Proctor Ebbsfleet & Matthews Built Form Character Study Architects Progress Mtg 01 - 23.02.18 1 Scope of the Report: areas of influence Key Key opportunity to influence Limited opportunity to influence No opportunity to influence SWANSCOMBE PENINSULA Croxton Garry Craylands Lane NORTHFLEET RIVERSIDE Northfleet West Station Quarter Northfleet North East EBBSFLEET CENTRAL Northfleet Rise EASTERN QUARRY Castle Hill East Western Cross Alkerden Castle Hill Central Station Quarter South Ebbsfleet Green Castle Hill South Springhead 2 Aerial view: with red line of proposed new neighbourhoods SWANSCOMBE PENINSULA Greenhithe Croxton Garry Craylands Lane NORTHFLEET RIVERSIDE Swanscombe Northfleet West Station Quarter Northfleet North East EBBSFLEET CENTRAL Gravesend Northfleet Rise EASTERN QUARRY Castle Hill East Western Cross Alkerden Castle Hill Central Station Quarter South Ebbsfleet Green Castle Hill South Springhead 3 Nolli Plan: current urban form & public realm 4 Key Narrative: Topography PLACE NAMES & THE LANDSCAPE PALIMPSEST GEOLOGY LANDSCAPE FEATURES TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE DESIGN RIVER TO MARSH TO CHALK ESCARPMENTS 5 Key Narrative Topography: place names & the landscape palimpsest The River Thames and its estuary has throughout history been a vital corridor for trade, travel and industry. This landscape now contains a complex ‘palimpsest’ of features dating from the prehistoric periods through to the modern day. The present landscape is a mosaic of dense urban development, commerce and industry, interspersed with tracts of rural countryside and marshland. The present aspect of the lower Thames Valley is very different from what it was a thousand years ago. Instead of being confined within the regular banks, the river must have spread its sluggish waters over a broad lagoon, which was dotted with marshy islands. Ebbsfleet which is now half a mile from the shore, was a port in the twelfth century, and its name indicates the former existence of a tidal channel at the spot. Even the map to the right demonstrates a very different topography to the landscape today. Local place names can be seen to have been derived from this natural landscape and kentish names could be used to define areas of new housing typologies and associated new landscape: HITHE a landing place or small port for ships or boats FLEET derived from the Norse fliot which means a small river or channel COMBE a large hollow on the side of a hill MARSH a low-lying tract of land PENT slope, inclination Kent PINCH short, steep hill Kent TOLL row of trees Kent PETT clump of trees Kent ROUGHET small wood of hazel or ash with undergrowth Kent Above: Mudge map of Kent 1807 (crop) POLDER derived from Old Dutch polra, ultimately from - part of land, elevated above its surroundings - reclaimed land defined by a dyke LE STCHEZ place at the edge of a marsh which dries up in summer 6 Key Narrative Topography: geology The geological strata also represents the changing landscape as layer upon layer has been created. Prehistoric Ebbsfleet was open grass lands, with the previous river to the Thames flowing around 30 meters higher than today through a broad flood plain with shallow wooded valleys. Thurrock 1. Superficial deposits: Tidal river deposits - clay and silt Marsh 2. Bedrock geology: Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation, Seaford Chalk Formation And Newhaven Chalk Formation Tilbury (undifferentiated) - Chalk. or ‘Coombe Rock’ Marsh Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 72 to 94 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. Local environment previously dominated by warm chalk seas. 1 These sedimentary rocks are shallow-marine in origin. They Swanscombe are biogenic and detrital, generally comprising carbonate Greenhithe Marsh material (coccoliths), forming distinctive beds of chalk. 3. Bedrock geology: London clay formation - clay and silt 2 4. Bedrock geology: Thanet Formation - Sand Swanscombe Northfleet Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 56 to 59 million years ago in the Palaeogene Period. Local environment previously dominated by shallow seas. 3 Ebbsfleet / These sedimentary rocks are shallow-marine in origin. Fleet They are detrital, ranging from coarse- to fine-grained 4 River valley (locally with some carbonate content) forming interbedded 5 sequences. 5. Bedrock geology: Lambeth Group - Sand, Silt And Clay Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 48 to 59 million years ago in the Palaeogene Period. Local environment previously dominated by swamps, estuaries and deltas. These sedimentary rocks are fluvial, palustrine and shallow-marine in origin. They are detrital, forming deposits reflecting the channels, floodplains and deltas of a river in a coastal setting (with periodic inundation from the sea). 7 Key Narrative Topography: landscape - distinct features to be considered at design stage chalk escarpments lake lake chalk escarpment COOMBE scarp FLEET MARSH HYTHE 8 Topography: river to marsh to chalk escarpments 9 Key Narrative Topography: figure ground 10 Key Narrative Topography: aerial views EASTERN QUARRY 11 Key Narrative Topography: aerial views NORTHFLEET Church Path Pit Blue Lake 12 Key Narrative Topography: aerial views GREENHITHE Craylands Gorge SWANSCOMBE PENINSULA Black Duck Marsh 13 Narrative: Coombe CLIFFE VISUAL STUDY FARMINGHAM VISUAL STUDY SIMPLIFIED MATERIALS / FOCUS ON FORM HOP FARMS / FARMSTEADS CHALK QUARRIES SILHOUETTE BUILDINGS 14 1890s 1890s COOMBE - Contextual Analysis to Create a Narrative: low chalk escarpment settlement - Cliffe Cliffe is a village on the Hoo Peninsula. It is of interest as it is an example of a settlement upon a low chalk escarpment overlooking the Thames marshes. In the late Middle Ages the village of Cliffe supported a port, which thrived until a disastrous fire in 1520 stifled its growth, marking a period of decline, accentuated by the silting of the marshes of the Thames Estuary. Like Northfleet it supported cement works, that were situated as can be seen on the map top the right on Cliffe marsh, to the west of the village where the chalk cliffs came almost to within a mile of the River Thames. The area also proved a useful source of clay. The riverside location provided ease of transport and wharves were duly built at the mouth of Cliffe creek. What is of interest on walking around Cliffe is that the high street follows the topography down the hill with secondary streets running in alignment to the chalk escarpment. There are numerous buildings of townscape and visual interest. There are also a number of historic farmsteads, dotted Key around Cliffe, as can be seen highlighted on the map. During the 14th Century Cliffe was the site of a farm owned primary street by the monks of Christ’s Church, Canterbury. secondary street A row of unnamed children’s graves in the churchyard spurred Charles Dickens to use it as the setting for village centre at off- the beginning of Great Expectations (1860–61), where set in High Street Magwitch jumps out at Pip ‘among the graves by the side of the church porch’. farmstead with long facade looking out over the landscape © Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2018. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY. Scale 1:5000 Feb 13, 2018 11:27 University of Westminster 0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 km Projection: British National Grid 15 © Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2018. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY. Scale 1:5000 Feb 13, 2018 11:27 University of Westminster 0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 km Projection: British National Grid COOMBE - Contextual Analysis to Create a Narrative: chalk quarries It can be seen from comparing historic maps that the Eastern Quarries were developed between the 1940s and 1960s (map shown to the right). In 1868 Swanscombe was still a predominantly rural community with many acres under hops and several oast houses in the Swanscombe Street and Milton Street areas. However, Swanscombe Manor, which consisted of most of the land south of Swanscombe Street including the woods, with much land to the east and north of the villages, was sold to Thomas Bevan, one of the cement magnates. This sale signalled the future of much of the arable and woodlands, which would, over the next century, be largely excavated for chalk and clay, thus surrounding Swanscombe with the huge chalk pits that exist today. Eastern Quarries 1960 Marl Pit by Thomas Hennell (1903-1946) Juxtaposition industry and chalk quarries Northfleet born in Ridley Kent 21 COOMBE - Contextual Analysis to Create a Narrative: gravel works, cement plants and river industry Shoreham cement works Gravel grader and batching plant machinery 22 COOMBE SCARP - Historical Analysis to Create a Narrative: watchtowers, beacons and windmills - ridge silhouette buildings There are numerous examples of a ridge typology as a building forming a distinct outline on the ridge. As can be seen in the map of 1588 of the Thames defences, windmill hill in Gravesend and Northfleet hill can be seen with buildings of strategic orientation; possibly used as defensive look-outs. Windmill Hill was formerly the site of a beacon in 1377, which was instituted by King Richard II, and still in use 200 years later at the time of the Spanish Armada. The hill offers extensive views across the Thames and was a popular spot for Victorian visitors to the town because of the camera obscura installed. Elsewhere villas create a distinct outline on top of the chalk ridges. 1588 map of Thames defenses - extract Rosherville Gardens Mill Hill Gravesend Greenhithe tower Villas - site of Rosherville Pleasure gardens 23 Narrative: Fleet NORTHFLEET: WHARVES & WAREHOUSES SOUTHFLEET VISUAL STUDY GREENHITHE VISUAL STUDY GRAVESEND VISUAL STUDY ROMAN SETTLEMENTS 33 FLEET - Historical Analysis to Create a Narrative: trade & industry: wharves, warehouses & kilns The River Thames historically was a communications corridor and this was accompanied by the development of historic wharves. In Roman times Northfleet was the trading connection on the Thames when the Fleet river was used to link Watling Street to the Thames.