Ryde, St John's Conservation Area - Isle of Wight Council

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Ryde, St John’s Conservation Area Appraisal 3the surrounding land. The original house andpart of the original estate now form BishopLovett Middle School. By comparing thehistoric maps it can be seen that, although thebuildings have been added to, the boundariesof these two historic estates are more or lessunchanged.4.3 The 1860s map (Fig. 2, page 2) showsthe Church of St John the Baptist (built in1843, formed into an ecclesiastical parish in1844) and the residential development of StJohn’s Park (built in the 1850s): both were builton land that was formerly part of the extendedSt John’s estate. With regard to St John’sPark, the map on page 4 (the 1908 OS Mapsuperimposed over a present-day map, Fig. 3),shows that, in the intervening years, eventhough some of these houses have beenreplaced or added to, the outline of thedevelopment, with its inner parkland, is alsoessentially unchanged.5 Archaeological potential5.1 Evidence in the area shows continuityof settlement from the Neolithic periodonwards. Archaeological finds listed on thehistoric environment record (HER) include ahoard of 12 Bronze Age palstaves (a type ofaxe) found at St Johns Park, sherds of Romanor Iron Age pottery and evidence of a possibleRoman cemetery in the vicinity. Anexamination of the unpublished OS Map of1793 (Fig. 1, page 2) shows a dispersedsettlement pattern but little evidence of amedieval field system: rather the field patternappears to derive from 16 th to 18 th centuryenclosure. Further information on the area canbe obtained from the historic landscapecharacterisation (HLC) maps and descriptions.5.2 This document does not identify all theknown heritage assets within the conservationarea, therefore any omission of any building,feature or space should not be taken to implythat it is of no interest.SPATIAL ANALYSIS6 Character areas6.1 The Ryde, St John’s Conservation Areacovers an area that contains previousdesigned landscapes and planned settlement.The road layout, the building density, thearchitectural details and the presence of openspaces are all characteristics derived from thearea’s historic development: this, in part, hasbeen determined by the topography andgeography of the area but the majordetermining factor is previous land ownershipand usage.6.2 Based on this spatial analysis it is alsopossible to discern 3 distinct character areaswithin the conservation area (Fig. 4, page 5).There is clear delineation (almost east fromwest) along the A3055 (East Hill Road): thisseparates St John’s Park and the Church of StJohn the Baptist from the historic estates ofAppley House (St Cecilia’s) and St John’sHouse (Bishop Lovett Middle School). Thisspatial division is visually apparent in the aerialphotograph on page 6 (Fig. 5).Area 1: Appley and St John’sArea 2: The Church of St John the BaptistArea 3: St John’s Park6.3 In coastal areas, the boundaries mayfollow the line of the mean low watermark, extending to include the whole of anypier, any part of which is within the mean lowwater mark which is the extent of thejurisdiction of the Council and so is used forconsistency.7 Key views and vistas7.1 Views into and out of the conservationarea are mostly obscured by trees. However,these trees make a significant visual impactand separate it from the more urbanised feel ofRyde: this is most noticeable on the drive fromthe Esplanade up onto East Hill Road or whenviewed from along the coast.7.2 Other important views are towards thechurch, from Appley Road, East Hill Road andAlexandra Road. Views across Ryde from thechurch are mainly obscured but may bepossible from certain vantage points. Thereare a number of important views in and out ofthe St John’s Park character area: the viewdown East Hill Road, from Appley Road, withthe belt of trees on the east and the regularstepping down of the villas on the west; theviews out from West Hill Road across Rydeand to the Solent.CHARACTER ANALYSISThe analysis of the character of theseindividual areas is examined in depth in thefollowing chapters.
Ryde, St John’s Conservation Area Appraisal 4© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100019229—2009Fig. 3—OS Map 3rd Edition, 1907, published 1908, superimposed over present day map
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Ryde, St John's Conservation Area - Isle of Wight Council

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