Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Management Proposals Acknowledgements This document was commissioned by Dacorum Borough Council in March 2010. The study was undertaken by BEAMS Ltd, the trading company of the Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust, between March 2010 and December 2011. It was written by Christian Brady, Helen Cal-Fernandez, Graham Tite and Sallianne Wilcox. Research was conducted by Sallianne Wilcox and Graham Tite. All photographs used in the report were taken by BEAMS Ltd unless otherwise specified. BEAMS would like to thank the members of the Conservation Team and Planning Department at Dacorum Borough Council for their useful guidance and advice in the production of this document. Thank you also to Isobel Thompson at the Historic Environment Record, Hertfordshire County Council for providing all relevant HER material. BEAMS would also like to thank Jennifer Sherwood and her assistants for their help in compiling a proposed list of locally important buildings, and British Waterways (Milton Keynes and London) and the Waterways Trust (Gloucester). Built Environment & Management Service Ltd The Castle Hertford Hertfordshire SG14 1HR Tel: 01992 504331 Fax: 01992 504302 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beamsltd.org c Published 2015 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of Dacorum Borough Council Cover photographs: (Main picture) – Narrow boats on the Grand Union Canal. Images left to right – St. Peter's Church, Houses on Chapel Street, The Old Court House, View of the houses along Shrublands Avenue (west side). Contents Part 1 Conservation and Character Appraisal Page No. 1 Introduction 1 2 Location and Setting 5 Location 5 Boundaries 5 Topography 6 Geology 7 Archaeology 7 3 The Historical Development of the Town 10 4 Surviving Historic Features within the Conservation Area 26 · Summary of historical features 26 · Street pattern and building plots 26 5 The Character and Appearance of the Conservation Area 33 · Analysis 33 · Summary of townscape features 35 · Current activities and uses 36 · Focal points, views and vistas 36 · Open spaces, landscape and trees 37 · Public Realm: Floorscape, street lighting and street furniture 40 The Berkhamsted Heritage Walk, the local 'Blue Plaque' scheme, 44 information boards and desk stones 6 Character Areas 45 Identification of character areas 45 Area 1: High Street (East, Central West and Berkhamsted Schools ) 46 Area 2: Grand Union Canal (Castle / Railway, The Canal East, 87 The Canal West and George Street Housing District) Area 3: Charles Street (Charles Street / Shrublands Road 101 and Kings Road /Doctor's Commons Road) 7 The Buildings of the Conservation Area 113 Architectural styles and detailing 113 Boundaries 132 8 Negative Features and Issues 134 Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Statement Contents Part 2 Conservation and Management Proposals Page No. 1.0 Introduction 160 2.0 Application of Policy 160 3.0 Policy and design guidance 168 4.0 Development briefs 168 5.0 Monitoring change 169 6.0 Boundary changes 169 7.0 Appraising the condition of heritage assets 172 8.0 Enforcement proceedings 173 9.0 Proposed enhancement schemes 173 10.0 Proposals for economic development and regeneration 173 (including grants) 11.0 Designation of Heritage Assets 174 Further Reading and Sources of Information 175 Appendices see separate report Appendix 1: Designated Heritage Assets in Berkhamsted (Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments) Appendix 2: Un-designated Heritage Assets in Berkhamsted (Locally Listed) Appendix 3: Proposed Criteria for Local Listing Appendix 4: Historic Environment Record (Hertfordshire County Council) Appendix 5: Existing Article 4 (2) Directions. Restricted permitted development Appendix 6: Design Guidance Appendix 7: Examples of Building Materials Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Statement Contents Maps Page No. Map 1: Berkhamsted Conservation Area 1 Map 2: Berkhamsted Conservation Area. Boundary revisions 3 Map 3: 1766 Dury and Andrews map 14 Map 4: 1841 Tithe map of Berkhamsted 17 Map 5: Ordnance Survey map, first edition (1877) 20 Map 6: Ordnance Survey map, second edition (1898) 21 Map 7: Ordnance Survey map, third edition (1925) 22 Map 8: Ordnance Survey map, fourth edition (1938) 23 Map 9: Character Areas 45 Map 10: Area 1: High Street East. Central and West, and School 46 Map 11: Area 1: High Street Central 46 Map 12: Area 1: High Street West 70 Map 13: Area 1: Berkhamsted School 85 Map 14: Area 2: The Canal West 89 Map 15: Area 2: The Canal East 90 Map 16: Area 2: Castle & Railway 94 Map 17: Area 2: George Street Housing District 96 Map 18: Area 3: Charles Street (Charles Street / Shrublands Road 101 and Kings Road / Doctor's Commons Road) Map 19: Negative / Neutral sites in Berkhamsted Conservation Area 135 Map 20: Boundary Extensions 170 Map 20(a): Boundary Extension Area 1 170 Map 20(b): Boundary Extension Area 2 171 Map 20(c): Boundary Extension Area 3 172 Map 20(d): Boundary Extension Area 4 172 Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Statement Part 1 Conservation Area Character Appraisal 1 Introduction 1.1 Berkhamsted Conservation Area is defined 1.3 The historical development of Berkhamsted by the linear town settlement of the High Street, has been influenced by the natural valley which lies south of the railway line (West Coast landscape and the River Bulbourne, together Main Line), the River Bulbourne and the Grand with the impact of human development by way of Union Canal. North of the railway line stands the Berkhamsted Castle, the Grand Union Canal and historic Berkhamsted Castle that is surrounded the railway line. The plan of Berkhamsted town by a series of bank and ditch earthworks. centre is typical of a medieval market settlement; Beyond the linear High Street (mainly to the the linear High Street forms the spine of the town south) are a series of densely terraced (roughly aligned east-west), from which extend residential streets that are bounded by later sub- medieval burgage plots (to the north and south). urban roads and housing estates. At the centre stands the Parish Church (the thirteenth century Church of St. Peter) along with 1.2 Berkhamsted is a viable and prosperous the triangular market-place (the old Market provincial market town in Dacorum Borough. As Place, recorded as Le Shopperowe in 1357). The set out in the Town Centre Strategy for majority of High Street buildings date to between Berkhamsted, the Council's aim is to conserve the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries and are and enhance the town centre environment with mostly commercial premises (such as shops, particular reference to retention of its restaurants, banks, offices, public houses), appearance, character and atmosphere as a places of worship and public buildings with a small county town centre….. [and] to address the smaller number of residential properties. Later problems of the 1990s post-bypass era streets were laid out on the valley sides away (Berkhamsted Town Centre Strategy; spatial from the High Street according to need (a planning. Dacorum Borough Local Plan 1991 - growing population), and were influenced by the 2011). existing plots / field systems and the landscape topography. These streets were mainly built Map 1: Berkhamsted Conservation Area BRIDGEWA CASTLE HILL TER ROAD SOUTH P ARK GARDENS CASTLE HILL BROWNLOW ROAD A VENUE CASTLE HILL CLOSE BRIDGEWA NEW ROAD TER ROAD Grand Union Canal River Bulbourne ST JOHNS WELL CT WEST ROAD HIGH STREET SURUBLANDS ROAD WHITEHILL ST JOHNS WELL LANE LARCH RISE Grand Union Canal Grand Union Canal MILL STREET ST A River Bulbourne TION ROAD CASTLE STREET BEECH HILL ROAD SURUBLANDS ROAD GREENE FIELD ROAD COURT HIGH STREET MIDDLE ROAD CROSSOAK WHITEWOOD ROAD LOWER KINGS ROAD TH FINCH A BOXWELL ROAD VEL P GRA ROAD ARK VIEW ROAD BRIDGE STREET P CHAPEL STREET VENUE HIGH STREET A TER LANE CHARLES STREET COWPER ROAD WA THE WILDERNESS CASTLE STREET MANOR CL CHURCH LANE SURUBLANDS KITSBURY ROAD ELLESMERE ROAD MANOR STREET Grand Union Canal KITSBURY TERRACE KINGS ROAD ROAD NEW STREET E EDWARD ST CLARENCE ROAD PRINC VENS LANE GREENW CROSSOAK RA HIGH STREET AY NORTH ROAD AGUE ROAD GEORGE STREET MONT MANOR STREET Y STREET HOLLIDA ANGLEFIELD ROAD GILBERT MCDOUGALL ROAD CHESHAM ROAD T BRIDGE RD WA L ROBERTSON ROAD Y THE OAKS KINGS ROAD DOCTOR COMMONS ROAD PRIORY GDNS HIGH STREET WILLIAM STREET OAKLANDS ROAD PINE CLOSE THREE CLOSE LANE VICTORIA BANK HILL GEORGE STREET BEDFORD STREET GDNS KILFILLAN LONDON ROAD HIGHFIELD ROAD PRIORY GARDEN CAWPIONS COURT Y CURTIS WA GRAEMESDYKE ROAD PLOVER CL BEECH DRIVE 0 500metres © Crown copyright. All rights reserved Dacorum Borough Council 100018935:2011 Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Statement Page 1 during the nineteenth century and predominantly challenge to the future of town centre shopping lay to the southwest of the High Street, with (Berkhamsted Town Centre Strategy; spatial some lying close to the areas occupied by the planning. Dacorum Borough Local Plan 1991 - Grand Union Canal and the railway line. 2011). Pressures exist for commercial and retail infrastructure development that is in conflict with, 1.4 According to a Supplementary Planning and can be out of scale with, the town centre's Guidance document prepared by Dacorum environmental quality, in particular its small Borough Council (May 2004), Berkhamsted country town character (Berkhamsted Town Conservation Area was divided into three Centre Strategy; spatial planning. Dacorum 'Indentity Areas' for the purposes of character Borough Local Plan 1991 - 2011). Residential appraisal of problems and opportunities, use of upper floors of existing retail premises subsequent analysis and policy formation…[as] was seen as offering residential accommodation each area has its own distinctive characteristics within the town centre; the Government initiative as part of the overall conservation area: High 'Living Over the Shop' aimed to encourage this Street (Area 1 - commercial & residential), (Berkhamsted Town Centre Strategy; spatial Grand Union Canal (Area 2 - industrial and planning.