APRIL 2008 Online 570 Geofile Sally Garrington BAYSTON HILL - A CASE STUDY O F VILLAGE SUBURBANISATION Introduction Figure 1: The cycle of urbanisation During the second half of the 20th Large scale rural–urban century, many towns and cities in MEDCs experienced widespread migration counterurbanisation, part of the cycle of urbanisation. Counterurbanisation is defined as the movement of an urban population away from cities and Urbanisation large towns to small towns or villages in the surrounding areas in order to achieve a perceived improvement in their quality of life. This movement Re-urbanisation Suburbanisation was started by wealthier families who bought houses in villages, often on a large plot, and commuted back to the town/city for work. However, from the 1960s in the UK many villages near Counter-urbanisation large towns were increased in size by the building of large (when compared to the scale of the original village) housing estates. People, mainly the plain. From Norman times most families, wanted houses with larger GeoFile Series Figure26 Issue 2: 3 Model of a suburbanised of the village area was the Forest of gardens, and often houses on these Fig 570_01 Mac/eps/ivillagellustrator (after 11 s/s Hudson) Lythwood, but by the 18thNELSON century THORNES PUBLISHING village estates were cheaper than much had been cleared. LythwoodArtist: David Russell Illustration comparable houses in the nearby Main Hall, built in1782, was the centre of towns. This influx of new residents route the Lythwood estate which was largely often changed the character of such agricultural. villages and put severe strain on the infrastructure such as schools and access roads. The Common, of which there is only a small remnant on the eastern side of Figure 2 shows a model of the the village, extended along both sides morphology of a suburbanised village of Lyth Hill and Lythwood Roads. - a village that is close to a large town, This remnant now forms the heart of in or near the rural-urban fringe, the old village but it is separated from Main which has experienced a rapid rise in the majority of today’s settlement by route population. Such a village is Bayston the main trunk road, the A49 (Figure Hill in Shropshire, a suburbanised 4). The village of today began as a village 4.8km south of the county squatter settlement by landless town of Shrewsbury. It (along with peasants who started farming the Key several others) lays claim to being the common land in the 18th century. In Original core largest urban village in England, with the 19th century there was some Infill a population of about 5500 in 2007. migration as men came to work in Ribbon development local coal mines, limestone quarries Recent developments and in the rope works. Later, in 1844, History of Bayston Hill until a church was built adjacent to the 1960 eastern common and this was joined working in the countryside. The old The village of Bayston Hill developed four years later by a school for the school was used until 1956, when it poor children of the parish. These moved toGeoFile new premisesSeries 26 Issinue 3 at a gap in a ridge which leads from Fig 570_02 Mac/eps/illustrator 11 s/s the North Shropshire Plain towards buildings still exist although they now LongmeadowNELSON THOR Road.NES Up PUBLI untilSHING the the South Shropshire Hills. Most of have a residential use. In the 1901 1960sA thertist: life Dav ofid theRusse villagell Illustra centredtion the surrounding landscape today is census the population of the village around the church and the school on farmland and for much of the village’s was 870, and it only began to increase the Common, with a few houses along existence, it was agriculture that in the late 1950s. During the first half the A49 including public houses to provided the majority of employment of the 20th century many individual serve travellers on the main route in the village. There is evidence of houses were built along Lyth Hill south to Hereford via Church very early settlement in the area, and Road, along the line of the old Stretton. Figure 4 shows a small there is an Iron Age hill fort at the common. Rural council houses were village whose core, including most of Burgs (Figure 4), which guarded the also built along Landsdowne Road to its services, was to the east of the A49. ancient routeway from the hills onto house farm workers and others Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2008 April 2008 no.570 Bayston Hill – A Case Study of Village Suburbanisation Figure 3: Location of Bayston Hill To Whitchurch To North wales A49 N River A5 Severn A5 ENGLAND Shrewsbury F To Telford & West midlands M A5 WALES Shropshire Bayston Hill River Severn Key A49 0 200 km Shrewsbury M Meole Brace Retail Park F New football stadium To Ludlow, Hereford Post-1960 under 2000 but by 1971 it had risen Employment in the village dramatically to 5345. One long-term In 1961 limits to the development of resident stated at this time that Places of employment within the Bayston Hill were decided by the village include the Tarmac quarries, ‘We’ve beenGeoFile invaded!’ Series 26 Issue 3 local authority, but these limits Fig 570_03 Mac/eps/illustrator 11 s/s where 45 people are employed but allowed for the building of 1870 NELSON THORNES PUBLISHING houses on greenfield land, a decision FigureA 4:rtist: Sketch David mapRusse showingll Illustration morphology of Bayston Hill that would dramatically change the village. 1520 of these new homes had been constructed by 1971, set on large, relatively uniform estates. The 9 N 5 new developments were to the west of the A49 and so the centre of gravity of the village began to move away from the old core around the common. Most of the houses were semi- 4 detached three-bedroom homes for 8 families, along with a range of larger 2 1 detached houses, built using standard bricks and not local materials. Young 6 couples and families were attracted to the new housing as the village was convenient for working in 3 Key Original core of village Shrewsbury and also there were good including original church communication links to Telford and 7 and school Isolated older houses, the West Midlands. The character of same date as core the village changed with this huge Ribbon development influx of people, most of whom did early 20th century Modern housing estates not know each other. A second post 1960 primary school was built and for the Infill first time not all the children of the Key to numbers Site of proposed low village were educated together. A 1 The Burgs – Iron Age hill fort. cost housing 2 The Common – core of the village. Old church and school located here. S Modern primary schools parade of shops was eventually built 3 Railway line to Newport, Gwent. Built 1854. CC Replacement Christ to serve the new community, to be 4 Rock quarry – now owned by Tarmac. Church – 1983 5 A49 trunk road leading from Shrewsbury south to Hereford. MC New Methodist chapel – 1970 joined later by a branch library. In 6 Lythwood Hall – 18th century house. Estate much older. 1983 Christ Church moved onto 7 Lyth Hill Road leading up to Country Park of Lyth Hill. Local beauty spot. church-owned land within the new 8 Parade of shops – built late 1960s/early 1970s. 9 Green space beyond the village boundary, between the village and the town of estates. In 1961 the population was Shrewsbury. No development except for “permitted exceptions” such as low-cost housing. Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2008 GeoFile Series 26 Issue 3 Fig 570_04 Mac/eps/illustrator 11 s/s NELSON THORNES PUBLISHING Artist: David Russell Illustration April 2008 no.570 Bayston Hill – A Case Study of Village Suburbanisation only eight of them are from the village was realised that although the village Problems and challenges itself. Apart from serving in the shops was the size of a small town, there was and takeaways, there are jobs within a very little for young people to do in In 1981 the villagers were asked about large accountancy firm, the local the evenings after school without their concerns, and what emerged was garage, an architect’s office, the having to travel to Shrewsbury. This that the village as a whole felt that doctor’s and dental surgeries, two car and other developments have enabled development had been too sudden and dealerships and two building firms. the village to feel like a separate on too large a scale. It was also felt that However, from Figure 6, it can be community from Shrewsbury and not there were not enough facilities in seen that most people (37%) travel just a ‘dormitory’ settlement, where order for a village the size of Bayston between 2 and 5km for work, which people only return home to sleep and Hill to provide for its residents. Much usually means Shrewsbury. Over 75% play no part in the life of their local has been done since then to create new, of people work outside the village community. and upgrade old, facilities, especially area, which has grown markedly since those for young people. No further the 19th century. Scout and Guide groups are run in a large development has been allowed specially-built hall near the and, with one notable exception, only Services in the 21st century Glebelands open space near the new infilling has been carried out since the church. The Memorial Hall is 1980s. The Local Plan has created As can be seen from Figure 7, there situated near the A49 and was built as tightly drawn boundaries to encourage have been great changes in the a village hall in commemoration of development within the county town of services provided within the village the villagers who died during World Shrewsbury, especially on brownfield over the years.