Kingsdown Conservation Area Character Appraisal
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Planning Conservation Area Appraisal Kingsdown OCTOBER 2015 Kingsdown Conservation Area Appraisal Cover illustration: An engraving from a guide book published c.1890, showing Kingsdown village from the top of the Conservation Area. 2 Contents Part 1: Overview and Recommendations 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Local Community Involvement 3 1.3 Summary of Signifcance 5 1.4 Vulnerabilities 6 1.5 Negative Features/Opportunities for Enhancement 6 1.6 Recommended Actions 8 1. Conservation Area Boundary 8 2. Non Designated Heritage Assets 9 3. Planning Controls – Article 4 Direction 11 Part 2: The Conservation Area Character Appraisal 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 ‘Upper’ 14 a) Upper Street from St James’ to the lower start of The Rise b) The Rise from Mount Pleasant Cottage down to Upper Street 2.3 ‘Middle’ 20 Upper Street from The Rise down to Clife Road 2.4 ‘Lower’ 24 South and North Road, Clife Road (part), Underclife Road (part) Appendices 1. Planning Controls in conservation areas 26 2. Historical Development of the conservation area 27 3. Archaeological Signifcance of Kingsdown 34 4. Condition Assessment 35 5. Non Designated Heritage Assets 36 1 Kingsdown Conservation Area Appraisal Part 1: Overview and Recommendations 1.1 Introduction impact on the village. William Curling was Kingsdown is a small, compact village on responsible for the development of larger the East Kent coast, between Dover and buildings around Kingsdown House. He also Deal, that has as its roots a history of both donated funds to build St John’s Church and farming and fshing. the village school, now the village hall. In Kingsdown village is thought to have the middle of the 1800s the terraced developed from an ancient camp, Romny cottages in North and South Road were Codde. In 1203 the 1st Earl of Kent and built by the Monins family, Lords of the Constable of Dover Castle, Hubert de Burgh, Manor of Ringwould, to house the fshing founded the Maison Dieu to accommodate community and provide them with a range pilgrims from the continent. He gave the of shops. Although modest, the houses manors of River and Kingsdown to the were essential to the success of Kingsdown hospital in order to fund it. During the as a fshing area and, together with a dissolution of the monasteries, between fshermen’s hut on the beach, mark 1536 and 1541, Henry VIII granted Kingsdown’s fshing heritage. Kingsdown to Sir Thomas Cheney, Sherif of Kent. In 1558 it was sold to Sir Thomas Finch Bagshaw’s Directory of the County of Kent and after his death passed to his successors. (1847) describes Kingsdown as: ‘A hamlet and small village which, from its The heart of the village was developed in being noticed in ancient charters, appears the 1600s and 1700s, with small cottages to have been a place of some consequence occupied mainly by farm workers, but at present is only a small fshing village surrounding what is now the King’s Head where, on the side next to Walmer, the (formally a farmhouse or manor house). In fshermen draw their boats up on shore by the 1800s two families had considerable a capstan.’ FIG. 1 Boats, capstans and huts on Kingsdown beach. FIG. 1 2 Kingsdown has no industry, no high-rise development within the conservation area, buildings, no main roads, but supports special attention shall be paid to the village shops, pubs, a primary school, a desirability of preserving or enhancing the church, a holiday park, a golf course, and character or appearance of the conservation many societies and local activities. It is a area. Once adopted by Dover District rural village right beside the sea, but has Council, the appraisal will, therefore, be a no ice-cream parlours or amusement material consideration when determining arcades (but it does have donkeys, albeit any application for planning permission not on the beach!). It is a popular and within or adjacent to the conservation area. desirable place to live, with a thriving and active community. The appraisal looks at the origins of the village; reviews the existing boundary of the Kingsdown Conservation Area was conservation area; highlights both positive originally designated in 1970 and extended and negative aspects of its character and in 1994. Local councils are required under makes recommendations for its future the Planning (Listed Buildings and protection and enhancement. Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to review their conservation areas from time to time While it is inevitable that change will occur to ensure that the original designation was within the village over time, the appraisal correct, and to formulate and publish should help to ensure that change sustains proposals for further enhancement and and enhances the value of the historic preservation of their conservation areas. environment for ourselves and future This appraisal has, therefore, been produced generations. in compliance with this requirement. Although not every building, feature or Section 72 of the 1990 Act specifes that in space is mentioned, omission should not be determining any application for taken to imply that it is of no interest. FIG. 2 Village shop, Upper Street. FIG. 2 3 Kingsdown Conservation Area Appraisal 1.2 Local Community Involvement Kingsdown Conservation Group This document has been prepared by The methodology used in the preparation of Kingsdown Conservation Group (KCG) in the appraisal was developed by the liaison with Dover District Council (DDC). conservation department of Oxford City Community awareness of – and involvement Council in conjunction with Historic in – heritage issues is an important element England. in DDC’s Heritage Strategy. In particular, the Strategy identifes two specifc areas where At the start of the appraisal, the owners of the involvement of local groups would be of all properties in the conservation area were beneft: Conservation Area Character informed in writing about the appraisal and Appraisals (such as this document) and the given the opportunity to make production of a Local List of Non Designated contributions at this early stage. This Heritage Assets (see section 1.6 (2) below). Appraisal has been the subject of public KCG’s lead role in the preparation of this consultation that has included the parish appraisal and the identifcation of Non council and the local community. Designated Local Heritage Assets within it is, therefore, consistent with the District Council’s Heritage Strategy. FIG. 3 Current Kingsdown Conservation Area boundary (designated in 1970 and extended in 1994.) FIG. 3 4 1.3 Summary of Signifcance 1. T he conservation area defnes the historic 3. T he street pattern, in the upper and core of Kingsdown Village, set on the middle sections, is informal and organic eastern-most slopes of the North Downs in nature, and this adds to its rural charm and reaching down to the seascape of and illustrates its long history of the English Channel. It is an attractive development. This is in contrast to the and popular seaside and hillside village, more formal and regular street pattern of with a focus of buildings representing its the lower (seaside) section, revealing its development between the seventeenth more recent origins as a planned and early twentieth century, with a locally development refecting the growth of the distinctive mixed economy of fshing and fshing industry In the mid-19th century. farming underpinning its historical evolution and illustrated in its buildings 4. T he streets are generally narrow, and and spaces. the combination of bends and sloping topography reveals changing views and 2. T he conservation area has three distinct vistas, particularly that of the sea as you character areas refecting its historical approach from the west down development: the upper part, with mostly Upper Street. high density two-storey cottages, with small front gardens representing the 5. Many of the buildings within the earliest area of the village’s development conservation area display an attractive down lanes leading to the sea shore; the legacy of difering architectural styles and middle section, which is more difuse, ages, with a rich palette of indigenous with generally larger buildings set in materials typical of the Kentish vernacular more spacious grounds, including – brick, fint, timber and tile hanging. The evidence of the village’s agricultural and high standard of care and integrity of the manorial past with some substantial brick historic buildings contribute to the and fint boundary walls giving tight special architectural interest of the area. street enclosure, set in a mature landscape; and the lower (seaside) part 6. T he mature landscape and the large with three rows of high density, two- number of substantial trees, particularly storey terraced housing and the beach in the middle section around St John’s forming an unusual purpose-built mid- Church and Kingsdown House where 19th century fshermen’s settlement on they punctuate the landscape, give it a part of the foreshore. leafy, rural image. FIG. 4 The Kings Head pub, Upper Street. FIG. 5 Dial Cottage, FIG. 4 FIG. 5 Upper Street. 5 Kingsdown Conservation Area Appraisal 1.4 Vulnerabilities 7. B rick and fint boundary walls make a signifcant contribution to the character 1. B uildings throughout the conservation of the conservation area, clearly defning area susceptible to unsympathetic the boundary between the public and alterations which would dilute the private realms and creating a strong character and quality both of the sense of enclosure. buildings themselves and of the street scene. 8. T he absence of typically urban elements such as footways, kerbing and yellow 2. A number of buildings, not listed, but lines and the relatively limited street which are of undoubted local lighting and signage all add to the rural, architectural or historic interest and not village ambience and charm of the currently recognised as such, putting conservation area.