Ashbourne Conservation Area Appraisal - 04

Ashbourne
Conservation Area Appraisal
4. Architectural & Historic Quality
•
Materials & Details
ARCHITECTURAL
QUALITY
AND
HISTORIC
Preamble
The Ashbourne Conservation Area encompasses
the core of the historic town and is relatively large
displaying a range of architectural styles and
building forms that define its character and
appearance. The settlement is of ancient origin
although the predominant period of architecture on
view today is of the late 17th, 18th and early 19th
centuries making it a predominantly ‘Georgian’
town.
The Conservation Area has been divided into four
sub-areas each of which will be assessed and
described in turn. These sub-areas are:
•
•
•
•
St Oswald’s, the Meadows and Church
Street
Dig Street
Market Place, Victoria Square and St John’s
Street
Buxton Road, King Street, Union Street
and Belle Vue Road
St Oswald’s Parish Church
The map of 1550 shows the church within its
bounded churchyard. Two buildings are shown to
its south side – one of these may be the old
parsonage house (pre-dating that of 1722 which was
itself demolished in 1854) and the other may be the
predecessor of the present brick built Spalden’s
Almshouses (of 1723-24).
Fig. 9 indicates the division of these sub-areas as Zones.
Zone 1 - St Oswald’s, the Meadows and Church
Street.
Rather unusually, the parish church of St Oswald’s
is located at the western end of the town as
opposed to being centrally located or displaying
evidence of the town growing up around the church.
The church reputedly has Saxon and Norman
origins but the earliest visible part of the present
fabric dates from the 12th century. Building work
and enlargement continued over the centuries with
the church taking its present form by 1520. St
Oswald’s is a large parish church and reflects the
wealth and aspirations of the medieval townsfolk of
Ashbourne.
The map of 1550 indicates that to the east of the
town the Dean of Lincoln had a house. The
presence of such a house and the occasional
residence of the Dean in the parish may have
contributed to the size and status of the church.
The church is located on the meadowland
associated with the Henmore Brook. To the north
of the church the land rises to form an escarpment.
The map of 1550 shows this land undeveloped.
Apart from two schools erected in the 19th century
this land remains undeveloped, as does the flattish
meadowland to the east and south of the church.
Spalden’s Almshouses – 1723/4
The site chosen for the church is interesting – under
the church tower there is reputedly a 30ft well and
when the new church hall was being constructed
archaeological evidence of the area being covered
with trees (Ash trees) was found. This leads to the
presumption that early worship – maybe even pagan
– began on this site in a wooded area with a spring
or well.
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Zone
Zone 44 -- Buxton
Buxton Road,
Road, King
King Street
Street
Union
Union Street
Street &
& Belle
Belle Vue
Vue
Road
Road
15
6
8
PCs
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43
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Zone
Zone 33 -- Market
Market Place,
Place, Victoria
Victoria
Square
Square and
and St
St Johns
Johns
Street
Street
W
Th
8
PH
The
Limes
Springwood House
Bandstand
e
Th
Brincliffe
21
Zone
Zone 22 -- Dig
Dig Street
Street
5
51
A
Zone
Zone 11 -- St
St Oswald's,
Oswald's, The
The Meadows
Meadows
&
& Church
Church Street
Street
Shelter
23
10
ge
Presby
No Window
5
51
2
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to 4
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MARKET PLACE
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44c
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Rose Cottage
15
CONSERVATION AREA
APPRAISAL ZONES
30
e
N
O
74
17
52
olm
71
AD
th
es
RO
T
IF
CL
W
60
59
ASHBOURNE
CONSERVATION AREA
15
D
52
12
16
DA
19a
19
AY
FI
EL
6
A
6
3
M
19
17
E
9
O
AD
7
LA
N
3
1
21
1
1
vern
Ta ges
tta
Co
27
5
us
es
32
4
Works
7
1
17
4
Works
70
8
5
Depot
Church
58
ho
11
A 51
Surgery
3
Alm
2 4
IO
Trees
4
4
2
STAT
REET
N ST
2
A 52
42
3
STURSTON ROAD
A 517
T
TREE
ON S
1
1
A 52
30
Club
20
10
12
STATI
50
52
14
18
20
2
PH
10
Centre
PH
A 515
48
Chapel
Terrace
Leisure
Cedar Lodge
Rosarium
Bungalow
AVENUE
REET
31
2
21
2
CULLEN
16
Thornley Place
1
2
2a
4
4a
6a
6
R
6
25
Gar age
ON ST
Close
9
18
2
NE
Coachman's
Hall
Club
STATION ROAD
L LA
OO
SC H
Eyewell Cottage
19
PETER STREET
COMPT
Bus
Depot
Zone 1
D
YAR
4
5
'S
ON
LB
MA
8
The Old Vicarage
29
3 to 8
11
12
14
15
18
19
20
21
22
23
a
11
b
The
Beresford Arms
Hotel
Coach
House
1
35
28
PC
Bus Depot
5
9 to 17
LAKESIDE
Tel
24
25
Pol
Sta
Station
1 to 45
Court
Chatsworth
ESS
E
HENMOR
PL
10
Coopers
Gardens
St Oswald's Infant School
10
T
45
to 50
a
28
35
6
1
2
17
5
26
61
11
56
ice
er
Off
elt
cil
Sh
un
Co
3
St Oswald's Church
1
2
7
8
Henmore
Bank
Richmond
House
Ashley House
House
ROF
PC
The Mansion
St Oswald's
WC
IEW
KV
PAR
re
Health Cent
PH
1
SHA
Fire
The Bungalow
1
Bankside
St
Oswald's
Hospital
12 to 26
e
us
Ho
Ashley
5a
14
23
25
Zone 2
8
Cottages
27
to
44
ST
RE
ET
PH
el
ap
Ch
62
69
DIG
51
to
59
61
61
a
17
No Window
ll
Ha
61a
63
PH
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Sha
tre
Cen
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2
T
EE
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TR
HS
A5
CH
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C
UR
15
A5
y
init h
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C
th
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47a
47
The Laurels
29
4
LLE
2
BE
The Mews
House
AD
RO
el
nn
Tu
rd
Ya
49
Aspen Lodge
E
VU
's
old
ArnYa rd
37
8
's
ith
Sm ard
Y
5
Bank House
The Coach
House
9
2
4
E li
Meadow Bank
15
13
17
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n
ee Ct
Qu beth
za
31
a
33
Richmond
12
A5
19
4
35
13
18
21
3
e
Th ol
Ga
Old
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7
6
11
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OL
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Licence
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No.
No.
No.100019785.
100019785.
100019785.
100019785.
Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Dales
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100019785.
100019785.
FIG 9
In the 18th century the fine stone gate piers and
metal gates were installed at the northeast corner of
the churchyard. The latter being the work of Robert
Bakewell. In the mid-19th century the churchyard
itself was extended to the west and the gates realigned in the later 19th/early 20th century.
Later in the 19th century another school was built a
little further east using a pitched faced stonework in
a style reminiscent of late 19th century school
building. The use of pitched face stonework here
gives the building a solid and robust appearance but
is also alien to the general type of stone used in
Ashbourne.
Infant School – late 19th century
Leading directly, and straight in a north easterly
direction from the church is Church Street. This has
been described as one of the finest Georgian streets,
to a small town, in the country. Although greatly
foreshortened in the 1550 map, Church Street is
depicted as being fully developed by that time. It is
most probable from the few remains that have been
found or are known, that Ashbourne was a town of
timber-framed buildings throughout the medieval
period and perhaps as late as the mid 17th century.
Timber-framed dividing walls have been found
between No.s 37 & 39 and between No.s 51 & 53
Church Street. On 25 June 1670 a ‘great’ fire is
recorded as having taken place in Ashbourne when
several houses on the east side of the Market Place
were burnt down. Another fire is recorded in 1697.
This ever-present problem with open hearths in
timber-framed buildings was most probably a
constant concern. On Church Street there is only
one obvious timber framed building – No 41 –
although this is believed to be of 17th century date
rather than being of medieval date. The
development in building construction and
technology – mainly from the continent – brought
in the use of brickwork, either to infill timber
framing (instead of wattle & daub) or as a more
permanant and fire resistant building material. That
said, the earliest building on Church Street, and the
most impressive, is the former Grammar School,
constructed from ashlar stonework, with triangular
gables and mullioned and transomed windows, in
1585. This may have been a new foundation or the
replacement of a timber-framed building. The use
of stonework for such a building undoubtedly
exhibits the permanency of
One of the 18th century gate piers and wrought iron gates
Opposite the church, a small National School was
built in the 1840s this is of ashlar stonework in a
quirky Classical style as illustrated in its triangular
pediment and classically inspired open porch.
National School – 1840s
11
Grey House, attached to the eastern end of the
Grammar School, is also constructed from fine
ashlar stonework with Classical details to doors and
windows. The front elevation has a Venetian and a
Diocletian window very similar to the Mansion
House opposite. This is an imposing frontage (of
circa. 1765) added onto a house built in about 1750.
Grammar School, founded in 1585
The Grey House circa. 1765
The development in the use of brickwork at
Ashbourne allowed many buildings to be either refronted, re-clad or re-built. From a dating point of
view this poses some difficulties as the core or rear
of a house may be earlier than its street frontage.
Buildings on Church Street that are known to have
late 17th century elements or parts are Hanson
Mount (No.69), The Old House and The Mansion
House, however, there may be more as mentioned
earlier. The Mansion House, although re-fronted in
the 1760s has, to its rear, the earliest use of
brickwork in the town of circa. 1685. The
brickwork to the rear of the Old House is also
probably of that period.
Detail of doorway and windows to the Grammar School
the building and the high virtue of its scholastic use.
To its rear, coursed rubble stonework was
employed undoubtedly as a cost saving measure. It
is interesting that the other two earliest buildings on
Church Street – Owlfield’s Almshouses and Pegge’s
Almshouses - are also constructed from ashlar
stone, again making a visual statement about their
permanency and their civic benevolence. Owlfield’s
Almshouses date from 1610 but were raised by onestorey in 1848 – the decorative clay tiled roof dating
from that time.
Owlfield’s Almshouses – 1610, raised in height - 1848
Pegge’s Almshouses (also of stone construction)
were built adjacent to them in 1669-70. To the rear
of Pegge’s Almshouses are a group of new
almshouses built in the 1970s in brickwork. The
The Mansion House – 1685 and 1760
The Mansion House has a fine set of wrought iron
railings across its frontage – these are believed to
12
have been made by Benjamin Yates (an apprentice
to Robert Bakewell) and installed in 1777.
a wide variety of different details and forms. Apart
from the seldom use of stonework, and prevalent
use of brickwork, the other material that features on
properties to Church Street is render.
The character of Church Street is a mixture of
smaller cottages interspersed by large and imposing
town houses. This effect gives the street a unique
character and sometimes dramatic changes in scale
and proportion. These building types – also
interspersed by shops and commercial buildings –
sit relatively comfortable side-by-side being
connected by their use of building materials. The
use of the sash window abounds along Church
Street. The differences in sash type can be seen
quite clearly when certain buildings are compared.
These vary from the almost ‘cottage’ sash window
to the elegantly proportioned, large, sashes with fine
glazing bars.
Detail of the Mansion House pediment & Diocletion
window
Many of the town houses required stabling and
coach facilities close to or adjacent to the house. A
number of examples of this smaller scale, humbler,
buildings at the side of the former townhouses
survive, although all now converted to other uses.
Of the larger or grander town houses – the Mansion
House and Beresford House – the sites adjacent to
the house have been screened by a decorative brick
wall. These gave access to a stable yard and coach
house. The screen wall to the Mansion House
remains intact, whereas that to Beresford House has
been partially removed for modern access
requirements. Both walls consist of a series of blind
semi-circular arches.
Metal railings outside the Mansion House – circa. 1770
One of the general characteristics of Church Street
is the height of many of the buildings – three
storeys. The reason for this is two-fold – firstly,
brickwork has capabilities in structural soundness as
opposed to timber-framing. Where a timber-framed
building would generally have been two storeys a
brick house could easily be three stories. The
second reason is most probably related to the size
of building plots where width was restricted by the
size of the medieval burgage plot and therefore the
opportunity to go higher was evidently taken. A
third reason, on several of the properties, may relate
to the style of architecture. Classical architecture is
based on strict rules of scale and proportion and
taller buildings on narrow plots would suit this
architectural style.
Screen Wall to Stable Yard to the Mansion House (1760)
Beresford House is one of the earliest town houses
on Church Street and within Ashbourne itself, to
have retained its general appearance (apart from the
ground floor than has been made into shopfronts in
1937). The house dates from circa 1720. The
frontage, constructed from brickwork, has seven
bays of uniform windows with key blocks and is
surmounted by a brick parapet with blind panels.
The ground floor central doorway survives with its
painted timber ‘shell’ hood over. The sashes are
The major period of re-building/re-fashioning that
took place in Ashbourne was throughout the 18th
century and the first 30-40 years of the 19th century.
An analysis of building dates or re-fashioning dates
through out this period shows a marked increase in
activity in each thirty-year block from 1720 to 1840.
Although all buildings throughout this period are
essentially Classical in inspiration and detail there is
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rather narrow in proportion and reflect, in some
ways, the slow evolution from cruciform window
proportion to Classical sash window proportion.
The glazing pattern is also typical of houses of this
period, being four over four (suitable to the window
opening proportion).
Detail of the Ionic pilaster capital (to No 24-26)
Interspersed along the length of Church Street are a
number of other imposing townhouses.
Immediately adjacent to Pegge’s Almshouses is a
large house (Hulland House). Constructed of fine
red brickwork it was built in the 1740s as a three
bay, three storied building. The three-storey wing to
its right hand side was added in 1790. The eaves are
parapetted. The brickwork is particularly fine and
the four-centred arch over the former carriage
entrance is finely executed. In 1899 the ground
levels in this area had to be raised as a consequence
of the new railway line. This led to the ground floor
sashes being slightly below modern ground level.
The door and doorcase were raised in 1899 to its
present position.
Beresford House circa. 1720 (shopfronts early 20th century)
Another early town house is No 24-26. It has been
dated to circa 1700-10. It is a four bay house, three
stories in height, the frontage being divided by two
giant fluted Ionic pilasters framing a break-front.
The eaves are not parapeted but have a heavily
moulded cornice. A modern shopfront was added
in 1930. The frontage is rendered.
Hulland House (No.12) – 1740s & 1790
No.34 is a small example of a fine late 18th century
townhouse with its Doric doorcase and sash
windows. The moulded key-blocks to the window
No 24-26 Church Street – circa.1700-10
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heads are possibly an early 19th century addition.
The house has a parapeted eaves.
Hamilton House (No.27) is constructed from
brickwork but is rendered. It was built in about
1800-10 as a rather narrow but tall townhouse. At
first floor level there is an original metal balcony,
very much in-keeping with the period. In 1900 the
sash windows to the ground and first floor were
given triangular and segmental heads. These appear
a little out of scale and too ornate for the size of the
building frontage.
No.34 Church Street – circa 1770-80
The Ivies is a large, prominent, five bay, four storied
town house set slightly back from the pavement. It
was built in about 1785. In its scale and height it
makes an imposing architectural statement. The
basement floor is sunken and protected by an open
area with original metal railings. The central door
has a painted timber Classical doorcase. The
window heads are of fine rubbed brickwork and the
original sash windows survive. The height of the
building frontage is architecturally divided by a
string course to the ground floor window cills and a
moulded cornice between the first and second
floors. The eaves are parapetted.
Hamilton House (No.27) – circa. 1800 with 1900
additions
Vine House was one of the major townhouses of
the 18th century in Ashbourne. It was built in about
1730-40 of fine red brickwork. Like The Ivies, it is
of five bays and four stories in height. Also like The
Ivies, it has a sunken basement protected by an
open area with original metal railings. The sunken
basement is of particular interest as it is of stone –
large blocks of stone – with mullioned and
transomed windows, very reminiscent of those to
the Grammar School. It is possible that an earlier
timber-framed house, built off a stone basement,
occupied this site. The building has a fine, stone,
Doric portico with free-standing Doric columns.
The sash windows appear to be original but the
glazing bars have been altered to give two-over-two
rather than six-over-six. Unlike some of the other
major townhouses, the eaves are not parapetted but
have a heavy moulded cornice with prominent
kneeler stones.
The Ivies – 1785
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Opposite Oswald House is an unusual building
designed as apartments, from its inception, to house
the widows of the Clergy. Its design forms three
sides around a small courtyard that has metal
railings and a gate to the pavement. It was
constructed from red brickwork with stone
dressings in 1768-70 to a design by William
Harrison of Derby. The date appears on a rainwater
head. The eaves are parapetted and the sash
windows and panelled doors survive. This building
makes an unusual contribution to the architecture
of Church Street and is a good 18th century example
of an ‘institutional’ rather than a purely residential
property.
Vine House – circa 1730-40
Oswald House was built in about 1740. It is of four
bays and three storeys. The right hand bay to the
frontage is unusual in projecting outwards,
disturbing the balance of the elevation. This may be
as a result of the re-fronting of an earlier, possibly
timber-framed building that provides this
idiosyncrasy. The eaves are parapetted and the
building retains its sash windows. The ground floor
windows are slightly larger than the rest and may
have been enlarged in the 19th century. As with
many properties on Church Street the front door is
accessed by a flight of stone steps (in this case with
a simple metal handrail to each side). The front
door has a stuccoed Classical doorcase.
Clergy Widows Almshouses – 1768-70
The National Westminster Bank is essentially a large
late 18th century townhouse which has been altered
in the mid-late 19th century. It occupies a
commanding position at the head of Dig Street
which affords it a long vista as opposed to facing
other properties. In general appearance it resembles
Vine House but here the brickwork to the frontage
has a more orange hue and the stonework dressings
are a little more severe (architecturally). Multi-paned
sash windows have been replaced, probably in the
later 19th century, with one-over-one sash windows
(the vertical bars visible in the windows to the first
and second floors is modern secondary glazing).
Oswald House (No.7) – circa. 1740
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NatWest Bank – late 18th century with 19th century
alterations.
Nos 53-57 – circa. 1710 with later 18th century alterations
Almost opposite the Bank is the Corner House
(Nos 2-6). This building dates from about 1800 and
is rendered with a modern ‘tyrolean’ render. Early
photographs show it as a rendered building but the
render was smooth (and probably lined-out).
Two unusual buildings of the 19th century are the
former Trustee Savings Bank and the Methodist
Church. The former bank was constructed in 1843
and designed by Henry Isaac Stevens of Derby. It is
built in the Italianate style that was fashionable at
the time, using fine ashlar stonework and
‘Classically’ inspired architectural details.
Corner House – circa. 1800 (shopfronts are modern)
Former Trustee Savings Bank – 1843
Interspersed between the townhouses and other
larger buildings are a number of smaller scale
properties. Many of these have late 17th or early 18th
century origin, and many have been altered as
fashions in architecture changed. Nos 53-57 date
from circa. 1710 and although altered, diapering to
the brickwork is faintly visible. Earlier segmental
brick window heads can also be seen, being
replaced (and in new locations) by sash windows.
The dormer windows were probably added when
the sash windows were inserted.
The Methodist Church (constructed from red brick
with stonework & terracotta detailing) was built in
1880 in a flamboyant Italianate or Florentine style.
In its scale and decorative detail the building makes
a significant statement to Church Street. Adjacent to
the Church is a small one-storey building built in
1902. This small structure is well detailed in an Arts
& Crafts style.
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White Hart Inn – circa 1900
Methodist Church - 1880
Arts & Crafts building of 1902
Of buildings that display timber framing there are
two examples on Church Street – both are fake.
Nos 39-41 is an 18th century building (remodelling
an earlier timber framed building for which internal
timbers survive) with mock vertical timber applied
to the outer frontage. The White Hart Inn is a
typical example of the mock ‘black & white’ timber
framing of the late 19th century
Nos 39-41
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