Brook Conservation Area Character Appraisal

Directorate of Environment and Neighbourhoods Director Stuart Love Brook Conservation Area Appraisal Adopted 23.12.09 Conservation & Design Planning Services 01983 823552 [email protected] Brook Conservation Area Appraisal Contents Map Introduction 1 Brook Conservation Area (proposed) 1 Historic development of the settlement 2 Archaeology 2 Character of the conservation area 3 Condition and the capacity for change 4 Public realm and paving 4 Trees, open spaces and landscape 4 Sounds and smells 5 Typical details 6 Positive elements 6 Negative elements 6 Brook character areas 6 Area 1: St Mary’s Church 7 Area 2: Brook House 9 Area 3: Brook Village 12 Area 4: Brook Green 15 Area 5: Coastguard Cottages 18 Further Information 20 Appendix A - Detailed Maps 21 Appendix B - Boundary Description 24 Brook Conservation Area Appraisal Conservation area boundary area boundary Conservation Brook Conservation Area Appraisal Introduction to refuse the poor and mediocre with Local Planning Authorities have a duty confidence. under The Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to designate Brook Conservation Area (proposed) as conservation areas any areas The area reviewed by the council (with the considered to be of special architectural or assistance of Kevin Stubbs, Historic historic interest, the character or Building Consultant) falls within the parish appearance of which it is desirable to of Brighstone and does not contain any protect or enhance. previously designated conservation areas. The proposed conservation area has been The character area boundaries are divided into five character areas: Brook inevitably subjective in complex Green, Brook Village, Coastguard Cottages, environments, and are based not only on Brook House, and St Mary’s Church. It is architectural, land-use or historic attributes, mainly a linear development running but on the dynamic experience of walking or northeast to southwest along the road driving through an area. Map based between the B3399 and the Military Road boundaries are taken into consideration, but (A3055). Brook Green is a small hamlet on sensational qualities such as the awareness the east side of Brook Chine and to the of enclosure or openness and degrees of south of the Military Road. The Coastguard noise and activity are also important in Cottages are situated to the northwest of defining edges to character areas and the Brook Green on higher ground above the conservation area. Military Road, overlooking the coast. In the past these settlements were rural In coastal areas, the boundaries may follow agricultural communities with most people the line of the mean low water mark which employed on the land. The area offers a is the extent of the jurisdiction of the Council small range of community facilities including and so is used for consistency. a village hall, church, and post office. The legislation also makes provision for The proposed conservation area is situated schemes to enhance the area, so the adjacent to the coast on the southwest side inclusion of areas of potential allows for of the Island, in the gently undulating schemes to be put forward which will coastal plain, with Brook Chine at its improve the Area in keeping with its own southern end. The downs rise steeply to the individual character, and to the same high north providing an elevated position for the standard. village church. In this area the coastal plain is considerably open, with long vistas to the Designation does not mean that sea and the cliffs to the southwest. The development cannot take place within the village of Brook is in a shallow wooded proposed conservation area or within its valley with a stream running through its setting. Designation means that special southern end. To the north is the parkland consideration is required for applications of Brook House, which is heavily wooded at within the conservation area to ensure that its northern edge. The coastal plain any demolition is justified and that schemes contains a mosaic of small and medium (which are acceptable on all other planning sized arable fields. Brook Green is a small grounds are of a suitable design and of a linear satellite development on the eastern high enough standard. This additional level side of Brook Chine. The cottages are on of consideration allows Members to insist the edge of the Chine, with arable land and upon the best possible standards of design the sea to the rear. within a conservation area, and allows them 1 Brook Conservation Area Appraisal Historic development of the settlement However, the historically diverse nature of The Manor of Brook is recorded in 1086 in settlement within the area makes it difficult the Domesday Book as Broc. The place to define specific areas of archaeological name is possibly derived from the old potential. A number of prehistoric artefacts English brōc, ‘(the place at) the brook’, have been discovered in the area, referring to the small stream which flows particularly on the coast adjacent to Brook into the sea at Brook Bay. Green where the cliffs have suffered from coastal erosion. These range from flint The Church of St Mary to the north of the implements from the Upper Palaeolithic village has medieval origins. The parkland period, to material from the Mesolithic and of Brook House lies within a kidney shaped Neolithic periods. earthwork enclosure and also has medieval origins. A map of 1793 shows formal Medieval pottery has been found on the parkland within the earthwork enclosure and beach below Brook Chine. This was not in an extension to the north. The fields to the situ and is most likely to have come from south of the church, named Chapel Hill and plough soil washed down the Chine or from Chapel Furlongs on the Tithe Map, were the eroding cliff tops. The oval enclosure most likely part of the open field system of south of Downton Farm is of high the medieval and post-medieval periods. To archaeological potential. In other areas of the south of the village, including what is the UK, enclosures of this type are often now Brook Green, would appear to be what related to early medieval Christian sites. would once have been a large medieval However, there have been suggestions that common. The area to the east of the village this could be a post-medieval village pound was part of an open medieval field system for animals. Unfortunately there is no which was enclosed by the early 19 th documentary or archaeological dating century. The creation of the Military Road in evidence for this feature. the late 19 th century caused major changes to field boundaries south of the village. The large kidney-shaped earthwork enclosure surrounding Brook House with its The 1862 OS map shows Brook as a small banks up to two metres in height may linear settlement located to the south of possibly be a medieval enclosure Brook House and its parkland. There were a associated with the original Manor of Brook. small number of cottages, the Methodist In the 18 th century, part of the bank on the Chapel, two smithies, and a large farm southeast side was revetted with a stone complex. By 1898 The Reading Room and wall. In a number of places the bank has the coastguard station (now Coastguard been breached more recently to provide Cottages) had been built, but otherwise entrance drives to new houses; further there seems to have been very little new disturbance of this feature should be development. In 1905, Brook, Brook Green monitored archaeologically to obtain and Hulverstone were recorded as being information on its construction detail and part of Brighstone civil parish and the area dating evidence. contained 538 acres of arable land, 744 acres of permanent grass, and 113 acres of The exact site of the medieval Manor House woodland. is not known, but is assumed to have been in the vicinity of the present 18 th century Archaeology Brook House and therefore this site is of Most settlements contain archaeological high archaeological potential. Early maps evidence which helps to explain their origins indicate that various parkland and historic and the way of life of former inhabitants. garden features in this area and all the land 2 Brook Conservation Area Appraisal within the earthwork enclosure is of buildings of particular significance. The archaeological potential. dwellings are predominantly two storeys in height with hipped or gabled roofs. In Archaeological remains of any period could addition there are a few examples of be found within the proposed conservation unconverted agricultural buildings surviving area and any proposals to carry out works within the proposed conservation area. which include ground disturbance are likely to require an archaeological evaluation and Local stone is the prevalent building assessment. The results of this material. Stone buildings are generally of archaeological work may show that the rubble construction with either ashlar impact of a proposed development on stonework or brick detailing to corners and archaeological remains is inappropriate or window surrounds. Clay tile and slate is the needs to be modified. prevalent roofing material, with only a few instances of thatch or stone-slates. The Character of the conservation area majority of traditional cottages and small The proposed Brook Conservation Area houses date from the 19 th and early 20 th encompasses the linear development centuries and are mostly stone in running northeast to southwest. At its construction. northeast end is a promontory at the base of the downs on which stands the Church of Buildings generally face onto the adjacent St Mary. The area consists of a number of road. Most cottages have small front enclosures of medieval, post-medieval, and gardens, whilst the higher status buildings 18 th and 19 th century date, the largest of are set further back behind larger gardens.

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