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2008 Issue Number 1 SHTAV NEWS Journal of The Association of small Historic Towns and Villages of the UK above RICHMOND YORKSHIRE Understanding Market Towns The Village 1 some family lines to be followed down the centuries. The writing of this book grew out of a relatively simple request by the Atherstone Civic Society, in 2002/3, for funds to preserve an ancient animal pound. The Countryside Agency, and subsequently the Heritage Lottery Fund, insisted that a wider project be embarked upon, one that would involve the entire community. The HART project was born. Additional funding came from Nationwide (through the Countryside Agency), Advantage West Midlands and Atherstone & Polesworth Market Towns Programme. From the £35,000 in grants, funds were used to pay for the first professional historic building survey of Atherstone town centre. The services of a trained archivist were also employed. The town has benefited unexpectedly from the information these specialists were able to provide, for example by now having a survey of all the town's buildings of historic architectural significance. The size of the task undertaken by the HART group is reflected by the credits list of over 50 team members, helpers or professional advisers. The major sponsors required the initial book to be accessible and readable by ONCE UPON A TIME book is to be in an 'easy-reading format'. everyone in the community. Local educa- IN ATHERSTONE That has certainly been achieved. But that tionalist Margaret Hughes offered to write Author: Margaret Hughes term belies the depth of research and skill the history, so research information was Publisher: Atherstone Civic Society of presentation, which are what makes the passed to her as it came to light. The is introduced by book so informative as well as engaging. project's progress was kept in the public Ginny James It's often said that the hardest thing to do eye. To maintain enthusiasm some of the is to make something complicated appear stories were even performed as playlets at "Stand on any piece of ground in Atherstone easy. The History of Atherstone Research local events. Finally published in 2005, and you stand where centuries of feet have Team (HART), author Margaret Hughes in Once Upon a Time in Atherstone was very walked." The name of almost any small particular, has accomplished that feat with well-received locally, winning a county town or village in the UK could be this collection of stories. award and deservedly recognised as a substituted for 'Atherstone' in that model for writing up local history. It is sentence. What makes this Warwickshire As the reader is led from fictional Lucius just the first volume from HART. A town special is that a fascinating little book in AD75, reviewing his life as a Roman second volume, of more academic expert has been written that lets the reader clearly surveyor, to a genuinely historical, papers, is due to be published in July hear the footsteps, and glimpse into the inquisitive nine year old 'Little Jo' Asher, 2008. lives, of people who walked the roads of in 1850, Atherstone itself changes. House Atherstone over a span of 1800 years. and shop construction, land use, social If imitation is indeed the highest form of relationships, commerce and trades, flattery, all of us should be thinking Though it just 145 pages long, perhaps it is education, and even speech evolve as one about encouraging our own local history unfair to refer to the book as 'little', as the reads. Timelines of local and national groups to write their own stories, though simply written, burst into dates set the context for each story, and .... life with detail. Each story immerses the maps show how the town’s street plan reader in the sounds and smells of a hard- developed over the centuries. In addition, There are still copies available. Send a £3 working community while the various each chapter is followed by several pages of cheque made out to Atherstone Civic Society, characters, some invented, many real, step notes referring to local historical sources. to Grendon Lodge, Long Street, Atherstone, out of history with confidence. In the Atherstone's Manor Court Rolls, an Warwickshire, CV9 1BA foreword it is mentioned that this first uniquely rich historical record, even allow 2 understanding market towns Once Upon a Time ................................................. 2 In this Issue...............................................................3 Trevor Hart and Neil Powe analyse the main UNDERSTANDING MARKET TOWNS..............3 Local News from Members’ Magazines....................5 functional roles of market towns in England The Inspector Says..................................................10 From The Historic Environment...........................12 showing that they provide a framework both for THE VILLAGE Ray Green ..............................15 evaluating the challenges they face and for The Cultural Olympiad.........................................17 ASHTAV visits Ryton............................................18 matching policy and practice to individual ASHTAV’S next EVENT.......................................24 circumstances After receiving attention in the Rural White Papers of 1995 and 2000, there has been a growing interest in the fortunes of market towns, reflected in policy as well as contract and academic research. One reason for this interest is to be found in the changing roles and fortunes of market towns and the threats posed to their economic and social fabric. Another significant but related reason concerns the role of market towns as rural centres for services, employment and housing, and their role as sustainable locations for development. Market towns have Chairman: John Alexander thus been seen as a means of sustaining the quality of life Hon.Treasurer: John Alexander John Bishton for rural communities and as the logical centres in which Ray Green to focus regeneration initiatives for rural areas. Ed Grimsdale Ginny James Anne Lock David Peevers In the past, market towns were readily defined as places Gill Smith Hon. Secretary: Dan Wild having cattle and produce markets, but now only a Daphne Wyatt minority of towns have such facilities. Current definitions are based on size, but the commonly applied size band of ASHTAV VICE PRESIDENTS population between 2,000 and 30,000 gives us a list of Professor Malcolm Airs 1,274 diverse rural settlements in England. So, national or Michael Coupe regional policy initiatives for market towns do not have as ASHTAV DIRECTOR: Ela Palmer a basis a clear differentiation among types of settlements Articles and comments or problems faced. The absence of a framework for are welcomed: analysis makes it difficult to begin to address the classic Ed Grimsdale evaluation questions of what works where, why and how; News Editor or to define examples of good practice in a way that is 01280 815758 transferable among similar places and circumstances. [email protected] Deadline for June’s magazine Continued on page 4 is the 31st May 2008 between places 3 Above: Wymondham, Norfolk Some recent work by the authors1 has attempted to differences between towns. This provides a useful input understand the variety of places encompassed by the to subsequent analysis of challenges and opportunities, term ‘market town’. A framework for analysis has been for evaluating the impact of policy measures and high- developed through an examination of key data sets for lighting what might be best practice in similar circum- over 200 towns in the size band of population of 20,000- stances. 30,000; the application of regression and cluste r analysis to these data; some large-scale resident and visitor surveys; and several case studies of towns performing Roles for market towns different roles in different regions. Market towns will clearly be influenced by their While the analysis shares the conclusions of others’ location, regional context and economic and work, that there is no such thing as a stereotypical social characteristics, as well as policy, and all market town, it provides a basis on which an analysis of these have been found to be important determi- market towns can be conducted. All market towns nants of their performance. Reflecting these perform a variety of roles, and if they are to become part contextual factors are the roles market towns of a quest for sustainable rural development, it is play within the settlement hierarchy. necessary that they do so; but the emphasis among the roles will vary from place to place. By focusing on a Understanding Market Towns continues on page 20 range of town characteristics, the analysis has identified the main functional roles they perform and has built from this a basis for understanding similarities and 4 This is no clone town. Many market towns retain traditional shops. faster than in urban areas. This, in turn, challenges character- and their dispersed hinterland populations it is difficult to istics – such as their compact and quiet nature – which are a put in place a public transport system that meets current foundations of the towns’ success. Towns have to both working and shopping needs, and it is also hard to develop accommodate additional moving traffic and find additional the appeal of public transport in a way that effectively parking spaces. More broadly, increased mobility impacts on competes with the cachet attached to the private car. towns’ self-containment, for both local and hinterland residents, in terms of shopping, accessing services, and undertaking cultural activities and voluntary work. Primary The fact that market towns are seen as among the most research has shown that although the extent to which attractive places to live,3 and so attract significant numbers of residents engage with their town does vary among different migrants, can mask the economic and social problems that types of respondents, it is the differences between towns that some face. Generally, they have an ageing population, mainly accounts for the greater variation. Such differences relate to as a result of migration patterns.