Conservation Area Appraisal Hilston
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CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL HILSTON EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL NOVEMBER 2007 HILSTON CONSERVATION AREA by English Heritage in August 2005 in APPRAISAL order to meet the current requirements of national government. INTRODUCTION DEFINITION OF HILSTON'S SPECIAL INTEREST The concept of Conservation Areas was established 40 years ago in the Civic The special qualities which make Amenities Act of 1967. Hilston worthy of its designation, are to be found in its tranquil In the early 1990's some work had been dispersed visual character. To undertaken on a potential Conservation approach the settlement from the Area for Hilston, but this had not been west is to travel along one of followed through to completion. It did, Holderness’ lovelier country lanes. however, enable the original plans to be re-evaluated and re-used as the basis of At its east end, all its properties are the current designation. to the north side of the road, elsewhere they are all to the south In 2006 the Roos Parish Plan included a – Admiral Storr’s Tower being too commitment to seek Conservation Area far off to make any impact on this Status for parts of Roos and Hilston, otherwise unique situation. and this designation is part of its result. This Tower is, however, unique to the Holderness area and has been The Town and Country Planning Act included in the Hilston 1990 defines a Conservation Area as " an Conservation Area in spite of the area of special architectural or fact that it is detached from the historic interest the character or rest of the village because of the appearance of which it is desirable to important contribution it makes to preserve or enhance ." For the the Area's special character and designation of Conservation Areas to be appearance. effective, it is important that rational and consistent judgements are made in The characters of the two ends of determining their special qualities and the village are different too. To the local distinctiveness, as well as their west, houses are well spread out value to the local community. Such and protected by tree cover; to the judgements should be based on a east, buildings tend to be closer to thorough understanding of the area in each other and far more exposed. its wider context, reached through a Due to the abundant hedges there detailed appraisal of its character. is al ways a sense of enclosure, with a sudden and unexpected dip as This survey has been undertaken in one crosses the stream between accordance with "Guidance on Church Farm Bungalow and Ivy Conservation Area Appraisals," issued Cottages. 2 THE CHARACTER AND Constable and includes other villages APPEARANCE OF THE such as Leven, Routh, Long Riston, CONSERVATION AREA AT Great Hatfield, Withernwick, Skirlaugh, HILSTON Ellerby, West Newton, Sproatley and Humbleton. The Landscape Character This document identifies the special Assessment describes this landscape as architectural and historic interest of the being one that is dominated by the character and appearance of Hilston. influence of agricultural intensification within the River Hull Floodplain and It indicates how this should be that, as is typical of much of preserved and enhanced and will be Holderness, significant areas of useful to potential developers, residents, woodland are scarce. Those areas of businesses and to the Council in the semi-natural woodland that are present making of Development Control in this landscape are dominated by ash, decisions and environmental oak, hazel, hawthorn, elm, field maple improvements. and rowan. Fragments of wet woodland are also features of the landscape and a) TOPOGRAPHY AND ITS these are dominated by alder and willow RELEVANCE species. The fragment of ancient woodland at Bail Wood near Aldbrough The Hilston Conservation Area lies in provides an indication of the type of the 'Hornsea to Withernsea Coast' woodland that would have been more Landscape Character Area, as identified widespread in this landscape area in the East Riding of Yorkshire historically. The hedgerows in this Landscape Character Assessment landscape area are typical of Holderness (ERYC, 2005). The Landscape and are dominated by hawthorn with Character Assessment describes how hazel, ash, blackthorn, elder, field maple caravan sites are prominent on the and dogwood also present. southern edge of Hornsea and the The character of the land in the Parish is northern edge of Withernsea and with typical of that found in the Plain of several other sites scattered in between, Holderness - hummocky, but generally these are a major feature of this level. This requires particular attention Character Area. In addition to these to be paid to planning applications caravan sites, a long, linear golf course is which would seek to introduce buildings present in the coastal corridor to the of more than two storeys in height. south of Hornsea. In terms of the These, whether within the Conservation undeveloped landscape, this is defined Area or at some distance from it, have as having generally low levels of the propensity to have an impact out of woodland, except at Grimston, where all proportion to more usual there is a significant area of plantation considerations of height. This is woodland. Field systems tend to be because of the way in which Holderness' large and rectilinear with smaller fields low horizon ensures that anything which located close to settlements, some of rises above it cannot help but be within which may date back to medieval times. the line of vision. To the west of the Hilston Conservation b) SPATIAL ANALYSIS Area is the 'Central Holderness Open Farmland' Character Area. This The settlement at Hilston has evolved Landscape Character Area is made up of along a single road running east – west the area that surrounds the two parkland off the B1242 Ulrome – Withernsea Character Areas of Rise and Burton road. Originally a through-road to 3 Tunstall, its closure a few years ago due several species including Oak, Beech to the continuing coastal erosion has and Hawthorn. Just within the field in resulted in the road being little more which Admiral Storr's Tower stands is than a loop road eventually rejoining the one of a number of small ponds in the B1242 at Roos North End. village, which contributes to the local wildlife and may contain amphibians The volume of traffic passing through such as Newts, Frogs and Toads. the hamlet – though never great – must Mount Farm is opposite this pond and have been diminished because of this. the main feature of its front garden is the border next to the road consisting of a row of mature Sycamores. c) THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Further on, at Hilston Cottage, the front garden contains several mature trees and The properties in this village are, in is bordered by a Hawthorn hedge most cases, generously spaced and set in intermixed with Holly. The trees their own grounds. This has produced a include Ash, Beech, Oak and Sycamore lot of green space within the village, not and to the left of them is another pond just in the surrounding farmland, giving set back from the road. This Cottage is it a spacious feel and providing a lot one of the most wooded properties with more area for wildlife to exploit. a large front garden and adds to the feeling of the managed but natural To the east, at the edge of Hilston, St. character of the village. Margaret's Churchyard contains semi- mature Oak and Ash trees, which form a line next to the west wall of the Church. The winding road leading into Hilston past the Church is bounded on one side by a mature tall Hawthorn and Blackthorn hedge that also includes Oak and Holly. Slightly further down the road, opposite Church Farm Bungalow, there is a pond near a small patch of gorse that has become overgrown with grass but is still View looking West down Tower boggy and provides a useful habitat. In Road front of the pond are three young Horse Chestnut trees and at right angles to this area and running under the road is an old land drain. d) TREE PRESERVATION ORDERS Continuing along the length of the village, bordering farmland, are more There are no Tree Preservation Orders Hawthorn and Blackthorn hedges, with within or close to the Conservation semi-mature and mature standard Ash Area. trees periodically spaced along its length. Behind the hedge on the far side of the road, in between Ivy Cottage and Mount Farm, a border of saplings has been planted around the field comprising 4 18th century ownership had passed to e) BOUNDARY TREATMENT Sir Christopher Sykes. Within the village, the great majority of The old Church, dedicated to St. properties are enclosed by hedges, and Margaret, was one of the smallest Parish these, in turn, are mostly of hawthorn, Churches in Holderness. though there are examples of privet and other, less dominant species. Hilston Mount, Poulson advises (in the mid 19th century) to be " a considerable Nevertheless the greenness, which they eminence a little to the north of the village, on display, reinforces the rustic character of which is an octagonal tower of light brick, with the settlement and has a positive impact. a circular turret on its north side, surmounted by a flagstaff and vane, well known at sea as a There are also examples of post & rail at landmark. The building has a chamber above certain points, which could be described the ground floor which is inhabited as a cottage; as neutral, whereas the two examples of it has a winding staircase within the circular railings – one at each end of the village, turret. It was built by Mr Justice Storr, with introduce a suburban, and therefore a his arms and the date of erection, 1750, being disappointingly alien character.