Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire Contents

Villiallgea Dgeseig nD Staetesmiegntn Statement Walgrave, NoWratlghraave,mp Northoamnpstohnsihriree Summary This Village Design Statement has been prepared for thirdly, it is intended to be a document which the Parish of Walgrave by a Steering Group made up highlights the many positive features of village life of eighteen parishioners, over a period of some in Northamptonshire and the splendid nature of the fifteen months. local countryside. The Steering Group initiated a survey of the This Village Design Statement has produced a set of buildings of Walgrave, which provides a planning guidelines on the environment, open comprehensive description of every residence in the spaces, buildings, highways, utilities and agriculture. parish. This document, which can be viewed on The residents of Walgrave believe that if these application to the Walgrave Parish Council, has been guidelines are followed in all future development, an indispensable guide to the development of this the consequence will be a village which everyone statement. can be proud to live in, to visit and to enjoy. The Steering Group believes that what has emerged is a concise document which is attractive to several different groups of readers. Firstly, it will be used by professional developers and their agents in any proposals for development they may make; secondly, it is a short history of the village which travels back as far as the Domesday Book and is thus of general Chairman interest to adults and children of the village alike; Walgrave VDS Steering Group. Daventry District Council Planning Department, particularly Karen Britton and Richard Wood. The people of Walgrave represented by the steering group of: - Michael Bailey, Clare Baxter, John Beale, Chris Beattie, Malcolm Campbell, Jennie Holmes, David Knight, Matt Knight, John Lockhart, Simon Mead (chair), Fred Morgan, Tom Parker, Maggie Saxon, Robin Simmons, Norwood Whittle, Alan Wild, Kate Wilson, Ian Wilson. The photographs were also supplied by Fred Morgan. The VDS Steering Group would like to express its grateful thanks to Ledger Bennett for the design of this document. Front cover - Walgrave village sign, Lower Green 2 Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire Contents What is a Village Design Statement? Who is it for? How does it work? The Walgrave Village Design Statement Location Geology Agriculture and Landscape History of the village and settlement patterns Landscape, Views and Open Spaces Buildings Highways and Rights of Way, Street Furniture and Utilities Industry and Agriculture Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire 3 Baptist Chapel, Gold Street (Grade II listed) St. Peter’s Church, High Street (Grade I listed) 4 Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire Top - Walgrave Post Office 17th century sundial on the “Dial House” Bottom - “Royal Oak” public house Introduction A Village Design Statement is a summary of what the Daventry District Council has a statutory Planning community feels is distinctive or characteristic of Policy which is amended from time to time. Walgrave their village and what the community feels should be Village Design Statement is added to this legal considered in any future developments or changes, to framework and must be fully considered when enhance or protect those special features. assessing the merits of any planning application. The Walgrave Village Design Statement was initiated by the Parish Council and is the result of consultation with the population. A Steering Group Following public consultation Daventry District of villagers has coordinated and developed those Council formally considered this design statement on views on behalf of the community, to a timetable 18 May 2011 and adopted it as a Supplementary detailed in the Appendix. The support of Daventry Planning Document. This design statement will District Council Planning Department has aided its therefore be a material consideration when assessing development. any planning applications in or near the village, as well as providing guidelines for any other future changes. The Village Design Statement is intended to be used by any developers and their agents proposing developments or major maintenance/improvement The evolution of the village is described and how works within Walgrave, or having an impact on the various factors influenced the development of Parish of Walgrave. It will guide them as to the Walgrave. The village today is then characterised and preferred key design outcomes. It is also intended as assessed, with Planning Guidelines given as a guide guidance and help for any villagers making for the future. modifications to their property. Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire 5 Evolution of the village Walgrave is a village between Northampton and The productive farmland is characterised by the Kettering of approximately 800 inhabitants. There are boulder clay and ironstone-rich Northampton sand. four country roads and a single track lane that Medium to large arable fields cover the majority of converge on the village. Three of the roads are from the Parish, with permanent pasture blocks often the neighbouring villages of Hannington, Holcot and adjacent to watercourses. It is notable that the Old. The fourth road leads to the A43 and from there majority of the permanent pasture has been less to Kettering, the nearest town approximately 6 miles affected by 20th century agricultural alteration than away to the north-east. Northampton is might be expected, with a high retention of ancient approximately 8 miles to the south-west and is the earthwork features such as ridge and furrow. This is major conurbation nearby. A regular bus service extensively revealed around the village and in the comes through the village, linking Northampton and shrunken or deserted medieval settlement apparent in Kettering. Atterbury’s field, to the south of the village. The landscape surrounding Walgrave is shaped by agriculture, which is the defining factor of this rural Walgrave lies on the boundary of the community. The several watercourses running Northamptonshire Plateau of heavy loam/clay soils through the village and the surrounding meadow land and the lighter ironstone soils, which are exposed to have created the visually pleasing landscape of the the south of the village where the several water area. courses have eroded the covering of boulder clay. The ironstone geology is expressed both in the red soils and in the older vernacular buildings, where the ironstone is easily distinguished by the orange brown colour and characteristic “boxstone” weathering The village is named in the Domesday Book as patterns visible on the larger blocks. Pale sandstone, Waldgrave in 1086 with a population of fifty one. It sourced locally, has also been used in these buildings. became Waldegravia in 1185, Walgrava in 1195 and 6 Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire View south over open countryside, with ridge and furrow Waldgrave in 1241. There is no record of when the nature, probably with a series of greens, whilst name became Walgrave. limited settlement was extending along the roads to Kettering, Holcot and Old. The village in early medieval times was probably based around the church and lower ground to the At the beginning of the industrial revolution, the south, along Rectory Lane and extending into cottage-based lace industry and then the leather and Atterbury’s field, still identifiable by earthworks. This shoe trade led to an increase in building within the important link with the village’s past is protected by village, linked to these industries. Some examples of both English Heritage and Atterbury’s Field Trust, workers’ houses are Klondyke cottages, New Row, which should ensure its preservation in perpetuity. Spion Kop and Crispin Cottages. The building that became the local boot and shoe factory, Walkers It is probable that the village focus then moved to Works, was built in 1899. It later housed the Regent higher, drier ground as a result of the medieval Belt Company, but finally closed in 1992. plagues, consolidating around the church and the routes from other local settlements nearby. The limited settlement along the principal roads was extended in the 20th century with the development The enclosures of the late 18th century gave rise to of “closes”: Jubilee Drive (c1929), Townsend and the field patterns we see today and also established Springfield Roads (c1949) and Amber Drive (c1975) roads to Hannington, Old, Holcot and Kettering ( ). ( Further development took place, especially in the ). The main period of enclosure lay in 1970s to 1990s, along the existing roads and with the century between 1730 and 1820, with peaks of infill schemes, such as Walker’s Acre, Church View activity in the 1770s and the 1810s. The method of and Manor Farm Close. enclosure produced distinctive fieldscapes. The village, a self sufficient agriculture-based settlement The Parish contains several outlying settlements and until the mid 19th century, was at first more open in farmsteads with the emphasis still on agriculture. Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire 7 The village today with Landscape, Views and Open Spaces guidelines for the future Arable fields now predominate, but the village is fortunate to have areas of permanent pasture, many of which still show ancient ridge and furrow cultivation. There is no mature woodland to break up the farming landscape, but hedges of hawthorn and blackthorn with oak and ash trees frame the landscape whilst dividing the fields. Walgrave lies in a gently rolling landscape and the parish benefits from the fact that the countryside has not been denuded by large scale removal of hedgerows or blighted by pylons, masts or industrial buildings. The quality of the surrounding rural landscape and the biodiversity value that it provides create a distinctive local character. 8 Village Design Statement Walgrave, Northamptonshire View south-west with Atterbury’s Field - site of the medieval village The grassland to the east, south-east, south and south- west of the village is extremely important in terms of the history, the wild life, the amenity value and the aesthetics and should be protected and preserved in its current form.

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