EAST BRIDGFORD Village Design Statement as presented to Borough Council February 2004 CONTENTS

Page Page 1. INTRODUCTION 5. BUILDINGS & THEIR SETTINGS What is a Village Design Statement? 33 Historic Buildings 49 Who is it for? 33 Areas where improvements could be made 51 How was it produced? 33 Architectural features & building materials 51 2. VILLAGE CHARACTER Pre 17th century buildings 51 Heritage and Community 34 18th & 19th century buildings 52 Quality and Diversity 35 Wall surfaces & detailing 52 Village Character 35 Windows & doors 53 Community input 36 Roofing 53 Guidelines 36 Other architectural details 53 Zone Map 37 Modern Buildings 54 3. GEOGRAPHICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL CONTEXT Listed Buildings 54 Building Guidelines 55 Geographical context 38 6. HIGHWAYS & STREET FURNITURE Archaeological & Historical context 39 Prehistoric period 39 Character of roads & paths 56 Roman period 39 Street furniture 57 Anglo-Saxon & Medieval period 40 Highways & Street Furniture Guidelines 57 Post-Medieval period 41 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Relevance of history & archaeology in East Bridgford today 42 Bibliography 58 Geographical, Archaeological & Historical Guidelines 42 Unpublished material 58 4. LANDSCAPE & VILLAGE SETTING Landscape Setting 43 Landscape Guidelines 44 Village Setting 44 Village Guidelines 45 The Conservation area 46 Existing supplementary guidance already adopted by Rushcliffe Borough Conservation Map 47 Council is referred to in brackets after the relevant guide lines Trees 48 Tree Guidelines 48 Modern Development 48

32 East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 INTRODUCTION

What is a Village Design Statement? Who is it for? The objective of the Village Design Statement is to describe East Changes brought about, not only by large Bridgford and it’s surrounding countryside and to identify the The adoption of the developments, but also by smaller day-to-day qualities that are valued and the character that should be adjustments and changes to homes and gardens, preserved. In so doing it will help guide change in ways that will Village Design Statement open spaces, paths and boundaries, can alter the enhance rather than detract from the quality of life in the village by Rushcliffe Borough Council look and feel of the whole village. This statement is and its environment. as therefore addressed to: Supplementary Planning Guidance The Statement has been written using local knowledge, views yyStatutoryStatutory bodiesbodies andand publicpublic authorities and ideas. It draws on consultations within the village, such as would allow a local sense of place (including(including Rushcliffe Rushcliffe Borough Borough Council Council and Eastand Bridgford Parish Council the village appraisal, that formed part of the Parish Plan process. to be taken into account East Bridgford Parish Council) It identifies those qualities that are valued by residents so that yyPlanners,Planners, developers, developers, builders,builders, architects, when planning applications those who are involved in any planning proposals can make designers,designers, engineers engineers informed decisions. are submitted. yyLocalLocal community community groups groups yVillage householders and businesses y Village householders and businesses The Village Design Statement recognises that, whilst rooted in a long history, East Bridgford has undergone many changes and is a thriving community which must look to the future. Gradual change is essential if East Bridgford is to thrive, and its buildings and landscape, present and future, are to suit the changing How was it produced? needs of its residents and environments. The Village Design A committee endorsed by the Parish Council was set up to produce a Parish Plan for the village. Following Statement should ensure that further development and change is consultation with the Countryside Agency and Rushcliffe Borough Council it was decided that an important part based on a considered understanding of the village’s past and of the remit was to produce a Village Design Statement. Part of the Parish Plan appraisal sent to everyone in present and contribute positively to the future of East Bridgford, the village was designed to relate to the Village Design Statement. Residents were asked a variety of protecting and enhancing its special character. questions about the present character of the village and what was seen as important in retaining this character. They were also asked to give opinions about future development. The parish was also surveyed by small The adoption of the Village Design Statement by Rushcliffe groups of volunteers who noted and photographed what they saw. This information was also augmented by Borough Council as Supplementary Planning Guidance would information from the Village Local History Society, volunteer help from a professional historic environment allow a local sense of place to be taken into account when specialist with regard and professional planning input from RBC. The Village Design Statement was then planning applications are submitted. compiled by a working party of residents with contributions and help from several others.

East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 33 2. VILLAGE CHARACTER

Heritage and Community

East Bridgford is a traditional village with a history dating back to Roman times From the late C19 there has been a major shift away from a land-based self- and possibly beyond. It’s church has Anglo-Saxon foundations and is mentioned sufficient economy. The large majority of the working population is now employed in the Domesday Survey of 1086, in which four manors were mentioned outside the village, commuting to major centres such as , Leicester, suggesting an important settlement. It was then a larger settlement than others Newark, Lincoln and Grantham. Present opportunities for village employment are nearby, apart from Bingham, a distinction it seems to have retained ever since. few, but include service and trade industries and home-workers. These supply many Medieval land-ownership resulted in the village being mainly divided between everyday needs and the population is sufficiently large and varied to support a th two major landholders until the 18 century and may in part have been number of thriving voluntary groups. A range of social, leisure and education responsible for some of the present settlement pattern. The village is fortunate in opportunities together with church and other facilities help to maintain a vibrant having two of the earliest maps in the county – one of 1612 and another of 1614 community life. The village values its small rural character as distinct from nearby which mark all the buildings then in the village, these also show that the main urban centres. layout of the village remained largely the same until the mid 20th century. There are many historic buildings, most of which lie within a designated Conservation Area. It is these, and many other old and interesting features which are highly valued by residents.

Village population was static at around 250 between 1086 and 1674. By 1801 it had doubled, and by 1861 had doubled again to approximately 1078, falling somewhat in the next century. In 1931 there were 208 houses, today there are 765, the population having doubled since 1960. Despite this rapid growth the village still retains a distinctive character, its landscape, settlement pattern and buildings show the marks of more than 1000 years of history. The rural character of the village has changed particularly over the last 30 years as agricultural land within the core of the village has been replaced by housing. These changes have brought with them many different economic and social benefits. A friendly community feel is retained largely because of elements of the design of the village. Butt Close, the footpath network and community facilities all contribute as essential elements. It is appropriate to consider community spirit and the strong sense of being part of a rural area as a fundamental design element to be taken into account in any new developments.

34 East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 VILLAGE CHARACTER

Unemployment is not a major problem in East Bridgford, largely due to young people VILLAGE CHARACTER moving away to find employment or affordable housing, as there are so few ‘starter’ homes. This lack of young adults should be seen against the fact that the number of 1 Developments and household improvements should be school-age children has been significantly increased by the large number of new 4- designed to conserve and where possible enhance key bedroom executive homes. This has a significant influence on the population (the recent elements of character, community spirit, rural nature, heritage, appraisal showed that 22% of respondents were under 21, 14% were aged 22-39 and and quality and diversity of design (ENV1) 64% were over 40 and more than half of these were over 60). It should be noted that 2 The diversity of the village should be retained with new East Bridgford has a significantly higher proportion of older residents than other areas of buildings integrating with the existing environment and Rushcliffe. avoiding regimented or socially isolated development (ENV1) 3 The natural and historic built environment should be respected Quality and Diversity in all developments in order to retain East Bridgford’s The village has evolved over centuries with much of its rich history still evident in its character and links with the past (ENV1) buildings and features which derive from its past agricultural economy. A large central 4 Any proposed developments or change should be an green area is flanked by surrounding streets which in turn are connected by a variety of improvement to the village environment (ENV2) footpaths. All are interspersed with a wide variety of mature trees and hedges. Slow 5 As a general principle development should be encouraged to village growth has resulted in a variety of styles which are mainly red brick buildings with respect the boundaries and nature of existing development pantile roofs showing a pleasing diversity of patterns and designs. There are some lines. unusual, interesting features and very attractive buildings including some recent modern additions. Some more recent regimented developments are perceived to detract from this 6 A good social mix should be encouraged and any new agreeable mix. The surrounding landscape contributes to this ambience – whilst the developments should include a range of house types including village is surrounded by agricultural land, largely as arable fields, the parish also contains affordable smaller houses and starter homes an abundance of hedgerows, mature trees, green lanes, grass verges and open spaces 7 Community facilities and small local businesses should be which all form a vital setting for the village and contribute to it’s character. supported and the rural character maintained; there should be no large scale industrial or commercial development Character imbuing a sense of place can be identified at three levels: 8 The existing village structure of no ‘through’ roads is part of o The landscape setting of the village the character of the village and should be maintained; in any o The shape and layout of the settlement new developments, the priority should be people not cars (ENV1) o The nature of the buildings and their settings

East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 35 2. VILLAGE CHARACTER

Community input The recent household appraisal conducted in 2003 for the Parish Plan showed that there was a large majority feeling in the village about the way they would like to see the village developing over the next five years. Details of this can be consulted in the East Bridgford Parish Plan and the appraisal results which are available through the Parish Council; the following guidelines and those within the subsequent chapters all take into account results from community consultations.

As regards conservation, planning and the environment the majority felt that the character of the village encompassed a good blend of English rural village and commuter village; they felt that the historic features, rural setting, old houses, network of footpaths, open spaces and density of mature trees and hedgerows were important features which should be taken into account in any future planning determinations. The majority view was that the village was over-developed and there should be no more residential development, there were mixed views on whether new development should include better communal facilities, improved retail facilities and opportunities for local employment. If new commercial development was to be considered it was felt that industrial units should be opposed although small industry/craft workshops might be supported with strict planning controls, any given consent should have adequate screening and access which did not include routes through the village core. If residential development had to occur there was wide agreement that it should include sheltered accommodation, starter homes and/or affordable housing. It was also strongly felt that new residential development should be contained within the existing village boundaries and preferable that they should be conversions of existing buildings or infill; new developments should be sympathetic to the existing village character and include provision for green areas and tree planting.

VILLAGE CHARACTER GUIDELINES

1 Pre-planning consultations with both Borough and Parish Councils should be encouraged 2 Any development outside the existing village envelope should only be considered if it complies with other guidelines set out in this VDS save in exceptional circumstances (ENV16) 3 A good social mix should be encouraged and any new developments should include a range of house types including affordable smaller houses and starter homes (PPG3) 4 Development principles that promote re-use of existing sites rather than Greenfield developments should be encouraged (PPG3) 5 Site density is an important element of village character, and variations in village character and the surrounding area should be taken into account when considering suitable site densities for in fill and green/brown field developments (SEE ZONE MAP) (PPG3/ENV1/ENV2) 6 Any new commercial development should be adequately screened and should not include access routes through the village core (ENV1)

36 East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 ZONE MAP

Suggested Zones for application of design guidance

ZONE 2

Maintain integrity of architectural design within each development • existing density within development vicinity • existing historic features (eg. Walls, gateways) • trees, plantings and other landscape features

ZONE 3

Post 1960 extension to Village • no space for infilling • development above 2 stories to be discouraged • trees and planting to be encouraged and maintained

ZONE 1

Historic core of Village, characterised by • red brick buildings • medium pitched red pantile roofs with coped gables • many historic building features (eg. Yorkshire sash windows) • (mainly brick) boundary walls to street frontages • open spaces and hedges • mature trees, shrubbery and other planting

37 3. GEOGRAPHICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Geographical context The parish of East Bridgford is roughly the shape of a skewed rectangle with an axis The river and cliffs are only a small band along the north-west boundary of the village, parallel to the which forms its north-west boundary. It lies between the the majority of the parish lies on the flatter plain of the Vale, however, it rises gradually river and the present A46 which follows the line of an earlier Roman Road, The from the south of the parish to the northern boundary with Kneeton at Toot Hill. The Fosse Way. The south-west boundary follows another old road which pre-dated the Green Lane, a former track to Hoveringham ferry, traverses a number of small hills, current A6097 and led to a crossing over the river a little further east than the current previously known as The Old Hills. Until the 18th century these were rough common Gunthorpe Bridge. The parish contains river bank and water meadows on the south- land, but following the Enclosure Act were taken into agricultural use. Most of the fields east side of the river bordered by high, wooded cliffs. The village lies above these north, north-east and north-west of the village are now in arable use. Some of those to cliffs on the northern edge of the Vale of Belvoir, equidistant from Nottingham to the the south and south-east have been enclosed since 1604 and because they have south-west and Newark to the north-east. been continuously in pasture since then, they have fossilized former medieval arable use as ‘ridge and furrow’ earthworks. The ridge on which East Bridgford stands is formed by outcropping rocks of the Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group (213-245 million years old). The geological succession is predominantly formed from red mudstones with thin beds of soft white gypsum (satin spar) and hard, grey, skerry sandstone. The local rocks provided much of the building material for the older buildings of the village. The mudstones were worked to provide clay for brick and tile making; the hard sandstones provided rough wall stones and the gypsum was crushed and burnt to make plaster for flooring, in the 19th century the satin spar provided sufficient resources to supply a small local gypsum industry hand-carving small ornaments and beads. The soils in the parish are quite varied as a result of glacial deposition and there are clay soils, limey soils, gravels, boulders and fine tilth. This results in variability of arable land.

The river has changed its course many times since the last Ice Age and it regularly floods where it passes the village. Since the 17th century the river is known to have changed its course and the modern creation of the existing weir and regular dredging has also altered its course and usage. Where water meadows were once an agricultural cycle, these are no longer utilised; in the 18th century flax was retted in the meadows but this has now ceased. Whilst floods now regularly erode the cliffs by the weir, the village itself, situated on the top of the cliffs has never been subject to flooding.

38 East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 GEOGRAPHICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Archaeological and Historic Context Roman Period The settlement of East Bridgford was documented in the Domesday Survey East Bridgford is well-known locally as the site of the Roman settlement/fort of Margidunum. of 1086 as Brugeford, this spelling consists of two elements and derives either It is thought that the earliest Roman settlement at Margidunum derived its location from a from the Old English ‘brycg’ which in the Anglo-Saxon period often referred to crossing point of the river which probably already existed and that the old road to the river a paved ford/causeway, and the Old English ‘ford’; or is a compound of British (‘Streete Way’ or ‘Bridgford Street’) was part of a route from the Belvoir Ridge to the river. ‘briga’, meaning hills and Old English ‘ford’. Whichever is the origin it is clear This is supported by the use of a British (Celtic) word as an element of the name that the settlement took its name from the nearby river crossing. The latter ‘Margidunum’ suggesting that a prehistoric settlement could be recognised here before any derivation would indicate that the crossing was established when the British Roman influence in the area in the 1st century AD. language was commonly used, before any Roman or Anglo-Saxon settlement in the area. The Roman site was located largely beneath what is now Bingham roundabout and was investigated in the 19th century, 1910-36 (by Felix Oswald) and again in 1966-8 (Malcolm Prehistoric period Todd). A large variety of Roman material was collected and recorded including a number of face-pots and quantities of red Gaulish Samian ware, artifacts are stored at both The British Archaeological finds near and in the river represent material from the whole Museum and Nottingham University Museum which was itself founded by Felix Oswald. prehistoric period from the Palaeolithic through to the Iron Age. There are two Bronze age socketed axes recorded from within the village but their exact The site of Margidunum is now statutorily protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. findspots are unknown. A variety of multi-period prehistoric features Roman remains are known to extend beyond the scheduled area, both within East Bridgford represented by cropmarks are known from the parish and there is a wealth of along the route of the Roman road and westwards into Newton parish. Surprisingly no scattered archaeological material dating from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age Roman material has been recorded from within the village itself. The whole area was subject Notable finds are the five Neolithic greenstone axes found during investigation to Roman influence with villas at Epperstone, and Newton. Roman settlements of the Roman site of Margidunum, and the high number of Bronze Age are found along the entire length of the Roman Fosse Way, but most are roadside socketed axes and spearheads found in the river and the parish. Adjacent settlements, Margidunum is one of only a few which straddle the road. parishes also contain material which show that the area was a busy prehistoric landscape, including the Scheduled Ancient monument of a An archaeological evaluation was completed by Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust in Neolithic henge in Gunthorpe parish just across the river. 1992 for the proposed dualling of the A46; a copy of the report is available in the County Sites and Monuments Record along with copies of all published reports of the site. Further archaeological evaluation of a new proposed route between the village and the existing road The ridge on which East Bridgford stands is formed by is currently underway (2003) and negotiations between the road developers, the County outcropping rocks of the Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group Archaeologist and English Heritage are being undertaken with a view to protecting the site (213-245 million years old). and mitigating the effects that the proposed road might have on archaeological remains within the parish.

East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004 39 3. GEOGRAPHICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Period It is unknown when the first settlement appeared where the village is today; it certainly existed by the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 when it already had a church and a priest. The style of the remains of a carved cross-shaft with interlace pattern suggest that the site was in use during the century around 950, and structural remains within the present church, though difficult to date, suggest the building itself may date from around 950 to 1100. In 1086 38 households are recorded, almost half tied to the demesne land, but it is unknown whether all or some of these lived in a nucleated settlement at the time; no remains from this period are recorded, but, if the settlement was within the present village this lack of knowledge would not be unusual as it would be obscured by more recent buildings.

A few artefacts dating to this period were found during the excavation of Margidunum suggesting that part of it may have remained in use into this period. However, the scant number of these suggests secondary use and not primary settlement. These may relate to the continued use of the Fosse Way.

A Scheduled Ancient Monument on the cliff at the bottom of Trent Lane is described as a ‘motte and bailey’, however, no investigation has been undertaken on the site and no documentary reference is known. Its setting is extremely unusual for such a monument. Recent research undertaken by County Council Archaeology Section as part of their Extensive Urban Survey has identified documentary material relating to the creation of a small park in association with the 18th century house of East Bridgford Hill which describes ‘two artificial mounts made opposite the ford’. One of these is the Scheduled Monument, the other was removed last century; whether the remaining mound was totally created new in the 18th century or made use of an existing earthwork is unknown.

The use of a river crossing here was important enough in the 12th century for Thurgarton priory to be granted the right of ferry, and the village had a weekly market and two annual fairs by 1330. Other documents suggest it had a busy entrepôt trade in the medieval period. The market cross evident on the 1612 map suggests that this activity continued for many years.

40 East Bridgford Village Design Statement February 2004