Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey
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Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey Historic characterisation for regeneration FALMOUTH HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SERVICE Objective One is part-funded by the European Union Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey Historic characterisation for regeneration FALMOUTH HES REPORT NO. 2005R003 Graeme Kirkham MA May 2005 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SERVICE Planning Transportation and Estates, Cornwall County Council Kennall Building, Old County Hall, Station Road, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 3AY Tel (01872) 323603 fax (01872) 323811 E-mail [email protected] Acknowledgements This report was produced by the Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey project (CSUS), funded by English Heritage, the Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (European Regional Development Fund) and the South West of England Regional Development Agency. Peter Beacham (Head of Designation), Graham Fairclough (Head of Characterisation), Roger M Thomas (Head of Urban Archaeology), Ian Morrison (Ancient Monuments Inspector for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly) and Jill Guthrie (Designation Team Leader, South West) liaised with the project team for English Heritage and provided valuable advice, guidance and support. Nick Cahill of The Cahill Partnership acted as Conservation Advisor to the project, providing vital support with the characterisation methodology and advice on the interpretation of individual settlements. Georgina McLaren (Cornwall Enterprise) performed a key advisory role on economic regeneration. The Urban Survey Team, within Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service, has included Kate Newell (Urban Survey Officer), Stef Russell (Urban Survey Officer), Bridget Gillard (Urban Survey Officer), Dr Steve Mills (Archaeological GIS Mapper; to July 2003) and Graeme Kirkham (CSUS Project Manager, to June 2004). Bryn Perry-Tapper is the CSUS GIS/HER supervisor and has played an important role in providing training and developing the GIS, HER and internet components of CSUS. Jeanette Ratcliffe was the initial Project Co-ordinator, succeeded by Peter Herring from Spring 2003 and Peter Rose in Spring 2005. The project is grateful to Charles Winpenny for permission to reproduce digital images from his Cornwall CAM website (www.cornwallcam.co.uk). Other photographs are by the report author. Grateful thanks to Dr Alyson Cooper, Carrick District Council, for information on the Falmouth HERS scheme, and to staff at Falmouth Art Gallery for allowing access to the 1773 map of the town held in their collections. Maps The maps are based on Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majestys Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution and/or civil proceedings. The map data, derived from Ordnance Survey mapping, included within this publication is provided by Cornwall County Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function to publicise local public services. Cornwall County Council Licence No. LA076538. Cover illustration Falmouth from the north, 2003 (CCC Historic Environment Service, ACS 5006) © Cornwall County Council 2005 No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher. Contents Summary 1 1. Introduction 5 Regeneration and the historic towns of Cornwall and Scilly 5 Characterisation and regeneration 5 Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey 6 CSUS reports 6 Extent of the study area 7 2. Falmouth: the context 8 Landscape and setting 8 The regeneration context 9 Historic environment designations 13 3. Historic and topographic development 14 A seventeenth-century new town 18 ‘By much the richest and best trading town in this county’ 21 ‘One very long street stretched out . .’ 22 ‘A large and well built town’ 26 After the packets 31 Late Victorian and Edwardian Falmouth 34 The twentieth century, to c 1950 36 Falmouth up to date 38 4. Archaeological potential 41 Indicators of archaeological potential 42 5. Present settlement character 43 Physical topography and settlement form 43 Survival of standing historic fabric 44 Architecture, materials and detail 47 Views and streetscapes 54 Identifying Character Areas 56 6. Regeneration and management 57 Character-based principles for regeneration 57 The historic environment and regeneration: key themes for Falmouth 57 7. The Character Areas 63 1. Main commercial axis 63 2. The Moor 69 3. The waterfront 74 4. ‘The cliff’ 82 5. The terraced suburbs 89 6. Seaside resort and wooded suburbs 96 Appendix 1: archaeological interventions 104 Sources 105 Figures Bound at the back of the report 1. Location and landscape setting. 2. OS 2nd edition 1:2500 (c. 1908) 3. Historical development 4. Historic topography 5. Surviving historic components 6. Archaeological potential 7. Character areas Character Area summary sheets 1-6 (A3 fold-outs) Abbreviations Carrick DC Carrick District Council CCC Cornwall County Council CSUS Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey CUC Combined Universities in Cornwall DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport DTLR Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions EH English Heritage GIS Geographical Information System HER Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) HERS Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme IADP Integrated Area Development Plan NMMC National Maritime Museum, Cornwall South West RDA South West of England Regional Development Agency TPO Tree Preservation Order Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey Falmouth Summary place’ in differentiating Falmouth from other potentially competing centres – locally, nationally, internationally – means that actions which maintain and enhance Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey the historic environment offer key The Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey is a contributions to regeneration. pioneering initiative aimed at harnessing the • Falmouth’s spectacular natural setting is a quality and distinctive character of the historic key element of character, particularly in environment to successful and sustainable terms of the striking views to the sea, regeneration. The Survey is investigating 19 across Carrick Roads and to Pendennis historic towns and creating for each an from various parts of the town and the information base and character assessment high visibility of much of the historic area which will contribute positively to of the town from the water. These factors regeneration planning. The project is based should be given primary importance in within Cornwall County Council’s Historic conceiving and planning future change. Environment Service and funded by English • The urban hierarchy and pattern of Heritage, Objective One and the South West diversity which Falmouth’s six very RDA. different Character Areas represent are key elements of the town’s unique character. Falmouth Respect for this hierarchy and for the The Objective One Single Programming distinctive differences between areas Document provides the following profile of should be key considerations in planning Falmouth: and executing future change. • A commitment to achieving quality and to ‘With a population of nearly 20,000, maintaining, enhancing or reinstating Falmouth is one of Cornwall’s largest character should be fundamental in both towns, but it is also one of the slowest new developments and in approaches to growing. This is mainly because of the repairing past mistakes. physical difficulties of achieving expansion. Its economy is varied with ship repairing • Falmouth should be perceived - and and other industry complementing a tourist accordingly managed, presented, industry which has a relatively long season interpreted and promoted - as an historic and attracts many prestigious events. Cornish town of quality, character and However, unemployment in some winters is significance. among the highest in the county.’ Character-based principles for Regeneration and the historic regeneration environment: key themes for Falmouth (Section 6) (Section 6) The following principles, derived from Characterisation has highlighted a number of analysis of Falmouth’s overall character and regeneration and conservation opportunities, assessments of its individual Character Areas, which fall broadly into the following themes. are recommended as the foundation for all • Recognise the asset represented by regeneration planning. Falmouth’s distinctive character and high • Falmouth’s historic built environment – quality historic environment buildings, historic topography and • Recognise priority opportunities for streetscapes – represents a major asset, the change primary component of the town’s unique character, charm and significance. The importance of this distinctive ‘sense of May 2005 1 Summary Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey Falmouth • Reinstate character and quality where Character Areas and regeneration these have been eroded by inappropriate opportunities past development or neglect This study identified six distinct Character • Build character into change Areas within Falmouth’s historic urban area. • Maintain and enhance the asset Its findings on these areas (Section 7), • Enhance streetscapes and the public realm together with an assessment of overall settlement character (Section 6), offer a means • Maintain the green element of understanding the past and the present. In • Enhance approach routes turn, that understanding provides the basis for a positive approach to planning future change • Reduce the dominance of traffic