St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal Endorsed June 2008 Contents 1 Introduction 1 The purpose of a Conservation Area Appraisal 1 Scope and structure 1 General identity and character 1 Date of designation 1 The Conservation Area within the wider setting 1 2 Planning Context 2 National 2 Regional 2 Local 2 3 Location and setting 3 4 Designations 4 5 Historic and topographic development 5 Medieval 5 Sixteenth and Seventeenth century 5 Eighteenth century 6 Early Nineteenth century 7 Later Nineteenth century 8 Early Twentieth century 9 Later Twentieth century and current 10 6 Archaeological potential 11 7 Present settlement character 12 Topography and settlement form 12 Standing historic fabric 12 Key Buildings 14 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT Local details 17 Local and traditional building materials 22 Activity and use 23 Spatial analysis 24 Streetscape and views 25 Public realm 29 Greenery and green space 31 Loss, intrusion and damage 32 General condition 33 8 Problems and pressures 34 Historic Buildings 34 Public Realm 34 New Building 35 9 Recommendations 37 Historic Buildings 37 Public Realm 37 10 Opportunities 38 1 Sources 39 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT 1 Introduction modern development is mainly confined to The purpose of a Conservation its northern and southern edges. St Tudy Area Appraisal is well kept and there is a strong sense of local pride. Amenities include the parish The purpose of this conservation area church, Methodist chapel, public house, appraisal is to clearly define the special post office/general stores, primary school, interest, character and appearance of the community halls and play areas. conservation area. The appraisal should then inform development control decisions Date of designation and policies and act as a foundation for further work on design guidance and A Conservation Area was designated in enhancement schemes. 1997 and in the same year a Conservation Area Statement for St Tudy was adopted Scope and structure by the Council as supplementary planning guidance. This appraisal describes and analyses the character of the St Tudy conservation area The Conservation Area within the and the immediately surrounding historic wider setting environment. The appraisal will look at the historic and topographical development of The present conservation area boundary the settlement and analyse its present is based on the historic core of the village character in order to identify problems and around the parish church. It also includes pressures and make recommendations for the immediate setting of the core area and its future management. More detailed approaches to it. advice on the management of the conservation area can be found in the St Tudy Conservation Area Management Plan which is designed to stand alongside this appraisal. General identity and character From its early origins as a churchtown the village of St Tudy has gradually developed over the years into a significant centre for the surrounding area. In addition to its traditional role as service provider for the agricultural hinterland the village is increasingly developing into a commuter/retirement settlement, partly because of its relatively good road links. There is a good survival of historic buildings from many different periods reflecting the village’s continued popularity and the 1 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT 2 Planning Context Local National The adopted North Cornwall District Local In 1967 the concept of protecting areas of Plan (1999) contains detailed polices special merit, rather than individual relating to listed buildings and conservation buildings was first brought under legislative areas. For this reason, anyone considering control with the passing of the Civil making an application for consent for Amenities Act. Whilst listed buildings are development or demolition within a assessed nationally with lists drawn up by conservation area or which would affect a the government on advice from English listed building should consult the Local Heritage conservation areas are designated Plan. The document is available for by local authorities. The current Act inspection at the Council’s offices and governing the designation of ‘areas of online at www.ncdc.gov.uk . Pre-application special architectural or historic interest, the advice can also be sought from the character or appearance of which it is Council’s Conservation and Development desirable to preserve or enhance’ is the Control Officers. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Under this The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act local planning authorities are required Act 2004 introduced changes to the to designate conservation areas, to keep planning system that will result in the North them under review and if appropriate to Cornwall District Local Plan replacement designate further areas. Designation by a Local Development Framework. A remains the principal means by which local portfolio of Development Plan Documents authorities can apply conservation policies will set out the spatial planning strategy for to a particular area. North Cornwall and provided detailed development control policies including Regional locally distinct polices relating to listed buildings and conservation areas. All Broad polices relating to the protection and documents prepared as part of the North enhancement of the natural and built Cornwall Local Development Framework, environment is currently contained in the including the Local Development Scheme Cornwall Structure Plan (2004). The policy which sets the timescale for Development emphasis is that development should Plan Document preparation and adoption respect and consolidate local character. In can be viewed at www.ncdc.gov.uk . 2008 the Structure Plan will be replaced as part of the statutory Development Plan by The saved polices of the North Cornwall the South West Regional Spatial Strategy. District Local Plan will remain part of the The contained policy approach in respect statutory development plan until replaced of the built and natural environment will be by adopted Development Plan Documents. maintained in accordance with national guidance. 2 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT 3 Location and setting St Tudy is located almost mid way between the towns of Bodmin, Camelford and Wadebridge. A network of minor roads connects the village to the B3266 Bodmin-Camelford road and the main A39 Bude-Wadebridge road. The village gives the parish its name, and is within the area of North Cornwall District Council. The village lies in the midst of rolling downland between the valleys of the rivers Camel and Allen, which run parallel to each other in a north-east/south-west orientation. To the east beyond the River Camel the land rises sharply to Bodmin Moor. The more immediate setting of the village comprises a hill of 140m to the north of the settlement, to the west a fairly steeply sided tributary river valley which curves around to the south of the village and to the east the land rises slightly before falling to the valley of a tributary of the River Camel. The site of the village itself is relatively flat but slopes slightly towards the north. Any sense of enclosure comes from the buildings themselves and trees in the church church and more mature gardens. Under the historic landscape characterisation survey carried out by Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service the land around the village was identified as medieval farmland – further afield there are pockets of rough ground and post medieval and modern farmland. 3 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT 4 Designations Scheduled Monuments There are no scheduled monuments. Historic Buildings There are 28 listed buildings and structures in St Tudy including the grade I church. In addition there are 19 listed headstones and tombchests in the churchyard. There is no local list Historic Area Designations There is a conservation area which includes the historic core of the village. Other Designations (All policy numbers refer to North Cornwall Local Plan adopted April 1999) There is a development boundary (HSG1) drawn relatively tightly around the the existing built up area to protect the surrounding countryside from encroaching development. The land adjoining Butts Parc has been deliberately excluded to protect this open space which is important to the setting of this listed building. An area of land to the west of the village was identified for Housing Allocation (HSG1) and this area has now been developed. 4 St Tudy Conservation Area Appraisal - DRAFT 5 Historic and topographic development See also the surviving historic components map. Medieval The first written record regarding St Tudy appears in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as the settlement and manor of Eglostudic – the word eglos meaning church and tudic referring to the saint Tudius. There is good evidence however that the settlement dates from much earlier. The circular churchyard suggests a Celtic site where open air masses would have taken place before an early wooden church was built in the sixth century. Although it is unlikely that St Tudius, a sixth century abbot and missionary who was active in Brittany, actually visited the site it could have been established by one of his monks at around this time. A coped stone, or pre-Norman gravestone, in the churchyard is further physical evidence of an early ecclesiastical Picture 5.1 The present church of St Uda dates from the fifteenth century. presence. Other written documentation referring to A stone cruciform church replaced the early the settlement during this period includes wooden structure in the Norman period, the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and which in turn was replaced by a larger Winchester dated 1294. church in the fifteenth century. The Norman font and a crudely carved stone figure still Sixteenth and Seventeenth century survive however and it is likely that some of the Norman stone walls were The only surviving evidence of building incorporated into the present day church. during the Tudor period in the area lies outside the village in the form of two sizeable houses - Tinten Manor to the south of the settlement and Tremeer to the north west.