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

A. DESCRIPTION
Location/distribution of type
This type is located in discrete areas within a
number of major settlements within the
borough, including Maidenhead and
Windsor.
Physical Influences
Underlying physical landscape characteristics
do not heavily influence the character of the
type. Bedrock geology is highly variable with
settlements in the southern part of the
Borough characterised by Baghsot Beds,
settlements adjacent to the Thames around
Windsor on London Clay, and to the north
on chalk, associated with the scarps rising
from the Thames. On the Bagshot Beds, the
geology and associated sandy soils are
expressed through vegetation including
Scots Pines.
Reproduced from Ordnance Survey information with
the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, Crown Copyright, Licence Number
10001926.
Much of the development within this type
dates from the 1930s. Each ‘estate’ grew in
a relatively short period of time, resulting in
a consistency of built form and character
within each estate.
Townscape Character
Land Use/Image
Land use is predominantly focused in the
industrial, commercial and business sectors.
Gas holders and related infrastructure are
also present.
Topography underlying this type tends to be
flat or gently undulating and therefore does
not greatly influence the urban form
Human Influences
The type evolved in a number of ways –
some areas evolved on the site of railway
sidings and goods yards/depots, while other
areas evolved on poor quality or undesirable
land (for example in floodplains, or alongside
major roads) to provide sources of
employment for nearby residential areas.
This example from Sunninghill (Bridge Road) shows
the presence of industrial infrastructure, such as gas
holders.
Urban Form
Development is within large plots, accessed
by roads terminating in dead ends, and
typically has its back to residential areas.
The scale of built development is large,
typically 2-3 commercial storeys
(approximately 9-12 metres) in height.
Buildings are arranged as large, regular and
often repetitive blocks, of relatively uniform
height and simple rectangular form within
each estate. There are generally large
spaces between buildings resulting in a low
density of development.
Built Form & Architecture
The type evolved in a number of ways – some areas
evolved on the site of railway sidings and goods
yards/depots, while other areas evolved on poor
quality or undesirable land.
Built form and architecture is characterised
by 20 th Century industrial and employment
development. Built form is simple and
includes large sheds, often steel framed and
RBWM Townscape Assessment 96 Final Report 2010: Volume 3