Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990 this is Redcar & Cleveland Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. PHYSICAL SETTING AND TOPOGRAPHY 3 3. HISTORIC ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT 5 4. CHARACTER APPRAISAL 11 5. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT 25 6. CONCLUSIONS 27 References 29 Bibliography and Acknowledgements 31 APPENDIX 1: Conservation Area Boundary 33 APPENDIX 2: Listed Buildings & Scheduled Monuments 35 APPENDIX 3: Planning Policies 39 APPENDIX 4: Guisborough Conservation Area: An Archaeological Assessment 41 Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 As part of it continuing duties under the Conservation Area extensions Planning Acts, Redcar & Cleveland 1992 Borough Council has prepared th 5 appraisals for 15 of its 17 conservation 1.4 On 24 March 1992 the conservation areas2. area was again extended to include the following:- Guisborough Conservation Gisborough Hall (Hotel), Gisborough Area designation House (former stable block) South Lodge and the surrounding parkland 1.2 Guisborough Conservation Area was and open land towards the priory designated by the North Riding of ruins on the north side of Whitby Yorkshire County Council on 25th March Road; 19713. It was designated for its general townscape qualities rather than for the Nos. 2-14 Reid Terrace and No 1 presence of many buildings of major Gill Street; architectural or historic interest. The designation report stated: "The The east side of Redcar Road, Council’s policy will be to retain the between Avenue Place and the present character of Guisborough by garage; careful consideration of all development A small extension at the south end proposals within the proposed of Belmangate. Conservation Area"3. The original conservation area boundary was tightly drawn to include Church Street, Market Article 4 Directions Place, Bow Street, most of Westgate 1.5 Article 4 Directions were approved by and the north end of Belmangate the Secretary of State for the together with the ruins of St Mary's Environment on 8th September 1978 Priory and its landscape setting. (general) and 30th October 1978 (agricultural)5. The directions withdraw Conservation Area extensions certain permitted development rights for 1978 domestic, commercial and agricultural properties throughout the conservation 1.3 After an extensive survey and analysis area in order to prevent further erosion of the conservation area and its setting of the special character of historic in the mid 1970s, the boundary was buildings and the erection of 4 extended in April 1978 to include the inappropriate forms of enclosure. The following:- directions do not apply to properties Albion Terrace, Bakehouse Square, falling within the extensions to the Chaloner Street, Chapel Street, boundary of 1992 and 2007. Patten Lane, and Westgate Road; Tree Preservation Orders Parts of Fountain Street, Redcar 1.6 There are four Tree Preservation Road, Reid Terrace, the site of the 5 auction mart and Union Street: Orders within the conservation area , as follows:- The backlands and burgage plots of properties on Belmangate, Church L/TPO 7 dated November 1969 Street, Market Place, and Westgate; protecting 23 mixed species on land to the south side of Albion Terrace. Chaloner Cottages and properties standing opposite on Belmangate. L/TPO 8 undated protecting 31 mixed species in New Upper Garth Gardens (north of Westgarth, 96 Westgate). Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 1 Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 L/TPO 10 dated July 1975 designated area. This appraisal protecting 11 mixed species at the provides a clear and sound Church Hall, Bow Street. understanding of Guisborough Conservation Area by recording, L/TPO 52 dated June 1984 evaluating and presenting all of the key protecting 12 mixed species on land elements which together make up its north of Walton Terrace (Morrison’s special interest and character. It also Car Park). raises issues relating to the appropriateness of the conservation Listed Buildings and area boundary and the extent of the Scheduled Monuments Article 4 Directions while identifying 1.7 The revised statutory list of buildings of negative features and opportunities for special architectural or historic interest improvement. 6 was published in April 1984 . The listed 1.11 After public consultation, this buildings and scheduled monuments appraisal and its recommendations located within the conservation area, including changes to the boundary including those that have been of the conservation area, was demolished since the list was approved by Redcar and Cleveland published, appear in Appendix 2 at the Borough Council on 6th September end of this report. 2007. This appraisal has been revisited to ensure it remains Conservation Policies relevant and up to date. The present 1.8 In December 1978 the local planning conservation area boundary is authority adopted a comprehensive set shown on the plan in Appendix 1. 4 of conservation policies for “building, 1.12 While the appraisal covers the topics area character, advertising, landscape, referred to in PPG 157 and in guidance floorscape, and street furniture” issued by English Heritage8, it is not together with a number of ‘Development intended to be comprehensive and the Principles’ aimed at safeguarding the omission of any particular building, special character of the conservation feature or space should not be taken to area. The principles, which expound imply that it is of no interest. elements of good design, were to be employed when considering planning applications for development. Although still relevant, most of the policies have been superseded by those contained in the Redcar and Cleveland Local Development Framework (LDF)1. Planning Policies 1.9 The Redcar & Cleveland Local Development Framework (LDF) includes policies relating to the conservation area. They are set out in Appendix 3. Conservation Area Appraisal 1.10 A conservation area appraisal is the first step in a dynamic process, the aim of which is to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the 2 2. PHYSICAL SETTING AND TOPOGRAPHY 2.1 Guisborough lies approximately 15-Km slope is forested presenting a densely (9½ miles) south-east of Middlesbrough wooded, visually dominant backdrop to and 12-Km (7½ miles) south of Redcar the settlement. On the opposite side of and 9-Km (5½ miles) south-west of the vale the Eston Hills are lower, Saltburn. It has grown around the between 120m and 210m (400 and 700 convergence of historic routes (A 173 feet) and are covered with glacial drift and A 171) connecting Middlesbrough, which makes for better farming, leaving Thirsk, Whitby, the East Cleveland only the higher slopes as managed coastal towns and villages and woodland and uncultivated moorland. moorland settlements. The town is now relieved of much through-traffic by the 2.5 The local geology and geomorphology Guisborough by-pass. have also had a significant influence on human activity and the character of the 2.2 It is situated on the undulating floor of a built environment, particularly through broad vale defined by the south-facing exploitation of the building sandstones dip slope of the Eston Hills and the from the upper slopes of the higher, main scarp slope of the escarpment, the jet and alum of the Cleveland Hills to the south. The vale is Upper Lias shales and the ironstone of covered by glacial drift comprising the Middle Lias. While the moors and heavy clay occasionally relieved by ancient indigenous forests doubtless patches of lighter sand, gravel and provided the earliest building and alluvium. It was on one of these larger roofing materials such as timber, patches: a better drained, slightly heather, thatch and sods, the elevated, gently sloping and south- orange/brown sandstone quarried from facing site bounded to the south by the escarpments was used from at least Chapel Beck that much of Guisborough the Anglo Saxon period. developed. At the eastern end of this th vale Wiley Cat Beck enters by a narrow 2.6 From the middle of the 17 century gorge at Slapewath, formed by glacial bricks and tiles were at first imported action at the end of the last Ice Age from the Low Countries and then when the retreating ice caused manufactured locally from the diversions in pre-glacial drainage indigenous clays to make the patterns. In the 1850s the gorge orange/red bricks and pantiles that are conveniently provided a level railway now so characteristic of the broader route from Guisborough into the East local area. The development of the th Cleveland iron ore field. railways in the 19 century gave access to a more eclectic range of building 2.3 To the west the low morainic hills near materials from diverse and distant Windle Bridge form a watershed sources, including roofing slates from causing the westward-flowing Chapel Cumbria and North Wales. Beck to make a ‘U-turn’ to eventually join the north-easterly-flowing Skelton Beck that enters the North Sea at Saltburn. 2.4 The main scarp slope of the North York Moors rises abruptly to the south of Guisborough to heights of over 300m (1,000 feet) at Highcliff Nab. Behind it the open moorland plateau, with a general altitude of over 240m (800 feet) is free from glacial drift having only thin and poor soils overlaying the Jurassic sandstones and shales. The scarp Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 3 Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011 4 3. HISTORIC ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT Introduction Skelton: the centre of an urbanised medieval market town and 3.1 The historic development of stronghold incrementally re- Guisborough has shaped the distinctive developed in the 18th and 19th elements that make up its particular centuries, with an ‘industrial’ 19th special character today. Its history is century extension and ‘satellites.’ well documented9 and this report consequently provides only the outline Saltburn: a planned, Victorian, cliff- of the past to show the context of the top seaside town with the remains of conservation area.