Victoria Park Conservation Area Appraisal 2015

- Victoria Park

Conservation Area Appraisal 2015 Draft – Volume I

Lodge gate and the Rusholme entrance to Victoria Park, called Crescent Gate, built in 1837 and demolished circa 1905.

Urban Design and Conservation Team Planning, Building Control and Licensing Department

Growth and Neighbourhoods Directorate Contents

1. Summary

2. Introduction

3. Definition of a Conservation Area

4. Value of a Conservation Area Appraisal

5. Scope of the Appraisal

6. History

7. Historic development and Archaeology

8. Prominent residents of Victoria Park

9. Victoria Park and its buildings today

10. Townscape

11. Character analysis

12. Spatial analysis

13. Control of development

14. Trees

15. Improvement and Enhancement

2 1. Summary

The special character of Victoria Park Conservation Area derives from the following elements:

Victoria Park was purchased by speculative developers and formally laid out in large plots as a gated community for upper and middle classes arriving in Manchester.

Unique example of an early town planning scheme and the first of Manchester‘s estate design for the newly rich industrialists wishing to move out of the city in the 1820‘ and 30‘s.

The spatial characteristics and size and maturity and quality of the landscaping in individual plots and trees creating a leafy character.

The low density residential characteristics with large villas set in generous plots.

The coherence of the different architectural designs which are considered to be the best of their day and the architectural quality of the individual buildings in common design styles in Tudor Gothic, Neo Classical, Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.

The high quality concentration of listed buildings.

Quiet residential character in a private and semi -secluded environment

The consistent quality of materials including stucco, stone, brick and slate.

The rich detailing and architectural features of the historic buildings including porches.

Good quality boundaries including boundary walls, hedges and gate posts.

3 2. Introduction

Victoria Park conservation area lies three kilometres to the south of the city centre and was designated in March 1972.

It extends from the backs of properties to the north of Daisy Bank Road and Oxford Place to Kent Road East and West, and Rusholme Grove in the south. The west boundary is Oxney Road and the backs of properties on Wilmslow Road. To the east the boundary is formed by Anson Road, the backs of properties on Langdale Road and Laindon Road, the backs of properties on Daisy Bank Road, Scarsdale Road, the backs of properties on Langdale Road and Anson Road.

Victoria Park was formerly known as ‗the green‘ and was the meeting point for social activities by the local farmers and labourers. The 146 acre site was purchased by speculative developers to create a residential development for the increasing numbers of upper and middle classes arriving in Manchester.

The scheme was unusual in that it required investors to purchase shares under a system called a ‗Tontine‘; which was a form of gambling. Unfortunately, it became the subject of a number fraud cases the most notable being Foss v Harbottle (1843).

As a result of the early problems only a small number of houses had been built when the company folded. The Victoria Park Trust was created in 1845 resurrecting the scheme; it remained a private estate to which access could be gained only by payment at the toll gates erected at the entrances to the park. The Trust was finally taken over by Manchester Corporation in the 1950‘s.

Richard Lane an eminent architect was commissioned to design the estate. Although some of the later buildings were designed by other architects like Alfred Waterhouse, C T Redmayne and Edgar Wood they maintain his ethos of quality materials, large houses set back from the road with large private gardens.

The choice of materials was predominantly stone, brick and slate; although later buildings included decorative terracotta and red brick. There are some fine examples of stained glass in a number of buildings.

The Conservation Area has a large number of Grade II Listed Buildings (24), including the Edgar Wood Centre which is Grade I.

A steady deterioration of the environmental quality of the area became apparent in the 1920‘s when Anson Road was constructed dividing the Park into two. This eventually led to the removal of the toll gates, two castellated gateposts from the Longsight entrance on Daisy Bank Road were relocated to the centre of Park Crescent in 1987 near to the former Rusholme entrance.

Figure 1 Victoria Park Conservation Area

5 3. Definition of a Conservation Area

A Conservation Area is an area "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance‖

Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

69 Designation of conservation areas. (1) Every local planning authority— (a) shall from time to time determine which parts of their area are areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, and (b) shall designate those areas as conservation areas.

(2) It shall be the duty of a local planning authority from time to time to review the past exercise of functions under this section and to determine whether any parts or any further parts of their area should be designated as conservation areas; and, if they so determine, they shall designate those parts accordingly. (3) The Secretary of State may from time to time determine that any part of a local planning authority‘s area which is not for the time being designated as a conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance; and, if he so determines, he may designate that part as a conservation area. (4) The designation of any area as a conservation area shall be a local land charge.

6 4. Value of a Conservation Area Appraisal

The benefits of producing a character appraisal

As a tool to demonstrate the area‘s special interest

As explanation to owners, businesses and inhabitants of the reasons for designation

As educational and informative documents created with the local community, expressing what the community particularly values about the place they live and work in

Greater understanding and articulation of its character which can be used to develop a robust policy framework for planning decisions

Informing those considering investment in the area in guiding the scale, form and content of new development

When adopting it will be material to the determination of planning appeals and to the Secretary of State decisions, including those where urgent works are proposed to preserve an unlisted building in a conservation area

Assistance in developing a management plan for the conservation area by providing the analysis of what is positive and negative, and in opportunities for beneficial change and enhancement or the need for additional protection and restraint (including the use of Article 4 directions)

Better understanding of archaeological potential, perhaps by identifying and mapping archaeologically sensitive areas and thus guiding development towards less sensitive locations

(Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management – Historic England Advice Note 1 February 2016)

7 5. Scope of Appraisal

This appraisal is only intended to cover features within the designated Conservation Area and does not imply that any specific building, structure, landscape, space or aspect within Victoria Park is not of value or does not contribute positively to the character and appearance of the designated heritage asset.

Over time an area develops and it is useful to revisit the special features of the area, and possibly reconsider other aspects that may contribute to the uniqueness of the area.

Discussions of an area should always begin with the positive aspects. Each site should be judged on its own merits as there will be variations in the quality of each development. The focus should be on what makes Victoria Park worthy of the designation. Ultimately special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving and enhancing the character or appearance of the Conservation Area.

History

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution the growth of Manchester, and in particular the cotton industry, made the owners of businesses wealthy in a short space of time. Factories, powered by steam engines, discharged smoke which made the city centre an unpleasant and unhealthy place to live, and those who could afford to do so moved away to outlying areas.

In the 1830s Manchester was not yet a city, and Rusholme was an independent township.

Source: Rusholme : Past and Present, being a gossipy talk of men and things by William Royle 1905

10 Richard Lane was commissioned to plan a 146 acre private estate there and the scheme was officially launched in 1837.

12 The early years of the 'Victoria Park Company' were of mixed fortune. The original plans to develop land in a slightly different area, did not reach complete fruition, largely due to the fraud which led to the landmark Foss v. Harbottle case.

Figure 2 Ivy villa

Figure ???

14 By 1845, when residents formed the Victoria Park Trust, about a dozen houses had been built, nine of which are standing today. The park had its own Tollgates at Longsight. (Now Dickinson Road) Rusholme (Oxford Place) and Park Crescent, walls and even had its own Police force. By 1850 about 50 houses had been built of varying styles.

Figure 2 Carolside from the south on Upper Park Road. One of the few original houses still remaining, although there have been many alterations to the building.

Figure 3 Park Crescent Toll Gates from Wilmslow Road 1866

At least as early as 1870 there have been notable changes brought about by other development, (1870 the entrance lodge gates at Longsight were demolished to make way

15 for Plymouth Grove, the Crescent Gate entrance off Wilmslow Road in Rusholme was demolished to make way for shops),

Figure The replacement entrance at Park Crescent built circa 1918.

Sketches of the Toll gates dated circa 1937

Figures above: This is all that remains of the toll gates

The incorporation of Rusholme into Manchester County Borough in 1885 brought official recognition of the Trust by the City Council.

The Park remained a private estate to which access could be gained only by paying a toll at the Park's entrance gates. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the professional classes moved into the area, and a number of houses came to be associated with prominent politicians and artists. Charles Halle, founder of the Halle Orchestra, and the painter Ford Maddox Brown both lived in Addison terrace; Richard Cobden lived at Crescent Gate and the Pankhurst family lived at no. 4 Buckingham Crescent in the 1890s.

A steady deterioration of the area became noticeable in the 1920s, when it was bisected by the construction of Anson Road, and changing economic and social circumstances since 1945 have accelerated the decline.

Figure below Ivy Villa, prior to demolition

Figure 5 Regent House, Marylands, Lower Park Road ?

Figure 6 Richard Lane‘s House, Oxford Lodge now demolished

Figure 7 Unitarian College, ―Summerville‖, Daisy Bank Road

Figure 8 Saville House/Stoneywood/ Ward Hall, Lower Park Road

Antwerp House (former Belgian Consulate)

30 8. Prominent residents of Victoria Park

Source: Rusholme: Past and Present, being a gosspy talk of men and things by William Royle 1905 p.32

Name of Name of house if Address of Years Notes Resident any including any site, or resident* regarding known alternative demolished resident names) house George Hopeville/Tornbury Oxford Place 1837-1844 1787-1879 Hadfield House/Brookfield Liberal MP Hotel Sheffield Unnamed 2 Conyingham 1845-79 1852-1874, Road solicitor from 1810 Richard Lane Park Villa/Victoria South west 1838-1842 Founder of Villa/Oxford corner of Victoria Park Villa/Hulme Hall Oxford Place and First (demolished) and Lower President of Park Road Manchester Society of Architects. Architect of Salford Town Hall, Friends Meeting House, Chorley Town Hall, Stockport Infirmary Edward Riley The Roundwood South east 1838-1846 MP for Salford, Langworthy (demolished), corner of Park Mayor of Langdale/Langdale Crescent. Salford 1848- Hall Corner of 1850 Upper Park Road and Dennison Road Robert Barbour Ashburn House, Corner of 1841-1861 Closely Ashburne Hall, Oxford Place associated with Egerton Hall and Langworthy (demolished) Conyingham with Road refoundation of Grammar School 1850‘s James Oaklands/Hulme Opposite 1844-1858 1795-1864 Kershaw Hall (demolished) Woodthorpe Liberal MP for (St Gabriels Stockport, Hall), Oxford 1847-1859 Place Mayor of Manchester, 1842-1843

William Hopeville/Brookfield Oxford Place 1845-1864 1794-1864, one Romaine Hotel of the first Callendar Snr Aldermen of the City

33 Richard Westerfield South east 1845 - 1848 1804-1865 Cobden (demolished corner of Park Member of Crescent Parliament, and leading national figure Charles Halle Unnamed 3 Addison 1848 German born Terrace, Daisy musician and Bank Road internationally famous teacher of music Lt Col Sir Harry Unitarian College/ Daisy Bank 1859-1904 1787-1860 Smith Summerville Road South African towns of Ladysmith and Harrismith named after him and his wife Robert High Elms Upper Park 1867-1895 1826-1908 Dukinfield Road Associated with Darbyshire foundation of Owen‘s College, Manchester High School for Girls and Whitworth Gallery Frederick Unnamed North east 1873-1895… His daughter Melland (demolished) corner of Park (1901)- (1911) (Helen) Crescent married Rt Hon H H Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908- 1916 Ford Maddox Unnamed 3 Addison 1883-1887 Artist. Painted Brown Terrace, Daisy murals in the Bank Road Great Hall at Manchester Town Hall Edward The Gables Hope Road, 1885-1891 Architect of Solamons Anson Road Reform Club, Prince‘s Theatre, warehouses and private dwellings Rose Hyland Arden Lea Almost 1885-1891 Suffragette opposite Dalton closely Hall, associated with Conyingham the Pankhursts Road

34 Holly Bank Oxford Place 1891-1895 {1901-1911} Arthur Shuster Unamed 4 Anson Road 1889-1895 Professor of Applied Mathematics 1881

Kent House/St Kent Road 1895-1911 Professor of Anselm Hall East Physics 1988, Manchester University Richard Unnamed 4 Buckingham 1894-1898 His wife and Marsden Crescent, daughters were Pankhurst Daisy Bank leading Road suffragettes

The impact of the American Civil War 1861 – 1865 on trade and the prosperity of the area; had a significant effect on many of the merchants who occupied Victoria Park as their businesses were focussed on the importation process and exporting of cotton goods.

The southern states of America were the suppliers of raw materials; which became victims of various blockades preventing them for exporting the raw material. This lead to the demise of many businesses, as alternative raw materials from India and the Caribbean presented many technical issues in producing cloth and products of an acceptable quality. These problems saw the decline of many businesses throughout Manchester and the surrounding areas.

35 9. Victoria Park and its buildings today

A relatively small proportion of houses from the 1830s and 1840s still exist. As in any part of the city, redevelopment takes place and large gardens of old houses are seen by some as lucrative sites for new building. In several cases an old house was preserved and greatly extended, as is the case with Xaverian College where new buildings have been constructed in the grounds over a long period. St Anselm Hall, originally known as Kent House, has also been subjected to periodic extension.

Houses on Oxford Place were demolished in 1910 to make way for Hulme Hall, a university hall of residence, which is a large building designed in the Arts and Crafts style and incorporating a quadrangle. Many more high-quality buildings were built on the site in the 1960s and later.

Some sites in Victoria Park remained vacant until around the turn of the century, a good example being the First Church of Christ Scientist on Daisy Bank Road - now the Edgar Wood Centre - which was built on a green site in 1903. By 1971 it had fallen into disrepair and its use as a church ended. Restoration was completed by 1976, when it was used as an annexe to Elizabeth Gaskell College. It is regarded as a masterpiece - one of the most original buildings of its period. It was designed in the Arts and Crafts style with Art Nouveau motifs and is a Grade I Listed building.

The Church of St Chrysostom on Conyngham Road is on the site of an earlier church, begun in the 1840s and never completed. The present building on the site was designed by G. T. Redmayne; it was re-constructed after a fire in 1904.

Dalton Hall, also designed by Redmayne, was a university hall of residence. It is the only building in the conservation area sited close to the back of pavement, all the others having broad gardens with trees to screen them. Standing next to Dalton Hall is a much more recent building - the Ellis Lloyd Jones hall of residence. Although not in the style of the early Victorian villas, it integrates into its site very well.

37 10. Townscape

The houses in Victoria Park are large and are set in spacious grounds. Several of the roads are laid out in gently undulating curves, whilst others are straight and relatively short. They are nearly all wide, and some of them have grass verges. These increase the width of the highway space without increasing the width of the actual carriageways. Generally, the grass verges are not planted with trees since there is sufficient space for trees within the grounds of each property. Both carriageways and footpaths have been paved in tarmacadam, which is not the original paving material, and kerbs have been replaced with concrete.

Grass verges which terminate at vehicular crossings have been damaged by car tyres, and to help minimise this the most vulnerable parts have sometimes been paved with granite setts.

Park Crescent is a circular road similar to a roundabout, and the space it encloses, planted with trees and incorporating paving and seating, has never been built on. It is also topographically the lowest point in the Park, the slope from the highest point to the lowest being very gentle.

Not all the large old houses in Victoria Park have survived, and where they were demolished there now stand either groups of smaller houses or large, institutional buildings, such as schools, colleges, churches, university halls of residence and blocks of flats.

Xavarian College

38 In many cases the large spaces between buildings have been maintained and a significant number of trees retained. The gardens are enclosed by walls of stone or brick, most of which are of medium height with or without a hedge behind them for additional height. Other walls are high enough to screen the house and grounds entirely from the road. At the entrances to properties there were large gates and gate piers, many of which have unfortunately been demolished.

The houses were built on a large scale in brick, with projecting bays, string courses in a contrasting colour, tall chimneys and vertically-proportioned windows, some in Venetian style. Roofs were pitched and finished in blue slate.

Some of the houses have classical details, projecting portico entrance porches with entablature pediments over the windows and quoins at the corners. Others may have hood moulds over the windows and bracketed eaves cornices.

Dalton Hall has the window surrounds highlighted in a contrasting brick colour whilst the fine arched entrance is decorated with mottoes in illuminated lettering.

The Edgar Wood Centre has a steeply-pitched roof, tall dormer windows, a conical slate roof on a round tower, semicircular arched windows and a lych gate in matching style.

42 11. Character Analysis

The characteristics which contribute to the special interest of Victoria Park Conservation Area are summarised as follows:

An area of planned streets with large residences set in extensive grounds; although some have disappeared the ones that remain are of high quality. Eminent architects were employed to create these homes many in the Gothic Revival style. However there is a distinct contrast with the neo classical stucco buildings influenced by the founding architect Richard Lane.

An area defined by the design and use of buildings for residential and educational activities; therefore commercial and retail premises were largely absent. Subsequent generations have tried to retain this ethos in the face of declining demand for these large residences.

It is an area with one of the largest concentrations in Manchester of Listed buildings including one at Grade I. There are numerous unlisted buildings of high architectural quality from different periods including the Arts and Crafts movement.

An area associated with nationally significant cultural and notable people. Like Charles Halle (founder of the Halle Orchestra), Ford Maddox Brown (a Pre-Raphaelite artist who was commissioned to paint a mural in the Great H*all at Manchester Town Hall), Sir Harry Smith, Richard Cobden etc.

An area of visual character and landscaping that is enriched by a wealth of materials, trees and extensive gardens; creating a distinct tranquil suburban enclave adjacent to the arterial route featuring the famous ―Curry Mile‖ of Rusholme.

The street plan of Victoria Park conservation area indicates that it was designed as a gated community for the middle classes seeking to escape the depravation of the City Centre. It featured substantial boundary walls and 3 toll gates with associated lodges (now demolished).

The expansion of the cotton importation and processing industries within Manchester created a new wealthy merchant class who demanded homes fitting their status.

43 12. Spatial Analysis

The design of some of the houses within Victoria Park echoed areas of London around Chelsea and Knightsbridge; with the white stucco houses like Ward Hall and Buckingham Crescent.

The houses were sited within large plots set back from the round with high walls what had feature gate posts emphasising the affluence of its occupants. Unfortunately some of these boundary walls have been damaged by tree roots or by other means.

Trees pay a significant part in the design of Victoria Park; this may have come from one of the early shareholders Samuel Brooks who created tree-lined vistas in both Whalley Range and Brooklands; he was probably able to draw upon his experience of creating drainage systems to make the land fit for building on.

The retention of green spaces has added to the sense of grandeur.

The original plans for the area covered a total of 149 acres although this was later reduced following a number of fraud cases and problems with drainage that led to a reduction in the size of Victoria Park managed by Victoria Park Trust.

Large proportions of the original trees planted in the area were within the curtilage of the properties and still exist today. This has helped maintain the biodiversity of the area.

Green space has been well preserved, particularly around Park Crescent.

The road network remains as the original design with large plot sizes. Although it is evident that the creation of Anson Road dividing the Park and the removal of the final toll gates in the 1920‘s may have contributed to the decline of the eastern aspect; which was not included in the conservation area designation. However, in many of the these properties there are fine examples of Edwardian architecture and Art Nouveau styled stain glass windows, perhaps a legacy of the numerous artists that lived in the area.

The residential properties are contrasted by the densely packed terraced streets to the east of the park and the social housing of the Anson Estate.

44 13. Control of development

Victoria Park, originally conceived as a quiet, leafy suburb, is still quiet in places, but its proximity to the busy Rusholme shopping centre on Wilmslow Road, and the fact that it is traversed by Anson Road, a major radial route from the city centre, means that traffic noise is a problem.

As in all Manchester's conservation areas, development proposals may require either planning permission, conservation area consent, or both. In appropriate cases, listed building consent may be required. The Development Management teams will give advice on such matters and this should be sought at an early stage in the formulation of proposals.

The quality of the built environment, as well as the setting of buildings, is of a high standard and a similarly high standard will be expected of any scheme which proposes new buildings, extensions or other major developments.

It is understood that over a long period changes will take place as pressure for development increases. It is the intention of the City Council to ensure that such changes are as harmonious with the existing character of the area as possible. Any development proposals should respect this. The construction of large ground plan buildings without substantial landscaping would inevitably damage the quality of the setting.

45 14. Trees

The trees in Victoria Park are of paramount importance in establishing the character of the conservation area. Many are fully mature and create the effect of a woodland setting, despite the large number of buildings in the area.

The trees are sited within the property boundaries rather than in the streets or on the verges, and this puts the onus on property owners of ensuring that they are properly maintained. Proposals to lop, top or fell a tree within the designated area will require the prior consent of the local planning authority.

Where sites are redeveloped it is important to design a scheme with tree-planting and with retention of existing trees where appropriate.

In order to maintain a healthy tree cover and with it the character of the conservation area, it is good practice to plant a number of young trees amongst the mature ones.

Anyone wishing to fell, prune or uproot a tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order or in a Conservation Area should seek permission first from us before undertaking any work to the tree.

46 15. Improvement and enhancement

Once an exclusive residential suburb, parts of Victoria Park have declined over the years whereas other parts have retained much of their exclusivity. This is principally due to development, whether extensions to existing properties or re-development of their sites at a higher density.

Development in one form or another is very likely to take place at some time in the future. The important point is that it must be of very high quality and be in harmony with the character of the conservation area. This does not mean that new buildings must be in the style of older buildings in the conservation area; on the contrary, they should represent the age in which they are built, but there should be common features between new and old, such as massing, height, materials, colour, scale and proportion, which create sympathy with earlier buildings. This would still allow the new building to demonstrate the vitality of the present, and is preferable to producing a debased copy of an historical architectural form.

Notice should be taken of the character of historic buildings when preparing new schemes. Features such as garden walls, hedges, gate posts, porches, styles and colours of window frames and roofing materials should all be taken into consideration. Their forms should be analysed and new buildings designed to harmonise with them.

Designation of Victoria Park as a Conservation Area in March 1972 was aimed at helping to arrest the environmental decline, and the promotion of appropriate schemes to revitalise and enhance the Park.

A strong control policy was adopted by Manchester City Council to ensure that new developments compliment adjoining buildings in terms of design, materials and landscaping. Although, Richard Lane‘s grand design may have been altered over the years; a great many of the trees planted as part of the original landscaping scheme still remain.

The survival of the trees is crucial to retaining the character of the area and the designation of the conservation area gives the local planning authority greater powers relating to tree preservation. Where trees have had to be removed private owners are being encouraged to replant so that the original landscaping content is not destroyed.

It is anticipated that the restoration of existing properties, the addition of sympathetically designed new buildings and the preservation of the landscape; will make this area as attractive as it was when first established.