information about the Epsom ‘Hospitals Cluster’, which includes four conservation areas - St Ebba’s, Long Grove, Horton, and The Manor – although for the sake of convenience the fi fth conservation area, based on West Park Hospital, has also been included. These conservation areas have a short but signifi cant social and architectural history, which starts in the late 19th century when the former London County Council (LCC) purchased the land and buildings which once made up the Horton Manor Estate to provide a site for new hospitals for the mentally infi rm of London. Although most of the conservation areas (apart from West Park and St Ebba’s) are now in purely residential uses, and much demolition and rebuilding has taken place, the survival of many of the original buildings, and the important landscape setting and trees, means that the designation of the fi ve sites as ‘conservation areas’ is both worthwhile and justifi able. The Appraisal seeks to defi ne the special character of these fi ve conservation areas, and the Management Proposals provide some guidance on future actions, most of which will be the responsibility of this Council. It is our duty as the Local Planning Authority to ensure in our decision-making that this special character is not only preserved but, wherever possible, enhanced.