- Victoria Park Conservation Area Appraisal 2015 Draft – Volume I Lodge gate and the Rusholme entrance to Victoria Park, called Crescent Gate, built in 1837 and demolished circa 1905. Urban Design and Conservation Team Planning, Building Control and Licensing Department Growth and Neighbourhoods Directorate Contents 1. Summary 2. Introduction 3. Definition of a Conservation Area 4. Value of a Conservation Area Appraisal 5. Scope of the Appraisal 6. History 7. Historic development and Archaeology 8. Prominent residents of Victoria Park 9. Victoria Park and its buildings today 10. Townscape 11. Character analysis 12. Spatial analysis 13. Control of development 14. Trees 15. Improvement and Enhancement 2 1. Summary The special character of Victoria Park Conservation Area derives from the following elements: Victoria Park was purchased by speculative developers and formally laid out in large plots as a gated community for upper and middle classes arriving in Manchester. Unique example of an early town planning scheme and the first of Manchester‘s estate design for the newly rich industrialists wishing to move out of the city in the 1820‘ and 30‘s. The spatial characteristics and size and maturity and quality of the landscaping in individual plots and trees creating a leafy character. The low density residential characteristics with large villas set in generous plots. The coherence of the different architectural designs which are considered to be the best of their day and the architectural quality of the individual buildings in common design styles in Tudor Gothic, Neo Classical, Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau. The high quality concentration of listed buildings. Quiet residential character in a private and semi -secluded environment The consistent quality of materials including stucco, stone, brick and slate. The rich detailing and architectural features of the historic buildings including porches. Good quality boundaries including boundary walls, hedges and gate posts. 3 2. Introduction Victoria Park conservation area lies three kilometres to the south of the city centre and was designated in March 1972. It extends from the backs of properties to the north of Daisy Bank Road and Oxford Place to Kent Road East and West, and Rusholme Grove in the south. The west boundary is Oxney Road and the backs of properties on Wilmslow Road. To the east the boundary is formed by Anson Road, the backs of properties on Langdale Road and Laindon Road, the backs of properties on Daisy Bank Road, Scarsdale Road, the backs of properties on Langdale Road and Anson Road. Victoria Park was formerly known as ‗the green‘ and was the meeting point for social activities by the local farmers and labourers. The 146 acre site was purchased by speculative developers to create a residential development for the increasing numbers of upper and middle classes arriving in Manchester. The scheme was unusual in that it required investors to purchase shares under a system called a ‗Tontine‘; which was a form of gambling. Unfortunately, it became the subject of a number fraud cases the most notable being Foss v Harbottle (1843). As a result of the early problems only a small number of houses had been built when the company folded. The Victoria Park Trust was created in 1845 resurrecting the scheme; it remained a private estate to which access could be gained only by payment at the toll gates erected at the entrances to the park. The Trust was finally taken over by Manchester Corporation in the 1950‘s. Richard Lane an eminent architect was commissioned to design the estate. Although some of the later buildings were designed by other architects like Alfred Waterhouse, C T Redmayne and Edgar Wood they maintain his ethos of quality materials, large houses set back from the road with large private gardens. The choice of materials was predominantly stone, brick and slate; although later buildings included decorative terracotta and red brick. There are some fine examples of stained glass in a number of buildings. The Conservation Area has a large number of Grade II Listed Buildings (24), including the Edgar Wood Centre which is Grade I. A steady deterioration of the environmental quality of the area became apparent in the 1920‘s when Anson Road was constructed dividing the Park into two. This eventually led to the removal of the toll gates, two castellated gateposts from the Longsight entrance on Daisy Bank Road were relocated to the centre of Park Crescent in 1987 near to the former Rusholme entrance. 4 Figure 1 Victoria Park Conservation Area 5 3. Definition of a Conservation Area A Conservation Area is an area "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance‖ Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 69 Designation of conservation areas. (1) Every local planning authority— (a) shall from time to time determine which parts of their area are areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, and (b) shall designate those areas as conservation areas. (2) It shall be the duty of a local planning authority from time to time to review the past exercise of functions under this section and to determine whether any parts or any further parts of their area should be designated as conservation areas; and, if they so determine, they shall designate those parts accordingly. (3) The Secretary of State may from time to time determine that any part of a local planning authority‘s area which is not for the time being designated as a conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance; and, if he so determines, he may designate that part as a conservation area. (4) The designation of any area as a conservation area shall be a local land charge. 6 4. Value of a Conservation Area Appraisal The benefits of producing a character appraisal As a tool to demonstrate the area‘s special interest As explanation to owners, businesses and inhabitants of the reasons for designation As educational and informative documents created with the local community, expressing what the community particularly values about the place they live and work in Greater understanding and articulation of its character which can be used to develop a robust policy framework for planning decisions Informing those considering investment in the area in guiding the scale, form and content of new development When adopting it will be material to the determination of planning appeals and to the Secretary of State decisions, including those where urgent works are proposed to preserve an unlisted building in a conservation area Assistance in developing a management plan for the conservation area by providing the analysis of what is positive and negative, and in opportunities for beneficial change and enhancement or the need for additional protection and restraint (including the use of Article 4 directions) Better understanding of archaeological potential, perhaps by identifying and mapping archaeologically sensitive areas and thus guiding development towards less sensitive locations (Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management – Historic England Advice Note 1 February 2016) 7 5. Scope of Appraisal This appraisal is only intended to cover features within the designated Conservation Area and does not imply that any specific building, structure, landscape, space or aspect within Victoria Park is not of value or does not contribute positively to the character and appearance of the designated heritage asset. Over time an area develops and it is useful to revisit the special features of the area, and possibly reconsider other aspects that may contribute to the uniqueness of the area. Discussions of an area should always begin with the positive aspects. Each site should be judged on its own merits as there will be variations in the quality of each development. The focus should be on what makes Victoria Park worthy of the designation. Ultimately special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving and enhancing the character or appearance of the Conservation Area. 8 History With the advent of the Industrial Revolution the growth of Manchester, and in particular the cotton industry, made the owners of businesses wealthy in a short space of time. Factories, powered by steam engines, discharged smoke which made the city centre an unpleasant and unhealthy place to live, and those who could afford to do so moved away to outlying areas. In the 1830s Manchester was not yet a city, and Rusholme was an independent township. Source: Rusholme : Past and Present, being a gossipy talk of men and things by William Royle 1905 9 10 Richard Lane was commissioned to plan a 146 acre private estate there and the scheme was officially launched in 1837. 11 12 The early years of the 'Victoria Park Company' were of mixed fortune. The original plans to develop land in a slightly different area, did not reach complete fruition, largely due to the fraud which led to the landmark Foss v. Harbottle case. 13 Figure 2 Ivy villa Figure ??? 14 By 1845, when residents formed the Victoria Park Trust, about a dozen houses had been built, nine of which are standing today. The park had its own Tollgates at Longsight. (Now Dickinson Road) Rusholme (Oxford Place) and Park Crescent, walls and even had its own Police force. By 1850 about 50 houses had been built of varying styles. Figure 2 Carolside from the south on Upper Park Road. One of the few original houses still remaining, although there have been many alterations to the building. Figure 3 Park Crescent Toll Gates from Wilmslow Road 1866 At least as early as 1870 there have been notable changes brought about by other development, (1870 the entrance lodge gates at Longsight were demolished to make way 15 for Plymouth Grove, the Crescent Gate entrance off Wilmslow Road in Rusholme was demolished to make way for shops), Figure The replacement entrance at Park Crescent built circa 1918.