Trees and the Public Realm - Westminster City Council

Appendix B - 8
Trees and the Public Realm (Draft)
4 Opportunity Arcadian Victorian
History
The principle of the Victorian Arcadian suburb was to create a district of housing within an idealised version of
the countryside, which was both morally and physically distinct from the inner-city environment of the day. This
was achieved by wide spacing of houses and the copious planting of trees in both public and private realms.
The Maida Vale Conservation Area and St John’s Wood Conservation area are both recognised as being
Arcadians suburbs. St John’s Wood was originally envisaged as such, and as its name accurately reflects, it
remains a densely planted area where trees are very important in the townscape.
Maida Vale was developed from around 1830, with the earliest buildings in the south of the conservation area
associated with the new canal. The portion south of Sutherland Avenue was virtually complete by 1860, with
the northern part of the conservation area developed over the next forty years. Pre 1860’s development is
mainly paired villas and terraces in brick and stucco, whereas the later development, including early examples
of mansion blocks is in red brick.
Urban character
This area of north Westminster is overwhelmingly residential in character. Mid-nineteenth century brick and
stucco villas, terraces and crescents form the majority of development, though later insertions include a
number of red brick buildings, particularly Edwardian mansion blocks.
These planned residential areas are characterised by large proportions of well planted public and private open
space. The built fringes of Regents Park Conservation Area also fall into this category.
The landscaping in this townscape area creates a continuous overlapping of the green network and the built
fabric and is an essential part of the character of this leafy suburb.
The tree lined streets, vistas and major private amenity spaces combine to give the entire area a leafy
character and, given the generous width of many of the roads, enhance the appearance of both buildings and
spaces.
The Georgian Grand Union and Regent’s canals form a key element in the character of Maida Vale. Lined with
Planes and occasional oaks, the canal provides a cool, shady and open boundary to the area.
Trees
These trees are not only along the roadside, but both in front gardens and the extensive groups of rear
gardens that characterise the area. The domestic gardens with hedges and shrubs are critical constituents of
the appeal of the area.
The tree-lined avenues create a strong framework to many streets. For example, Hamilton Terrace, Maida Vale
and Abercorn Place are lined each side with mature London Plane trees, which are in proportion to the wider
roads lined with large villas.
By contrast parts of St John’s Wood Terrace, are lined with smaller trees, which are in scale with the smaller
size of the properties. The formality of the planting and the size and types of trees give varying experiences
and create different characters to the roads. For example, parts of Clifton Hill, Woronzow Road and Norfolk
Road have a great variety of tree species within the front gardens rather than along the pavement and give a
suburban, leafy, less formal feel to the road. The contrast between the formal and informal should be
maintained.
In addition to formal street planting and uncoordinated private planting there are individual mature trees which
are interesting in form and type and create a focal point, such as the mature Ginko at the southern end of
Ordnance Hill.