CABINET – 13th March 2008

Report of the Director of Development

ITEM 11 , and Quorn Conservation Area Character Appraisals

Purpose of the Report

To request formal adoption of the Conservation Area Character Appraisals for Barrow upon Soar, Rothley and Quorn.

Recommendation

1. That the Character Appraisals for Barrow upon Soar, Rothley and Quorn Conservation Areas be adopted.

2. That delegated authority is given to the Director of Development, in consultation with the Lead Member for Planning, to make minor amendments to Barrow upon Soar, Rothley and Quorn Conservation Area Appraisals prior to publication.

Reason

1. To provide adopted guidance that identifies the special character and creates a sound basis for the management of Barrow upon Soar, Rothley and Quorn Conservation Areas.

2. To allow the Director of Development to make minor amendments to documents before they are finalised for publication.

Policy Context

A priority of the Council’s Corporate Plan is to “Sustain Charnwood’s economy by ensuring that the borough remains attractive to investors and residents alike through the conservation and enhancement of the natural and built environment”.

An objective of the Development Directorate’s Delivery Plan 2007-8 is to “Review and prepare Character Appraisals and Management Plans for the Borough’s 36 designated Conservation Areas on a rolling programme of 6 per annum”.

The Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance 15 on “Planning and the Historic Environment” encourages local planning authorities to pursue their duties under Section 71 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, to formulate proposals to preserve and enhance conservation areas and of the need to consult widely in doing so. It also contains several policies that are relevant to conserving the character of conservation areas.

Local Plan Policy EV/1- Design, seeks to ensure a high standard design of all new development and that the design should be compatible with the locality and utilises materials appropriate to the locality.

The Character Appraisal is a requirement of Best Value Performance Indicator BV 219b. It will inform the preparation of management proposals for the conservation area.

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Background

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area was designated in January 1976. Rothley Conservation Area was designated in December 1972 by County Council and extended in March 1997 by Charnwood Borough Council. Quorn Conservation Area was designated in August 1977 and extended in January 1991.

A Conservation Area Character Appraisal is intended to be an objective statement and factual description of the local distinctiveness of the conservation area. It justifies the historical and architectural reasons for designating the area and describes the particular qualities of buildings, spaces and landscape that together create a distinctive street scene or other part of the public realm. It also describes the strengths and weaknesses of the area and identifies opportunities for enhancement. The appraisal should establish a sound basis for the guidance of planning and development control decisions, which can ultimately be defended at appeal.

Public consultation on the draft document has taken place through public meetings in Barrow upon Soar on 11th February 2008, in Rothley on 19th February 2008, and in Quorn on 21st February 2008. Final versions of the documents have now been produced (see Appendices 1, 3 & 5) and are submitted to Cabinet for adoption as guidance. Summaries of the responses received at the public meetings are set out in Appendices 2, 4 & 6. The adopted Character Appraisals will be used to implement management proposals for the conservation areas using further guidance from English Heritage, “Preserving the Special Character of Conservation Areas: Management Proposals”.

Financial Implications

None

Risk Management

Risk Identified Likelihood Impact Risk Management Actions Planned Appraisals not adopted Low Low Adopt appraisals incorporating revisions results in failure on BVPI 219b Management Plans not Low Low Adopt Management Plans incorporating adopted results in revisions failure on local indicator in Service Delivery Plan

Key Decision: No

Background Papers: Leading in Leicestershire. Corporate Plan to 2011/12. Charnwood Borough Council The Department of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment

Officers to Contact: Mark Fennell 01509 634748 [email protected] Anthony Gimpel 01509 634971 [email protected]

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Appendix 1

BARROW UPON SOAR CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

INTRODUCTION 2 Planning policy context

ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST 4 LOCATION AND SETTING

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT 4 Origins and development Archaeological interest Population

SPATIAL ANALYSIS 7 Plan form Townscape Key views, vistas and landmarks

CHARACTER ANALYSIS 9 Building types, layouts and uses Key listed buildings and structures Key unlisted buildings Coherent groups Building materials and architectural details Parks, gardens and trees Biodiversity Detrimental features

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTEREST 16

CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN 17 General principles Procedures to ensure consistent decision-making Enforcement strategy Article 4 Direction General condition Review of the boundary Possible buildings for spot listing Enhancement Proposals for economic development and regeneration Management and protection of important trees, green spaces and biodiversity Monitoring change Consideration of resources Summary of issues and proposed actions Developing management proposals Community involvement Advice and guidance

BIBLIOGRAPHY 23

LISTED BUILDINGS IN BARROW UPON SOAR 24

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 55 Character Appraisal Page 1 Introduction Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area was designated in January 1976. It covers an area of 29.8 ha (71 acres).

This material has been reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital mapping with the permission N of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright Licence No 100023558 Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area The boundaries of the Conservation Area generally define the extent of the settlement, as it existed at the end of the 19th century. The Area includes much of the medieval heart of the settlement, focussing on Holy Trinity Church which is Grade II* listed and its neighbouring almshouses and the principal roads through the village: High Street, North Street, Beveridge Street and South Street. The Conservation Area includes a large sweep of land to take in the stretch of the Grand Union Canal from Mill Lane to Barrow Deep Lock.

The Area contains a broad range of residential and commercial development that is representative of the settlement from the medieval period through to the Victorian and Edwardian expansion of the village in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Area also contains residential development alongside the canal up to the present.

The purpose of this appraisal is to examine the historical development of the Conservation Area and to describe its present appearance in order to assess its special architectural and historic interest. The appraisal is then used to inform the consideration of management and development proposals within the Area.

This document sets out the planning policy context and how this appraisal relates to national, regional and local planning policies.

The main part of the report focuses on the assessment of the special interest of the Conservation Area: • Location and setting describes how the Area relates to the historic settlement and surrounding area; • Historic development and archaeology sets out how architecture and archaeology are related to the social and economic growth of the village; • Spatial analysis describes the historic plan form of the settlement and how this has changed, the interrelationship of streets and spaces, and identifies key views and landmarks; • Character analysis identifies the uses, types and layouts of buildings, key listed and unlisted buildings, coherent groups of buildings, distinctive building materials and architectural details, significant green spaces and trees, and detrimental features.

These elements are brought together in a summary of the special interest of the Conservation Area. An assessment of the general condition of the buildings and spaces within the Area is included. The main issues and proposed management actions are summarised. Recommendations for developing longer term management proposals for the area are suggested.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 56 Character Appraisal Page 2 Planning Policy Context A conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest whose character or appearance should be preserved or enhanced. In making decisions on potential development within a conservation area, the Council is required to ‘pay attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area’. Permission will not be granted for proposals that are likely to harm the character or appearance of a conservation area. Sections 69 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment says that special attention should be paid when considering proposals for development in a conservation area.

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the published in March 2005 advises local authorities to develop strategies that avoid damage to the region’s cultural assets. Policy 27: Protecting and Enhancing The Region’s Natural and Cultural Assets.

The Leicestershire, and Rutland Structure Plan 1996 to 2016, published in December 2004, seeks to identify, protect, preserve and enhance areas, sites, buildings and settings of historic or architectural interest or archaeological importance. Development within conservation areas should preserve or enhance their character and appearance. Environment Policy 2: Sites and Buildings of Historic Architectural and Archaeological Interest.

The Council’s adopted Supplementary Planning Document ‘Leading in Design’ builds on the design policies set out in the Charnwood Local Plan and will contribute to the development of more effective approaches to securing good design in the emerging Local Development Framework. The guide is also intended to support the implementation of the community strategy, Charnwood Together, by providing a set of principles that will inform the physical development implicit in the initiatives and actions of all partners in the local strategic partnership.

Barrow upon Soar Village Design Statement provides guidelines, established by local residents, for new development throughout the village. Adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance in January 2002.

Other relevant SPG/SPD guidance includes: • Backland & Tandem Development. • House Extensions • Shopfronts & Signs

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 57 Character Appraisal Page 3 ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST Location and Setting Barrow upon Soar lies on the eastern side of the about 3 miles south-east of . It is a thriving and large village, located away from the main trunk routes. The village occupies a sloping site above a natural cliff on the edge of the . It is described in White’s 1846 Directory as ‘a large village pleasantly situated on the east side of the navigable River Soar’.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Origins and Development The origins of Barrow are not clear. The first settlers may have been people using the ancient Celtic trackway known as the Great Salt Road of which Paudy Lane to Six Hills was certainly a part. In the mid 19th century there were some significant discoveries of Roman remains and a Roman cemetery adjacent to Road which indicate a Roman presence in the area.

The village has the character of a nucleated settlement which is typical of the East Midlands. Such settlements were often situated on the slopes above a river valley so that they could take advantage of natural springs in the hillside, the meadowland which provided grazing in the floodplain and the drier arable fields on the wolds beyond the village.

Thus the present village may have first developed as a Saxon settlement. The origin of the name Barrow is unclear; Nichols (1811) suggests that it is named because of its situation, being built on a little mount or rising ground after the Saxon word ‘Beoph’ signifying a mount or hill and this would support a Saxon origin for the village. It is also suggested that the name originated from the Old English, meaning an ancient burial tumulus or barrow. However the Domesday Survey of 1085-86 lists the settlement as ‘Barhoo’, but it has also been known as Barogh-on-Sore, Barow, Barewe-upon-Sore, Baro, and Barrough.

Potter (1842) notes that at the time of the Battle of Hastings, the manor of Barrow was part of the Saxon King Harold’s estates and that after the Conquest it was passed by William the Conqueror to his nephew Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who is recorded as the lord of the manor in the Domesday Survey. (Hugh Lupus was also responsible for building the castle at ). The manor afterwards passed to the Erdington family in 1346, and then in 1461 passed to Sir Richard Neale and then to Lord Wm. Hastings.

It is likely that the oldest part of the settlement lay around the Church and there is evidence of a church on this site from the reign of King Stephen (1135 - 1154), although the present Church was substantially rebuilt by the Victorians. The chancel was rebuilt in 1865 and the nave and tower were rebuilt in 1870 following its collapse in 1868. The feudal village was at the centre of a large parish consisting of Barrow proper and extending westwards to include the north-end of Mountsorrel and parts of Quorn, Woodhouse, and Beaumanor and the hamlets of Mapplewell and Charley. These feudal and historical links with Charnwood Forest are now physically evident in the widespread use of Mountsorrel granite and slate in many of the older buildings in the village.

The early development and prosperity of most medieval Soar valley villages relied on an agricultural economy based on a system of open fields, meadows and common land. Barrow had its own open fields split between Brookfield and Middlefield to the north of the village and Netherfield to the south with extensive meadows in Burrow Holme, South Holme and Hillings. These open fields and common lands which totalled some 2,250 acres were however enclosed by an Act of Parliament in 1760 and, unlike the Enclosure of the lands in Mountsorrel which made provision for an area of common land, Joyce (1999) notes that the Barrow Enclosure Award made it quite clear that all rights of common were forever extinguished.

The enclosure of the open fields had a profound effect on the local landscape with small, hedged fields replacing the original open fields. It also affected the economic and social structure of the village, removing the villager’s traditional dependency on the land so that many were forced to look for new employment. Nevertheless, Pemberton (1984-5) notes that enclosure brought increasing wealth to many local benefices, in this case allowing the vicar of Barrow to enlarge his house by ‘the addition of two parlors and two chambers above’.

The enclosure of the open fields allowed the new landowners to introduce new crops and new methods of husbandry and to convert former arable land into more profitable pasture land, reducing the need for farm labourers. The enclosure awards also left many of the new holdings too small to be viable, forcing many villagers

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 58 Character Appraisal Page 4 to sell their holdings, particularly those of less than 10 acres, so that by the turn of the 19th century ownership of land was in the hands of a smaller group of people than at the time of Enclosure (Joyce, 1997).

With the loss of their open fields and common land, the villagers had to seek alternative employment, although Joyce (1997) notes that the local economy may not have been so dependent on agriculture at the time of Enclosure since framework knitting had been established in the village during the first half of the 18th century and there was also a long-standing tradition of limestone quarrying.

By the mid-18th century Barrow had a sizable domestic framework knitting industry. Nichols (1811) noted that ‘several frameworkers were employed there’ and in 1831 Curtis noted that most of the inhabitants were employed in framework knitting and hosiery. Early knitters were traditionally employed as out-workers by larger factories, principally based in Leicester, working within their main home or in purpose built workshops to the rear of their properties with the involvement of the whole family. The Victoria County History (1955) notes that Barrow had 210 framework knitters in 1844 and 261 in 1851.

From the second half of the 19th century the cottage hosiery industry went into decline as the trade was moved into factories, particularly those in Leicester and other Soar valley villages. However, there is no strong evidence that the hosiery industry, or the later boot and shoe industry, was established in Barrow to the same degree as other Soar valley villages. These industries generally relied on high rates of unemployment amongst framework knitters and the production of lime provided an alternative and sizable source of employment.

However, Barrow stands on a hard blue limestone and White’s Directory of 1846 remarks that ‘Barrow-Upon- Soar…has for ages been celebrated for its excellent limestone’ . It has been used for both building and agricultural purposes and, particularly with the introduction of new farming methods after Enclosure, to raise the fertility of the soil. The lime has a unique property of hardening under water which White’s Directory suggests results from the relatively high proportion of silicate of alumina in the limestone. White’s Directory of 1877 notes that the increase in population in the previous 10 years was attributable to the opening of a limeworks.

The limestone beds also contain a large number and variety of fossils, consisting mainly of marine shells and fossil fish, which were a great curiosity and of interest to natural historians. There is a fossil trail in the village and the Barrow Kipper is the emblem of the village.

The burning of the limestone was carried out in bottle shaped, coal-burning kilns, that gave off a pungent aroma which could be smelt throughout the village. However as White’s Directory of 1863 notes this aromatic air was considered to be a cure for consumption and it was common practice for doctors to send tuberculosis patients to the village for the ‘Barrow Cure’, so Barrow may have also been a place of convalescence.

The lime was used during Roman and Norman times and a report of the building of Kirby Muxloe Castle in 1480 refers to the use of lime from ‘Barough’. The properties of Barrow lime meant that it was in demand for building docks and piers (such as Ramsgate) and bridges and it was also exported to Holland.

The limestone was situated very close to the surface, Nichols (1811) notes that it was found at depths of between 0.5 metres to 3.4 metres (2’ to 10’ or 12’), and was extracted from relatively shallow pits or delphs. Once dug the limestone was then burnt in bottle shaped limekilns to convert it into usable lime. Kelly’s Directory of 1888 noted that ‘the burning of lime was extensively carried on’.

However the early industry was quite sporadic with little or no control over where lime pits were dug. By 1845 there were eleven lime delphs in the parish, a number of which along with their associated lime kilns were situated close to the village centre, such as on land to the north of Church Street and to the north of Cotes Road as shown on the 1884 OS map.

However, whilst the lime could be used locally, the development of the industry was perhaps limited by the problems of transporting it long distances. Nicholls (1811) suggests that until the Soar was made navigable ‘the use of Barrow lime, even though it should merit all its reputation, can never be general because of its being located in the centre of the kingdom’. He also reports that the limestone for the Ramsgate pier had to be taken over land to Nottingham before it could be shipped by water. The large scale development of a local lime industry was boosted by the arrival of the Soar Navigation in 1794 which allowed much larger quantities of lime to be easily transported. By 1797, 1,421 tons of limestone was shipped by canal from Barrow Wharf along with 782 tons of agricultural lime (Joyce, reprint 1997).

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 59 Character Appraisal Page 5 A major producer of lime was John Ellis who operated a drift mine off Sileby Road. His company produced lime until 1925, but had diversified into the manufacture of cement in the early 1900s and the manufacture of concrete building blocks and other precast concrete goods. Whilst the lime and gypsum works on Sileby Road still survive, the name of John Ellis disappeared upon the acquisition of the company by Redland Ltd in the 1970s.

The physical, social and historical development of Barrow upon Soar and its historic built legacy has also been marked by a number of philanthropic gifts leading to the foundation of a Free Grammar School in 1717 following an endowment from Humphrey Perkins and the foundation of an Old Men’s Hospital and an Old Women’s Hospital. The Men’s Hospital was founded as an almshouse by Dr Humphrey Babington in 1686 for six widowers or “ancient bachelors”, to be called ‘Theophilus Cave’s Bedesmen’ after his uncle in whose honour he made the gift, and in 1825 the Humphrey Babington charity set up the Women’s Hospital as an almshouse for poor unmarried women. These two hospital buildings are still in use today as homes for the elderly and are two of the most important buildings in the Conservation Area, the Men’s Hospital standing on Church Street at its junction with Beveridge Street and the Women’s Hospital standing on North Street.

The rapid growth in the village throughout the 19th century was also reflected in the improvements and growth of community facilities. Kelly’s Directory of 1891 notes that the village was lit by gas and supplied with water and by 1927 the village had electric lighting. A National School, now part of the Hall Orchard Primary School site on Church Street, was set up in 1859. Rimmington (1976-77) notes that the growth of population in the 19th century was a source of much dissent and this was reflected in the building of new places of worship, a Wesleyan Chapel on the High Street, a Baptist Chapel on Beveridge Street and a Methodist Chapel on North Street along with a Roman Catholic Church at the head of Church Street.

The legacy of the village’s historic development, its historic street pattern and much of the physical built development that took place in the village from the late 16th century and into the early 20th century, is now reflected in the special historic and architectural interest of the present Conservation Area.

Archaeological Interest The Conservation Area encompasses the core medieval settlement of Barrow. The historical development of the Area is evident in the pattern of streets, the housing plots and the age of many of the properties, and it would suggest that there is good potential for below ground archaeology.

There are however few records of any archaeological excavations carried out within the village. One such dig on North Street, reported in the Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society (1998), revealed evidence of a medieval wall and other deposits of medieval origin along with the remains of an 18th century building. These excavations suggest that there is archaeological potential in the form of below ground archaeology and any major development within the Conservation Area requiring excavation works should be preceded by a considered archaeological assessment and investigation.

Population The population of Barrow has varied over time. The most recent 2001 Census figures published by Leicestershire County Council show that there were some 5,627 people residing in the parish of Barrow and Sileby West. The historical fluctuations of the village’s population are recorded in the Victoria County History which show that the population has risen steadily from about 27 households at the time of the Domesday Survey, to about 337 people at the time of the 1377 Poll Tax, increasing to 64 households recorded in the Diocesan Returns of 1563, and to 101 households at the time of the 1670 Hearth Tax. This was followed by a relatively steady and quickening rise in population throughout the 19th century (from 1,090 in 1801; to 1,841 in 1841; 1,963 by 1871 and 2,245 in 1891) and into the 20th century (from 2,481 in 1911; to 2,661 in 1931 and 2,788 in 1951).

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 60 Character Appraisal Page 6 SPATIAL ANALYSIS General Character and Plan Form The distinct topography of the Area is evident on the approach to the village across the Soar floodplain from Quorn, which offers the dramatic prospect of rooftops rising out of the tree-lined slopes above the valley floor. The sudden change in land levels is reflected in the steep rise along Bridge Street from the Soar Bridge to its junction with South Street and High Street. From this junction South Street runs on a fairly level course in a south-easterly direction following the edge of the high ground above the valley floor before descending quite steeply into Sileby Road.

High Street on the other hand continues to rise steadily until its junction with Cotes Road/Church Street, after which it continues as North Street across a relatively level plateau. From its junction with High Street, Church Street skirts around the southern edge of the churchyard and then appears to follow the edge of the plateau with the land generally falling away to the south and east.

The historic pattern appears to have been strongly influenced by two distinctive routes running north-south and east-west through the village. The basic north-south route follows the eastern side of the Soar Valley, linking Barrow with Sileby, an important medieval administrative centre, to the south and Cotes to the north from where there are links to Loughborough by a bridge across the Soar floodplain and to Nottingham. The principal east- west route is identified by Hoskins (1957) as a pre-Roman trackway that ran between Six Hills and the Charnwood Forest and forded the Soar at Barrow.

Late 18th century maps show the resulting historic street pattern, of a self-contained village based around a close- knit network of streets comprising High Street, North Street and South Street as the principal network with a secondary network provided by Church Street and Beveridge Street.

In 1784 the River Soar between Leicester and Loughborough was made navigable. In places this was achieved by locking the river itself but it involved a considerable cut in the vicinity of Barrow upon Soar. The canal forms a strong line between the floodplain of the river and the base of the slopes on which Barrow is built. The Conservation Area has been designated to include the canal and the boundary has been drawn as a mostly arbitrary line to protect a strip of wetland wilderness between the canal and the floodplain, in particular, though not solely, the caravan park.

However, the close-knit historic settlement of Barrow was severely split by the arrival of the Midland Counties Railway in 1844. The route of the railway line was constructed in a deep cutting along the southern edge of the village, cutting off South Street from High Street and Beveridge Street.

The historic settlement pattern surviving at the end of the 19th century is clearly shown on the 1884 Ordnance Survey map and this now provides the basis of the Conservation Area. There are a considerable number of surviving domestic and commercial buildings within the Area that date from the late 16th century through to the early 20th century which now contribute to the special architectural and historic interest of the Area. Within this core there are 23 listed buildings or structures. Holy Trinity Church is listed Grade II* and the remainder listed Grade II.

The most significant change has been the extent of the 20th century infill development, particularly in the new residential developments along South Street and North Street and the range of new and large retail units along High Street which have not respected either the prevailing built form or the materials of the older buildings.

Townscape High Street and the Area around Holy Trinity Church All the streets in this part of the Conservation Area show their descendancy from the medieval streets, especially Church Street and Beveridge Street, but also High Street and North Street, which though they are much wider, perhaps, than they would have been, they all have subtle curves which offer changing views. High Street itself is a busy commercial street with its continuation into North Street.

High Street and North Street are bordered by houses, shops and public houses. The buildings generally come to the pavement edge, which on the north side side creates a strong sense of enclosure, while on the south side the much wider pavement has been streetscaped to provide space to meet and sit down.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 61 Character Appraisal Page 7 Most of the buildings on High Street and North Street are of two storey with the ridge line parallel to the street. There are some intrusive single storey and two storey buildings with flat roofs, such as the Library, the shop extension to no. 31 North Street and nos. 6-10 North Street.

The townscape of the High Street changes dramatically at the high brick wall surrounding the old Vicarage, over which hangs the dominant horse chestnut tree. And, more noticeable when coming from the East, there is a gateway created by the Hammer and Pincers and no. 29 North Street both of which are set close to the street.

Church Street and Beveridge Street are much quieter with a greater variety of houses, many of them listed. The streets curve gently and they have a strong sense of enclosure. In general the buildings come right up to the edge of the pavement. The churchyard and its extension on the other side of Church Lane provide two quiet open green spaces within the built environment. The creation of Industry Square as a green space forms an entrance to Beveridge Street from the south.

South Street Visually the railway is well obscured in its deep cutting. Even the sound of the high speed trains is not as intrusive as in other villages along the line. Nevertheless, the road traffic is heavier along South Street than elsewhere in the village with more simply passing through between Sileby and Loughborough. Predominantly the houses are close to the pavement edge and the historic junctions are still tight. An exception is the eased junction into Mill Lane.

Grand Union Canal The Canal is a quiet waterway offering a place of repose and recreation for the village. It is well maintained both on its public face by British Waterways, the open spaces by the Parish Council, and its private face where the adjacent properties reach to its bank.

At each end of the stretch of canal within the Conservation Area there is a small group of buildings, originating in the facilities needed by the navvies. At the south end of the Canal is the Navigation Inn, a mixed row of cottages along Mill Lane and the more substantial property of no. 90 Mill Lane beside the bridge. These have been joined by the boatyard and a small row of cottages below the canal.

At the north end by Barrow Bridge and Barrow Deep Lock is the Lock Cottage, Sewage Pumping Station and two pubs, the Riverside Inn and the Soar Bridge Inn.

These two groups have gradually been joined together and joined to the rest of the village by development. The east bank of the southern part of the stretch of canal is now lined with riverside houses and bungalows dating from the early 1900s to the present. At the northen end the slope up the hill is too steep for housing but at the top is the modern suburban estate of Holbourne Close and the slope itself has been landscaped to provide a public open space. Similarly Bridge Street was developed with two groups of houses leading up the hill to Jerusalem Island and yet newer development of Crossley Close into land which was previously a railway yard.

Key Views and Vistas and Landmarks Holy Trinity Church occupies the highest point in the village and is a particularly distinctive landmark that is visible from many vantage points around the village, generally seen through gaps between the buildings.

The curving and sloping streets of Barrow upon Soar offer a continually changing view: from Bridge Street up the hill under the canopy of trees to Jerusalem Island, continuing up the High Street past the high boundary wall of the Old Vicarage into North Street; beyond the stone buildings of nos. 101-107 into the undulating wolds. In the other direction one passes through a gateway of the Hammer and Pincers on one side and no. 29 North Street on the other. There is a similar changing scene along Church Street and Beveridge Street and to a lesser extent along South Street for which Jerusalem Island is a significant marker.

The canal has its own special relationship of views, along the waterway itself; the attractive rear faces and gardens of the properties on Mill Lane; the slopes of the public open space with the well placed houses of Holbourne Close at the top; the vistas and glimpses out through the wilderness of willow trees to the meadows; slightly marred by the Caravan Park and the dominant electricity pylons. Of particular note is the riverside scene at Barrow Bridge with good views of the listed bridge itself and the calmness as one proceeds upstream beyond Barrow Boating.

Jerusalem Island with its monument to the plesiosaurus fossil is a focal point from all three directions, Bridge Street, High Street and South Street.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 62 Character Appraisal Page 8 CHARACTER ANALYSIS Building Types and Uses Most of the buildings in the Conservation Area are dominated by residential and commercial uses. These represent only some of the land uses that have accounted for the historic development of the village but which have now disappeared from the centre.

Along Church Street, Cotes Road, Beveridge Street and South Street the buildings are now mostly residential of two storeys. There are occasional former public buildings such as the old school on Cotes Road and the Theophilus Cave Almshouse on Church Street, which stands behind a stone wall. In general the buildings are of two storey with the ridge line parallel to the street. The old Vicarage is uniquely protected by a high brick and stone wall.

There is a greater variety of buildings in North Street. No 29 and the Hammer and Pincers stand at right angles to the street creating a gateway and the low flat roofed Library and the flat roofed row of shops, nos. 6-10, stand away from the pavement edge. Also in North Street are two public buildings, the Humphrey Babington Women’s Hospital which stands above the level of the street behind a stone wall and the Methodist Church. The final group of buildings within the Area are nos. 101-107, now residential, standing tall directly on the pavement edge.

High Street appears to have been the historic commercial centre of the village, providing a range of shops including the post office, as shown on the early OS maps. Most of these buildings have retained their commercial use. They are two storey with the ridge line parallel to the street.

Many of the industrial uses associated with the village’s historic economy have now disappeared, apart from the site of Mayflower Soft Furnishings on North Street. As a small and self-reliant village there was a range of local trades and businesses to serve the local economy. For example, the early OS maps show a number of smithys within the village centre, on North Street (located where the car park is now at the rear of the Three Crowns), to the rear of nos. 14-18 Beveridge Street and within the outbuilding at the rear of no. 20 Church Lane.

The WEA Guide (1985) refers to the large number of framework knitters’ workshops in Beveridge Street (known as Industry Street until 1922) and a number of these workshops may still survive behind existing frontage properties throughout the village. For example there are two pantile-roofed sheds off Shooting Close Lane to the rear of nos. 8-10 Beveridge Street and small workshops alongside no. 45 Beveridge Street and to the rear of no. 35 Beveridge Street.

Key listed buildings and structures The Conservation Area has a wealth of historic buildings. The most important individual buildings are Holy Trinity Church, the Old Vicarage, the Round House, the Theophilus Cave and the Humphrey Babington Almshouses.

Bishop Beveridge House while being one of the oldest houses in the village forms part of the residential scene of Beveridge Street.

Cliffe House, also listed, is set well back from the street and almost obscured by trees.

The railway bridge and Barrow Bridge are also listed structures.

Key unlisted buildings No. 90 Mill Lane is a key building at the bridge over the canal. The two canal bridges and the deep lock are important features of the canal.

No. 2 High Street occupies an important position overlooking the railway, having been built for himself by the railway’s engineer.

Coherent groups There is an important group of houses at the top of Bridge Street, nos. 1 to 13. The group is interrupted by the garden of Cliffe House. No. 1 has a traditional, though unused, shop front. They form a transition between the riverside with its pubs and the village on the hill.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 63 Character Appraisal Page 9

The row of cottages beside the Three Crowns Inn on Cotes Road form a similar transition into the historic core of the village.

Building Materials and Architectural Details Traditionally Barrow has had extensive interests in Charnwood Forest and as a consequence there is a widespread use of local Charnwood granite and Swithland slate along with locally produced Barrow-on-Soar lime-mortar, described as ‘three almost indestructible building materials’ by Hoskins (1970) in relation to Mountsorrel, which contribute much to the particular character and appearance of the village.

A considerable number of buildings are constructed wholly from granite, including Holy Trinity Church (Grade II* listed); no. 2 High Street and nos. 35-37, Beveridge Street (Grade II listed). There is also one example of a coursed limestone building at nos. 22-24 Beveridge Street (Grade II listed).

Granite is used extensively throughout the village either as plinth to support brickwork or in the ground floors and gable ends in conjunction with brick. No. 16, Church Street (Humphrey Babington Almshouses, Grade II listed) is one of the most important buildings in the village and it provides a good example of the use of random granite rubble in the ground floor with Flemish bonded brickwork to the first floor. The use of granite is also common in many of the vernacular buildings, such as in the rear elevations of nos. 13-21 Church Street (Grade II listed), which have a granite rubble ground floor and a brick first floor, the Victorian cottages at nos. 7-13 North Street, where granite is used in the end gables supporting Flemish bonded brickwork to the front elevation, and at nos. 8-10 & 12-16 Cotes Road, which in their front elevation have a granite ground floor with brickwork above.

In some instances, perhaps because of changing fashions or social pretensions, the granite is restricted to less public parts of the building, such as at nos. 22-26 High Street, where the front elevation is rendered while the side gable and rear walls are left in unfaced granite; and at no. 3 South Street, which is a double pile house, the front portion of which is built in brick while the rear portion is built in the local granite.

Charnwood stone has also been extensively used in the construction of boundary walls throughout the village and these make a significant and distinctive contribution to the local street scene and the Conservation Area generally. Some of the most notable are those around the churchyard and the Old Vicarage but there are extensive boundary walls along High Street, Beveridge Street and Shooting Close Lane. In some cases the walls are architectural features in their own right, such as the front wall to the Men’s Hospital on Church Street which has a central stone gateway with Tuscan pilasters, architraving and a broken pediment with an inscription plate, or the boundary wall to the Women’s Hospital on North Street (Grade II listed) which has decorative polygonal gate piers, wrought iron gates and an overarch.

It is likely that the earliest medieval buildings were timber frame and thatched properties, but there are few surviving examples left in the village. There are no thatched buildings left in the village but Newham (n.d.) recalls several thatched properties along South Street and Beveridge Street (demolished to make way for the former Co- op Store) and at nos. 4 & 20 Church Street; no. 21 North Street and nos. 13, 23 & 64 High Street. There is good photographic evidence of a thatched property on North Street and of a timber frame and thatched property on the corner of North Street and Church Street, shown on the OS maps of 1884 and 1903 but demolished by 1915 (Wilford 1981, pages 32 & 34 respectively). The only remaining evidence of timber frame properties in the village appears to be restricted to the remnants of a timber frame found in the front and rear walls of no. 13 Church Street and a small cruck frame at no. 4a Beveridge Street (both Grade II listed).

Despite the widespread use of granite, red brick is now the most common building material and it provides a broad uniformity of material and appearance. In most of the traditional properties, the brick is laid in a Flemish bond, a distinctive pattern of alternating headers and stretchers, and this can be seen at nos. 16 and 20 Church Street; nos. 4 (Chippindall House, Grade II listed), nos. 7-13 & 24-32 North Street, nos. 48-52 & 54-60 High Street; nos. 3, 17, 21-23, 53-55 & 57 South Street; and nos. 13-15 & 21 Beveridge Street. In some cases the distinctive Flemish bond pattern is emphasized by contrasting lighter headers with darker stretchers, such as at nos. 1-9 Cotes Road, no. 23 South Street, nos. 54-60 High Street and no. 4 Beveridge Street; or by using contrasting vitrified headers such as at no. 47 Beveridge Street (Grade II listed).

A small number of the properties have been rendered either in whole or in part. The main examples include The Three Crowns on Cotes Road, nos. 20-26 High Street, nos. 49-49A & 51 Beveridge Street (both Grade II listed). Render can also be part of the original design, such as in the Edwardian properties at nos. 24-26 & 30-32 Church

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 64 Character Appraisal Page 10 Street, no. 11 High Street and nos. 4 & 13-15 Melton Road, which have a rendered first floor over a brick ground floor, or it can be combined with mock timber framing such as in the first floor of nos. 64 & 66 High Street.

Welsh slate is the predominant traditional roofing material and it can still be found on most of the properties in the Conservation Area, such as at nos. 2-4, 20, 24, 26 & 30-32 Church Street, the Hammer and Pincers on North Street, nos. 1-9 Cotes Road, no. 64 High Street and no. 17 South Street.

However, before the widespread availability of Welsh slate there was a reliance on local materials and on Swithland slate, reflecting the early historical associations of the village with Charnwood Forest, and this remains a common roofing material that is found on a large number of properties throughout the Conservation Area. Examples of its use include no. 16, no. 31 and the Round House (Grade II listed) on Church Street, no. 4 North Street, a small outbuilding at the entrance to Mayflower Furnishings and a rear extension to the Hammer and Pincers, all on North Street, nos. 24-26 and 54-60, High Street, no. 2 Bridge Street and its outbuildings, nos. 3, 7-9 and 53-55 South Street, and nos. 22, 47, 49-49a and 51 Beveridge Street.

Other roofing materials represented in the Conservation Area include a few examples of plain clay tiles, such as the Methodist Church and Conservative Club on North Street, and pantiles which were historically used as a replacement for thatch. These are generally confined to no. 4a Beveridge Street, no. 15 Church Street, to outbuildings at no. 20 Church Street (described by the WEA guide as a former smithy) and at the rear of nos. 23- 29 Church Street.

One of the most significant visual changes within the Conservation Area has been the widespread use of concrete roof tiles, whilst not particularly widespread, these tiles look out of place and are visually intrusive and should be avoided by specifying either Welsh or other natural slate or plain clay tiles for any new development within the Conservation Area.

There is a broad range of window types throughout the Conservation Area, and the overall survival rate of original windows and doors is reasonably good. Such features are integral to the building’s appearance, although a substantial number of properties have been fitted with replacement upvc windows and doors that have little respect for the building’s original appearance.

Of the surviving traditional windows the most common are sash windows. The best examples are the multi-pane sash windows such as at the Old Vicarage on Church Street (Grade II listed) which has a mix of 3-light sash windows to the ground floor and 9-light sliding sashes in the upper floors, and the 16-light sliding sashes with horns at no. 70 High Street and no. 3 South Street. Other types of sash window include triple pane sliding sash windows, such as at no. 2 Church Street, a mix of styles at no. 4 North Street which has both single and triple pane sashes without horns, and the split pane sashes at no. 17 South Street. A more unusual style are the 4-pane sliding sash widows with slim margin panes at nos. 47 & 49-49a Beveridge Street.

A number of properties have opening casement windows, such as at nos. 1-9 Cotes Road and nos. 42-44 High Street, and there are also examples of mullion and transom windows such as at nos. 64 & 66 High Street, which have side hung casements. A particularly interesting variation are the mullion and transom windows at nos. 37 & 35 Beveridge Street, which have horizontal sliding sashes.

There are a number of Yorkshire sliding sashes, a traditional vernacular window style, such as at nos. 2, 10, 13-21 & 20 Church Street, the Hammer and Pincers on North Street, nos. 2 & 3 Bridge Street and no. 51 Beveridge Street.

There are examples of metal-framed windows such as the mullion and transom windows with latticed casements at no. 16, Church Street and a single multi-pane cast iron window with a central two-light opener in outbuildings to the side of the Hammer and Pincers.

Although not a particularly common feature in the Conservation Area, a number of properties have distinctive bay windows, such as the small box bay windows at no. 2 Bridge Street and nos. 48-52 High Street, or the canted bays at no. 17 South Street and no. 4 North Street. Dormers windows are not a particularly common feature and are restricted to a range of small gabled dormers within the roofs of nos. 35-37 & 49-49a Beveridge Street.

As well as timber windows, many of the properties in the Conservation Area have retained their original timber panelled doors and in some cases their timber door surrounds. Some of the best examples of panelled doors include no. 1 Cotes Road, which has a 4-panelled door, while nos. 48 & 53 High Street have 8-panelled doors

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 65 Character Appraisal Page 11 under pitched roof canopies that are supported on elaborate console brackets. The Old Vicarage, Church Street has a 6-panelled door and no. 35 Beveridge Street (Grade II listed) has a good 3-panelled door.

A number of properties have relatively simple door surrounds, such as no. 107 North Street which has a slim flat canopy supported by console brackets, nos. 47 & 49 Beveridge Street which have timber fluted doorcases with traceried fanlights, and nos. 5 & 5a South Street which have stucco door surrounds.

Such original architectural features make a unique contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and wherever possible they should be retained as they add to the collective wealth and variety of architectural details.

In most properties window and door openings are typically defined by arches and projecting cills. The most common are brick segmental arches or a simple stone lintel combined with a projecting stone cill such as at no. 20 Church Street and nos. 7-13 North Street. Many of the earlier Georgian houses that are built in a more polite style, have segmental brick arches, such as at no. 16 Church Street, or fine-gauged brick heads, such as at no. 4 North Street, no. 5 Bridge Street (Cliffe House, Grade II listed) and the Old Vicarage, Church Street. An interesting variation are the chamfered brick architraves that rise to a shallow pointed arch around the doors and windows at nos. 1-9 Cotes Road.

Most properties are simply detailed and lack architectural embellishment although some do have relatively subtle detailing. For example at nos. 21-23 Beveridge Street, a broken rectangle detail has been tooled into the lintels over the doors and windows, at nos. 48-52 High Street there is a moulded dentil course over the ground floor windows and a nail head moulding as a cill band at the first floor. These properties also have herringbone brickwork in the apex of the gablet windows over the first floor windows. At nos. 53-55 & 57 South Street contrasting blue and red bricks within the arches over the doors and windows provides additional detailing, while at nos. 11-13 South Street a contrasting cream brick is used in the quoins and architraving.

As a longstanding commercial area, there are a number of surviving historic timber shop fronts along High Street that make a significant contribution to the historic character and appearance of the Area. The best examples are those surviving traditional shop fronts at no. 1 (Sparkles), no. 3 (Coomb Hampshire’s), no. 5 (Morgan Pine); no. 13, no. 17 (Sylvia’s Florists), no. 22 (Frame-it) and no. 68 (opticians). These properties generally have relatively simple shop fronts with large display windows resting on a brick stall riser that is framed by plain pilasters with brackets supporting a cornice sitting over a narrow fascia panel. In some cases the original shop fronts may be seen in historic photographs such as at no. 21 High Street (Wilford 1981, page 31) and no. 68 High Street (Wilford 1995, page 35). Given their rarity, these traditional shop fronts make a significant contribution to the historic character of the Area.

Parks, Gardens and Trees In the centre of the historic village the churchyard around Holy Trinity Church is a valuable quiet open green space. Separated by the footpath of Church Lane is the old graveyard which has been deconsecrated and the Swithland slate gravestones used to create a fence alongside the footpath. The space is now a calm area for recreation bordered by the listed row of cottages of Church Street. The main churchyard contains some mature sycamores which add to the chestnut, beech and pine trees in the Vicarage. To the side and at the back of the churchyard there are cherries, birch trees, and limes. In the ex-graveyard there are mature maples and sycamores, a beech and a weeping ash.

The rear of the churchyard is rather spoiled by a hedge of cypress protecting the untidy back yard of the Hammer and Pincers.

Along North Street there is an area of grass on each side of the junction where development has been prevented in order to maintain sight lines at the junction with Thirlmere Drive. This unused space contrasts with the carefully landscaped opening to Cotes Road which though paved is more sympathetic to the village.

Industry Square at the end of Beveridge Street has also been landscaped to provide a setting for the listed War Memorial.

There is a fine sweep of open green space on the village side of the canal. It runs from the triangle of recreation and playground beside Mill Lane, with a path between no. 36 Mill Lane and no. 16 Holbourne Close to the slopes above the canal all the way to the Deep Lock. The recreation ground has been planted with ornamental trees and

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 66 Character Appraisal Page 12 the hillside beside the canal has been newly planted with flowering cherries. Along the canal there are some mature sycamores, ashes and willows. At the entrance from Bridge Street is a gnarled old hawthorn.

The recreation ground occupies a grassy slope between Mill Lane and the access drive to the riverside houses. It has seats and trees both mature and newly planted. The grass is protected from the road by a subtle row of low timber posts in line with a planting of specimen trees. The lower part of the slope has an open accessible playground with new swings and roundabouts in bright colours and a refreshing absence of security fences.

Across the canal bridge at the Deep Lock there is another riverside landscape of grass with birch, willow, maple, poplar, sorbus and cherry trees.

There are a number of large gardens within the Conservation Area containing some important trees. Notable are the beeches and chestnut in No 2 High Street, the trees in the old Vicarage, the poplar and sycamores at Cliffe House, Bridge Street. There is a well maintained cypress hedge at the entrance to Crossley Close, a canopy of trees at the top of Bridge Street which culminate in the two yews at no. 2 beside Jerualem Island.

At the secluded entrance to Holbourne and Cramps Close from South Street there is an attractive area of open grass with an old yew tree and a newly planted blue cedar to replace the fine cedar that had been such a feature of this part of the village. The old tree had suffered from vandalism and in June 2005 the decision was sadly taken that for safety the tree should be cut down. There is a group of horse chestnuts at the footpath from the Close to the open space by the canal and the rear of the Close is protected by a line of sycamores at Mill Road.

There are many trees in the gardens of the private properties of Mill Road, especially willows bordering the canal. At the south end of the canal there is a large beech tree in the garden of no. 90 Mill Road which overhangs the water. There are several ornamental trees associated with Barrow Boating.

The canal itself is bordered by several willows and sycamores, those on the west side composing an area of undisturbed wilderness and wetland.

At the bottom of Bridge Street, there is an attractive public open space beside the river planted with several ornamental species, including birch, cherry and sorbus.

Biodiversity Small sections of the River Soar, which has been notified as a Local Wildlife Site, are encompassed within the northern and southern sections of the Conservation Area. The River and its floodplain have a significant influence on the biodiversity of the area.

A stretch of the Grand Union Canal links the two section of the River Soar and forms the major wildlife corridor through the southern half of the Conservation Area. The last few years has seen the rapid spread of floating pennywort along the River Soar and the Canal. This non-native plant is extremely invasive and can rapidly choke canals and watercourses and have an adverse impact on aquatic ecosystems. The Environment Agency is currently monitoring on a regular basis the spread of floating pennywort along the River Soar. British Waterways is also undertaking some control along the navigation channel. Research is being carried out on the best way to keep the invasion under control.

The contrast between the eastern and western banks of the Canal is striking. Most of the eastern side, where gardens abut the Canal, appears fairly manicured with lawns and ornamental trees, and is managed too intensively to be of great value to biodiversity.

Although the public open space running parallel to the eastern side of the Canal is fairly intensively managed with many areas of amenity grassland, it still comprises elements which are of value to wildlife: a native hedgerow has been planted all along the boundary fence. The hedgerow provides a good habitat which complements the back gardens off Holbourne Close and supports a rich assemblage of garden birds such as robin, dunnock, blue tit and great tit. Several mature oak trees have been retained within the linear park. Other trees have been more recently introduced, but ornamental species are often of lesser value to biodiversity.

In contrast to the eastern side, the western side of the Canal is more rural in character, either farmed or left unmanaged: this side is of great value to wildlife and either comprises or is adjacent to existing Local Wildlife Sites.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 67 Character Appraisal Page 13

One Local Wildlife Site (LWS) consists of two wet grassland fields which support species such as meadowsweet, ragged robin, greater bird’s-foot trefoil, tubular water-dropwort, marsh marigold, other wetland specialists such as common spike-rush and reed sweet-grass and a veteran ash tree within a boundary hedgerow. Only a small part of this LWS is located within the Conservation Area, but most is adjacent to it.

Another LWS which is partly included within the southern end of the Conservation Area is located off Betty Henser’s Lane: it is another species-rich neutral grassland on slightly drier ground, with typical plants such as black knapweed, lady’s bedstraw, meadow vetchling and ox-eye daisy. The field’s northern boundary hedgerow is diverse with several native trees and shrub species, including hawthorn, blackthorn, field rose, ash and goat willow. Birds such as reed bunting, which is listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan species, have been recorded on this site.

Small pockets of wet woodland, a UK Biodiversity Action Plan habitat which is also listed in the Local Biodiversity Action Plan as a priority habitat, are dotted along the western side of the Grand Union Canal. Crack willows are the principal tree component; some of these veteran trees have partially collapsed within the small waterlogged woodlands and are a source of standing and lying dead wood.

Some mature pollarded willow trees line the towpath, whilst boundary hedgerows are mainly free-growing and are dominated by locally native species such as hawthorn and mature ash trees.

The range of floodplain wetland habitats found along the western side of the Canal is of considerable importance for diversity, as many have dramatically decreased both nationally and in Leicestershire. These habitats often support specialised and rare fauna: the Conservation Area comprises areas where Red Data Book beetles species have been recorded: they usually are specialists, often confined to ditches, ponds, wet meadows and wet woodlands and are characterised by their inability to disperse beyond the confines of these vulnerable and declining habitats.

The tree-lined River and Canal, associated with their wetland habitats, form a very important wildlife corridor through the Conservation Area, which provides links to the countryside’s network biodiversity further a field. Bat species and their roosts, including one known maternity roost of pipistrelles, have been recorded within the built environment, adjacent to the conservation area. Bats favour feeding along tree lines and open water, as these areas are particularly rich in insects. Daubenton’s bats, noctules and pipistrelles have been recorded along the River and Canal and the area around Barrow Bridge is known as a hot point for foraging bats, probably due to its sheltered location.

Bats and their roosts have also been recorded further north within the Conservation Area off the High Street. Pipistrelle bats are often associated with buildings, including old to more recent dwellings and, being nocturnal, often go unnoticed. They do not cause any structural damage to buildings and help to keep the number of insects down as they are exclusively insectivorous. All bat species and their roosts are legally protected due to their drastic decline and their high vulnerability to disturbance and loss of roosts.

Detrimental features Seven years ago the footbridge across the railway between Bridge Street and Cotes Road was repaired and the footpath link was reinstated with great approval. However, it appears now to be little used. The concrete retaining wall against the properties of Crossley Close is broken and the fences to both Crossley Close and the Riverside Inn are dilapidated. ∗

The entrance roadway to Proctor’s Caravan Park, Proctor’s Park Road is a relic of former days. Although it is in fact tidy, it is in great need of redesign so that the riverside scene may be more fully appreciated. The combination of the entrance roadway, the poorly maintained Sewage Pumping Station and the poor architecture of no 35a Bridge Street, a former tea hut which now houses a restaurant, create an impression of development which has outlived its useful life. There is also a detail which adds to the detriment: the poor quality repair of the arch to the bridge at the lock, where rendering has been used to hide damage to the historic brickwork. The Parish Council has played its part by careful landscaping of the bank which is under its control – it is now the responsibility of the other land-owners to play their part.

∗ The accident which damaged the footbridge in February 2008 occurred shortly after this appraisal was written.

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A similar ill-conceived repair of rendering over historic brickwork has been carried out at Mill Lane bridge, which has also been spoilt by square red brick coping to one of the parapets instead of the existing rounded brick.

There is an intrusion into the peace of the canal and its canalside open green spaces by the constant rush of traffic along the A6 in the river floodplain. Along the towpath the barbed wire fencing is in places broken and the neighbouring meadows are marred by the sprawl of Proctor’s caravan park although this area has been improved in recent years. At one point the view away from the canal through the hedges and trees is dominated by a large pylon carrying the high tension line from Ratcliffe on Soar power station.

In places, the broad pavement along High Street/North Street is used as forecourt for parking, such as outside the Library and nos 6-10 North Street. The Parish Plan has attempted to resolve part of this issue, namely is the High Street to be used for traffic, parking and access to the shops, or should it be made a place for pedestrians?

Industry Square with the war memorial makes an entrance to Beveridge Street from the south but it is weakly defined in the other directions. There is a good late Victorian building with a traditional shopfront at no. 17 Melton Road and the new development at the junction of Melton Road with Warner Street does address some of the issues of enclosure of this space. However, the Square could be included in the Conservation Area if the issues were further dealt with.

There is a multiplicity of road signs on individual poles which detract from the street scene particularly at Jerusalem Island.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 69 Character Appraisal Page 15 DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTEREST The main contributions to the special character of Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area are: • Church Street and Beveridge Street with their wealth of listed buildings; • The changing views provided by the gently curving streets; • The roundhouse on Church Street; • The focal point of Jerusalem Island; • The number of traditional shopfronts on High Street which are still intact; • The two almshouses, and their continuing use, with their associations to the village and its history; • The Grand Union Canal and its associated open spaces, which is an integral part of Barrow upon Soar; • The diversity of wildlife associated with the wetlands adjacent to the canal; • The riverside scene at Barrow Boating and at Barrow Bridge.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 70 Character Appraisal Page 16 MANAGEMENT PLAN General Principles Any proposed changes should be carried out in a sensitive manner, taking into account the established character. New development must respond to its immediate environment i.e. its context, in terms of scale, form, materials and detailing. Otherwise, alterations will have a detrimental effect on the historic and locally distinctive form of the village.

Within the Conservation Area, where the quality of the general environment is already considered to be high, the Council will insist on good quality schemes which respond positively to their historic setting, this extends to small buildings such as garages and even boundary walls and fences. Minor alterations need to be carefully considered as incremental change can have a significant detrimental affect on the character of an area over a period of time.

Central government guidance contained in PPS1 and PPG 15, Local Plan, Leading in Design and other SPD, and Village Design Statements will be used to assess the quality of proposal for new development.

The character of the Conservation Area identified in the appraisal document is such that the following general principles should be noted when considering any development in all parts of the Conservation Area:

1. The Conservation Area has a distinct “grain” or pattern of built form and spaces which are part of its historic development. This gives the Conservation Area great individuality, characterised by the pattern of historic buildings, ancient footpaths and highways and clearly defined boundaries. This “grain” is an important part of the character of the Conservation Area and will be protected.

2. The emphasis for new proposals will be on high quality of design. There may be opportunity for innovative modern design. However a dramatic contemporary statement is unlikely to be appropriate. Good modern design can be used to create positive changes in historic settlements

3. Scale is the combination of a building’s height and bulk when related to its surroundings. Proposed new development must take into account the scale of the existing buildings, and must not dominate of overwhelm them.

4. Alterations and extensions must respect the form of the original building and its locality. The use of high quality materials and detailing, whether modern or traditional is essential. Roof lines, roof shape, eaves details, verge details and the creation of new chimneys are important considerations.

5. Windows and doors of a traditional design respect the historic nature of the buildings to which they belong and make a very important contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. The use of upvc and standardised high speed joinery techniques nearly always leads to unsuitably detailed windows which will be generally unacceptable in the conservation area. In most cases the building regulation requirements can be met without the need to use clumsy and awkwardly detailed windows.

6. The appraisal has identified the types of materials that characterise the Conservation Area and where possible this should be used to help alterations respect that established character.

7. Applicants for planning permission must provide a meaningful “Design & Access Statement”, to explain the design decisions that have been made and to show how proposed alterations relate to their context. A detailed analysis of the locality should demonstrate that there is a full appreciation of the local streetscape and how it has developed, including prevailing building forms, materials and plot ratios.

Procedures to Ensure Consistent Decision-Making As mentioned previously the basis of the character appraisal is to inform and guide development control decisions. A consistent approach to this decision making will be aided by providing: • Conservation and design surgeries to help development control officers to make informed decisions, no matter how minor the proposed changes. • Opportunities for pre-application discussion regarding significant alterations. • Opportunities to review decisions and assess the impact of approved alterations through post development site visits.

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Enforcement Strategy Effective enforcement is vital to make sure there is public confidence in the planning system to protect the special character of the area. Unauthorised development can often be damaging to that character.

Taking proactive action can improve the appearance and character of the area, making it more attractive and in some instances increasing the potential for investment. Effective monitoring of building work to make sure it is carried out in accordance with the approved details and with planning conditions ensures new development makes the positive contribution envisaged when permission was granted.

In order to protect the character of the Conservation Area the Borough Council will seek to: • use enforcement powers in cases where unauthorised development unacceptably affects the character of the Conservation Area. • take proactive action to improve or enhance the appearance of the Area. • monitor development under way to make sure it fully complies with the terms of any planning permission or listed building consent.

Carrying out unauthorised work to a listed building or to protected trees and hedgerows and the unauthorised demolition a building within a conservation area is an offence. In such cases, the Council will consider prosecution of anyone responsible and any necessary remedial action.

The powers set out in Section 215 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 will be used where sites are identified as detracting from the character of the conservation area by being eyesores or untidy.

Article 4 Direction The quality of a conservation area is often threatened by the cumulative impact of numerous small changes to many buildings. Terraces that once displayed integrity of design through the use of matching features such as doors, windows, chimneys and porches, have been unbalanced by various alterations and additions. On the whole such changes do not require planning permission.

In order to preserve and enhance the character of conservation areas, many planning authorities use Article 4 Directions to restrict permitted development rights on groups of buildings or areas. Restrictions normally relate to particular elements such as replacement windows and doors, or roofing.

The character assessment has identified a wealth and variety of significant historic features which could justify the introduction of an Article 4 Direction.

General Condition There is a broad range of window types throughout the Conservation Area, but unfortunately the overall survival rate of original windows and doors has not been good. Such features are often integral to the appearance of buildings but a substantial number of properties have fitted replacement upvc windows and doors which greatly detract from the appearance and character of the Area.

To maintain the character of the Conservation Area, any new development should ideally use red brick laid to follow the prevailing bonding pattern in the particular part of the Conservation Area. As an exception it may be acceptable to use a roughcast render. Care should be taken in specifying reclaimed brick to avoid significant variations in the colour of the brick that would give a random and mottled appearance.

Welsh or other natural slate or plain clay tiles should be specified for rooves in any new development. Concrete roof tiles are out of place and visually intrusive. They should be avoided.

Buildings at Risk It is the intent of the Borough Council to take necessary action to secure repair & full use of any buildings at risk. At the moment none of the listed buildings are at risk of decay and all appear to be in a good state of repair. The Listed Buildings in Barrow upon Soar are generally in good condition.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 72 Character Appraisal Page 18 Review of the Conservation Area Boundary Following a survey of the existing Conservation Area and its immediate environs a number of changes are suggested to the boundary of the Area.

Mill Lane The housing development in Cramps Close and Holbourne Close is of no special historic or architectural interest and is not worthy of inclusion in a conservation area.

Historic development in this area of the Grand Union Canal is limited to two clusters of development one at the end of Mill Lane and the other at Bridge Street. Overall the surviving historic properties are of poor quality, generally spoilt by modern alterations and extensions. Within these clusters of historic development no. 90 Mill Lane, the Navigation Inn and no. 4 Bridge Street are of special architectural or historic interest, along with the two bridges and the lock. The lock cottage is a modern building.

However, a major asset to the Conservation Area is the section of the Grand Union Canal between Bridge No. 28 at the Navigation Inn and Bridge No. 29 at Proctor’s Park Road. The canal has historical value in its own right and there is also the significant and valued sweep of open green space from Mill Lane to the Lock.

Industry Square The traditional shopfront at no. 17 Melton Road at the corner of Industry Square has been succssefully preserved. The whole of Industry Square warrants inclusion in the Conservation Area.

Warner Street Warner Street is a late Victorian early Edwardian street of terraced housing with many surviving features, notably the front garden walls and boundaries. There has been some loss of traditonal windows but the possiblity of inclusion in the conservation Area should be considered.

South Street to Grove Lane The Hunting Lodge public house and its associated Gates and Stable buildings (both Locally Listed) and the buildings at the junction of South Street with Grove Lane should be considered for inclusion in the Area.

Possible Buildings for Spot Listing In carrying out the Appraisal none of the buildings within the Conservation Area were identified for “spot listing”, i.e. considered for inclusion on the list of statutory listed buildings.

Enhancement Opportunities The character appraisal has identified the poor appearance of the entrance to Proctor’s Caravan Park, the uncared for Sewage Pumping Station, the unattractive hut housing the restaurant and the general poor economic condition of this part of the Area. These are all areas outside the direct control of the Borough Council. However, opportunities should be taken to encourage re-investment in this area so that it may realise its potential for tourists and to the benefit of the village in general.

Proposals for Economic Development and Regeneration Repair and reinstatement works to historic buildings that make a vital contribution to maintaining and improving the character of the Conservation Area may be eligible for grant assistance. Charnwood Grants includes an element to assist in the repair and maintenance of historic buildings such as listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas. The County Council operates a scheme for listed buildings.

Management and Protection of Important Trees, Greenery and Green Spaces The Biodiversity Action Plan sets out the Borough Council’s priorities for conservation of a variety of wildlife and their habitats within Charnwood and details the actions required to bring about a reversal in its fortune. The BAP will be reviewed and modified as required, to ensure that the necessary actions are being taken by the appropriate agencies

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 73 Character Appraisal Page 19 Monitoring Change It is planned to review the conservation area character appraisal and its management plan every five years, although the management plan may under certain circumstances need to be reviewed over a shorter time period. A photographic record of the Conservation Area has been made and will be used to help identify the need to review how changes within the Conservation Area are managed. A greater degree of protection will be accomplished if the local community help monitor any changes.

Consideration of Resources This management plan sets out the commitment of the Borough Council to protecting the character and appearance of Charnwood’s conservation areas and how it will use its resources to achieve these aims.

Summary of Issues and Proposed Actions

Conservation Area Issue Proposed Action Lead Other Partner Partners

Modern housing development at Review the Conservation Charnwood Holbourne Close and Cramps Close Area boundary. BC Traditional character at Industry Square, Warner Street and at Junction of South Street and Grove Lane

Proctor’s Park Road, Sewage Pumping Encourage economic Charnwood Barrow upon Station, no 35a Bridge Street. regeneration. BC Soar PC

The area supports populations of species Investigate further Charnwood Barrow upon which may be at risk, pockets of habitats designation of Local BC Soar PC such as wet woodland and mature trees, Wildlife Sites along the which are listed in the UK and Local western side of the Canal. Biodiversity Action Plans.

Loss of bankside native vegetation, long grass Investigate whether the Charnwood Barrow upon areas, and planting of ornamental non native management of the linear BC Soar PC species in the open space to the east of the public open space could canal. incorporate elements to further biodiversity objectives.

The use at night of the churchyard, and Investigate Charnwood Barrow upon other green spaces, by young people is environmental BC Soar PC an opportunity for loud noise and improvement in the damage. churchyard and the installation of lighting.

The footpath between the green space Encourage the Parish Barrow at Mill Lane and the linear park along the Council to consider upon Soar canal is often muddy and uncomfortable. how the link between PC the two green spaces could be improved.

The portion of retaining wall in Bridge Investigate and pursue Charnwood Street, inappropriately rebuilt in re-instatement of the BC concrete, is unsightly. wall.

Multiple roadsigns around Jerusalem Continue to work with Leics CC Charnwood

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 74 Character Appraisal Page 20 Island are unnecessary. the Highway BC Department of Leics CC to encourage them to adopt designs and practices which are more sympathetic to the Conservation Areas and other historic parts of the Borough.

Concern about the management of the Encourage British British wetlands bordering the Grand Union Waterways to repair Waterways Canal. and maintain the fencing alongside the towpath. The wetlands are being managed by a policy of allowing natural processes with minimum intervention.

Developing Management Proposals Various forces, historical, cultural and commercial, have shaped the development of the conservation area, creating a sense of place and individual identity. The character and appearance of the conservation area is vitally important, both in attracting investment in the area itself, and in the encouragement of initiatives to the benefit of the wider community.

Based on the issues that have been identified the following objectives will have a positive impact in both protecting and enhancing the character of the conservation area, and provide the basis of a long term management plan:

1 Review how the Council’s adopted ‘Shopfronts & Signs’ guidance is being used.

2 A policy regarding the co-ordination of the placing of all permanent items within the streets needs to be formulated. The opportunities to renew, redesign, re-site, eliminate or combine existing street furniture are substantial. Similarly there is a need to look at traffic signs and highway markings with a view to their rationalisation. The appropriateness of the existing street lighting and the scope to introduce imaginative lighting schemes, including the illumination of key buildings, also merits examination. Guidelines could be set out in a public realm manual.

3 The west side of the Canal should retain its natural state and future management should not compromise the biodiversity interest: operations such as clearance and removal of dead wood would likely have an adverse impact on Red Data Book species.

4 Positive pro-active management such as re-pollarding of willow trees along the canal to prolong their life should be encouraged.

5 The production of heritage trail leaflets to increase community awareness and appreciation, including the encouragement of tourism, should be considered. This might involve interpretation material, plaques or similar for key sites and buildings.

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 75 Character Appraisal Page 21 Community Involvement This document will be made available as a draft via the Council’s website prior to submission to Cabinet for adoption. A public meeting was held in Barrow upon Soar so that local residents could contribute their ideas for enhancement and preservation of the Conservation Area. All comments and responses have been considered and appropriate amendments have been made to the document prior to submission to Cabinet.

Advice and Guidance The Borough Council Development Department can advise on the need for Planning Permission or Listed Building Consent and can provide guidance on matters such as appropriate methods of maintenance/repairs, changes to shopfronts, alterations and extensions and suitable materials.

Contacts: Conservation & Landscape Team Tel. 01509 634748 [email protected]

Development Control Tel. 01509 634691 [email protected]

Planning Enforcement Tel. 01509 634722 [email protected]

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 76 Character Appraisal Page 22

Bibliography Archaeology in Leicestershire and Rutland in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society Vol. 72 (1998), pp. 85

Bennett, R. H. (1997) A Short History of Barrow-upon-Soar David Dover, Loughborough

Cantor, L. (1970-71) The Medieval Parks of Leicestershire, in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society, Vol. 46

Curtis, J. (1831) Topographical History of The County of Leicestershire

Hoskins, W. G. (1957) The Making of the English Landscape: Leicestershire, Hodder & Stoughton, London

Joyce, S. (1997 reprint) Changing Times in Barrow upon Soar, Quorndon, Sileby and Mountsorrel North End in the Late Eighteenth Century (Private Publication)

Joyce, S. (1999) Enclosure and Landholding in the Soar Valley in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society, Vol. 73

Kelly’s Directory of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland: 1864; 1888; 1891 & 1908

Newham, F. J. (n. d.) Memories of Barrow-upon-Soar, 1865-1875 (personal recollections – Loughborough Local Studies Library)

Nichols, J. (1811) The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester, Vol. III, Part 1 (reprinted 1971)

Parker, L. A. (1955) ‘Hosiery’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

Pemberton, W. A. (1984-85) The Parochial Visitations of James Bickham 1773-1779 in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society, Vol. 59

Potter, T. R. (1842) The History and Antiquities of Charnwood Forest

Reynolds, S. M. G. (1955) ‘Tables of Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

Rimmington, G. T. (1976-77) Leicestershire School Boards, 1871-1903 in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society, Vol. 52

Smith, C. T. (1955) ‘Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

WEA Local History Group (1985) Guided Walks Around Barrow-on-Soar

White’s Directories of Leicestershire and Rutland: 1846; 1863; 1877 & 1894

Wilford, B. & J. (1981) Bygone Barrow-upon-Soar, Vol. I, B & J Wilford, Barrow-upon-Soar

Wilford, B. & J. (1995) Bygone Barrow-upon-Soar, Vol. II, B & J Wilford, Barrow-upon-Soar

Internet Resources A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 158-161: Barrow - Bartestree’, (http://www.british- history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50781) (Date accessed: 9 November 2007) http://www.leics.gov.uk/barrow_and_sileby_west_ward.pdf (Date accessed: 9 November 2007)

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 77 Character Appraisal Page 23 Statutory Listed Buildings within the Conservation Area

Beveridge Street No. 4A- Grade II Nos. 35-37 - Grade II Nos. 22-24 - Grade II No. 47 - Grade II Nos. 49 and 49A - Grade II No. 51 - Grade II

Bridge Street No. 5 (Cliffe House) - Grade II Bridge over the Soar - Grade II

Church Street Holy Trinity Church - Grade II* Memorial to John Storer Beaumont - Grade II The Old Vicarage and Wall - Grade II Nos. 3-11 - Grade II Nos. 13-21 - Grade II Nos. 23-29 - Grade II No. 16, Theophilus Cave’s Alsmhouse - Grade II The Round House - Grade II

High Street Bridge Over Railway - Grade II

Melton Road No. 1 - Grade II

North Street No. 4, Chippindall House - Grade II Nos. 24-32, Humphry Babington House - Grade II Wall, Gate Piers and Gates to nos. 24-32 - Grade II

South Street Nos. 7-9 - Grade II

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area 78 Character Appraisal Page 24 Appendix 2

Barrow upon Soar Conservation Area Appraisal - Responses to the draft document

Respondent Comment Response of the Director of Development

1 Member of Public at the The use at night of the churchyard, and other green spaces, Investigate environmental improvement in the churchyard and the Public Meeting by young people is an opportunity for loud noise and damage. installation of lighting.

2 Member of Public at the The footpath between the green space at Mill Lane and the Encourage the Parish Council to consider how the link between Public Meeting linear park along the canal is often muddy and uncomfortable. the two green spaces could be improved.

3 Member of Public at the The portion of retaining wall in Bridge Street, inappropriately Investigate and pursue re-instatemnet of the wall. Public Meeting and email to rebuilt in concrete, is unsightly. Complaints

4 Member of Public at the Multiple roadsigns around Jerusalem Island are unnecessary. Continue to work with the Highway Department of Leics CC to Public Meeting encourage them to adopt designs and practices which are more sympathetic to the Conservation Areas and other historic parts of the Borough.

5 Member of Public at the Concern about the management of the wetlands bordering Encourage British Waterways to repair and maintain the fencing Public Meeting the Grand Union Canal. alongside the towpath. The wetlands are being managed by a policy of allowing natural change with no intervention.

The Public Meeting to consider the draft Appraisal was held on Monday 11th February 2008 at the Methodist Church Hall, North Street. 32 people attended.

79

Appendix 3

Rothley Conservation Area Character Appraisal

INTRODUCTION 2 Planning policy context

ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST 4 LOCATION AND SETTING

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT AND ARCHEOLOGY 5

SPATIAL ANALYSIS 8 Plan form Townscape Inter-relationship of spaces Key views and vistas Landmarks

CHARACTER ANALYSIS 11 Building uses Building types and layouts Key listed buildings and structures Key unlisted buildings Coherent groups Building materials and architectural details Local details Parks, gardens and trees Biodiversity Detrimental features

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTEREST 16

CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN 17 General principles Procedures to ensure consistent decision-making Enforcement strategy Article 4 Direction General condition Review of the boundary Possible buildings for spot listing Enhancement Proposals for economic development and regeneration Management and protection of important trees, greenery and green spaces Monitoring change Consideration of resources Summary of issues and proposed actions Developing management proposals Community involvement Advice and guidance

BIBLIOGRAPHY 21

LISTED BUILDINGS IN ROTHLEY 22

Rothley Conservation Area 80 Character Appraisal Page 1 Rothley Conservation Area Character Appraisal

Introduction The Rothley Conservation Area, which was first designated in December 1972 and extended in March 1997, covers an area of about 31.5 Ha. Rothley was described in Pigot’s Commercial Directory of 1835 as “a neat and thriving village” and the boundaries of the Conservation Area generally define the extent of the settlement as it existed at the start of the 20th century.

The Area includes much of the village’s historic core, focussing on two distinctive areas of settlement; one around the Town Green at the western end of the village, the other around the Church of St Mary and St John at the eastern end of the village. Within this historic core is a broad range of residential and commercial development that is representative of the settlement from the medieval period through to the Victorian and Edwardian expansion of the village in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The purpose of this appraisal is to examine the historical development of the Conservation Area and to describe its present appearance in order to assess its special architectural and historic interest. The appraisal is then used to inform the consideration of management and development proposals within the Area.

This document sets out the planning policy context and how this appraisal relates to national, regional and local planning policies.

The main part of the report focuses on the assessment of the special interest of the conservation area, describing: • Location and setting, how the conservation area relates to the historic town and surrounding area. • Historic development and archaeology, sets out how architecture and archaeology are related to the social and economic growth of the town. • Spatial analysis describes the historic plan form of the town and how this has changed, the interrelationship of streets and spaces and identifies key views and landmarks. • Character analysis, identifies the uses, types and layouts of buildings, key listed and unlisted buildings, coherent groups of buildings, distinctive building material and architectural details, significant green spaces and trees, and detrimental features.

These elements are brought together in a summary of the overall special interest of the conservation area. An assessment of the general condition of the buildings and spaces within the area is included.

Proposals are made for management actions and recommendations for developing longer term management proposals for the area are suggested.

Rothley Conservation Area 81 Character Appraisal Page 2 Planning Policy Context A conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest whose character or appearance should be preserved or enhanced. In making decisions on potential development within a conservation area, the Council is required to ‘pay attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area’. Permission will not be granted for proposals that are likely to harm the character or appearance of a conservation area. Sections 69 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment says that special attention should be paid when considering proposals for development in a conservation area.

The key principles of PPS9 require that planning policies and decisions not only avoid, mitigate or compensate for harm but also seek ways to enhance, restore and add to biodiversity and geodiversity.

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands published in March 2005 advises local authorities to develop strategies that avoid damage to the region’s cultural assets. Policy 27: Protecting and Enhancing the Region’s Natural and Cultural Assets.

The Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan 1996 to 2016 published in December 2004 seeks to identify, protect, preserve and enhance areas, sites, buildings and settings of historic or architectural interest or archaeological importance. Development within conservation areas should preserve or enhance their character and appearance. Environment Policy 2: Sites and Buildings of Historic Architectural and Archaeological Interest.

The Borough of Charnwood Local Plan 1991 – 2006 adopted in January 2004 seeks to ensure a high standard design of all new development and that the design should be compatible with the locality and utilises materials appropriate to the locality. Policy EV/1.

The Council’s adopted supplementary Planning Document ‘Leading in Design’ builds on the design policies set out in the Charnwood Local Plan and will contribute to the development of more effective approaches to securing good design in the emerging Local Development Framework. The guide is also intended to support the implementation of the community strategy, Charnwood Together, by providing a set of principles that will inform the physical development implicit in the initiatives and actions of all partners in the local strategic partnership.

Other SPG/SPD guidance. • Backland & Tandem Development. • House Extensions • Shopfronts & Signs

Rothley Conservation Area 82 Character Appraisal Page 3 Assessment of Special Interest LOCATION AND SETTING The village occupies a sheltered site within the valley of the about half a mile west of the River Soar and approximately 5 miles south of Loughborough.

Rothley Conservation Area in 2008

The population of Rothley has varied over time. The most recent census figures published by Leicestershire County Council show that in 2001 there were some 3,612 people residing in the parish. The historical rise and fluctuations of the village’s population are recorded in the Victoria County History. These records show that the level of population has varied, from about 181 people at the time of the 1377 Poll Tax to 108 people at the 1670 Hearth Tax returns, and this fluctuating population continued throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, from 775 in 1801; to 948 in 1821, 1,055 in 1841; falling to 939 by 1861 before rising to 1,048 in 1881 and 1,463 in 1901. These changes in population are partially explained by changes in the parish boundaries and general economic changes, particularly with the decline of the domestic framework industry in the mid-19th century and the subsequent introduction of new hosiery and boot and shoe factories and the arrival of the Great Central Railway (GCR).

Rothley sits on the south facing slopes of the valley beside the Rothley Brook where it emerges into the Soar valley flood plain. This localised topography is reflected in the Conservation Area as the land gently falls from about 55 metres at Cross Green and along Woodgate, to about 49 metres alongside the Brook, where the open fields and meadows provide an attractive, pastoral setting for the village.

Rothley Conservation Area 83 Character Appraisal Page 4 HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Rothley in 1903

The name Rothley may have come from the old English ‘Rothu Leah’ meaning a woodland clearing and it went through a number of variations before being fixed in its present version sometime in the early 18th century. A settlement at Rothley is recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Rodolei’; and subsequent variations include ‘Rothlea’ in the 12th century; ‘Rotheleye’ in the 13th century and ‘Rotheley’ in the 17th century.

The discovery of a Roman pavement near the Old Vicarage in 1722 and the remains of a Roman villa close to the site of Rothley station provide evidence of a Roman presence in the area. And during recent excavations in 2006 on the site of The Grange, in Fowke Street, the team from Northamptonshire Archaeology exhumed over 280 burials from the area of The Grange nearest to the present Churchyard. Whilst the final report is not yet ready, it has been said that many of the burials are of Saxon date, through to early medieval. Other evidence for the early Saxon settlement include the Mercian stone cross in the churchyard that is believed to be 9th or 10th century in origin and the street name Wellsic Lane, ‘well sic’ being Saxon for water course. The team also found significant amounts of Roman floor and roof tiles, many laying in a position were they had fallen when a building might have collapsed.

Local historians have established that from before the Conquest Rothley was the centre of a large manorial enterprise supervised by an enlightened manorial court system. The village was probably first established by the Saxons during the 9th and 10th centuries when there appears to have been a major re-organisation of the landscape and many small dispersed settlements came together as nucleated village settlements surrounded by open fields (Courtney, 2003).

Graham Jones (Jones, 1999) has suggested that the early settlement had significant Royal connections, being part of the Saxon King Harold’s estates and that it was the site of a high status church linked to other royal functions at Barrow and Loughborough. However, Vanessa McLoughlin (The Manor & Soke of Rothley, McLoughlin, 2006) describes with some precision how Rothley was in effect a Minster church to its six dependent chapelries located in the vills of its 22-member Soke, detailed in Domesday Book. And because of Rothley parish’s status as an ecclesiastical peculiar, outside the jurisdiction of any Bishops, this leading role for Rothley continued right into the major 19th century development of Rothley. The findings at The Grange support the idea of a Minster church, with the dead from the dependent chapelries being brought here for burial, until such time as the chapels were granted their own burial rights Rothley Conservation Area 84 Character Appraisal Page 5

After the Conquest the estate was passed to William the Conqueror, and Nichols notes that in 1086 it was at the centre of the Royal landholdings.

In the 13th century Rothley became a site for a community (preceptory) of Knights Templars at Rothley Court, an Order of Knights started during the first Crusade in 1118 to protect pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and to defend the Cross. The Knights Templars were first established in England around 1140 and by 1203 had been granted land at Rothley by King John, but it is likely that the preceptory was only established in 1231 when the Order was also granted the manor of Rothley.

However, the Order fell out of political favour. In 1308 Edward ll arrested all the English Templars and in 1312 the Pope abolished the Order, transferring their possessions to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, known as the Hospitallers, founded to give hospitality to pilgrims. The Hospitallers had been established in England since 1100 and they held Rothley from 1313 until the Reformation in 1540 when their possessions passed to the Crown. The manor was subsequently granted to Edward Cartwright and then sold in 1565 to Humphrey Babington, whose immediate act on purchase was to add a large domestic extension to the Templar Preceptory building, fashioned largely with local granite and Swithland slate. The Babington family remained as Lords of the Manor until 1845 and the Temple buildings, which lie outside the Conservation Area, having been converted to domestic use were ultimately sold and converted to a hotel in 1958.

The Templars in their time had secured the peculiar status of the demesne lands and were able to develop the idea of their own private ‘parish’, Temple Rothley, which was to continue right through until being swept up into the at the turn of the 19th/20th century.

Economic History The medieval village relied mainly on farming, based on its open fields, for its prosperity. The Knights Templar had been granted rights to hold a market at Rothley in 1285 but this never established itself, particularly when it was in competition with a market at Mountsorrel that had been granted a charter by Edward I in 1292, and it was transferred to where it fell into disuse.

The enclosure of the open fields following an Act of Parliament in 1781 had a profound effect on both the local landscape, the communal open fields passed into the hands of private landowners, and the local economy of the villagers lost their traditional dependency on the land and were forced to seek alternative employment.

An important alternative source of employment at this time was the domestic framework knitting industry and by the mid-18th century Rothley had become an important centre. Early knitters were traditionally employed as out-workers working within their main home or in purpose built workshops to the rear of their properties with the involvement of the whole family (men on the frame, women seaming and children winding wool onto bobbins). Nichols notes that in 1801 out of a population of 775 persons, 152 were chiefly employed in agriculture while 354 were employed in trade and manufacture; the 1851 Census shows that out of 975 inhabitants, 84 people were employed as agricultural labourers while 132 were framework knitters.

As well as agriculture and framework knitting, Rothley was an important coaching stop on the main road from London to the north of England. Prior to the formation of the Leicester-Loughborough turnpike in 1726, the main road north out of Leicester ran through the centre of Rothley following a route from across the Rothley Brook below the Church and then skirting around the Church and Fowke Street before following Mountsorrel Lane. Coaching inns, such as The Old Red Lion and possibly a property on Fowke Street, provided accommodation for travellers and no doubt contributed to the local economy. This circuitous route through the village still survives in the footpaths that run south from the Church and across the open fields towards Wanlip. It was eventually replaced by the construction of the Leicester-Loughborough turnpike which today is generally followed by the line of the old A6 to the east of the village.

This rapid growth in the village through the 19th century was reflected in the improvements and growth of community facilities. A National School on School Street opened in 1837 and new places of worship were built, a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Howe Lane in 1822, which is still in use; a Primitive Methodist Chapel built in Mountsorrel Lane, recently converted to a dwelling; and a Baptist Chapel on North Street.

From the middle of the 19th century the domestic hosiery industries went into decline as the trade became increasingly concentrated in factories, particularly those in Leicester and other Soar valley villages such as and Sileby that had the advantages of canal and railway links with Leicester. Rothley, being somewhat removed from these main routes, did not experience the same degree of Victorian industrial and residential Rothley Conservation Area 85 Character Appraisal Page 6 development as many of its neighbouring settlements. The introduction of factories within the Conservation Area was relatively small-scale, with a new hosiery works on Fowke Street (Victoria Mills) in the late 19th century and a boot and shoe factory in the early 20th century off Town Green Street.

With this new industry came new houses to cater for the increase in the population drawn to the factories. A further rapid increase in population and new house building was generated by the arrival of the Great Central Railway in 1904 and new bus services that enabled people to travel to work in Leicester. This sudden increase in house building is now reflected in the Conservation Area by the ranks of terraced housing along Anthony Street, North Street, Howe Lane, Woodgate and Town Green Street, largely completing the historic development within the Conservation Area.

The present Conservation Area now reflects the basic historic street pattern that had been established as a result of the local topography and the particular historic development of the village and contains a wide range of buildings built in the village between the 16th and early 20th centuries.

Archaeological Interest The Conservation Area encompasses the core medieval settlement of Rothley and the historical development of the Area, which is evident in the pattern of streets, housing plots and the age of many of the properties, would suggest that there is good potential for below ground archaeology. Therefore any major development within the Conservation Area requiring excavation works should be preceded by a considered archaeological assessment and investigation.

In addition many of the earlier buildings may conceal medieval or post-medieval remains, therefore any works involving the disturbance of the existing fabric would also merit further archaeological investigation and recording.

Rothley Conservation Area 86 Character Appraisal Page 7 SPATIAL ANALYSIS Plan Form The historic development of the settlement appears to have been strongly influenced by two distinctive cells: one on the western side of the village around the present Town Green and a second on the eastern side of the village around the Parish Church.

The Town Green end appears to have developed at the junction of two roadways, one leading to a fording point of the Rothley Brook and a second running towards the boundary of Rothley Court. This early period of development is reflected in the number of timber framed buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries that stand alongside Town Green Street and are some of the oldest buildings in the village.

The present Town Green forms a distinctive triangular shaped piece of open land where these two roadways diverge, although it is not clear whether the green is a remnant of the original settlement or was simply open land left at a road junction. Evidence from a map of 1780 of landholdings in the the village suggests the latter as there is no indication of a formal green, only a wide junction between the two roadways. The lack of houses on the south side is probably due to the regularity of the brook flooding.

At the opposite eastern end of the settlement is a further cluster of development that has grown up around the Church, with a number of timber framed buildings along Church Street, Fowke Street and Anthony Street. These also date from the 16th and 17th centuries and are contemporary with houses on Town Green Street. As the village grew the housing began to spread westwards onto North Street and along Woodgate; further development to the south and east of the Church being restricted by the Rothley Brook.

Between Town Green and the Church is Cross Green, a second large area of open space which appears to have developed as a wide junction between North Street and Anthony Street with Mountsorrel Lane rather than a planned village green.

The two distinct clusters of development were originally linked by Main Street (now known as Town Green Street) and are clearly shown on the 1780 map. At this time the village consisted of a cluster of cottages around the present Town Green and extending beyond Wellsic Lane with a series of narrow fields on the south side of the road running to the brook, land which remains as open fields today.

At the opposite end of the village the Church is shown on the fringe of the settlement with cottages along Anthony Street, Fowke Street and North Street, the main road into the village from a bridge over the Brook. The present Howe Lane appears as an undeveloped back lane behind the properties fronting North Street and this street remained largely undeveloped until the early 20th century, when it is first recorded as Lowe Street on the 1929 Ordnance Survey (OS) map.

In between the two settlements was a large open paddock between Wellsic Lane and Howe Lane owned by Thomas Babington.

This polycentric settlement of 1780 experienced very little change in the following 100 years and the two distinct cells were still evident on the 1884 OS map. At this time the village was very much a rural backwater, isolated from the main Soar valley transport routes; the Leicester-Loughborough road ran to the east of the village along the line of the original turnpike and the later Leicester Navigation canal and the Midland Railway were on the opposite side of the River Soar and its flood plain and therefore difficult to access.

However, after centuries of little change the village experienced a rapid surge of development over a relatively short space of a few years at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century associated with the development of hosiery and boot shoe factories and the arrival, albeit at a distance, of the GCR. Harry Rainer Parker, inheritor of the Temple Estate purchased by his father Sir James Parker from the Babington Executors, worked imaginatively with Hamptons, the London agents, to put his holdings onto the market in a mixture of lots in an auction sale in October 1893.

These developments provided the impetus for a spate of new housing in the village, with new properties on Town Green Street replacing earlier cottages; properties moving west along Woodgate and Main Street (Town Green Street) breaching the gap between the two historic settlements and new housing on North Street and Howe Lane consolidating the centre of the village.

Whilst there have been further significant changes in the late 20th century, particularly along Woodgate with the construction of Babington Court, and pockets of new housing along Church Street, Fowke Street, Wellsic

Rothley Conservation Area 87 Character Appraisal Page 8 Lane and off Town Green Street, the historic core of the village remains very much intact and is represented by a number of important unlisted and listed buildings (see page 23).

Townscape Generally the townscape is characterised by continual runs of buildings, in most cases forming terraces, situated close to if not directly at the back of the pavement. This creates streets and lanes that are narrow and tightly enclosed. At varying intervals there are larger buildings in more open settings but the sense of enclosure is maintained by substantial brick and stone boundary walls. Views along the streets are closed by buildings, further enhancing this sense of enclosure to the street scene.

Much of the character of the medieval streets comes from the way many of the buildings are set slightly out of parallel to each other and to the line of the street, which adds significant interest and which is lost by Victorian and later developments. In addition to the tightly enclosed character of the streets, the types of building and activities along them varies. This variety contributes in a very significant way to the character of many of the streets.

The townscape of the village produces a strong silhouette when viewed from the south which is enhanced by the tapestry of colour and texture provided by the variety of roof shapes, walls and trees.

Character and interrelationship of spaces There are a considerable number of spaces within the Conservation Area and almost all have a distinct informality to their character. The one exception is Cross Green where the formal character is expressed by the war memorial and its associated garden. From the earlier maps it would appear that this space was well enclosed but recent development has, to its detriment, reduced the sense of enclosure especially in contrast to the tightly enclosed streets which lead into it.

Town Green is a larger space but less formal in its arrangement. It is surrounded by some of the oldest buildings in the village and is likely to have been the original principal space for public activity. However, development growth has focused on the central part of the village meaning that Town Green is now situated at one end of the settlement and has become isolated from the main activities of the village.

The open road junction at the south end of North Street marks the entrance to the village when approaching over the Rothley Brook. The entrance to the village from the west is marked by the open junction of Wellsic Lane/Woodgate.

The churchyard is an important green space within the village. A number of footpaths cross the churchyard providing access between Church Street/School Street and south past the Saxon cross towards Rothley Brook. The southern part of the churchyard is heavily enclosed by trees restricting views across the meadow.

Key views and vistas There is a significant vista of the village as one approaches across Rothley Brook and there is a continuing view up North Street towards Cross Green.

The other key views are in the remaining medieval parts of the village: • A view of the Woodman’s Stroke Public House down the hill from the northern end of Anthony Street. • The framed view of St Mary’s Church tower from the west end of Church Street. • Views of the terraces of cottages on either side of Town Green as they sweep in to form a narrow entrance/exit to the green. • The sense of closure created by The Grange when viewed from the west end of Fowke Street.

Landmarks The Church occupies a slightly elevated site at the end of Church Street at about 48 metres. Whilst the Church is enclosed by buildings and stands off the main thoroughfare, its slightly detached location ensures that the tower is a focal point for views from several directions, with particularly good views of the Church tower across the meadows from Hallfields Lane.

Rothley Conservation Area 88 Character Appraisal Page 9 CHARACTER ANALYSIS Building uses The present activities and building uses within the Conservation Area reflect much of the historical development of the village and whilst the buildings are principally houses, there is a range of retail and industrial buildings that are well integrated into the urban fabric.

The basic economy of the medieval village was tied to agriculture, which provided both employment and activity within the village. The legacy of this agricultural economy is reflected in the number of farmhouses and agricultural buildings that still stand within the Conservation Area, such as those at no. 17, Anthony Street, no. 36, North Street and more extensively at what was Park Farm at no. 81, Town Green Street.

After the enclosure of the open fields, the population of Rothley relied on domestic framework knitting and then as this industry declined in the latter half of the 19th century on local hosiery and boot and shoe factories and, when the GCR made it possible, on commuting.

Whilst the framework knitting was an extensive domestic activity, the only surviving example of a knitter’s workshop appears to be the single storey building complete with a range of long, narrow 5-light windows and single chimney attached to the rear of nos. 10-12, Woodgate (now Grade II listed).

With the decline of framework knitting new employment opportunities were provided by the development of a hosiery factory, the Victoria Mills on Fowke Street, which was built by Harry Hames in 1887, and by Willett’s boot and shoe factory off Town Green Street. Whilst the boot factory has now been replaced by housing (Paddocks Close), the Victoria Mills and other commercial uses along Fowke Street still survive, maintaining a tradition of industrial enterprise in the village.

Rothley also has a busy retail centre and whilst most of the shops are now concentrated along Woodgate, the Rothley History Society (2003) notes that there were a considerable number of shops scattered throughout the village.

Building types and layouts Most of the historic development in the village is orientated towards the street and there is little evidence of historic development at 90 degrees to the road as is often found in other historic villages.

There are several relatively short Victorian terraces, which address the change in level along the length of the street and also the change between street level and ground floor level of the buildings in a distinctive way, for example, the raised pavement along North Street, one part of which has an associated railing.

Terraces of cottages that are often sited directly at the back of the pavement with the principal rooms facing on to the street and in some cases interspersed with larger farmhouses as at Park Farm, Town Green create a distinctive layout.

Chapel buildings are evident and the historic example that survives intact on Howe Lane takes a very simple vernacular form.

Key listed buildings and structures The Parish Church of St Mary and St John, described in 1877 as ‘a large and handsome fabric’, is thought to have existed on this site since the 11th century with Norman-work in the foundations of the present tower and in the chevron pattern around the font bowl. The present Church however generally dates from the 13th and 15th centuries with major Victorian restorations undertaken in 1861 and 1877, under the architect R. Reynolds Rowe of Cambridge.

The timber frame cottages on Fowke Street and Town Green are fundamental in determining the predominantly medieval character of these streets and spaces.

The War Memorial is the focus of Cross Green and an important listed building in this part of the Conservation Area.

The grouping of listed buildings along Church Street and the south end of Anthony Street determine the historic character on the approach to the churchyard. Rothley Conservation Area 89 Character Appraisal Page 10 Rood House is one of the most important listed buildings in the village but its location means that the building itself contributes little to the character of the street scene because it is set back from the street in its own grounds. It does however contribute to the character of the area by providing, in the winter months, glimpses through the trees. The trees within the grounds and the boundary walls are the features that make a significant contribution to the character of the street.

Key unlisted buildings The Grange, Fowke Street.

Coherent groups The buildings on the corner of Fowke Street and Anthony Street are not of significant architectural quality in their own right but collectively they form a run of buildings that contribute significantly to the character of this part of the Conservation Area, due to the continuity of their built form and their position in relation to Cross Green. They effectively form a hinge point for views from Cross Green.

Many of the simple terraces of buildings form coherent groups as they are such strong features of the character of the village.

Building materials and architectural details The most common building materials in the Conservation Area are red brick and slate but there is also a good number of surviving timber frame properties. Despite its location on the edge of Charnwood Forest, the use of Forest granite and Swithland slate does not appear to have been as common as in other villages which had strong historical links to the Forest and its resources, such as Barrow and Mountsorrel.

Whilst examples of local granite can be found throughout the village it is rarely used as a principal building material. Buildings constructed entirely of granite tend to be the principal civic buildings, such as St Mary and St John’s Church (Grade II* listed) at the head of Church Street, the village hall on Fowke Street and the Wesleyan Chapel on Howe Lane. In domestic properties, granite was commonly used to provide a solid plinth below a timber frame and these plinths are a distinctive feature of many houses in the village. In some rare instances it was extensively used. For example at no. 3, Town Green Street (Rood House) (Grade II listed), perhaps because of changing fashions or social pretensions, the front elevation is of brick while the rear elevation is in the local granite.

Granite is also commonly found in the boundary walls that line many of the streets, such as Anthony Street and Howe Lane. These walls make a significant and distinctive contribution to the local street scene and the Conservation Area generally.

Perhaps due to the limited availability of local Forest stone, the village developed a strong vernacular tradition of timber frame and thatched construction and there are a significant number of surviving timber-frame cottages dating from the 16th and 17th centuries throughout the Conservation Area. There are few examples of surviving thatched roofs, the only surviving timber-framed building complete with its thatched roof being no. 6, Fowke Street (Grade II listed). However, photographic evidence from the Rothley History Society (2003) shows the extensive use of thatch on now-demolished cottages in Wellsic Lane, (pages 34, 44 & 46); Anthony Street (pages 17 & 46); Woodgate (page 32) and Cross Green (pages 18 & 22).

Whilst the Area may have lost its thatch roofs, it does have a significant number of timber-framed cottages, with examples throughout the village, both around the Church, such as no. 10, Church Street (April Cottage) (Grade II listed) which has a pair of cruck blades in the end gable; no. 9, Anthony Street (Grade II listed) with timber framing in its front elevation; and no. 13, Fowke Street (Grade II listed) with a cruck blade partly visible in its front elevation; and around the Town Green, such as at no. 81, Town Green Street (Grade II listed) with timber framing in its front and side gable elevations; no. 91, Town Green Street (Grade II listed) with a visible pair of cruck blades in its side gable and no. 80, Town Green Street (Grade II listed) with timber framing in its front and side gable elevations.

However, the most prevalent building materials in the Area are red brick and Welsh slate. These materials directly reflect the most significant period of development within the Conservation Area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and provide a broad uniformity of material and appearance.

Rothley Conservation Area 90 Character Appraisal Page 11 In many properties the brick is laid in a Flemish bond, such as at nos. 2-8 Anthony Street, nos. 18-20, Anthony Street (where the distinctive pattern is emphasized by contrasting lighter headers with darker stretchers); nos. 27-41, North Street; nos. 43-45, Woodgate; and nos. 25-35, Town Green Street. An exception to the use of red brick can be seen at nos. 25-29, Fowke Street which are built of a cream brick with red brick banding. In many cases the external brickwork has also been painted, such as the Woodman’s Stroke on Church Street; no. 13, Fowke Street and no. 103, Town Green Street (Keeper’s Cottage) (both Grade II listed).

A number of properties are also finished, either in whole or in part, in render. The main examples include no. 4, Church Street (Grade II listed) which has a smooth stucco render which appears to have been lined to represent stone; no. 8, Fowke Street (Grade II listed) and nos. 83-87, Town Green Street which have a roughcast render finish; and nos. 7 & 9, Cross Green with render over granite.

Render can also be mixed with brick as part of the original design as in the late-Victorian properties at nos. 92- 100 & 102-106, Town Green Street, and the Edwardian properties at nos. 6-12, North Street (Memorial Cottages), which all have a rendered first floor over a brick ground floor.

Welsh slate is the predominant traditional roofing material throughout the Conservation Area and it is used in such the properties as nos. 2–14 and 18 & 20, Anthony Street; nos. 15-21, Woodgate; nos. 27-41, North Street; and nos. 25-35, Town Green Street.

In addition to Welsh slate there are a few remaining examples of locally sourced Swithland slate, such as at the Old Vicarage at the head of School Street; nos. 4 & 8, Church Street; no. 17, Anthony Street; the former village hall on Fowke Street; no. 4, School Street; 10a, Woodgate (the Grade II listed former stockinger’s workshop); the Wesleyan Chapel on Howe Lane; nos. 3 (Rood House) and nos. 84 & 86, Town Green Street (both grade II listed).

Other roofing materials in the Conservation Area include the use of Roman tiles at nos. 81 (Park Farm) and 91, Town Green Street, although photographic evidence shows that these buildings were originally thatched (Rothley History Society (2003) page 40).

One of the most significant visual changes to the Conservation Area has been the widespread use of concrete roof tiles to re-roof a large number of properties. These tiles look out of place and are visually intrusive and should be avoided by specifying Welsh slate for any new development within the Conservation Area.

There is a broad range of window types throughout the Conservation Area, but unfortunately the survival rate of original windows and doors has not been good. Whilst such features are often integral to their appearance, a substantial number of properties have been fitted with replacement upvc windows and doors that have little respect for the building’s original appearance.

Of the surviving traditional windows the most common are sash windows and typical examples include the Georgian multi-pane sash windows in the front elevation no. 3 (Rood House), Town Green Street; the multi- pane sash windows without horns at no. 4 School Street; and the Victorian split-pane sashes at nos. 10 & 12, Anthony Street; or mixed sashes such as at no. 6, Fowke Street, with a split pane lower sash and a 6-pane upper sash, and nos. 2-6, Anthony Street, which have a split lower sash with a 4-pane upper sash in the first floor. A common variation of window type used throughout the Conservation Area is the tripartite sash window, with examples in the first floor of nos. 18-20, Anthony Street, nos. 43-45, Woodgate; and no. 31, Town Green Street.

As well as sash windows, a number of properties also have casement windows, such as the mullion and transom windows with opening casements at nos. 25-27, Fowke Street and no. 89, Town Green Street; the ground floor windows of no. 30 (Ivy House), Anthony Street (Grade II listed); the first floor windows of nos. 17-21, Woodgate, that project forward of the front wall, although the only original windows are at no. 21; the range of casements at no. 81, Town Green Street, which has a mixed range of 3-light and 2-light casements, and at nos. 92-100 & 102-106, Town Green Street, which have a range of 3-light casements on the ground floor and 4-light casements on the first floor.

There are also some good examples of other traditional window styles such as the Yorkshire sliding sashes in the outbuildings to no. 17 (Draycott House), Anthony Street; nos. 6 and 13, Fowke Street; and in the upper floors of nos. 91 and 103, Town Green Street.

Rothley Conservation Area 91 Character Appraisal Page 12 A number of properties have distinctive bay windows, such as no. 4, Church Street which has a pair of box bays on the front elevation; nos. 18-20, Anthony Street with canted bay windows under a monopitch roof that extends across the two properties; and a series of canted bays at nos. 29-35, Town Green Street which are also under a continuous monopitch roof that is supported by timber brackets and also provides a canopy over the front doors. Nos. 27-41, North Gate retain a series of simple box-bays with monopitched roofs but these have been much altered.

Many of the properties in the Conservation Area have retained their original timber panel doors, such as in the terraces along North Gate and at nos. 43-45 and 58, Woodgate, all of which have attractive toplights above the door. The most elaborate doorways are naturally found on the older properties such as at no. 4, Church Street, where the original panel door and fanlight is surrounded by an attractive timber doorcase with a pedimented canopy; at no. 30, Anthony Street, which has a panelled door framed by a timber doorcase and small bracketed hood; no. 3, Town Green Street, which has a panelled door and overlight framed by a timber doorcase with dentilled pediment and fluted pilasters; and no. 89, Town Green Street, which has a panelled door within a wooden doorcase.

Such original architectural features make a unique contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and wherever possible should be retained as they add to the collective wealth and variety of architectural details within it.

Most of the Victorian and Edwardian cottages have quite pronounced projecting cills and flat lintels with a range of decorative motifs around the door and window openings. Nos. 29-35, Town Green Street have a first floor lintel with an acanthus leaf motif within a pediment; while nos. 7-11, Town Green Street have a scroll motif within the lintels; and nos. 58 and 60-62, Woodgate have a floral and scroll motif. A number of properties also have distinctive brick arches, such as the segmental arches with projecting painted keystones on the North Street terraces while the earlier Georgian houses, that are built in more polite architectural style, have splayed brick arches over the windows, such as no. 3, Town Green Street, which has gauged brick lintels with central projecting painted keystones.

Although most properties are simply detailed and lack architectural embellishment, some buildings have relatively subtle detailing. A typical detail within many of the terraced properties are the moulded brick string courses under the eaves, such as the egg and dart motifs over a dentil course at nos. 29-35, Town Green Street and nos. 58 and 60-62, Woodgate; or the single dentil course at nos. 15-21, Woodgate. Nos. 92-100 & 102-106, Town Green Street have a simple brick dentil stringcourse between the brick ground floor and the rendered upper floors.

Many properties have retained their original chimney stacks, most of which are quite simple brick stacks with an oversailing course surmounted by simple pots, which add considerable skyline interest.

Whilst there are a number of commercial properties in the Conservation Area there are few surviving examples of traditional timber shop fronts, the best are those at nos. 19-21, Woodgate, which contain a single shop display window framed by pilasters with brackets supporting a cornice over the fascia. Given their rarity within the Conservation Area these make a significant contribution to the historic character of the Area.

Local details Two features of Rothley, not found elsewhere in the Borough, are the historic street lanterns, some hung from the walls of houses, others set on individual lamp-posts, and the original blue enamel fire hydrant signs found on several houses around the Area.

Another feature is the use of the Templars Cross as an emblem on street furniture in Cross Green.

Parks, gardens and trees Rothley Brook and its associated meadow lands make a significant contribution to the setting of the village. They create a calm rural quality to the landscape and they create opportunities for views of the village from outside and vistas across the valley from within the village. The meadows are bordered along Hallfields Lane by a fine row of pine trees and other deciduous trees and the brook itself has many willows and other trees along its banks.

Rothley Conservation Area 92 Character Appraisal Page 13 The garden of The Grange contains some fine specimen trees but these are difficult to assess while the redevelopment is taking place.

An important individual tree is the Beech, planted as a memorial in 1953 to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, on Town Green. The trees at the junction of Woodgate/Wellsic Lane/Westfield Lane are a continuation of the park setting to . Significant groups of trees are the group of four around the War Memorial at Cross Green and the many Yews and other trees within the churchyard.

Biodiversity One of the main influencing factors on biodiversity within the Conservation Area comes from Rothley Brook, which has been notified as a Local Wildlife Site. The brook contains valuable features such as sections of eroding earth cliff, a series of riffle and pool systems and sediment bars exposed at low flow. The brook is also fringed by tall trees with overhanging branches and exposed roots. A number of these are classed as veteran trees. Species include crack willow, alder, pedunculate oak, ash, sycamore and black poplar hybrid.

The section of brook within the Conservation Area is known to support white-clawed crayfish, which is listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan species and has also been identified as a key species in the Local Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). The white-clawed crayfish is the only native crayfish in the Country, and is fully protected under wildlife legislation.

In recent time, Rothley Brook has also seen the return of the otter, another BAP species. The otter, which marks its territory with characteristic spraints often deposited close to bridges or on prominent rocks, has been recorded further downstream and along the River Soar, showing that it must be travelling through the Conservation Area. The presence of the otter is a measure of how the water quality of the brook has improved.

Through the Conservation Area and beyond, the tree-lined brook functions as a wildlife corridor, along which kingfishers feed and travel. Bats such as pipistrelle and Daubenton’s are known to forage along the watercourse, and the well-wooded areas around the Town Green, Rothley Grange and St Mary’s Church are particularly good feeding grounds. Bat roosts have been recorded close by within the built fabric of the Conservation Area and several mature trees are also known to have potential as bat roosts.

Badgers and their setts occur within the Conservation Area and use the network of grassland fields and hedgerows to forage and commute.

Off Town Green Street, a group of three grassland fields are separated by tall, free-growing hedgerows, mainly comprising ivy-clad mature ash and hawthorn. Ivy is an important source of nectar and pollen for invertebrates when few other plants are in flower, and its berries can sustain blackbirds and thrushes in early spring. The gaps in the roadside hedgerow at Donkey Field have recently been planted with woody species: in time this will provide a fine habitat and restore a wildlife corridor, although the remaining hedgerow is rather severely trimmed, except for a few holly and ash standards.

The field where the playground is located comprises areas of rough grassland and wet woodland, whilst the middle field is scrubbing over. The resulting habitat mosaic is a valuable wildlife resource, providing food and shelter for a wide range of birds, such as robin, dunnock, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, wren and house sparrow. An informal footpath enables local residents to come into contact with the natural environment close to home.

On the north side of Hallfields Lane, Bunny’s Field is used for informal recreation. The field is managed intensively as amenity grassland and the boundary hedgerow along Anthony Street is trimmed at a height too low to be of great significance to wildlife. However, a strip running either side of a water-filled ditch on the northern boundary provides another wildlife habitat. The ditch supports a range of wetland species including reed sweet-grass, reed canary grass, great willowherb and meadowsweet. Along Hallfields Road, a few oak and alder trees have been recently planted and in years to come should provide some much needed habitat continuity.

The area between the Old Vicarage Lane, St Mary’s Church and the Public House is rather more domesticated. The proportion of conifers and other ornamental trees is more common there with dense yew, leyland cypress, laurel and beech hedgerows with occasional holly, privet, hawthorn, ash and oak, still providing good cover for garden bird species.

Rothley Conservation Area 93 Character Appraisal Page 14

Opposite Rothley Grange, the brook splits between a straight canalised section and a gentle meandering course: the secluded field between the two branches of the brook is used as a playing field and is mostly intensively cut as amenity grassland, although a fringe of willow scrub and tall vegetation, combined with mature crack willow and alder trees, offers a good wildlife habitat.

Along Hallfields Lane and part of Fowke Street, the Conservation Area is characterised by tall, free growing hedgerows with many mature Scot’s pine and a mix of woody species such as yew, holly, ash, beech, horse chestnut and oak. These hedgerows form part of a biodiversity network throughout the Conservation Area and beyond.

Detrimental features There are no significant detrimental features.

Rothley Conservation Area 94 Character Appraisal Page 15 Definition of special interest • The location beside the Rothley Brook; • The two clusters of development, of Town Green and around the Church both containing a wealth of timber framed buildings; • The narrow streets and lanes, tightly enclosed with rows of buildings up to the back of the pavement; • The way many of the buildings in the medieval streets are set slightly out of parallel to the street; • The raised pavements and their associated railings; • Views of the parish Church and its tower; • The open aspect and silhouette of the village when seen from the south; • The historical links with Rothley Temple; • The variety of buildings and activities; • The use of local granite, particularly in boundary walls; • The survival of street lanterns and fire hydrant signs.

Rothley Conservation Area 95 Character Appraisal Page 16 MANAGEMENT PLAN General Principles Any proposed changes should be carried out in a sensitive manner, taking into account this established character. New development must respond to its immediate environment i.e. its context, in terms of scale, form, materials and detailing. Otherwise, alterations will have a detrimental effect on the historic and locally distinctive form of the village.

Within the conservation area, where the quality of the general environment is already considered to be high, the Council will insist on good quality schemes which respond positively to their historic setting, this extends to small buildings such as garages and even boundary walls and fences. Minor alterations need to be carefully considered as incremental change can have a significant detrimental affect on the character of an area over a period of time.

Central government guidance contained in PPS1 and PPG 15, Borough of Charnwood Local Plan, Leading in Design and other SPD, and Village Design Statements will be used to assess the quality of proposal for new development.

The character of the conservation area identified in the appraisal document is such that the following general principles should be noted when considering any development in all parts of the conservation area:

8. The conservation area has a distinct “grain” or pattern of built form and spaces which are part of its historic development. This gives the conservation area great individuality, characterised by the pattern of historic buildings, ancient footpaths and highways and clearly defined boundaries. This “grain” is an important part of the character of the conservation area and will be protected.

9. The emphasis for new proposals will be on high quality of design. There may be opportunity for innovative modern design. However a dramatic contemporary statement is unlikely to be appropriate. Good modern design can be used to create positive changes in historic settlements

10. Scale is the combination of a building’s height and bulk when related to its surroundings. Proposed new development must take into account the scale of the existing buildings, and must not dominate of overwhelm them.

11. Alterations and extensions must respect the form of the original building and its locality. The use of high quality materials and detailing, whether modern or traditional is essential. Roof lines, roof shape, eaves details, verge details and the creation of new chimneys are important considerations.

12. Windows and doors of a traditional design respect the historic nature of the buildings to which they belong and make a very important contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area. The use of upvc and standardised high speed joinery techniques nearly always leads to unsuitably detailed windows which will be generally unacceptable in the conservation area. In most cases the building regulation requirements can be met without the need to use clumsy and awkwardly detailed windows.

13. The appraisal has identified the types of materials that characterise the conservation area and where possible this should be used to help alterations respect that established character.

14. Applicants for planning permission must provide a meaningful “Design & Access Statement”, to explain the design decisions that have been made and to show how proposed alterations relate to their context. A detailed analysis of the locality should demonstrate that there is a full appreciation of the local streetscape and how it has developed, including prevailing building forms, materials and plot ratios.

15. Safeguarding of protected spices must be taken on board when considering planning proposals such as conversion, tree felling, housing development and other changes which may affect their roosting places, commuting routes and feeding areas.

Rothley Conservation Area 96 Character Appraisal Page 17 Procedures to ensure consistent decision-making As mentioned previously the basis of the character appraisal is to inform and guide development control decisions. A consistent approach to this decision making will be aided by providing: • Conservation and design surgeries to help development control officers to make informed decisions, no matter how minor the proposed changes. • Opportunities for pre-application discussion regarding significant alterations. • Opportunities to review decisions and assess the impact of approved alterations through post development site visits.

Enforcement strategy Effective enforcement is vital to make sure there is public confidence in the planning system to protect the special character of the area. Unauthorised development can often be damaging to that character.

Taking proactive action can improve the appearance and character of the area, making it more attractive and in some instances increasing the potential for investment. Effective monitoring of building work to make sure it is carried out in accordance with the approved details and with planning conditions ensures new development makes the positive contribution envisaged when permission was granted.

In order to protect the character of the conservation area the Borough Council will seek to: • use enforcement powers in cases where unauthorised development unacceptably affects the character of the conservation area.

• take proactive action to improve or enhance the appearance of the area.

• monitor development under way to make sure it fully complies with the terms of any planning permission or listed building consent.

Carrying out unauthorised work to a listed building or to protected trees and hedgerows and the unauthorised demolition a building within a conservation area is an offence. In such cases, the Council will consider prosecution of anyone responsible and any necessary remedial action.

The powers set out in Section 215 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 will be used where sites are identified as detracting from the character of the conservation area by being eyesores or untidy.

Article 4 Direction proposals The quality of the conservation area is often threatened by the cumulative impact of numerous small changes to many buildings. Terraces that once displayed integrity of design through the use of matching features such as doors, window, chimneys and porches, have been unbalanced by various alterations and additions. On the whole such changes do not require planning permission.

In order to preserve and enhance the character of conservation areas, many planning authorities use Article 4 Directions to restrict permitted development rights on groups of buildings or areas. Restrictions normally relate to particular elements such as replacement windows and doors, or roofing.

The character assessment does not identify a sufficient cluster of significant historic features to justify the introduction of an Article 4 Direction. Currently, no Article 4 Directions are planned..

General condition It is intent of the Borough Council to take necessary action to secure repair & full use of any buildings at risk. At the moment none of the listed buildings are at risk of decay and all appear to be in a good state of repair. The locally listed buildings are generally in good condition.

Review the boundary The present boundaries of the existing Conservation Area incorporate the principal areas of special historic and architectural interest within the village. However, it is suggested that Rothley Temple and all its parkland, including that which is no longer within the onwership of Rothley Court be included in the Area. Rothley Conservation Area 97 Character Appraisal Page 18 Possible buildings for spot listing None of the buildings within the Conservation Area were identified for “spot listing”, i.e. considered for inclusion on the list of statutory listed buildings, by the character assessment.

Enhancement opportunities No particular sites or issues have been identified.

Proposals for developing an economic development & regeneration strategy for the area Historic building repair grants are available from both Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council. Repair and reinstatement works to historic buildings, that make a vital contribution to maintaining and improving the character of the conservation area are likely to be eligible for grant assistance.

Strategy for the management & protection of important trees, greenery and green spaces The Biodiversity Action Plan sets out the Borough Council’s priorities for conservation of a variety of wildlife and their habitats within Charnwood and details the actions required to bring about a reversal in its fortune. The BAP will be reviewed and modified as required, to ensure that the necessary actions are being taken by the appropriate agencies.

Monitoring change arrangements It is planned to review the conservation area character appraisal and its management plan every five year, although the management plan may under certain circumstances need to be reviewed over a shorter time period. A photographic record of the conservation area has been made and will be used to help identify the need to review how changes within the conservation area are managed. A greater degree of protection will be accomplished if the local community help monitor any changes.

Consideration of resources This management plan sets out the commitment of the Borough Council to protecting the character and appearance of Charnwood’s conservation areas and how it will use its resources to achieve these aims. Pursuing all actions may be seen as desirable but continued monitoring and review will help focus the use of available resources in the most effective way.

Summary of issues and proposed actions

Conservation Area Issue Proposed Action Lead Other Partner Partners

Include Rothley Temple and all its Review the Conservation Charnwood associated parkland. Area boundary. BC

Developing management proposals Various forces, historical, cultural and commercial, have shaped the development of the conservation area, creating a sense of place and individual identity. The character and appearance of the conservation area is vitally important, both in attracting investment in the area itself, and in the encouragement of initiatives to the benefit of the wider community.

Based on the issues that have been identified the following objectives will have a positive impact in both protecting and enhancing the character of the conservation area, and provide the basis of a long term management plan:

Rothley Conservation Area 98 Character Appraisal Page 19 • Protection of Rothley Brook and its tree-lined banks to sustain recorded species. The management of pollards to prolong the life of mature willow trees would be desirable. • Retention of areas of rough grassland / scrub along the wet ditch at Bunny’s Field, in fields to the south of Town Green Street, and in the field opposite to Rothley Grange. • To ensure continuity of the ‘mature tree’ habitat, a programme of native species planting to replace the network of veteran trees which will eventually become senescent, would be desirable. • Likewise, the retention and maintenance of hedgerows as wildlife corridors through a planting up programme and sympathetic management would be desirable.

Community involvement This document will be made available as a draft via the website for 4 weeks prior to submission to Cabinet for adoption. A public meeting was held in Rothley so that local residents could contribute their ideas for enhancement and preservation of the Conservation Area. All comments and responses have been considered and appropriate amendments have been made to the document prior to submission to Cabinet.

Advice & Guidance The Borough Council Development Department can advise on the need for Planning Permission or Listed Building Consent and can provide guidance on matters such as appropriate methods of maintenance/repairs, changes to shopfronts, alterations and extensions and suitable materials.

Contacts: Conservation & Design Team Tel. 01509 634748 [email protected]

Development Control Tel. 01509 634691 [email protected]

Planning Enforcement Tel. 01509 634722

Rothley Conservation Area 99 Character Appraisal Page 20 Bibliography Bailey, S. J. (1978) The Functional Change of a Leicestershire Village: Rothley (Private Dissertation)

Courtney, P. (2007) ‘Between Two Forests: the Social and Topographic Evolution of Medieval Anstey’ in Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and History Society Vol. 77, 33-64

Hoskins, W. G. (1970) A Shell Guide: Leicestershire, Faber and Faber, London

Kelly’s Directory of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland: 1908

Knight, D. (nd) A History and Guide to Rothley A Great Central Country Station (Private Publication)

Lording it Over Mediaeval Rothley, Income for Kings, and the Warrior Templar and Hospitaller Knights, Vanessa McLoughlin, Rothley Chronicle 4, Rothley History Society, 2006.

Mediaeval Rothley, A Peculiar Parish, Vanessa McLoughlin, Rothley Chronicle 5, Rothley History Society, 2007.

Mediaeval Rothley, Manor, Soke and Parish, PhD Thesis, Vanessa McLoughlin, 2006.

Nichols, J. (1811) The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester, Vol III, Part 2 (reprinted 1971)

Parker R. M. (1958) Rothley (Private Publication)

Potter, T. R. (1842) The History and Antiquities of Charnwood Forest

Reynolds, S. M. G. (1955) ‘Tables of Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

Rothley Estate Map 1780: Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Record Office (Ref: Ma/269/1)

Rothley History Society (2203) Rothley Then and Now A Century of Change Seen through the Camera Lens Rothley History Society Leicester

Smith, C. T. (1955) ‘Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

The National School in Rothley, Historical Sourcebook, Terry Sheppard, St Mary’s Parish Church, 1996.

Webster, V. R. (1954) Cruck Frame Buildings of Leicestershire in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society Vol. 30, pp. 26-58

White’s Directories of Leicestershire and Rutland: 1846; 1863, 1877 & 1894

Workers Educational Association (1994) Rothley in 1851 Workers Educational Association Birstall and Rothley Branch

Internet Resources Jones, G. (1999), Anglo-Saxon England Settlement - Rural and Town Life at: http://www.le.ac.uk/users/grj1/asl.html Date accessed: 02 January 2008

A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 697-703 'Ross - Rothwell',. http://www.british- history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51245 Date accessed: 02 January 2008.

A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2 (1954), pp. 31-32 'House of Knights Templar: Preceptory of Rothley', http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=38170 Date accessed: 02 January 2008 http://www.leics.gov.uk/rothely.pdf Date accessed: 02 January 2008

Rothley Conservation Area 100 Character Appraisal Page 21 LISTED BUILDINGS IN ROTHLEY CONSERVATION AREA The Parish Church is listed Grade II*: the rest are all Grade II.

Anthony Street: No. 9 (Moon Gate) No. 17 No. 30 (Ivy House)

Church Street: No. 2 No. 4 No. 10 Church of St Mary the Virgin and St John the Baptist - Grade II* The Hunt Headstone within the churchyard

Cross Green: War Memorial and Walls

Fowke Street: No. 6 No. 8 No. 13

North Street: No. 36 (Old Farm House) No. 55, includes no. 1 Town Green Street

School Street: No. 4 (Tower House)

Town Green Street: No. 1, includes no. 55 North Street No. 3 (Rood House) No. 80 No. 81 Nos. 84 & 86 No.89 No. 91 No. 103 (Keepers Cottage) Bridge 100m south of Town Green Street, Rothley Park

Woodgate: Nos 10, 10a and 12

Rothley Conservation Area 101 Character Appraisal Page 22 Appendix 4

Rothley Conservation Area Appraisal - Responses to the draft document

Respondent Comment Response of the Director of Development

1 Members of Public at the The shops on Woodgate and at Cross Green are out of Review the implementation of Leading in Design, Shopfronts and Public Meeting keeping with a Conservation Area, in particular the Mercury Signs SPD. News Shop, which has a traditional shopfront fitted with a standard design of sign.

2 Member of Public at the Concrete bollards around Town Green have been painted Refer to Rothley Parish Council. Public Meeting white which has changed their character. Suggested timber posts as at Mountsorrel Green.

3 Member of Public at the Nos. 78, 82, 83-87 & 90-108, Town Green Street, which are An Article 4.2 Direction will be considered. Public Meeting unlisted buildings, need to be protected against change of doors and windows to preserve the unique character of the area: two front doors have already been changed: consider Article 4.2 direction.

4 Member of Public at the Loss of sense of enclosure at Cross Green due to Greenway The importance of a sense of enclosure at Cross Green is Public Meeting Close. identified in the Appraisal. The Appraisal will guide future developments within the Area.

5 Member of Public at the Why have grass verges at Cross Green been asphalted over? Referred to Leics CC Highway Department. Public Meeting

6 Member of Public at the New development at The Grange, Fowke Street, out of The character of the new development will be assessed once it has Public Meeting character. been completed.

7 Member of Public at the The new development at between nos 18 and 19 Cross The Appraisal will guide future developments within the Area. Public Meeting Green is not appropriate.

8 Member of Public at the Condition of The Old Crown and its yard (and also The Blue Investigate appropriate action by Enforcement and Environmental Public Meeting Bell and its yard) is untidy, with rubbish and skips, and should Health. be addressed by enforcement action.

Rothley Conservation Area 102 Responses to draft document Page 1 9 Member of Public at the The Grange, Fowke Street, has not been re-roofed with The original roofing material of The Grange was Welsh slate. The Public Meeting Swithland slate. outbuildings were roofed with Swithland slate which was stolen.

10 Member of Public at the People using the shops in Woodgate park on the pavement. Refer to Police and Street Management Team. Public Meeting

11 Member of Public at the Concern over viability of the shops in Rothley centre which There is a cashpoint for free cash withdrawals at the post office. Public Meeting may be as the result of there being no bank.

12 Member of Public at the The grass verge in Anthony Street is being worn away by Refer to Leics CC Highway Dept. Public Meeting overwide lorries (particularly noted were cleansing vehicles) negotiating the street especially when there parked cars. This problem of lorries negotiating the narrow streets also applies to Town Green.

13 Member of Public at the How are changes which take place outside the CA controlled Planning applications which may affect the character of the Public Meeting when these may affect views of the village which have been Conservation Area will be guided by the Appraisal. noted in the Appraisal?

14 Member of Public at the The boundary wall to Rood House is not in keeping with the The boundary wall was in place before designation of the Public Meeting Area and part of it is damaged. Conservation Area. We will encourage an appropriate restoration of the damaged part which has occurred due to tree growth.

15 Member of Public at the Rothley Temple and all its parkland, including that which is no Include in the Review of the Conservation Area boundary. Public Meeting longer within the onwership of Rothley Court should be The condition of the chapel is being monitored. included in the Area. Also note that the condition of the chapel at the temple is not good, neither is the boundary wall to Westfield Lane.

16 Member of Public at the Too much traffic is using Howe Lane as a result of Woodgate This situation may be resolved: Howe Lane is to be made one way Public Meeting being one way. up from Town Green Street. Refer to Leics CC Highways Dept.

17 Member of Public at the Concern over traffic using Fowke Street: should it be made Refer to Leics CC Highways Dept. Public Meeting one way?

Rothley Conservation Area 103 Responses to draft document Page 2 18 Letter (attached to email) Clarifications of the history of the village and the connection The text has been amended to take account of this information. from Terry Shepherd of with the Templars and the status of the church. New Errors have been corrected. Rothley History Society. information from recent archeological investigations at The Grange reveal Roman and Saxon history. Information about late Victorian development. Corrections to the text.

19 Letter from local resident 1 Rooms used for public meetings should be suitable for 1 Refer to Rothley Parish Council hearing impaired people; 2 This is the purpose of the Appraisal 2 Cabinet should be aware of what is worthy of conservation; 3 This matter refers to views from a private house which cannot 3 Views are noted in the appraisal but they are being be protected obscured by tree planting; 4 See issue 20 below 4 Replacement of street name plates; 5 Text amended accordingly 5 Changes to historic street names; 6 See issue 10 above 6 Inappropriate parking; 7 See issue 9 above 7 Roofing material at The Grange; 8 Noted 8 Importance of the history of the village; 9 The Heritage and Art Collection Panel have a programme of 9 Blue Plaques in the village. installing Blue Plaques throughout the Borough

20 Phone call from local Cast iron street name plates are being removed. Environmental Services are aware of this issue and the value of the resident historic plates.

21 Phone call from local Concern over condition of the chapel at Rothley Temple The condition of the chapel is being monitored. resident

The Public Meeting to consider the draft Appraisal was held on Tuesday 19th February 2008 at the Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel Lane. 59 people attended.

Rothley Conservation Area 104 Responses to draft document Page 3 Appendix 5

QUORN CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

INTRODUCTION 2 Planning policy context

ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST 4 LOCATION AND SETTING

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT 4 Origins and development Archaeological interest Population

SPATIAL ANALYSIS 7 Plan form Townscape Key views, vistas and landmarks

CHARACTER ANALYSIS 9 Building types, layouts and uses Key listed buildings and structures Key unlisted buildings Coherent groups Building materials and architectural details Parks, gardens and trees Biodiversity Detrimental features

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTEREST 14

CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN 15 General principles Procedures to ensure consistent decision-making Enforcement strategy Article 4 Direction General condition Review of the boundary Possible buildings for spot listing Enhancement Proposals for economic development and regeneration Management and protection of important trees, green spaces and biodiversity Monitoring change Consideration of resources Summary of issues and proposed actions Developing management proposals Community involvement Advice and guidance

BIBLIOGRAPHY 20

LISTED BUILDINGS IN QUORN 21

Quorn Conservation Area 105 Character Appraisal Page 1 QUORN CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

INTRODUCTION Quorn Conservation Area was designated in August 1977 and extended in January 1991. It covers an area of about 47.5 ha. Quorn was described in Pigot’s Commercial Directory of 1841 as “a neat and thriving village” and the boundaries of the Conservation Area generally define the extent of the settlement as it existed at the start of the 20th century.

This material has been reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital mapping with the permission of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright. Licence No 100023558

The Area includes much of the historic core of the village, focussing on the spread of ribbon development along the four principal roads from the staggered crossroads at Quorn Cross, running east–west along Station Road and Meeting Street, and north-south along the High Street and Leicester Road. There is a broad range of residential and commercial development within this historic core that is representative of the settlement from the medieval period through to the Victorian and Edwardian expansion of the village in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The purpose of this appraisal is to examine the historical development of the Conservation Area and to describe its present appearance in order to assess its special architectural and historic interest. The appraisal will then be used to inform the consideration of management and development proposals within the Area. Quorn Conservation Area in 2008

Quorn Conservation Area 106 Character Appraisal Page 2 This document sets out the planning policy context and how this appraisal relates to national, regional and local planning policies.

The main part of the report focuses on the assessment of the special interest of the conservation area, describing: • Location and setting relate the conservation area to the historic village and surrounding area. • Historic development and archaeology set out how architecture and archaeology are related to the social and economic growth of the town. • Spatial analysis describes the historic plan form of the town and how this has changed, the interrelationship of streets and spaces and identifies key views and landmarks. • Character analysis identifies the uses, types and layouts of buildings, the key listed and unlisted buildings, coherent groups of buildings, distinctive building material and architectural details, significant green spaces and trees, biodiversity and wildlife and also detrimental features.

These elements are brought together in a summary of the overall special interest of the Area. An assessment of the general condition of the buildings and spaces within the Area is also included.

The main issues and proposed management actions are summarised. Recommendations for developing longer term management proposals for the Area are suggested.

PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT A conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest whose character or appearance should be preserved or enhanced. In making decisions on potential development within a conservation area, the Council is required to ‘pay attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area’. Permission will not be granted for proposals that are likely to harm the character or appearance of a conservation area. Sections 69 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Planning Policy Guidance note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment says that special attention should be paid when considering proposals for development in a conservation area.

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands published in March 2005 advises local authorities to develop strategies that avoid damage to the region’s cultural assets. Policy 27: Protecting and Enhancing The Region’s Natural and Cultural Assets.

The Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan 1996 to 2016, published in December 2004, seeks to identify, protect, preserve and enhance areas, sites, buildings and settings of historic or architectural interest or archaeological importance. Development within conservation areas should preserve or enhance their character and appearance. Environment Policy 2: Sites and Buildings of Historic Architectural and Archaeological Interest.

The Council’s adopted Supplementary Planning Document ‘Leading in Design’ builds on the design policies set out in the Charnwood Local Plan and will contribute to the development of more effective approaches to securing good design in the emerging Local Development Framework. The guide is also intended to support the implementation of the community strategy, Charnwood Together, by providing a set of principles that will inform the physical development implicit in the initiatives and actions of all partners in the local strategic partnership.

Quorn Village Design Statement provides guidelines, established by local residents, for new development throughout the village. It is scheduled to be adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance in March 2008.

Other relevant SPG/SPD guidance includes: • Backland & Tandem Development. • House Extensions • Shopfronts & Signs

Quorn Conservation Area 107 Character Appraisal Page 3 ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST LOCATION AND CONTEXT Quorn lies about 2.5 miles south of Loughborough and is situated at the confluence of Buddon Brook and the River Soar, lying mostly on the western side of both water courses. The village sits at a crossroads where the road from Leicester to Loughborough crosses an ancient path between Barrow upon Soar and Beacon Hill.

Quorn in 1903

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT ORIGINS

The name Quorn may have come from the Old English ‘cweordun’ meaning a place where millstones came from. The name of the village has been through a number of variations, such as ‘Querndon’ in the Lincoln Episcopal Registers of 1209-35, and other references include ‘Querne’, ‘Quendon’, ‘Querendon’ and ‘Quarandon’, before being fixed in its present version by the early 19th century, Nichols (1811) making the comment that the village was most usually called Quorn.

Unlike many of its neighbouring settlements in the Soar valley that pre-date the Norman Conquest, Quorn is a comparatively recent settlement that was founded following the Norman Conquest. There appears to be no evidence of any settlement in Quorn prior to the Conquest and there is no mention of the settlement in the Domesday Survey of 1086. There are reports in the Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society (TLAHS) of a Roman coin being found in Wood Street (TLAHS 1965-6) and of Iron Age and Roman finds in Buddon Wood (TLHAS 1968-70 & 1970-2) which suggest that there has been early human activity in the general area.

Quorn Conservation Area 108 Character Appraisal Page 4 The area was crossed by ancient trackways, in particular a north-south route along the Soar Valley (reinforced later as the line of Leicester to Loughborough turnpike and then the main A6) and an east-west route through the village from a crossing of the River Soar near Barrow, identified by Hoskins (1957) as a pre-Roman trackway that ran between Six Hills and Beacon Hill in Charnwood Forest. After the Norman Conquest, the area formed part of the extensive Manor of Barrow, which was passed by William the Conqueror to his nephew Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who is recorded as the Lord of the Manor in the Domesday Survey. (Hugh Lupus is also credited with building the castle at Mountsorrel). Barrow was a large parish that extended westwards from Barrow itself into Charnwood Forest and included Quorn, the north-end of Mountsorrel and parts of Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves and Beaumanor and the hamlets of Mapplewell and Charley.

The first settlement at Quorn most likely dates from the early 12th century in association with the establishment of a large hunting park extending from Buddon Wood to Woodthorpe by the Earl of Chester. Cooper (1989) suggests that the Lord of the Manor built a hunting lodge and small chapel on the gravel terraces above the Buddon Brook close to the crossing point of the ancient tracks which is now known as Quorn Cross.

The early development and prosperity of the medieval village relied mainly on farming, based on its open fields, meadows and common land. Quorn had its own system of open fields, split between the North, or More, Field of 685 acres; the West Field of 334 acres to the north west of Meeting Street and the South Field of 457 acres to the south west of the Buddon Brook, along with extensive meadows in Outerholme and Greenholme in the broad curve of the River Soar to the east of the Leicester Road.

By the middle of the 18th century there was increasing pressure from the major landowners to enclose the open fields and an Enclosure Act was passed by Parliament in 1762. The enclosure of the open fields had a profound effect on the local landscape, small hedged fields replaced the open fields, and on the local economy as the landowners were able to convert former arable land into more profitable pasture land for the rearing of livestock. The 1801 crop returns for Leicestershire show that out of some 1,480 acres only 488 acres were used for arable farming (Hoskins, 1948). The enclosure of the open fields also removed the village’s traditional reliance on the land and reduced the need for agricultural labourers, forcing the villagers to look for new employment.

By the mid-18th century Leicester Road and High Street had become part of the turnpike connecting Leicester with Loughborough (and ultimately London with the North West) and Quorn was able to develop as a staging point, providing coaching inns, such as The Bull’s Head and The White Horse, stables and other businesses to serve the travellers.

However the most important source of employment was the domestic framework knitting industry introduced in the mid-18th century. Early knitters were traditionally employed as out-workers working within their main home or in purpose built workshops to the rear of their properties with the involvement of the whole family (men on the frame, women seaming and children winding wool onto bobbins). Pigot’s Directory of 1828-9 noted that the prosperity and population of the settlement had been increased by the successful introduction of stocking weaving and the manufacture of warp and bobbin lace, which employed a great many of the inhabitants. By the mid-19th century new hosiery and lace factories had replaced the domestic trade, Pigot’s Directory of 1841 referring in particular to the production of a beautiful article called Tatting and Mechlin lace.

The introduction of new factories and the increased prosperity of the village resulted in an increase in population and this is reflected in the new housing in and around the earlier settlement, particularly the new terraced houses built in New Quorndon, along Leicester Road and Freehold Street.

A third important source of local employment and unique to Quorn, was the growing importance of the established by Hugo Meynell following his purchase of Quorn Hall in 1753. The Hunt provided many new jobs, including ostlers, grooms, kennel boys, domestic staff and blacksmiths and also prompted the building of new cottages on Meynell Road for Hunt workers. The Hunt also attracted large hunting parties from the upper classes and houses such as Quorn Court, built for the Duke of Devonshire in 1746, Stafford House and Charnwood House were all used to entertain visiting hunting parties.

The growth in the village through the 19th century was also reflected in the improvements and growth of community facilities. St. Bartholomew’s National School opened in 1834 on School Street and new places of worship were also built, a Wesleyan chapel on High Street, now being converted to residential use, and a

Quorn Conservation Area 109 Character Appraisal Page 5 Baptist Chapel on Meeting Street, which is still in use today. The settlement was also supplied with gas from the gas works established in 1853 at the rear of nos. 84-104, Leicester Road and, by 1899, with water from .

The village became a centre for local education with the foundation of Rawlins School in 1897. Thomas Rawlins had originally founded a school in Woodhouse Eaves in 1691, which was forced to close in 1865. Following an agreement with the Charity Commissioners the school was refounded in Quorn and a new Rawlins School was built on an area of open land next to the vicarage in 1897.

The present Conservation Area reflects the basic historic street pattern that had been established as a result of the local topography and the particular historic development of the village and it contains a wide range of buildings built in the village, largely between the 17th and early 20th centuries.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST The Conservation Area encompasses the core medieval settlement of Quorn and the historical development of the Area, which is evident in the pattern of streets, housing plots and the age of many of the properties, would suggest that there is good potential for below ground archaeology. Therefore, any major development within the Conservation Area requiring excavation works should be preceded by a considered archaeological assessment and investigation.

In addition many of the earlier buildings may conceal medieval or post-medieval remains and thus any works involving the disturbance of the existing fabric of such buildings would also merit further archaeological investigation and recording.

POPULATION The population of Quorn has varied over time. The most recent mid-year estimates of population published by Leicestershire County Council show that in 2004 there were some 5,100 people residing in the parish. The historical rise and fluctuations of the village’s population are recorded in the Victoria County History and in Bygone Quorn in Photographs (1984). These records show that the level of population has varied, from about 179 people at the time of the 1377 Poll Tax to 60 people at the 1563 Diocesan Returns; with 69 people recorded at the time of the Barrow Court Rolls in 1716 and 93 people recorded at the time of the Barrow Court Rolls in 1755. This gradual rise in the population, with some fluctuations, continued throughout the 19th and into the 20th century: from 1,237 in 1801; to 1,503 in 1821; 1,811 in 1841; falling to 1,622 in 1861 before rising to 1,816 in 1881 and 2,173 in 1901. These changes in population are largely a result of general economic changes, such as the increase in population in 1821 following the opening of a lace factory and a later fall in population in 1861 due to the decline of the domestic framework industry in the mid-19th century.

Quorn Conservation Area 110 Character Appraisal Page 6 SPATIAL ANALYSIS PLAN FORM The core of the village of Quorn is based on a crossing of two routes, the old A6 from Loughborough to Leicester and, more or less at right angles, a path to Barrow and Charnwood Forest, which is now Meeting Street and Station Road. The main settlement expanded out from this crossroads in a predominantly non- intensive linear fashion.

The pattern is evident on maps such as the 1838 plan of Quorn (Bygone Quorn in Photographs (1984)) and the early Ordnance Survey (OS) maps of the village. The earliest development appears to have followed a south- west to north-east alignment along Meeting Street and Station Road (originally shown as Barrow Road or Barrow Street on early OS maps) following the line of an ancient trackway down from the Charnwood Forest and along the edge of the gravel terrace above the Buddon Brook and the River Soar, these two watercourses being a feature of the village. The later expansion of the village, which was influenced by the development of the turnpike road and by industrial and commuter developments, followed the north-west to south-east alignment along High Street & Loughborough Road and Leicester Road which had always been the dominant route.

Behind the cross roads the Parish Church of St Bartholomew’s is situated on a rise above the streets in a large churchyard which is crossed by two well used footpaths which connect into the streets.

Beyond the crossroads, the village has expanded into a number of streets of terraced housing and, more recently, cul-de-sacs of suburban housing filling gaps in the street scene. Station Road itself has lost its obvious connection to Barrow upon Soar, both via the ancient trackway and with the modern road, which is now diverted by the new A6.

TOWNSCAPE The most important space in the Conservation Area is Quorn Cross which forms the focus for the village.

Generally within the Area buildings are of two or three storey built close together to form continuous rows and close up to the back of the pavement, with the roof ridge parallel to the street. There are exceptions which enhance the interest, such as the prominent gable of no. 18 High Street with its bull’s head at the apex.

From the crossroads going up High Street, the enclosure of the street appears tight even with the adjoining churchyard which is separated from it by a granite wall. It is part of the charm of the village that the houses of the High Street are so visible from the churchyard. The sense of enclosure changes where the High Street opens out at no. 26 set back on the left side and The Banks on the right. The opening out continues marked by the crest of the rise and the gardens of Rawlins and the Quorndon Fox.

The tight enclosure of Meeting Street is created by a combination of the houses, often in terraced groups, with many gaps, along the back of the pavement, the granite walls forming the flood defenses to the brook and the dense growth of trees overhanging the brook.

Station Road is more open due to the broadness of much of the pavement, or small front gardens with low walls and a number of gaps in the continuous line of the houses where the open spaces are defined by rows of trees.

The character of the churchyard is enhanced by the approach to it from the narrow streets of Nursery Lane and Church Lane, the latter of which is particularly enclosed. Footpaths crossing the churchyard provide valuable and well used routes between the streets.

Two of the principal buildings in Quorn, namely Quorn Hall and Quorn House, both within the Conservation Area ,play little part in the townscape of the Area. They are set within their own areas of parkland and are significant features of the village.

The Conservation Area now forms an integral part of the modern village, encapsulating the sprawling historic settlement that existed at the turn of the 20th century. This historic core has been somewhat fragmented by several infill developments from late Victorian times to the present day and it is often difficult to identify well- defined boundaries to distinguish the historic core from the late 20th century developments. For example, along Leicester Road the original rows of cottages on the south side were demolished to improve the width of the main road. The redevelopment of a block of flats which face away from the street now makes an austere

Quorn Conservation Area 111 Character Appraisal Page 7 enclosure which detracts from the character of the Conservation Area. In addition, the broad grass verge between the flats and the roadway has little meaning.

INTER-RELATIONSHIP OF SPACES An important feature of the Conservation Area are three large open spaces which create major openings beside the enclosure of the streets: the churchyard; Stafford Orchard Park, the recreation ground, between Station Road and School Lane; and the area of the car park on Station Road. There is also the recently landscaped space of The Banks and the open expanses forming the forecourts of Rawlins School, Quorndon Fox and Quorn Park Mills Bowls Club. The contrast of the open nature of these spaces with the tightly enclosed buildings is further strengthened by the most dominant feature, the proximity to the River Soar and Buddon Brook with their wooded belts and wide open water meadows.

Mostly, the two watercourses are situated at the edge of the settlement but the Brook flows through the Area around the rear of Quorn Mills and is a particular feature of Quorn Cross where the bankside has been landscaped as a public memorial garden. The river, the brook and their meadows are generally separated from the settlement by granite walls built as flood defenses.

Trees play an important part in all the open spaces of the Area, whether public, private or the meadows.

KEY VIEWS, VISTAS AND LANDMARKS The Parish Church of St Bartholomew occupies a slightly elevated site to the north of Station Road and whilst the trees and surrounding buildings generally hide the body of the Church, the tower is a focal point for views from several directions.

From the churchyard there are quite expansive views, sometimes under the canopy of the trees, to the buildings of the surrounding roads. These views may be to the frontages of buildings or to the rear of buildings.

The most expansive vista is out over the meadows from School Lane, while the views of the valley from Soar Road are limited by the trees to a sight of the river itself.

Quorn Cross is a staggered crossroads and it is marked by two old pubs which take good advantage of their locations: the Royal Oak almost terminates the sight of the junction as one approaches from Mountsorrel and terminates the view down Station Road though with lesser impact because the street is one way away from the junction; on the opposite corner the White Horse has an equally strong sense of terminating the views down High Street and down Meeting Street.

Quorn Mill in former times was a dominant landmark in the village. In the process of conversion from industrial to residential use, the fourth floor of the main factory building was removed and the tall chimney was demolished. It, nevetheless, remains as a landmark.

Quorn Conservation Area 112 Character Appraisal Page 8 CHARACTER ANALYSIS BUILDING TYPES, LAYOUTS AND USES The present buildings within the Conservation Area reflect much of the village’s historical development. In the centre of the village there is a range of shops, pubs and restaurants, public buildings and residential buildings. Beyond the centre, most of the buildings are residential but there are also some public, retail and industrial buildings. All the buildings are well integrated into the urban fabric of the village.

The basic economy of the medieval village was tied to agriculture, which provided both employment and activity within the village but there is little surviving evidence of this early agricultural economy in the Conservation Area today.

With the enclosure of the open fields, the population of Quorn relied largely on domestic framework knitting and then as the domestic industry declined in the latter half of the 19th century on local hosiery factories. Framework knitting was an extensive domestic activity, and examples of a knitters’ workshop appear to survive in the many three storey buildings with their tell-tale narrow upper floor windows that are scattered throughout the village, such as along Sarson Street, Leicester Road and Barrow Road.

With the decline of framework knitting new employment opportunities were provided by the development of hosiery and lace factories. One factory that has survived is that of Michael Wright, who came to Quorn in 1860 and his mill still dominates the centre of Quorn, and whilst the main building has recently been converted to apartments, production continues in a smaller unit that occupies a large site on the corner of Leicester Road and School Lane.

Whilst the Quorn Hunt was for a time at the end of the 19th century a major source of employment, the kennels were moved out of the village in 1906 and the Hall is now used by the County Council. Recently, part of the site was redeveloped for new housing called Huntsmans Close, leaving only a cluster of domestic buildings on Meynell Road alongside Quorn Hall as evidence of the earlier activity.

KEY LISTED BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES St Bartholomews Church is the most important building reflecting the early history of the settlement. It dates from the 12th century and is now listed Grade I. Wright's Directory of 1887 describes it as ancient Early English structure which had been restored under the direction of Mr E Christian in 1865-6 and extensively renovated and enriched in 1887.

Quorn Hall and Quorn House are important buildings in themselves but they play a minor role in the appearance of the Conservation Area since they are secluded from view, especially Quorn House. However, the lodge to Quorn House, listed Grade II, is an important building in the Area, a landmark marking the turn in Meeting Street. And the belfry and weathervane of the stables of Quorn Hall are visible through the new estate of Huntsmans Close.

The Croft, no. 10 Soar Road, is an imposing late 18th century house of red brick with white timber sash windows standing at the back of the pavement. It is a great shame that the windows of the attached property at no. 12 Soar Road has been fitted with poorly detailed upvc windows. There are other buildings with such windows but these are noticeable in such proximity to a fine listed building.

No 26 High Street is also a late 18th century house of red brick, set in its own grounds back from the road. It has been subdivided into flats and has lost part of its character as a result of the opening to the street to allow for increased traffic.

KEY UNLISTED BUILDINGS The surviving factory of Quorn Mill, now converted to apartments is a strong reminder of the industrial heritage of the village. The new development at Weavers Close of three storey houses set close to the narrow cul-de-sac has been well integrated into the industrial character.

Rawlins Community College is an important group situated at the top of the rise in the High Street, set back from the road, surrounded by trees.

Santa Maria Lodge, no. 31 Soar Road, was built as the lodge to Quorn Hall and marks the turn from Soar Road to Meynell Road

Quorn Conservation Area 113 Character Appraisal Page 9

At the other end of Soar Road, the white painted Willow Cottage marks the junction between Soar Road, Stoop Lane and School Lane.

COHERENT GROUPS The row of listed buildings, nos. 36-50 Leicester Road mark the approach into the Conservation Area from Mountsorrel.

The former primary school on School Lane and nos. 11-27 on the opposite side of the road mark a bend and constriction in the road.

The former smithy and the small terrace at nos. 12 & 14 Meeting Street are a reminder of the original settlement pattern.

BUILDING MATERIALS The most common building materials in the Conservation Area are red brick and slate but there is also a widespread use of local Charnwood granite and Swithland slate, reflecting the area’s historical links to the Charnwood Forest.

The principal civic buildings tend to be constructed entirely of granite, such as St Bartholomew’s Church (Grade I listed), the village hall on Leicester Road and the original block of Rawlins School on High Street. Granite is also commonly used as a principal building material in a number of residential properties throughout the village, such as the Santa Maria Lodge on Soar Road (built in 1880 to act as the front lodge to Quorn Hall); at no. 30 Soar Road, more extensively along Leicester Road at nos. 24 and 36-48 (a Grade II listed terrace) and at nos. 52 & 60 and along Meeting Street at nos. 12, 14, & 33 (all Grade II listed). In many domestic properties, the granite is used in association with brick to provide a solid plinth supporting a brick wall, or with render such as at nos. 27 and 101 Meeting Street (both Grade II listed) which have a granite ground floor and a rendered first floor. In the case of Chaveney Manor (Grade II listed), the granite is restricted to the less public locations where, either because of changing fashions or social pretensions, the polite front elevation is built of brick while the rear extensions are built in the local granite. In many cases the granite walls have been whitewashed, such as at no. 2 Station Road, the Old Meeting House and no. 101 Meeting Street.

Notably, granite is commonly found in the boundary walls that line many of the streets, such as the flood defence walls along Soar Road, along School Lane, Meynell Road and Meeting Street. Many of these walls are topped by two courses of brick and a brick capping. They make a significant and distinctive contribution to the local street scene and the Conservation Area generally.

There does not appear to have been a strong vernacular tradition of timber frame and thatched construction and there is only one surviving timber-frame and thatch cottage within the Conservation Area at no. 2 Station Road (Grade II listed). This property has a pair of cruck blades in its gable end, a timber frame with herringbone brickwork in its front elevation and a thatched roof. There is also a single thatched cottage at no. 60 Soar Road but this appears to be an early 20th century property.

The most prevalent building materials in the Area are red brick, typically laid in a Flemish bond, and Welsh slate. These materials directly reflect a significant period of development within the Conservation Area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However a large number of properties originally built in brick have been painted or rendered, which disrupts any broad uniformity of material and appearance.

In those properties where the original brickwork survives it is evident that the brick was laid in a Flemish bond, such as at no. 10 Soar Road (Grade II Listed), nos. 15-27 School Lane, a much altered terrace, and nos. 28-32 Station Road, where the distinctive pattern is emphasized by contrasting lighter headers with darker stretchers. An exception to the use of red brick can be seen at nos. 25, 27 & 31 Nursery Lane, which are built of a cream brick with red brick banding. There is one example of a blue brick diaper pattern within the front elevation of no. 2, Soar Road (Grade II listed).

A number of properties are finished, either in whole or in part, in render. Typical examples include no. 8 Castledine Street (The Cottage) and no. 13 Stoop Lane which both have a roughcast render finish, no. 82 Leicester Road which has a smooth stucco render that has been lined to represent stone and a cottage at no.

Quorn Conservation Area 114 Character Appraisal Page 10 26 Soar Road which has a roughcast render with smooth render quoins, cills and lintels. Render can also be mixed with brick as part of the original design as in the late-Victorian properties at nos. 26-32 Leicester Road which have a rendered first floor over a brick ground floor.

Welsh slate is the predominant roofing material widely used throughout the Conservation Area but there are many examples of locally sourced Swithland slate. Typical examples of the latter include nos. 3-9 Meynell Road, Meynell Cottage and Meynell Lodge (both Grade II listed), no. 26 Soar Road, nos. 38 & 44-48 Leicester Road (all Grade II listed), nos. 22, 24 and 74-84 Station Road, no. 16 High Street and nos. 12, 14 and 3-7 Meeting Street.

Other traditional roofing materials in the Conservation Area include the use of plain tiles at the Royal Oak on High Street and at nos. 1 & 3, Meeting Street and pantiles at nos. 69-71 Meeting Street.

One of the most significant visual changes to the Conservation Area has been the widespread use of concrete roof tiles to re-roof a large number of properties. These tiles look out of place and are visually intrusive and should be avoided by specifying Welsh or other natural slate for any new development within the Conservation Area.

There is a broad range of window types throughout the Conservation Area, but unfortunately the survival rate of original timber windows and doors has not been good, which is a pity since these features are integral to their appearance. A substantial number of properties have been fitted with replacement upvc windows and doors that have little respect for the building’s original appearance.

The most common surviving traditional window types are sash windows. Typical examples include the Georgian multi-pane sash windows in the front elevation of Crown House on Meeting Street and at no. 10 Soar Road, which sit on a running cill, the multi-pane sash windows without horns at nos. 28 & 30 Station Road and at nos. 16 & 18, High Street and the Victorian margin-pane sashes at no. 31 Nursery Lane.

There are many good examples of other traditional window styles. A number of properties have casement windows, such as the mixed range of casement windows at nos. 36-48 Leicester Road (Grade II listed buildings) and there are many examples of Yorkshire sliding sashes throughout the village, such as at Meynell Lodge and Meynell Cottage on Meynell Road; no. 2 Soar Road, no. 50 Leicester Road, no. 14 High Street (Grade II listed), no. 9 Sarson Street and no. 53 Meeting Street. There are also a few examples of metal- framed windows such as the mullion and transom windows with latticed casements at nos. 15, 17, 23, 25 & 27 School Lane.

Although not a particularly common feature in the Conservation Area, a number of properties have distinctive bay windows, such as no. 82 Leicester Road, which has a box bay and a canted bay either side of the front door; or the two box bays under a monopitch roof that extends across the two properties at nos. 28-30 Leicester Road.

Many of the properties in the Conservation Area have retained their original timber panel doors. The most elaborate doorways are generally found on the older properties such as at no. 10, Soar Lane, where the original panel door and fanlight is surrounded by an attractive timber doorcase with a broken pedimented canopy; at no. 16, High Street, which has a partially glazed panelled door framed by fluted pilasters supporting a pedimented hood; or at nos. 16 & 17 Loughborough Road, which have timber doorcases with cornices supported by console brackets.

Such original architectural features make a unique contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and wherever possible should be retained as they add to the collective wealth and variety of architectural details within it.

A number of the properties have distinctive segmental brick arches over their door and window openings and simple projecting cills. More unusual styles include the contrasting red and cream brick arches at nos. 25, 27 & 31, Nursery Lane; the chamfered brick architraves around the doors and windows at nos. 15-27, School Street; the moulded cornices supported by console brackets at no. 82, Leicester Road and the flat lintels, with a contrasting fringe, supported by a decorated column at nos. 24-28, Leicester Road.

Many properties have retained their original chimney stacks, most of which are quite simple brick stacks with an oversailing course surmounted by simple pots. However, a number of properties have quite elaborate stacks, such as the Romanesque arches set within the chimneys at Chaveney Manor, the paired octagonal

Quorn Conservation Area 115 Character Appraisal Page 11 chimney stacks at Meynell Cottage and Meynell Lodge and the large Tudoresque stacks at nos. 15-27 School Lane, all of which add considerable skyline interest.

A number of commercial properties along High Street have retained their traditional timber shop fronts. The best examples are those at no. 1 High Street, which has a double shop front with tiled stallriser and a central recessed part glazed door and a shop front framed by a pair of fluted Ionic pilasters supporting a projecting cornice; and the shop fronts at nos. 14 and 20 High Street, which also contain a pair of display windows either side of a recessed doorway that are framed by pilasters with brackets supporting a cornice over the fascia. Given their rarity these shop fronts make a significant contribution to the historic character of the Conservation Area.

PARKS, GARDENS AND TREES Quorn Conservation Area encompasses two major pieces of public open green space: the churchyard and Staaford Orchard Park. The churchyard in particular has a wealth of trees and offers a place of quiet even though the footpaths which cross it are well used. It gives the most historic flavour of the village, not just because of the presence of the church but because of the retention of historic lamp standards and its approach from Church Lane on one side and Nursery Lane on the other, both of which are quiet narrow streets with interesting houses.

The Banks is a newly well landscaped open space which leads from High Street into Church Lane and into the churchyard.

Besides these public spaces the open space around Rawlins Community College has a wealth of trees which are matched on the opposite side of High Street by the trees within the Quorn Mill Park Golf Club.

Stafford Orchard Park has a memorial avenue of lime trees lining the footpath between Station Road and School Lane. It has a playgorund and is an informal space leading down to the banks of the Brook.

Of primary importance to the Conservation Area and the village generally are the trees and watermeadows along the River Soar and Buddon Brook. This includes the stretch of brook containing many willows which forms the rear boundary to Quorn Mill.

BIODIVERSITY The Conservation Area includes a section of the River Soar, which has been notified as a Local Wildlife Site. The river contains stands of emergent vegetation such as common reed, reed sweet grass and water dock, and its banks are lined with mature trees with overhanging branches and exposed roots. During the last few years there has been a rapid spread of floating pennywort along the river. This non-native plant, which is extremely invasive, can rapidly choke watercourses and have an adverse impact on aquatic ecosystems.

Wetland habitats associated with the River Soar are of considerable importance for biodiversity; many have dramatically decreased both nationally and in Leicestershire. They are listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and Local Biodiversity Action Plan as priority habitats.

Barrow Gravel Pits to the east of the river is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, on the strength of its rich flora and fauna characteristic of the River Soar floodplain. An area of wet woodland, which forms a small part of the SSSI, lies within the Conservation Area. It supports rare Red Data Book beetle species, which are highly specialised and confined to floodplain wetland habitats. These restricted species are extremely vulnerable to changes in hydrology and management.

The River Soar and its tributaries form the major wildlife corridors through the Conservation Area. A small straightened section of Poultney Brook converges into the meandering Buddon Brook. Along most of its course through the Conservation Area, Buddon Brook either flows through areas of woodland or is lined with trees. However, sections of the brook are walled in places and have sometimes been domesticated and incorporated into gardens.

The grounds of Quorn House within the Conservation Area comprise mixed plantation woodland, as well as intensively managed lawns and gardens. The mature woodland canopy consists mainly of non-native parkland trees such as beech, copper beech, horse chestnut, occasional sycamore and conifers such as Norway spruce, larch and wellingtonia, with only a small percentage of native pedunculate oak and ash. The understorey is

Quorn Conservation Area 116 Character Appraisal Page 12 made up of large patches of cherry laurel, with some yew, holly, elder, wych elm and rhododendron. The damp ground provides ideal conditions for wild garlic, which spreads over large areas.

The south-west of the Conservation Area comprises The Grove and a large man-made pond, which have been notified as a Local Wildlife Site. The wet woodland is dominated by crack willow and alder; species such as opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, pendulous sedge, remote sedge and moschatel are characteristic of ancient woodland. The pond, which was created by the construction of a weir across Buddon Brook, is fringed by a belt of tall marginal vegetation with branched burr-reed, wood club-rush, gipsywort, water plantain and water figwort.

All these habitats form part of a strong biodiversity network throughout the Conservation Area and beyond and two other adjacent Local Wildlife Sites provide important connections with the Area: Tom Long’s Meadow, off Spinney Drive, is an area of wet grassland and fen; and Quorn House Park along the south-west boundary, is a large area of species-rich grassland, wet woodland and mature trees.

Badgers and their setts have been recorded at several locations within the Conservation Area and its vicinity. Large main setts are known to occur within a short distance, and badgers also rely on a whole network of annex and outlier setts. There is an excellent availability of foraging grounds within and adjacent to the Area, with wildlife corridors which enable badgers to commute in relative safety.

Several bat species are associated with buildings, from old to new, within the Conservation Area. Common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Daubenton’s, Natterer’s and the rare Leisler’s bat have been recorded, whilst the whiskered bat is known to roost close by. Bats use the network of tree-lined watercourses, rows and groups of mature trees, such as those at St Bartholomew’s Churchyard, to forage and travel. Around sunset on warm summer evenings, Leisler’s bats can sometimes be seen flying fast in the open sky high above Stafford Orchard Park and at tree-top level, taking shallow dives to home in on insects.

The high number of bat species found in Quorn has been celebrated with a sculpture, which was designed by local community groups, and is located at the Banks, off Church Lane.

Biodiversity Management The following issues need to be considered when development within the Conservation Area is proposed: • Protection of floodplain habitats which are particularly vulnerable to changes in hydrology and management. • Importance of biodiversity network, such as watercourses and their tree-lined banks, with good links to safeguard species movement and dispersal, particularly in the context of climate change. • Rolling programme of native species planting to replace the network of mature trees which will eventually become senescent. • Presence of legally protected species in the Conservation Area.

DETRIMENTAL FEATURES Some street furniture, traffic signs, lighting columns, communications equipment, road markings, etc, visually damage the character of the conservation area. This is compounded by the number of cars parked illegally and on pavements at certain times of the day. (added as a response to comments 1,11,12)

The 1960’s block of shops on Station Road are successful and add vitality to the area but the architecture is out of character with the Conservation Area. (added as a response to comments 3,13)

Quorn Conservation Area 117 Character Appraisal Page 13 Summary of Special Interest The main contributions to the special character of Quorn Conservation Area are: • The variety and contrast between the tightly enclosed buildings against the streets with the many public and private open spaces; • The many views of the church tower; • The proximity to the River Soar, Buddon Brook and their associated woods and meadows with opportunities for wildlife and the expansive vistas beyond the village; • The importance of Quorn Hall and Quorn House as individual buildings in their own parkland settings. • The history of the parish church and its churchyard, with their approaches by footpaths and the narrow streets of Church Lane and Nursery Lane; • The landmark of Quorn Mill as a reminder of the industrial heritage of the village.

Quorn Conservation Area 118 Character Appraisal Page 14 MANAGEMENT PLAN GENERAL PRINCIPLES Any proposed changes should be carried out in a sensitive manner, taking into account the established character. New development must respond to its immediate environment i.e. its context, in terms of scale, form, materials and detailing. Otherwise, alterations will have a detrimental effect on the historic and locally distinctive form of the village.

Within the Conservation Area, where the quality of the general environment is already considered to be high, the Council will insist on good quality schemes which respond positively to their historic setting, this extends to small buildings such as garages and even boundary walls and fences. Minor alterations need to be carefully considered as incremental change can have a significant detrimental affect on the character of an area over a period of time.

Central government guidance contained in PPS1 and PPG 15, Borough of Charnwood Local Plan, Leading in Design, Quorn Village Design Statement and other SPD, will be used to assess the quality of proposal for new development.

The character of the Conservation Area identified in the appraisal document is such that the following general principles should be noted when considering any development in all parts of the Conservation Area:

1. The Conservation Area has a distinct “grain” or pattern of built form and spaces which are part of its historic development. This gives the Conservation Area great individuality, characterised by the pattern of historic buildings, ancient footpaths and highways and clearly defined boundaries. This “grain” is an important part of the character of the Conservation Area and will be protected.

2. The emphasis for new proposals will be on high quality of design. There may be opportunity for innovative modern design. However a dramatic contemporary statement is unlikely to be appropriate. Good modern design can be used to create positive changes in historic settlements

3. Scale is the combination of a building’s height and bulk when related to its surroundings. Proposed new development must take into account the scale of the existing buildings, and must not dominate of overwhelm them.

4. Alterations and extensions must respect the form of the original building and its locality. The use of high quality materials and detailing, whether modern or traditional is essential. Roof lines, roof shape, eaves details, verge details and the creation of new chimneys are important considerations.

5. Windows and doors of a traditional design respect the historic nature of the buildings to which they belong and make a very important contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. The use of upvc and standardised high speed joinery techniques nearly always leads to unsuitably detailed windows which will be generally unacceptable in the conservation area. In most cases the building regulation requirements can be met without the need to use clumsy and awkwardly detailed windows.

6. The appraisal has identified the types of materials that characterise the Conservation Area and where possible this should be used to help alterations respect that established character.

7. Applicants for planning permission must provide a meaningful “Design & Access Statement”, to explain the design decisions that have been made and to show how proposed alterations relate to their context. A detailed analysis of the locality should demonstrate that there is a full appreciation of the local streetscape and how it has developed, including prevailing building forms, materials and plot ratios.

8. Safeguarding of protected spices must be taken on board when considering planning proposals such as conversion, tree felling, housing development and other changes which may affect their roosting places, commuting routes and feeding areas.

PROCEDURES TO ENSURE CONSISTENT DECISION-MAKING As mentioned previously the basis of the character appraisal is to inform and guide development control decisions. A consistent approach to this decision making will be aided by providing:

Quorn Conservation Area 119 Character Appraisal Page 15 • Conservation and design surgeries to help development control officers to make informed decisions, no matter how minor the proposed changes. • Opportunities for pre-application discussion regarding significant alterations. • Opportunities to review decisions and assess the impact of approved alterations through post development site visits.

ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY Effective enforcement is vital to make sure there is public confidence in the planning system to protect the special character of the area. Unauthorised development can often be damaging to that character.

Taking proactive action can improve the appearance and character of the area, making it more attractive and in some instances increasing the potential for investment. Effective monitoring of building work to make sure it is carried out in accordance with the approved details and with planning conditions ensures new development makes the positive contribution envisaged when permission was granted.

In order to protect the character of the Conservation Area the Borough Council will seek to: • use enforcement powers in cases where unauthorised development unacceptably affects the character of the Conservation Area. • take proactive action to improve or enhance the appearance of the Area. • monitor development under way to make sure it fully complies with the terms of any planning permission or listed building consent.

Carrying out unauthorised work to a listed building or to protected trees and hedgerows and the unauthorised demolition a building within a conservation area is an offence. In such cases, the Council will consider prosecution of anyone responsible and any necessary remedial action.

The powers set out in Section 215 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 will be used where sites are identified as detracting from the character of the conservation area by being eyesores or untidy.

ARTICLE 4 DIRECTION The quality of a conservation area is often threatened by the cumulative impact of numerous small changes to many buildings. Terraces that once displayed integrity of design through the use of matching features such as doors, windows, chimneys and porches, have been unbalanced by various alterations and additions. On the whole such changes do not require planning permission.

In order to preserve and enhance the character of conservation areas, many planning authorities use Article 4 Directions to restrict permitted development rights on groups of buildings or areas. Restrictions normally relate to particular elements such as replacement windows and doors, or roofing.

The character assessment has not identified any need which could justify the introduction of an Article 4 Direction.

GENERAL CONDITION There is a broad range of window types throughout the Conservation Area, but unfortunately the overall survival rate of original windows and doors has not been good. These features are integral to the appearance of buildings but a substantial number of properties have fitted replacement upvc windows and doors which greatly detract from the appearance and character of the Area.

To maintain the character of the Conservation Area, any new development should ideally use red brick laid to follow the prevailing bonding pattern in the particular part of the Conservation Area. As an exception it may be acceptable to render the exterior. Care should be taken in specifying reclaimed brick to avoid significant variations in the colour of the brick that would give a random and mottled appearance.

Welsh or other natural slate or plain clay tiles should be specified for rooves in any new development. Concrete roof tiles are out of place and visually intrusive. They should be avoided.

Quorn Conservation Area 120 Character Appraisal Page 16 BUILDINGS AT RISK It is the intent of the Borough Council to take necessary action to secure the repair and full use of any buildings at risk. At the moment none of the listed buildings are at risk of decay and all appear to be in a good state of repair. The Listed Buildings in Quorn are generally in good condition.

REVIEW OF THE CONSERVATION AREA BOUNDARY The present boundaries of the existing Conservation Area incorporate the principal areas of special historic and architectural interest within the village but following the survey, and it is suggested that consideration be given to the following minor amendments:

Huntsman’s Close Nos. 2 & 4 Huntsman’s Close are modern houses which have little special architectural or historic interest. They are built on the site of the former Quorn Hunt kennels but there appear to be no surviving buildings associated with the kennels and only the granite boundary wall to Meynell Road is of any interest.

Leicester Road Nos. 84-104 Leicester Road is a row of terraced properties that originally stood in front of the gas works. They have generally lost any special interest that they may have once had as result of unsympathetic alterations.

No. 29 (The Limes), Leicester Road At the risk of distorting the boundary too much, this interesting Grade II listed farmhouse should be considered for inclusion in the Area. It is constructed in traditional materials of red brick and Swithland slate and has retained many of its original architectural features such as casement windows and Adam style doorcase. It also appears to be the only recognizable farmhouse in the village and is therefore a legacy of the village’s agricultural past.

Freehold Street Consideration could be given to the inclusion of the terraced houses along Freehold Street which represent an early extension of the village as a result of its increasing industrialisation. However, the houses have lost much of their special architectural and historic interest as a result of unsympathetic alterations.

POSSIBLE BUILDINGS FOR SPOT LISTING In carrying out the Appraisal none of the buildings within the Conservation Area were identified for “spot listing”, i.e. considered for inclusion on the list of statutory listed buildings.

ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES The car park on Station Road could be considered for enhancement.

PROPOSALS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Repair and reinstatement works to historic buildings that make a vital contribution to maintaining and improving the character of the Conservation Area may be eligible for grant assistance. Charnwood Grants includes an element to assist in the repair and maintenance of historic buildings such as listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas. The County Council operates a scheme for listed buildings.

MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF IMPORTANT TREES, GREENERY AND GREEN SPACES The Biodiversity Action Plan sets out the Borough Council’s priorities for conservation of a variety of wildlife and their habitats within Charnwood and details the actions required to bring about a reversal in its fortune. The BAP will be reviewed and modified as required, to ensure that the necessary actions are being taken by the appropriate agencies.

Quorn Conservation Area 121 Character Appraisal Page 17 MONITORING CHANGE It is planned to review the conservation area character appraisal and its management plan every five years, although the management plan may under certain circumstances need to be reviewed over a shorter time period. A photographic record of the Conservation Area has been made and will be used to help identify the need to review how changes within the Conservation Area are managed. A greater degree of protection will be accomplished if the local community help monitor any changes.

CONSIDERATION OF RESOURCES This management plan sets out the commitment of the Borough Council to protecting the character and appearance of Charnwood’s conservation areas and how it will use its resources to achieve these aims.

SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND PROPOSED ACTIONS

Conservation Area Issue Proposed Action Lead Other Partners Partners

Boundaries of the Conservation Area Review the Conservation Area Charnwood Modern housing at Huntsmans Close; boundary. BC Loss of character at nos. 84-104 Leicester Road; Inclusion of The Limes, Leicester Road; Possible inclusion of Freehold Street.

Street furniture, traffic signs, lighting Encourage a more appropriate Charnwood columns, communications equipment, road approach to signage, road markings, BC markings, advertisements, which are etc, by pursuing the publishing and Leics CC inappropriate and pay no heed to the adoption of a guide for highway work character of the area. (added as a response to in conservation areas with comments 1 ,11,12) Leicestershire County Council Highway Authority.

The 1960’s block of shops on Station Road Concept development brief to be Charnwood are successful and add vitality to the area but undertaken to highlight and promote a BC the architecture is out of character with the redevelopment opportunity. Action to Conservation Area. (added as a response to be included in the Management Plan. comments 3,13)

The footbridge over the River Soar is in a Formulate with Leicestershire County Charnwood poor state of repair. It is an important Council, Asset Management Team a BC feature of the village and it needs to be strategy for the long term conservation Leics CC preserved. (added as a response to comment of the bridge. 6)

DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS Various forces, historical, cultural and commercial, have shaped the development of the conservation area, creating a sense of place and individual identity. The character and appearance of the conservation area is vitally important, both in attracting investment in the area itself, and in the encouragement of initiatives to the benefit of the wider community.

Based on the issues that have been identified the following objectives will have a positive impact in both protecting and enhancing the character of the conservation area, and provide the basis of a long term management plan:

Quorn Conservation Area 122 Character Appraisal Page 18 1. Review how the Council’s adopted ‘Shopfronts & Signs’ guidance is being used.

2. A policy regarding the co-ordination of the placing of all permanent items within the streets needs to be formulated. The opportunities to renew, redesign, re-site, eliminate or combine existing street furniture are substantial. Similarly there is a need to look at traffic signs and highway markings with a view to their rationalisation. The appropriateness of the existing street lighting and the scope to introduce imaginative lighting schemes, including the illumination of key buildings, also merits examination. Guidelines could be set out in a public realm manual.

3. The production of heritage trail leaflets to increase community awareness and appreciation, including the encouragement of tourism, should be considered. This might involve interpretation material, plaques or similar for key sites and buildings.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT This document was made available as a draft via the Council’s website prior to submission to Cabinet for adoption. A public meeting was held at Rawlins Community College, Quorn so that local residents could contribute their ideas for enhancement and preservation of the Conservation Area. All comments and responses were considered and appropriate amendments made to the document prior to submission to Cabinet.

ADVICE AND GUIDANCE The Borough Council Development Department can advise on the need for Planning Permission or Listed Building Consent and can provide guidance on matters such as appropriate methods of maintenance/repairs, changes to shopfronts, alterations and extensions and suitable materials.

Contacts: Conservation & Landscape Team Tel. 01509 634748 [email protected]

Development Control Tel. 01509 634691 [email protected]

Planning Enforcement Tel. 01509 634722 [email protected]

Quorn Conservation Area 123 Character Appraisal Page 19 Bibliography Cooper, A. (1989) A History of St Bartholomew’s Church (private publication)

Hoskins, W. G. (1970) A Shell Guide: Leicestershire, Faber and Faber, London

Kelly’s Directory of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland: 1908

Nichols, J. (1811) The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester, Vol III, Part I (reprinted 1971)

Pigot’s National & Commercial Directories 1828-9 & 1841

Potter, T. R. (1842) The History and Antiquities of Charnwood Forest

Reynolds, S. M. G. (1955) ‘Tables of Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

Smith, C. T. (1955) ‘Population’ in Hoskins W. G. & McKinley R. A. (eds.) The Victoria County History of the Counties of England A History of Leicestershire Vol. 3 Oxford: Oxford University Press

Webster, V. R. (1954) Cruck Frame Buildings of Leicestershire in Transactions of the Leicestershire and Archaeological History Society Vol. 30, pp. 26-58

White’s Directories of Leicestershire and Rutland: 1846; 1863, 1887 & 1899

Wix, D. et al (1984) Bygone Quorn in Photographs, Charnwood Borough Council and Quorn Parish Council, Loughborough

Wix, D. & Keil, I. (1992) Rawlins The First 300 Years, Rawlins Community College, Quorn

Internet Resources A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), 'Quadring - Quy' (pp. 623-627), at: http://www.british- history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51227 [Date accessed: 15 January 2008]

Leicestershire County Council: Leicestershire Small Area Population and Household Estimates 2001-2004: at http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/your_council/about_leicestershire/statistics/research_info_population.htm [Date accessed: 28 January 2008]

Quorn Conservation Area 124 Character Appraisal Page 20 Listed Buildings in Quorn All Grade II Listed apart from the Church of St Bartholomew which is listed Grade I:

Chaveney Road: No. 22 Chaveney Manor

Church Lane: No. 17 No. 19 Church of St Bartholomew - Grade I

High Street: No. 1 No. 14 No. 26 (Quorn Court) No. 46 (Bulls Head Hotel)

Leicester Road: No. 24 Nos. 36-50 and Stable No. 66 (Quorn Country Hotel)

Meeting Street: No. 12 No. 14 No. 31 No. 33 (Crown House) No. 61 Nos. 69-71 No. 92 No. 101 Nos. 109-111 General Baptist Church Quorn House Lodge, Gate, Piers & Wall, Quorn House War Memorial K6 Telephone Box

Meynell Road: Quorn Hall Meynell Lodge, Cottage, Stable & Wall

Soar Road: No. 2 No. 10 (The Croft)

Station Road: No. 2 (The Olde Butcher’s Shop) EMGAS Building

Quorn Conservation Area 125 Character Appraisal Page 21 Appendix 6

Quorn Conservation Area Appraisal - Responses to the draft document

Respondent Comment Response of the Director of Development

1 Cllr Ivan Bexon Aspects of the built environment which affect the appearance and Quorn Parish Council ambience of the Conservation Area. 1. Street furniture, traffic signs, lighting columns, Document amended. Encourage a more appropriate approach to signage, communications equipment, road markings, road markings, etc, by pursuing the publishing and adoption of a guide for advertisements, which are inappropriate and pay no heed highway work in conservation areas with Leicestershire County Council to the character of the area. Highway Authority.

Review how the Council’s adopted ‘Shopfronts & Signs’ guidance is being used

2. Illegal parking on double yellow lines, pavements. Refer issue to Police and Street Management Team

These issues should be identified in the Character Appraisal as Added to section on “Detrimental features” and included in the issues to detrimental features of the Conservation Area. be addressed in the Management Plan for the area.

2 Lorna Williams (resident) Review of the Conservation Area along Sanders Road needs to be Noted. To be considered as part of the review of the whole boundary. considered.

3 Jerry Wood (resident) The 1960’s block of shops is out of character with the Document amended. Concept development brief to be undertaken to Conservation Area. Can these be improved? highlight and promote a redevelopment opportunity. Action to be included in the Management Plan.

Concerned about inappropriate building material being used and Investigate these issues with Development Control and emphasise the advertising that is out of character with the area. need to consider the contents of the Conservation Area Character Appraisal.

4 Resident at Public Meeting The conservation area boundary to the rear of properties on This will be addressed when boundary changes are reviewed and Spinney Drive, appear to be arbitrary. consulted upon.

5 Resident at Public Meeting Enhancement of the car park on Station Road needs to be This is included as part of the enhancement strategy in the Parish considered. Council’s master plan for the village

Quorn Conservation Area 126 Comments received Page 1 6 Resident at Public Meeting The footbridge over the River Soar is in a poor state of repair. It is Formulate with Leicestershire County Council, Asset Management Team an important feature of the village and it needs to be preserved. a strategy for the long term conservation of the bridge.

7 Resident at Public Meeting Parking on pavements is a problem. Affects the appearance of the Refer issue to Police and Street Management Team area.

8 Resident at Public Meeting If the area around Huntsman’s Close were removed from the Noted. This will be considered when boundary changes are reviewed and conservation area, protection for many of the trees would be lost. consulted upon.

9 Resident at Public Meeting Monitoring of the noise pollution from the By-pass needs to be Refer to Borough Council’s Environmental Health section for assessment. done and the noise problem addressed.

10 Resident at Public Meeting Properties on Barrow Road should be included within the This will be addressed when boundary changes are reviewed and conservation area. consulted upon.

11 Resident at Public Meeting There appears to be little control over the installation of street Encourage a more appropriate approach to signage, road markings, etc, furniture, signage, etc, which has a great impact on the character of by pursuing the publishing and adoption of a guide for highway work in the area. conservation areas with Leicestershire County Council Highway Authority.

12 Resident at Public Meeting The detrimental visual impact of parking is not mentioned in the Added to section on “Detrimental features” and included in the issues to character appraisal. be addressed in the Management Plan for the area.

13 Resident at Public Meeting Could something be done to improve the 1960’s row of shops on Concept development brief to be undertaken to highlight and promote a Station Road redevelopment opportunity. Action to be included in the Management Plan.

The Public Meeting to consider the draft Appraisal was held on Thursday 21st February at Rawlins Community College, High Street. 38 people attended.

Quorn Conservation Area 127 Comments received Page 2