conservation area statement - Stroud District Council

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CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT – CONSERVATION AREA NO. 16 – TOP OF TOWNSliding box sash windows, introduced toStroud during in the 18 th century, wereextremely popular, eventually ousting thestone mullioned casement in many buildingsthough the former do have a large survival ratein this sub area. As well as featuring on new,classically styled buildings, most notably alongWhitehall, sashes were inserted into olderbuildings, replacing unfashionable stonemullioned casements.Elaborate doors and door cases also becameincreasingly used along with the highlypopular six-panel door. Unfortunately, all toooften, these have now been replaced bymodern doors, which bear no resemblance tothe historic ones and look out of place on theclassical façade.A wonderfully elaborate 19 th century porch and doorFrom the 18 th century, there was progressivelybetter access to a broader range of buildingmaterials. Although stone continued to be usedextensively, today a variety of materials,textures and colours are closely juxtaposed inthe Old Town.The locally accessible freestone lent itself wellto smooth ashlar construction and intricatelydressed detailing. In addition, improvedtransportation and haulage meant that highquality stone could be brought from further afield, although the creamy golden tones ofvarieties of limestone, including Bath Stone,have continued to dominate.Although there are some classically styledashlar buildings, these tend to be less visuallyobvious than the more vernacular buildings,which dominate the street scenes.Classical buildings often tend to require a fullview to make the most of their ‘set piece’impact, often relying on the symmetry andbalance of proportions of the building as awhole. For this reason the terrace in Whitehall,which stands high on the north side above itsvernacular counterpart on the south, easilydominates the street scene.Render, in various forms, is certainly asignificant contributor to the spectrum ofmaterials, textures and colours in the sub area.The refacing of early buildings with morefashionable elevations in the later 18 th and 19 thcenturies made great use of render. Thissmoothed over rough rubble surfaces andmasked the many alterations and patchy infillbehind.The majority of the rendered buildings in thesub area are decorated in mellow cream,yellow or grey tones, intended to maximise theillusion of ashlar stone. As such theycomplement the light golden and creamycolours of the limestone buildings.Although brick was used during the 18 thcentury, it was during the 19 th that the materialreally came into its own. Numerous red brickbuildings from this period now punctuate thestreet scene throughout the sub area, thebrightly coloured brick from the works atStonehouse being in plentiful supplythroughout the century. Red brick is oftencombined here with dressed stone details,continuing a tradition of dressed and carvedstone details used in conjunction with rubblewalls or roughcast render or stucco. Manybrick buildings also have polychromatic brickdecorations.Red brick detachedhouse with buffbandingPage - 29 -
CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT – CONSERVATION AREA NO. 16 – TOP OF TOWNBrick buildings tend to be eye-catchingstructures within this sub area, especially inMiddle Street where, against the mellow‘backdrop’ of pale renders and Cotswold stone,the red brick is strikingly different and tends to‘jump out’ visually. These buildings contributegreatly to the character of the Old Town andadd vitality, colour and texture.Although Brick is a common building materialin the Old Town, it by no means dominates thestreet scene. Brick appears on individualbuildings, interspersed between stone-built orrendered buildings.The availability of slate for roofing improvedover the 19 th century and became the favouredmaterial for new roofs, as well as replacingmany former stone roofs. Clay plain tiles alsomake a contribution to the sub area’sroofscape. Profiled clay tiles, or Roman tiles,are not as common within the sub area. Theold town has great variety and texture in itsroofscape, colours ranging from the goldenbrowns and mossy colours of the Cotswoldstone roof, to the smooth greys of slate and therich and varied reds and browns of the claytile. Traditionally, Welsh slate was the roofingmaterial of choice in the 19th century. Today,however, as in the Old Town, traditional roofsare being eroded and lost, replaced by modernsubstitute materials, including concrete slatesand tiles. Some ridges were originally finishedwith decorative ridge tiles many of which stillsurvive. Decorative bargeboards are alsocommon especially around dormer windows.Modern roofing materials are making animpact here, too. Concrete tiles, artificial slateand asbestos tiles are all evident, the ‘replica’varieties failing to replicate the infinite varietyof colour, texture, size and shape inherent inthe natural material.Red Brick with Ashlarand polychromatic brickdecorationPainted iron railings add adecorative flourish to thissubstantial red brickpropertyMany of the buildings of the 19 th century, areadorned with fashionable decorative details,which, while serving little structural purposeadd charm and personality. Such featuresinclude, decorative bargeboards, decorativeridge tiles, dentillation, polychromaticbrickworks and ashlar dressings.Page - 30 -
Page 1 and 2: April 2008- CONSERVATION AREA STATE
Page 3 and 4: CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - CONSE
Page 19 and 20: THE SPACESCONSERVATION AREA STATEME
Page 23 and 24: THE SPACESCONSERVATION AREA STATEME
Page 27: CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - CONSE
Page 43: CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - CONSE
Page 46 and 47: CRWhitminster Centre792a63161631520
Page 48 and 49: 176163501112El Sub StaFBCar ParkVie
Page 50 and 51: 14TheFolly227Path918631616375121501
Page 52 and 53: APPENDIX I: Rev. 21.04.2009Stroud T
Page 55: For further advice and information,

conservation area statement - Stroud District Council

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