5: victorian villages - The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

A. DESCRIPTION
Location/distribution of type
The type is generally associated with infill
development or redevelopment, scattered
throughout the Borough in small, isolated
pockets.
Physical Influences
The townscape character of Post War
Residential Flats bears little relationship to
underlying physical influences. However, in
some instances, the species mix in remnants
of woodland, shelter belts and hedgerows
provide a reference to underlying geology
and soils e.g. oaks on clay, pines on sand.
Built Form & Architecture
Built form is united by the multi-storey
nature of buildings (usually three to five
storeys).
However, architectural style and materials
are highly varied, depending on the age of
development. Flats built between 1940 and
1980 possess a simple built form, including
rectangular blocks with flat or gently pitched
roofs and metal framed or timber windows.
Materials and finishes include light and dark
sand-faced brick, concrete, render, and
simple timber or metal fenestration.
Human Influences
Development within this type dates from
the 1960s up to the present day. There is
therefore a great variety in architectural
style and materials.
Townscape Character
Land Use/Image
Land use is predominantly residential. Early
post war flats were developed by the
Council to provide community housing.
Later 20 th Century and early 21 st Century
flats have mostly been built by private
developers (sometimes in partnership with
Council) to provide high density residential
or mixed use development. Some of the
later mixed use developments include
commercial/ retail/ office space at ground
level.
Simple 1960s and 1970s built form, as in this
example from Windsor.
More modern developments (1980s
onwards) typically have greater architectural
detail; especially where they form focal
points, for example on roundabouts. Details
are often ‘borrowed’ from historic periods
and include decorative brickwork, balconies,
mansard roofs, and neo-classical features
such as portico entrances.
Urban Form
Urban form is defined by large plots
incorporating access roads terminating in
dead ends and car parks.
The scale of built development is large -
buildings are typically three to five storeys,
set within open space and incorporating car
parking bays. Adjacent blocks of flats are
typically uniform in height with a simple
form.
More modern developments have greater
architectural detailing, as in this example from North
Ascot.
RBWM Townscape Assessment 64 Final Report 2010: Volume 3