8 Cookham Rise and the Station Hill area Copyright Cities Revealed © (The Geo- Information ® Group) Licence Number 2166 8.1 The growth of the settlement Even today, prospective developers seek suitable new In the mid 1870s, twenty years after the opening of the housing locations directly in terms of distance from Maidenhead to High Wycombe railway line, much of the Cookham railway station. area surrounding Cookham station remained tranquil and “A developer seeking possible housing sites in Cookham is undeveloped. From the east, the station was approached very likely to take the railway station as a start point and, by a walk through green fields, whilst to the west, thin on a map, draw concentric circles around it at successively threads of houses ran along High Road and Lower Road, greater distances. Proximity to a railway station is a with open countryside spreading away towards the Dean. particularly important factor for the sale of houses.” Extract from Individual Consultations Following the major improvement in infrastructure that Mr Duncan Gibson, Head of Divisional Planning, the railway represented, there was, however, bound to Shanly Homes be an escalation of development and a transformation of local life. The pace of development increased in the vicinity of the station in the late 1800s, especially along 8.2 Nature and pattern of development Lower Road and High Road, with Station Road Cookham Rise and the Station Hill area have many rural appearing soon after and development also extending to qualities but, because of their particular history, also land south of High Road. Roman Lea was built in the show a degree of urbanisation. Whilst Victorian terraces early twentieth century and piecemeal development once occupied by Cookham’s artisans are prevalent and occurred along Whyteladyes Lane. There were dramatic ensure a great deal of charm, there is an eclectic mix of changes in the 1950s and 1960s when Burnt Oak, housing overall, with more compact housing patterns Coxborrow Close, and Westwood Green, amongst other than typify the rest of Cookham. residential developments, appeared. The development The character of the settlement is also formed by its of Station Parade in the 1960s confirmed Station Hill as unusual layout. With its residential roads for the most the commercial centre of Cookham. part sandwiched between the 5 hectare (14 acre) square A hundred and fifty years after the coming of the railway, expanse of the Alfred Major Recreation Ground and the Cookham Rise and the Station Hill area have become a open countryside, ‘greenness’ forms either an outward thriving community in their own right, with housing and inward view from most vantage points. The large patterns that form an indelible historical record of the open space of Westwood Green further contributes to the impact of a railway from Victorian times to the present. ‘countrified’ aspect of this slightly urban environment. All maps have been produced by RBWM © Crown Copyright and Database Right 2012. Ordnance Survey 100018817. 43 8 Cookham Rise and the Station Hill area continued Station Hill - the commercial centre Box 21 The commercial centre of Cookham is located in the Station Hill area to the east of the railway line. At the highest point in this area, the station building, with its brick and flint elevations, is a landmark made even more prominent by its two- storey northern element. From a closer vantage point than is shown in the photograph Deceptively rural view west towards Cookham’s busy (right), however, the area is visually dominated by Station commercial hub and the railway station building. Parade and its car park on the one side of the road, and by the ‘colourful’ elevation of the Countrystore on the other side. Approaching from the mini-roundabout on the Maidenhead Road, the first building to the right is the nursery school. Ahead of its time in 1949, its layout was experimental in terms of the ‘educational architecture’ then prevailing. It attracted visitors from all over the Commonwealth and has been deemed, for VDS purposes, a building of ‘Special Local Significance’ (Annex C). Opposite the Nursery School is Elizabeth House, a red brick Victorian structure converted to a Station Parade - of a 1960s design which appears day-care centre for the elderly from its previous role as incongruous in relation to the character of Cookham. Cookham Police Station. In the late 1980s, ten single storey sheltered housing units were built behind it, these being in harmony with the style and materials of Elizabeth House. Buildings of varying heights between the Nursery School and the railway line, on the northern side of Station Hill, include an unusual single storey office building with decorative roof verge, several detached Victorian properties, mostly gabled, with a more modern gabled property sympathetically interposed between them, and finally the Countrystore and Cookham Social Club. On the opposite side, there are trees around the Station Parade forecourt, though these only partially reduce The Countrystore, opposite Station Parade, the impact of the Station Parade frontage. Overall, building emblazoned with food posters. styles are very varied in this area, but the building form, materials and built colour palette of Cookham prevail, with significant exceptions in Station Parade and the Countrystore. Station Parade, when seen from the front, is two storeys tall, though the building has lower levels to the rear. The front is remarkable for its stark block form, barely relieved by its stepped elevations. The canopies, shop fascias, first floor windows and roof line all display uncompromising horizontal linearity. Almost everything about the buildings, including the Victorian houses, now a Elizabeth House, previously brick colour, is non-vernacular to Cookham, and the buildings Cookham Police Station. are not generally regarded by residents as attractive (see dental surgery and a cafe. Section 18.2), even though they are greatly valued in amenity ups) would be sympathetic to the frequency of black terms. The overall appearance of the site has, however, timbering and white infills within Cookham’s street scene. If at recently been significantly improved by the resurfacing of the the same time steps were taken to rationalise signage, car park and improvement of the flower beds. whether on the canopy facias, or beneath these, a significant transition in smartness and ‘fit with Cookham’ could result. Various levels of further action could be considered, in discussion with the owners, in relation to Station Parade. As a At a second level of transformation, Reference 2.4 contains an first step, urgent work is needed in respect of exterior décor, excellent illustrated discussion concerning a more extensive which is showing dilapidation. It is possible that redecoration refurbishment throughout Station Parade. could be combined with a change in appearance to bring the At a third level of action, the possibility of a complete buildings, at least superficially, more into line with Cookham’s redevelopment of the site, is foreseen during the lifetime of this traditional character. A small step in décor terms might be VDS (see Section 6.18). Currently, however, it seems unlikely match the colour of the horizontal panels below the upper that there will be major redevelopment unless or until the windows to the colour of the brickwork. Self-colouring these whole of Station Parade is in single ownership. panels should slightly reduce the appearance of stark horizontal linearity. A rather more radical step would be to Meanwhile, community financial support to help achieve some leave these panels white, whilst also white-washing all brick- of the more immediate positive outcomes is advocated in this work and painting certain framing elements black. Such a VDS in recognition of the existing commercial pressures on scheme (which would need to be first tested with visual mock- the stores concerned (see Recommendation 8.1, page 50). All maps have been produced by RBWM © Crown Copyright and Database Right 2012. Ordnance Survey 100018817. 44 8 Cookham Rise and the Station Hill area continued Station Road and Roman Lea Box 22 Station Road and Roman Lea are two small, unadopted streets containing buildings which exhibit many of the inherent components of Cookham’s historical development, both in terms of design and scale. Both are considered worthy of designation as an Areas of Special Local Interest (Annex C). New development in either street should, therefore particularly carefully reflect, and harmonise with, existing characteristics and patterns. Station Road still contains several fine examples of the Victorian homes which were erected in the late 1800s, varying in scale but predominantly artisans’ cottages. Although the street doors and windows of the latter have been replaced in many cases, their brick front elevations and slated roofs are largely untouched. In particular, most of them have shallow arches over their windows with two courses of tiles above to create relief. Elsewhere, some have shallow, splayed bay Detail from Roman Lea homes, showing front and side windows with slated roofs, while decorative brickwork adds gables, together with square pillared porches. interest in some instances. Newer homes have been designed The ‘status’ of homes in Roman Lea was enhanced by the to be sympathetic to the character of the street, especially builders in several ways that add to their present charm. towards its northern end. Substantial front bay windows were incorporated, often to both Most of the houses in Station Road are set back behind floors. The gables above the bays are supported by unusual narrow front gardens. Certain house names refer to views that brackets and their roofs are capped with pierced ridge tiles. may well have been adversely affected by later building. Distinctive, pillared square porches, of which many remain, Photographs of Station Road are to be found in Annex C. were added in corner locations.