ASHDON CHARACTER ASSESSMENT · character of Ashdon, and how to respond to this appropriately...

ASHDON CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Autumn 2019 - Summer 2020

CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

1. REPORT OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION 3

1.1 Purpose and Scope of this document 3 1.2 Who should use this document? 3 1.3 How this report was produced 4

2. COMMUNITY DESIGN PRIORITIES FOR ASHDON 6 2.1 Guidelines identified by Chris Blandford Associates

Landscape Character Assessment (2006) 6 2.2 Emerging design themes for Ashdon Parish

(Volunteer work 2020) 7 2.3 Guidelines identified by Alison Farmer’s Landscape Appraisal

(February 2020) 9

3. ABOUT THE PARISH OF ASHDON 12

3.1 Parish Overview 12 3.2 Historic Background 16

4. DETAILED CHARACTER AREAS 20 4.1 Summary of Parish Character Areas 20 4.2 Character Area A: Ashdon Village Centre 24 4.3 Character Area B: Church End 37 4.4 Character Area C: The Ends 49

4.4.1 Rogers End and Holden End 51 4.4.2 Water End, Steventon End and Knox End 59

4.5 Character Area D: Country Lanes 68 4.6 Character Area E: Walden Road 85

OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION

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1. REPORT OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION "We are collectively responsible for shaping the landscape we occupy and in turn the landscape shapes us, whether we are aware of it or not.” John Davies, British Landscape Photographer.

1.1 Purpose and Scope of this document This Character Assessment describes the distinctive character of Ashdon and those aspects of its built and natural environment that the community most value. This document compliments the Landscape Appraisal prepared by Alison Farmer Associates in Spring 2020 and focuses on the built environment of Ashdon. Alison Farmers Landscape Appraisal should be read in conjunction with this document. It is available on our website (www. Ashdonplan.co.uk) This document has been prepared to inform good design in the Parish and also to inform the emerging Ashdon Neighbourhood Plan. Paragraph 125 in the 2019 NPPF recognises the important role that Neighbourhood Plans can have in identifying the special qualities of each area and explaining how this should be reflected in development. The National Design Guide published in October 2019 identifies ten characteristics (based on the objectives for good design provided in Chapter 12 of the 2019 NPPF) through which design can be defined. These are context, identity, built-form, movement, nature, public space, uses, homes and buildings, resources and life span. The Ashdon Character Assessment is compatible with the approach taken in the National Design Guide. This Character Assessment sets out design principles to guide future development proposals in and around Ashdon. It is intended as a user-friendly tool for planners, designers and the Ashdon community.

1.2 Who should use this document? The Ashdon Character Assessment should be read by:

• Developers, property owners and their designers, in considering potential development proposals • Planning officers in assessing the suitability of development proposals and the determination of planning applications • Statutory and non-statutory consultees, including the Parish Council and members of the public, in commenting on planning applications


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The Ashdon Character Assessment should give confidence to all parties involved with the planning and design process, that they understand the essential character of Ashdon, and how to respond to this appropriately through design. This will lead to better quality, locally distinctive development that is more acceptable to local residents and contributes positively to the character and sustainability of Ashdon.

1.3 How this report was produced It was decided to undertake a character assessment in order for local residents to define the unique and distinct character of the different parts of Ashdon Parish and to capture the community’s priorities for the design of future development within the Parish. As part of the Neighbourhood Planning process, this would act as a guide to protect and enhance areas of the Parish and to define what kind of development would compliment and fit into the different areas. The Steering Group widely publicised the first major public consultation event in October 2019 and we were delighted by the turn-out. We asked for volunteers to undertake a detailed character assessment of Ashdon Parish. Thirteen volunteers met in the Church Room in November 2019 for a training session led by Rachel Hogger from Modicum Planning, assisted by Joanna Hill from Uttlesford District Council’s Planning Dept. The agenda for the session can be found on our website, www.ashdonplan.co.uk Once the group had been instructed on how to conduct a character assessment, the volunteers divided the Parish into areas which they agreed to survey and write individual reports on. In order to facilitate the process, a pro forma template was prepared and agreed with the assistance of Rachel. The volunteers were asked to fill in the templates, assess what they valued about the area, including key landmarks and other distinguishing features of their chosen areas, and illustrate their findings with photos. A further eight volunteers who couldn’t attend on the night were given training later on a one-to-one basis, and maps of the areas were distributed to each area leader. Early in January 2020, Alison Farmer Associates completed the first draft of our Landscape Appraisal and the volunteers were also able to help fact-check this as residents. The volunteers regrouped in the pub in late January 2020 to share good practice and report on their progress on surveying their area and writing up their individual assessments. There was also a discussion on the best method to use to consolidate all the reports into one document. The volunteer led detailed reports are available to view separately on our website. Everyone agreed that they had learnt a great deal more about their area through doing this detailed work.


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In April 2020, the individual reports were finished and the volunteers were then asked to summarise their area in the table format used in this report. A smaller group of volunteers produced and collated the maps used in this report. The summaries and the maps are the result of this work done by volunteers resident in the Parish. We offer our thanks to Rachel Hogger (Modicum Planning) and Joanna Hill (Uttlesford District Council planning officer) both of whom provided invaluable support throughout the process.

First meeting of volunteers dividing the parish into areas.

COMMUNITY DESIGN PRIORITIES

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2. COMMUNITY DESIGN PRIORITIES FOR ASHDON

2.1 Guidelines identified by Chris Blandford Associates Character Assessment (2006) In October 2005 Uttlesford District Council commissioned Chris Blandford Associates to undertake a Landscape Character Assessment to inform land use planning and land management decisions having recognised that a better understanding of landscapes is essential in the achievement of 'sustainable landscapes that are as visually, biodiverse and culturally rich as possible whilst still meeting all of society’s social, economic and environmental needs’ . Chris Blandford Associates published its report in 2006 . Ashdon Parish is in the Ashdon Farmland Plateau (section B1 of the 2006 Report). Chris Blandford Associates recognised the Ashdon Parish as having a relatively high sensitivity to change. Chris Blandford Associates concluded:- “Sensitive key characteristics and landscape elements within this character area include enclosed wooded areas within the valley bottom and strong hedgerows at field boundaries (which are sensitive to changes in land management). The open nature of the skyline of the ridge tops is visually sensitive to new development (particularly tall vertical development), which may be visible within panoramic views to and from Saffron Walden and Linton. The overall sense of tranquillity within the character area is also sensitive to change and potential new development. There is strong sense of historic integrity, resulting from a wealth of historic buildings and a historic settlement pattern comprising dispersed hamlets, which are connected by a series of winding lanes. This pattern is sensitive to potential large-scale development. There are also several important wildlife habitats within the area (including 18 sites of importance for nature conservation, comprising ancient woodland and semi- natural grassland habitats), which are sensitive to changes in land management. Overall, this character area has relatively high sensitivity to change.” Chris Blandford Associates proposed landscape strategy objectives for Ashdon Parish were:- “Conserve - seek to protect and enhance positive features that are essential in contributing to local distinctiveness and sense of place through effective planning and positive land management measures. Enhance - seek to improve the integrity of the landscape, and reinforce its character, by introducing new and/or enhanced elements where distinctive features or characteristics are absent.


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Chris Blandford Associates also provided the following suggested landscape planning guidelines and land management guidelines:- 1. “Suggested Landscape Planning Guidelines:- • Conserve the rural character of the area. • Ensure that any new development responds to historic settlement pattern, especially scale and density, and that uses materials and colours that respond to

landscape setting and landscape character. Such development should be well integrated with the surrounding landscape. • Encourage the appropriate use of colour as well as tree planting to mitigate the visually intrusive effects of large modern farm buildings. • Small scale development should be carefully sited in relation to existing farm buildings.”

2. "Suggested Land Management Guidelines:- • Strengthen and enhance hedgerows with hawthorn where gappy and depleted to emphasise the existing landscape character. • Conserve and manage areas of ancient and semi-natural woodland as important landscape, historical and nature conservation sites such as Shadwell

Wood. • Conserve and restore important areas of unimproved grassland as important landscape, historical and nature conservation sites such as Ashdon Meadow. • Conserve historic lanes and unimproved roadside verges.”

Chris Blandford Associates recommended a character-based approach to landscape protection and to enhancement and sustainable development. This report, therefore, provides more evidence of the specific character and local distinctiveness of Ashdon Parish. Themes have emerged in the formulation of this report which reinforces and builds on the conclusions of the Chris Blandford Associates study.

2.2 Emerging themes for Ashdon Parish (Volunteer work 2020) Based on the work done in producing this report the following broad design themes are emerging for the Parish of Ashdon:-

• Residential development within the village should be appropriate to the existing fine grain and character of the village, and its close relationship to the rural landscape.

• New development should reflect the existing (characteristic) building height and scale of Ashdon buildings – typically 1, 1.5 or 2 storey. This is particularly

important where taller buildings would change the distinctive visual character of Ashdon in relation to existing surrounding buildings, roads and paths.


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• Any new development should integrate with the original Ashdon development pattern wherever possible, including linear street layout, native hedgerows

and mature planting.

• Developments should pick up on the traditional building styles, materials, colours and textures of the locality. Timber, brick and render are characteristic external materials in the village. Roof tiles are either traditional slate or clay tiles – see individual character areas for more detail of examples of characteristic building materials used in the Parish.

• The two conservation areas and their settings (Ashdon village and Church End) should be conserved and enhanced.

• The historic distinctiveness of the Ends should be preserved.

• The existing footpath and bridleway connections across the Parish should be protected and enhanced.

• There should be new pavements in the heart of the village where consultees have noted a lack of these; they should be maintained in a good condition to

help community cohesion and to promote less reliance on car-use.

• There should be appropriate landscaping for all developments so that any new development sits sensitively within the landscape with native trees and shrubs making a positive contribution to the Parish landscape.

• Trees, walls and hedges which contribute to the street scene should be maintained.

• Backland development should be avoided where the predominant build form is linear.

• All in-fill developments should be design-led and sensitive to the landscape setting and adjacent buildings.

• The village flood defences should be enhanced through both river and surface water management and considered in the context of the increasing

frequency of extreme rainfall caused by climate change. In this regard all development should take into consideration the possibility of causing further flooding downhill or down stream.

• New development should preserve key views within the Parish.


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• Boundaries to new development at the village gateways should be considered with particular sensitivity and consist of characteristic native hedgerows and trees.

• The valued green spaces of the Parish should be preserved.

2.3 Guidelines identified by Alison Farmer’s Landscape Appraisal (February 2020) The above themes compliment the conclusions drawn by Alison Farmer who was commissioned by Ashdon Parish Council in February 2020 to undertake a landscape appraisal of the Parish. In particular she was asked to establish the sensitivity and capacity of Ashdon Parish to accommodate housing/employment development. A summary of her findings are contained in section 6 of her February 2020 Report. Her full report is available to view on the Ashdon Neighbourhood Plan website (www.ashdonplan.co.uk). Alison Farmer identified the following special qualities of Ashdon Parish which, wherever possible, should be retained and enhanced:-

• Close relationship between built form, topography and watercourses forming distinctive setting to built form • Separate identity of Ashdon and Church End • Historic network of narrow and often sunken and vegetated lanes which reinforce the rural character of the Parish • Perception of Ashdon and Water End nestling within the valley with a backdrop of fields or mature woodland • Distinctive open spaces within settlements, highly valued for local sense of place and amenity • Scenic quality derived from undulating topography, patchwork of fields, ancient woodlands, parklands and a network of mature hedgerows • Deeply rural, tranquil countryside • High concentration of local vernacular buildings • Contrasts between intimate pastoral valley landscapes defined by rounded hills and open elevated higher slopes • Key built landmarks include the church, windmill and pub, which reinforce local distinctiveness and provide orientation

Alison Farmer identified the following changes to avoid:-

• Development of housing estates that ignore historic natural limits of settlement within local topography and ignore historic settlement patterns • Growth of Ends and Ashdon village along roads resulting in merging of separate ends and loss of settlement pattern and village form


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• Housing estates with single housing types which have resulted in a loss of one plot deep development or loss of perception of village centre through the creation of new clusters of development at the extremities of the village

• Development on upper valley slopes, above the 75m contour in Holden End, Rogers End and Ashdon village and above the 95m contour at Church End, where they are more visually prominent

• Erosion of narrow rural lanes which has resulted in urbanisation through new access points, concrete kerbs and increased traffic • Introduction of individual dwellings or conversion of rural cottages/bungalows to two storey houses, which do not reflect the scale or detailing of traditional

properties in the area and appear visually out of scale

Alison Farmer identified some specific management and development guidelines as a result of her detailed settlement and landscape analysis. She provided the following guidelines to “inform land management decisions, inspire local community initiatives and to inform the development of proposals by developers and to assist decision makers”:-

Management guidelines seek to reinforce local character and improve legibility. They include:

• Prioritise new street tree planting in housing estates such as Tredgetts and Carters Croft to enhance the street scene and reduce visual prominence of these areas from surrounding valley sides

• Establish a community nature conservation project to manage amenity green spaces as wildlife areas • Enhance biodiversity of rural lane verges through appropriate management in collaboration with landowners and highways • Plant/reinstate hedgerows and trees using native species to provide connected habitat corridors • Manage existing hedgerows appropriately for birds, other wildlife and biodiversity • Plan for the sensitive felling of conifer plantations and conifer hedges and replace with native species where required • Seek opportunities to create new community orchards especially in areas of important green gaps within the settlement edge • Conserve and manage areas of ancient and semi-natural woodland as important landscape, historical and nature conservation sites such as Little

Hales Wood through appropriate woodland management regimes. • Reinstate areas of meadow and wet woodland along the course of the River Bourn especially in areas prone to flooding to improve wildlife corridors

and reduce flood risk.

Development guidelines seek to inform new development and include:

• Protect and preserve historic narrow lanes and verges; avoid fragmenting the integrity of lanes, including hedgerows and grass verges through their erosion by the introduction of new access points and concrete kerb edges.


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• Avoid incongruous and uncharacteristic boundary treatments such as new brick piers and gated entrances as these can have an urbanising effect and avoid uncharacteristic planting such as conifer hedges.

• Avoid proliferation of individual dwellings along rural lanes in the wider Parish where this leads to ribbon development • Seek opportunities to underground overhead wires to improve streetscape where feasible • Isolated individual development within the wider countryside should seek to reflect agricultural farm clusters, isolated rural cottages or properties

set within landscape grounds. Urban style dwellings should be avoided. • Ensure levels of lighting associated with new development are kept to a minimum to avoid night light spill • Encourage the appropriate use of colour as well as tree planting to mitigate the visually intrusive effects of large modern farm buildings, especially

where they are located on elevated prominent positions on the upper valley slopes • Seek opportunities to develop a cycle connection along the disused railway line connecting Fallowden Lane with Saffron Walden and offering a

sustainable off road route to local services and a recreational route. Alison Farmer concluded that:-

• The settlements within Ashdon Parish have limited capacity to accommodate housing development. • Her assessment identified a number of sites which may be able to accommodate appropriately designed housing. • Due to the area’s special qualities, appropriate development is most likely to comprise small scale schemes rather than a single larger development. • Employment opportunities are also limited. • There may be some scope for live/work units associated with farm redevelopment at Church End or possibly within the wider landscape. However, any

development of this kind would need to carefully consider the visibility of development from the wider landscape and indirect characterising effects on rural lanes as a result of access and traffic.

THE PARISH OF ASHDON

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3. ABOUT THE PARISH OF ASHDON

3.1 Parish Overview “An ancient landscape with subtle qualities. Wide views from open roads on high plateau contrasts with the enclosed nature of wooded areas in valley bottoms”. Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006. Ashdon is a parish tucked into the north-west corner of Essex, closely bordered by the counties of South Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. The population is 893 (census 2011) and the Parish covers 5,020 acres of mainly agricultural land. The nearest towns are Saffron Walden (5 miles) Linton (4.3 miles) or Haverhill (9 miles) for doctors’ surgeries, libraries, banks and shops etc: Hence Ashdon is relatively rurally isolated with a very poor bus service so residents are dependent on the car for transport to access necessary facilities. The nearest train station is Audley End, just over 5.5 miles distant. The village is folded into a river valley and the main settlement is strung out along the River Bourne with outlying hamlets or Ends and scattered farms. The landscape is undulating with small woods and copses. As the main village drops towards the river, the tree screening is very apparent and the major landmarks of the church and windmill are needed for navigation. The topographical map below shows the location of Ashdon in the valley of the River Bourne. The locations of the ‘Ends’, and lanes of the village, are also connected to the valley and its tributaries. (The blue line is the Parish border).


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Terrain height data taken from www.parishonline.xmap.cloud/maps © Contains Ordnance Survey Data: Crown copyright and database right 2020. All rights reserved (100061620) 2020, ©Bluesky


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“Access to farmsteads is via winding lanes and tracks. Other settlement is either in the form of small hamlets or scattered farmsteads. There is a rich heritage of vernacular buildings visible in many shades of colour-washed plaster, or of mellow red brick or flintwork. Some black weatherboard or red brick barns are notable as well.” Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006. The complex network of paths and bridleways were used historically for the farm labourers to reach the fields, the pubs, the windmill and the shops. This has left a pattern of nearly 40 miles of connecting pathways in the Parish that are extensively used by walkers, horse and bicycle riders as well as nature lovers, both resident and from further afield. The historic landscape features include a number of ancient woodlands, copses and coverts. The views are far-reaching with wide East Anglian skies from the valley tops where “the horizon joins the sky in a rare state of freedom”. Green spaces are treasured such as the Donkey Field in the middle of the village and the grassed area at Guildhall Way, where the children play on summer evenings. In this document we have noted specifically five of the main lanes, these are single tracks, some with high banking and two wildlife protected verges with oxlips (only found in this area of England) orchids and greater crested cow wheat, once found in every agricultural field but now a rare plant. We are lucky to have a rich variety of flora and fauna, including barn owls, red-tailed kites, kingfishers, hares and deer. Ashdon Parish has two SSSIs (Hales and Shadwell Wood and Ashdon Meadows (Water End)) and wildlife corridors which feed right into the middle of the village. We are surrounded by ancient hedges and trees, the oak at Ashdon Hall is reputed to have been spared felling when timber was needed to build the roof at Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. Whilst the village is still surrounded by agricultural land, it is now owned by fewer farmers but we are fortunate that they care for and look after the countryside. There has been organic growth over the centuries and there are many listed buildings and cottages, about a third in the two conservation areas have thatched roofs. However, the village has not stood still, we have three small developments of affordable housing, earmarked for people with a local connection. Village amenities have reduced dramatically over recent years and residents are now very dependent on the car to access facilities. Remaining village amenities include the village hall, a pub, an ancient church and a more modern Baptist Chapel, the primary school, two play areas and the allotments. We also have an amazing village museum and tearoom. Sadly, we currently have no shop but the Parish Council is exploring the possibility of opening a community cafe and shop in the village hall. Various businesses are run in redundant farm buildings and the old National School building, others work from home or outdoors such as tree surgeons and landscape gardeners. However, community spirit is still strong in the village and there are many clubs and societies and village events like the Open Gardens, the Safari supper, amateur dramatics and the Fun Run are very popular and well-attended.


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At times we do have issues with flooding from the river Bourne and surface water run-off, exacerbated in recent years by extreme weather events due to climate change. The Parish is unfortunately overflown by aircraft from Stansted Airport, day and night, and this causes noise nuisance and pollution. We have been acutely aware of the difference during the 2020 pandemic, the skies and the views are clear, we can hear the birds and the river is running sparkling clean. In October 2019 at our first consultation, 70.5% of residents commented positively on the greatly valued rural environment of the village and 71% commented on the community spirit of Ashdon.

Cricket on a sunny afternoon at Waltons


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Potential bellringers in the tower of All Saints church - having a go!

3.2 Historic Background Everywhere in Ashdon are reminders of the past and we live with the imprints of those who have gone before us; we walk the same paths; we use their names as our house names; we drink in the last remaining pub that they used. There have been several books written about Ashdon, The ‘Annals of Ashdon’ by Robert Gibson, Ashdon by Angela Green and Spike Mays Reuben's Corner and Five Miles From Bunkum, a no-holds-barred account of the village from the viewpoint of a lad growing up here in the first half of the last century, in a time now lost.


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“This character area lies in the glacial till plateau defined by its soil and its topography - north Essex clay that has been worked for centuries”. Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006. At the time of the Roman occupation the land, a mixture of woodland and cleared arable land, was already settled by the Britons. There is a partially excavated site of a Roman house in the Parish at Copt Hill, where coins, parts of under floor heating and painted plaster were found in 1852. Ashdon probably remained a relatively untroubled place during the Dark Ages and Christianity came sometime in the 7th or 8th century with the construction of a Saxon church. The area became subject to the control of the Danes in the 9th century and certainty is growing that Ashdon was the site of the final and decisive battle between the Saxon Edmund Ironside and the Danish leader Canute. The battle of Assandun on the 18th October 1016 was arguably of more historical significance than Hastings, which took place fifty years later, and led to Canute taking the throne of England later that same year.

1000 years on - the re-enactment of the Battle of Assandun in 2016 in front of Waltons.


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The original village grew around what is now All Saints Church and was known as “Ascenduna”, being the place of the Ash trees. The village had its own entry as a manor in the “Little Doomsday Book” of 1085 and was the wealthiest of three manors, which were eventually to form the Parish of Ashdon. The other two were Newnham (now Newnham Hall) and “Steventuna” (now Steventon End). “Historic Land Use - Evidence of historic land use within the Character Area is dominated by a mixture of pre-18th century irregular fields, probably of medieval origin and some maybe even older, and former common fields, of the Cambridgeshire and Midland type, a field-type that is rare in the rest of Essex. These were usually enclosed in the 18th century by piecemeal agreement. Historically the settlement was very dispersed, comprising church/hall complexes, isolated farms or small hamlets strung out along the roads or roadside greens. The historic landscape features include a number of ancient woodlands.” Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006. In the 13th century the Parish suffered, as did the whole of Europe, from the Black Death with bubonic plague reducing the population by at least one third. In the case of Ashdon this event caused the remaining population to migrate into the Bourne valley with Crown Hill becoming the new village centre. In the 14th century All Saints Church was built on the remains of the Saxon church and in the 15th century the Guildhall of St. Mary was erected to the south of the church and survives today as a private house. During the Civil War the area was predominantly pro-Parliament supporting Cromwell. It is reputed that the then recently constructed inn, the Rose & Crown, was used to imprison some of the monks attached to the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds; they are reputed to have painted the walls of their prison with simulated panelling, which can still be seen today. During the Tudor and Stuart periods the village grew and by the time of George I, when the Living of All Saints was in the gift of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, it was a prosperous place, evidenced by the size of the Rectory that was constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 1841 Census Ashdon had a population of 948 and occupied 4,045 acres of land. The population was, to some extent, self-sufficient having two working windmills to grind locally grown wheat. In1839 there were two butchers, a baker, three blacksmiths and farriers, a boot and shoemaker, four shopkeepers, two brick makers, a carpenter and a wheelwright as well as a saddler. The wealth of the village was based entirely on agriculture. Between the early Victorian period and the end of the 19th century the village grew in population. The landowners benefited from the growth of the major cities during the Industrial Revolution. Whilst the landowners became wealthier, the lot of the farm labourer became worse with wages constantly being reduced and no tenure for either their jobs or their accommodation. By 1913 the situation had become so intolerable that the agricultural workers, for the first time in history, became organised in a Union. This led in 1914 to the first agricultural strike in Britain, which encompassed much of East Anglia. This placed Ashdon at the forefront of the struggle and eight striking labourers were jailed for a month in Cambridge Jail.


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Getting about was entirely by road, track or riverbed until 1866 when a railway branch line was built between Saffron Walden and Bartlow. It was, however, not until 1911 that a stop was constructed at the end of Fallowden Lane, this served the village until the Beeching cuts axed the line in the 1960’s. There is a wealth of historic buildings in the Parish but very few of the pre-1900 buildings in the village remain in the form in which they were originally built. The majority have been substantially extended with increases in both the footprint of the buildings and their rooflines. Examples of properties that are substantially in their original styles include: The Guildhall, the only medieval building left in the village; Tudor Croft and Clayes, both built in the Tudor period; The Rose and Crown built in the 1630s and a few of what were the outlying farmhouses. Originally a medieval hall house, the core of Ashdon Hall is thought to be the oldest property in Ashdon. In the 20th century the increasing mechanisation in farming saw an ever-accelerating reduction in available work on the land and the residents started to commute to Saffron Walden, Cambridge and London for employment. Some new housing development occurred during the interwar years, primarily at Rogers End and post war at Guildhall Way. This was followed by social housing at Carters Croft to provide bungalows for retired members of the community. By the late 1980s the price of a significant proportion of the housing stock had risen to an unaffordable level for younger people. The first “Affordable Housing” project in the village was created on land provided by the Vestey family where 14 houses were built in a cul-de-sac named Tredgetts. In 2000 a further 13 houses were built at Church Fields at the southern end of the village and in 2006 an additional 19 homes were completed on an adjacent site now called All Saints Close. In all 57 affordable homes for those with local connections have been built in the village for rental or shared ownership, a proud record for a small village.

DETAILED CHARACTER AREAS

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4. DETAILED CHARACTER AREAS

4.1 Summary of Parish Character areas The volunteers divided the Parish into 15 separate volunteer areas for the purpose of their detailed field assessment work. Because Ashdon Parish is made up of a series of historic Ends in a rural landscape setting, the Parish has been split into main character area types, rather than dividing it into adjoining blocks. The character areas are as follows:- Character Area A: Ashdon Village Centre Character Area B: Church End Character Area C: The Ends (Water End, Steventon End, Knox End and also Rogers End & Holden End at the Bartlow Road end of Ashdon village) Character Area D: Country Lanes- Rectory Lane, Dorvis Lane, Kates Lane, Fallowden Lane, Puddle Wharf Lane, New House Lane Character Area E: Walden Road


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The Character Areas are shown on the adjacent map of the Parish (Parish boundary in blue):-


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Some of these character areas are then subdivided into distinct character area sub-sections. The individual character areas and sub-section area types are described in more detail in tabular form on the following pages, each with their own maps and photos. The detailed volunteer assessments for each area are available on our website, www.ashdonplan.co.uk The volunteer areas, and how they relate to the character area types, are listed as follows:-

Volunteer area number Name Character Area Type (and sub-section type if applicable)

1 Radwinter Road A: Ashdon Village Centre: Conservation area/Mixed linear

2 Church Hill A: Ashdon Village Centre: Conservation Area/Mixed Linear

3 Crown Hill A: Ashdon Village Centre: Conservation area/Mixed Linear

4 Bartlow Road, Holden End and Rodgers End

C: The Ends - Bartlow Road: Mixed linear/Post war estate/ Holden End/Rogers End

5 Dorvis Lane D: Country Lanes

6 Rectory Lane D: Country Lanes

7 Kates Lane D: Country Lanes


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Volunteer area number Name Character Area Type (and sub-section type if applicable)

8 Church End -Conservation Area

B: Church End: Conservation Area

9 Church End -Non Conservation Area

B: Church End: Mixed linear/Post war estate

10 Fallowden Lane (with adjoining section of Church End)

B: Church End D: Country Lanes

11 Water End C: The Ends

12 Steventon End C: The Ends

13 Knox End C: The Ends

14 Puddle Wharf Lane and Walden Road

D: Country Lanes E: Walden Road

15 New House Lane D: Country Lanes

Character Area A – ASHDON VILLAGE CENTRE

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4.2 Character Area A: Ashdon Village Centre Ashdon Village Centre consists of:

1. The Ashdon Conservation Area 2. Mixed linear development on Radwinter Road, Church Hill and Crown Hill

Holden End and Rogers End are summarised in the Ends character area C section of the report. The country lanes of Kates Lane, Dorvis Lane and Rectory Lane are summarised in the Country Lane character area D of the report.

Overview of character area The medieval village migrated from Church End down the hill and edged up the Radwinter Road, creating a T-junction at Crown Hill, the middle of the current village. The older housing sits tight to the road and is linear in design. The architectural styles vary from ancient thatched cottage and georgian fronted houses right through to post-war homes and some more modern homes. The mix of ancient and modern sits well in the landscape, having grown organically over the years, with the more modern homes sitting deeper in their plots and behind screening hedges. The middle of the village is hidden in the river valley and there is extensive tree cover with the housing backing onto agricultural land and meadow. The materials are eclectic and vary from black boarded, yellow brick, red brick, some clay roof tiles, some slate roofs and some thatched. Some are painted bright colours but most are restrained in white and cream plaster. Most houses stand in their own plot but there are two terraces of cottages, one on Crown Hill and one a little further down on the Bartlow Road. Every house has a garden, many of which exhibit their splendour on Open Gardens weekend. Here are located the main village facilities, the Rose and Crown pub with its historic painted wallpaper, the thatched Village Hall and the village Museum, which is a veritable Tardis and provides tea and cake alongside the village history and artefacts! The garage, no petrol pumps any longer but cars for sale, the renowned Beeches plant nursery, our impressive primary school building and the allotments, always a busy place in the spring and summer. Our Baptist Chapel can be found standing proud on the Radwinter Road. The River Bourne runs alongside the road from behind the Museum along Church Hill where it dives under the Radwinter Road by the Village Hall and runs past the back of the War Memorial and the allotments and turns a sharp bend into Rogers End. Unfortunately, due to the topography of the area, the village suffers from flooding all the way from Water End to Knox End and this causes problems as most of the village is built along the Bourne in the river valley.


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T-junction at Crown Hill


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The Ashdon Village Centre area is illustrated in the map below: ( The Conservation Area is magnified in the separate inset map on next page due to the number of listed buildings etc in this area)


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Character assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessments for Ashdon Village Centre. These summaries have been extracted by the volunteers from their detailed assessment work.

Radwinter Road- Conservation Area

(Area 1)

Radwinter Road- mixed linear

(Area 1)

Church Hill-Conservation Area

(Area 2)

Church Hill- mixed linear

(Area 2)

Crown Hill-Conservation Area

(Area 3)

Crown Hill- mixed linear

(Area 3)


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(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Summary of Characteristics Positives and negatives.

Many listed buildings of interest in the Conservation Area. Speeding traffic and lack of pavements are a problem. Flooding is a recurring issue with major incidents in 2007 and 2014, both from the river and surface water run-off.

Semi-rural road. Speeding traffic, lack of pavements and significant erosion of the road and verges in some places. Surface water run-off is an issue particularly in recent years due to the increase of extreme weather events, this exacerbates the flooding at Crown Hill.

A busy road with a mixture of Grade II properties and 19/20th century houses. The east side of the road is bounded by the River Bourne. Positives – attractive properties. Negatives – lack of pavement in places, obtrusive electric & telephone poles and cables. Flooding has been a recurrent issue.

The road runs SW from the Conservation Area with most properties on the E side. Originally 19th C brick-built farm labourers’ dwellings, only one retains its original form. The W roadside is steeply banked. Positives – Ashdon Village Museum. Negatives - unsightly cables loop across the road overhead. Increased traffic volume in recent years, parked cars, speeding motorists and difficult sight lines make the blind bend dangerous. Poor safe pedestrian access onto footpath on opposite side of road - impossible for wheelchairs and push chairs.

Positive - centre of lovely friendly village with area having a pub, the Primary School, common green area, village sign, the War Memorial and allotments. Negative - noisy, heavy traffic, dangerous sight lines, unsightly telegraph poles and cables. Parking outside school causes traffic congestion. River flooding.

Main road through village after Conservation Area from the bottom of Dorvis Lane to the entrance to Carters Croft. Chalet bungalows on left and allotments on right leading down to River Bourn. Speeding cars and heavy lorries and school traffic causes congestion at certain times of the day. Allotments are subject to flooding and act as a flood attenuation point.


30


(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Layout & Topography Relationship of road space & buildings. Landscape gradient.

The Conservation Area is concentrated at the northern end of Radwinter Road. The River Bourne flows west to east at the junction with Church Hill. Flanked by green spaces and agricultural land. The gradient runs from south to north down the road.

Running steeply from the southern village boundary of the village, down to the junction at Church Hill. Flanked in places by undulating agricultural land to both east and west.

The majority of homes are built on the road edge with small garden plots at rear. The road is level along its 187 metres within the Conservation Area. The area is on the 70 metre contour in the valley bottom.

The first 125 metres lie at the 71 metre level rising to the 91 metres contour over the next 372 metres with a 45 degree bend in the road half way. Eight of the eleven buildings are tight to the road, the balance being set back.

Centre of area is in a shallow valley with houses on the left and farmland on right rising above the road.

Ground rises on both sides of road, behind the chalet bungalows on the left and on the farmland the other side of the river on the right

Village spaces Recreation, amenity & village greens.

Located on the north western side of Radwinter Road, opposite Kate’s Lane is the locally known Donkey Field. Sectioned grazing for ponies and footpath for walkers.

Continuing along the north western side of Radwinter Road is the locally known Donkey Field, with the Harcamlow Way footpath running across it.

The Village Hall lies on the east bank of the River Bourne with access in Radwinter Road. A bus shelter is situated on the east side of the road opposite the listed buildings of Archers Cottage and Moss Cottage.

As the road climbs up the side of the river valley bordered by arable farming there are no village amenities in this area apart from the Ashdon Village Museum. There are a number of public rights of way.

Green common area with attractive trees between road and river with a picnic bench.

Allotments occupy the whole area on the right apart from an area at the end which has been converted into a locked gated meadow area.


31


(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Roads, streets, routes Roads, footpaths, bridleways.

The northern end of Radwinter Road is semi-rural with a narrow carriageway and limited pavements. Access to Kate’s Lane. The Harcamlow Way footpath crosses the Donkey Field to the west.

The southern end of Radwinter Road is semi-rural with a narrow carriageway and no marked pavements. Footpaths run at right angles to the road to the south of Little House and to the south of the Baptist Church car park.

Rectory Lane to the west and Radwinter Road to the east are located in the northern part of the area. The road is a narrow two-lane road with on-road parking. The southern portion of 84 metres lacks a pavement outside the property of The Clays.

The road is the main artery, pedestrians have a separate paved path on a bank about two metres above the road. Cyclists and horse-riders are forbidden this path which can only be accessed by prams and wheelchairs at either end. There are two flights of steps along the length of the path to the road but are of little use for some young or less able residents. Four public paths and a bridleway commence at the museum with a further path running along the Glebe land on the west side of the area.

Main road through village starting from Rectory Lane to Dorvis Lane on one side and from Radwinter Road entrance to opposite Dorvis Lane entrance on the other.

Main road goes through the village past the entrance to Carters Croft before turning to the left becoming Bartlow Road. There is a footpath at the end of the meadow area which leads across farmland and eventually to the Windmill.


32


(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Green/natural features Trees woods etc

Millenium oak tree in the middle of the Donkey Field.

Native hedgerows on south western side. Landmark horse chestnut tree.

The southern side of the road, where there are no houses, mature trees and bushes border the River Bourne with the Donkey Field behind. The Clays has an arboretum of significant trees rising up the valley side.

High hedges and mature trees line both sides of the road for most of its length and are a particular feature of Church Hill.

Green common area with attractive mature trees between road and river. There has been additional planting in recent years.

Allotments and meadow land on the right of the road leading down to the river bordered by native trees and hedging and a goat willow of significant size.

Landmarks Recognisable local features

Grade II Listed Tudor Croft and Ashdon Baptist Chapel and the Millennium oak tree.

The landmark horse chestnut tree, mature native hedgerows and uninterrupted views across farmland.

The Village Hall is the main feature with an old village pump located on the bank of the river outside the Hall. Originally a converted barn, then the Conservative Club, now the Village Hall with a new large extension.

The Ashdon Village Museum lies at the northern end of the area located beside the river and adjacent to the road. Originally it was the Labour Club opened in 1927 and gifted to the Museum in trust.

Pub and the Primary School with a chiming clock, the War Memorial and the Village Sign. Crinkle-crankle wall as part of an unusual boundary to Juniper House.

Allotments.


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(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Buildings Type, storeys, age, materials

Ten listed buildings, many Grade 2, dating from C16th to C18th, including Tudor Croft and The Old Smithy. Ashdon Baptist Chapel, built in 1835, is on the Local Heritage List. Building materials include thatch, brick, timber frame, plaster, clay roof tiles and slate, black weatherboarding used in traditional Essex style. Houses are 2 storey.

A variety of dwellings dating from Mid C19 to late C20. Building materials include: red and yellow brick, render and weather-boarding. Roofing materials include: pan tiles, bold roll tiles and slate. Building styles include: bungalows, chalet style and timber clad houses. Driveways include: gravel, tarmac and paved. Dwellings are individual in construction with no two dwellings the same.

Thirteen buildings of which six are semi-detached with four being Grade II listed and three thatched. All but one are two storey and one is a garage workshop business. The Beeches is single storey with a commercial nursery attached. Styles are varied ranging from 17th to late 20th century. A mix of timber framed with plaster and brick built structures exist.

Thirteen houses and the Museum are well spaced along the road with one small new build and two modern houses on the west side, which are eco-chalet bungalow style. All others are cottage style and two storey. Only one, 2 Church Hill, retains its original brick-built C19th form, the others have been extended/converted from the old small original worker’s houses. Houses are mainly timber framed at core with plastered walls.

Some important Grade 2 buildings with the Pub and Primary School and one detached house between two terraces. All the buildings are Victorian or earlier, except Crown House, which has been recently built. There is an eclectic mix of building materials, including plaster, brick and flint, slate and clay roofs, 2 storey.

There are four detached chalet bungalow style homes screened behind high hedges on the left between Dorvis Lane and Carters Croft. They were built post war.


34


(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Streetscape Lamp posts, benches, signage, boundaries

Post box. Grit bin and charity clothes bin in the Baptist Chapel carpark. LED powered street lights.

Ashdon village boundary flanked by signage, a wooden village entry gateway and dual 30mph signs. Speed sensor road sign outside Three Gables. LED powered street lights.

All power and telephone services are above ground, the poles also used for mounting two LED street lights. A third is mounted on its own standard. A bus shelter provides benching with a separate bench opposite the Village Hall. A signpost for the Village Hall is on the bank of the river.

One electrical pole has an LED street light on this section. The pedestrian path has a bench at the 95 metre elevation contour and two waste baskets are on the path. Open land on both sides of the road form a separation between the lower valley village area and Church End on the plateau.

Area has street lighting, listed phone box, bins for grit and unsightly overhead cables.

Area has lighting, including flash lighting to warn drivers to slow down when children are arriving at or leaving school. Parish notice board and grit bin in area.

Land use Residential, leisure, farmland, commercial, conservation

Primarily residential. Includes the Baptist Chapel, the Village Hall, White Horse House, Baptist Chapel carpark and Bartlett’s builders’ yard and workshop.

Primarily residential but includes Hill Farm, which is a working farm. Hill Farm also provides holiday cottages, business premises and the Ashdon Children’s Nursery.

Mostly residential with two commercial properties, a garage workshop business and a horticultural nursery. One village amenity (Village Hall). The whole of the area lies with a conservation area.

Apart from the gardens of the dwellings on the road the rest of the land is arable farmland on both sides of the road.

Residential, Pub and Primary School with common green area, War Memorial, River Bourne with farmland on the other side of river.

Residential on left of road, allotments and meadowland on right. River Bourne and farmland the other side of allotments


35


(Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Views Important views into / out of area.

From the junction of Crown Hill looking southwards up Radwinter Road into the Conservation Area. The landmark horse chestnut tree on the south western side of the road.

From the southerly entrance to the village there is an iconic landscape view across Mill Field to the Windmill to the east and Ashdon Parish Church to the west. View down the road looking north into Conservation Area.

The buildings obscure views to the west and east of the road and the only long views are along the road towards Crown Hill to the north and the Ashdon Village Museum to the south.

There are several views looking east from the paved footpath down-hill from the intersection of the path and footpath 20 across the Glebe land. Also view from Museum carpark to the Millennium oak tree.

Area can be viewed looking down from farmland on the other side of the River Bourne. There is a picturesque view towards the allotments.

The area can be viewed looking down from the farmland on the right of the road. Looking uphill from the entrance of Dorvis Lane across the allotments to the Windmill. Looking back from allotments to Colliers Row.


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Radwinter Road-

Conservation Area (Area 1)


(Area 1)


(Area 2)


(Area 2)


(Area 3)


(Area 3)

Design Guidance (see also Section 6 of Alison Farmer’s February 2020 Landscape Appraisal which summaries her findings)

Maintain the linear nature of the road. Encourage the use of traditional building materials for new builds, renovation projects or extensions in keeping with the Conservation Area. Incentivise the planting native hedges, trees and the addition of grassy verges where possible and use of traditional materials to build retaining walls.

Maintaining semi-rural, linear nature of the road. Encourage use of traditional building materials. Prevent removal of existing landmark trees and native hedgerows. Limit groundworks to banks & verges to minimise urbanisation. Incentivise planting of native hedges, trees & the addition of grassy verges. Development to be mindful of semi-rural nature of the road, height of neighbouring houses and no pavement. Development to consider & minimise non-permeable surface areas running downhill which increase surface water run-off and flooding.

Any development in this area needs to be mindful of the Conservation Area setting and flood risk from river and surface water run-off from Church Hill.

Historic settlement separation should be maintained and any development should be mindful of traffic and lack of “accessible for all users” pedestrian access and exacerbating flood risk for those houses sitting low in the landscape. Any development should sit in style with neighbouring houses – for example, the lack of a chimney on a recently built house jars in design with neighbouring homes.

Any development needs to be sensitive to the Conservation Area setting. It is the centre of a beautiful village spoilt only by overhead cables and speeding traffic. Flooding of river a serious concern and regular cleaning of it is essential, and a long term solution should be found. Any development needs to be mindful of congestion from parking, especially from the school, and speeding traffic.

Any development needs to take into account the setting adjacent to the Conservation Area. The allotment area is subject to flooding and serves as a flood attenuation plain, so should not be built on. As flooding can be a problem, it is essential that the river is cleared regularly. Other issues to take into account are congestion caused by parking for school pick-up and speeding traffic.

Character Area B – CHURCH END

37

4.3 Character Area B: Church End Church End consists of:- 1. The Church End Conservation Area 2. Mixed linear development 3. Churchfields and All Saints Close developments Fallowden Lane is summarised in the Country Lanes character area 4 of this report. Overview of character area Church End is a mix of architectural styles reflecting the age in which they were built. All Saints Church, the ancient Guildhall and Ashdon Hall all sit in a peaceful, green setting in the Conservation Area and although this area is surrounded on two sides by the road, it is an oasis of calm, reflecting its historical past, which includes the medieval village site, now an Ancient Monument. The next area to be built was Church End joining Fallowden Lane to the top of Church Hill. The houses are built along the road, a mix of ages and styles that work well, all have a “cottage feel”. Hall Farm and Glebeside stand back from the road, one a farm and the other replacing a much older building associated with the National School. This was followed by more linear development along the Walden Road. Some of these were Council built properties from the last century, typically reflecting the style that can be seen all over the country. In 2000 and 2006 there were two further developments of 13 homes and 19 homes (Churchfields and All Saints Close) built specifically to provide affordable housing for Ashdon residents. A playground, a multi-use games area and outdoor gym were added in 2019. However, it is difficult to safely access the village centre from Church End as there is a sharp, blind bend in the road with no pavement. Church End is an interesting reflection on how times and architectural styles change and how a village evolves. Ashdon has provided the means for its inhabitants to stay in the village in affordable homes, either rented or part-owned and this shows forethought by the Parish Council in enabling this to happen.


38

Church End showing juxtaposition of ancient and modern


39

Church End is illustrated in the map below:-


40

Character Assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessments for Church End. These summaries have been extracted by the volunteers from their detailed assessment work.

Church End- Conservation Area (Area 8)

Church End- Mixed Linear: Guildhall Way

to Orchard House (Area 9)

Church End- Churchfields and All Saints

Close (Area 9)

Church End adjoining Fallowden Lane-

Mixed Linear: including Hall Farm (Area 10)


41





Close (Area 9)




This area is covered by the Ashdon Conservation Area Appraisal - “The separate historic area around the church is quintessentially English in character with its small but exquisite range of fine buildings of ecclesiastical and secular association, its open spaces, mature trees, and an unusual historical association, namely the site of an abandoned medieval village.” Ashdon Hall has stunning gardens and an arboretum. Views across the valley. The church and church rooms provide community facilities. Exit lane from church is tricky for cars and pedestrians opening onto a blind bend and lack of pavement impedes easy access to the main village area. There are off-road footpaths down to village but these are difficult to navigate in wet weather.

Guildhall Way is a linear development of 1940s/1950s council built properties followed by a second phase of properties built in the 1980s behind a large open green area with open plan front gardens or driveways. The older properties are gardened to front and rear with a green area to the front separating them from the main road. There are further detached properties built on the linear dating 1930 - 1970.

A development of 32 one, two and three bedroomed properties built between 2000 and 2006 specifically for local shared equity ownership. Integrated children’s play areas as well as adult gymnasium area. The development has kept a generation within the village. However, it is remote from the heart of the village with no pavement access and the majority of residents drive a car away from or through the village.

Mix of old and new houses and styles of architecture work well together. Tight linear development except for Hall Farm and Glebeside. Unfortunately, apart from Yew Tree Cottage, Hall Farm and Glebeside, there is no safe pedestrian access for the rest of the residents, who have to navigate around a blind and dangerous bend, to get to the centre of the village. Intrusive overhead cabling on unsightly poles.


42





Close (Area 9)



Layout & Topography Relationship of road space & buildings. Landscape gradient

Situated on a hill with All Saints Church at its highest point. The landscape slopes down to the river in the east and following the road (Church Hill) to the north and the village centre. Scattered buildings with church and small courtyard as a focus.

An entirely linear development at the high southern end of the village adjacent to All Saints Church. No.s 9 – 16 are footpath accessed to the front with an access road to the rear whilst 21 – 32 sit behind ‘the green’ with an access road. Further detached properties have their own driveways direct onto the main road.

The number of properties built makes maximum usage of the land space provided, the only non-linear development in Church End. The development is built behind an existing row of properties on what was open agricultural land with a two-way access road, street lighting and open cart lodge type parking facilities. Access to some front doors is via path only.

Houses in a linear style going down towards Church Hill with one farmhouse and redundant farm buildings standing back from road as well as one modern house, Glebeside, built on site of former Old School outbuildings in 1970s. Houses fronting the road have very small front gardens/parking spaces. Level topography facing road but back of Hall Farm rises above landscape from valley side.


Church rooms and the church are community facilities. The church yard is a delightful green space and there is a triangle of green facing Guildhall Way. The Churchyard is the most commonly used “entry point” to footpaths beyond - used by residents of Church End or hikers from further afield who use the parking in the drive leading to the church.

The grass green to the front is cut by the district council and has a few planted trees. A small area is kept wild for orchids etc, local children use the green area for recreation.

The children’s play area is populated with swings, slides etc and is in regular use and well maintained. The adult gymnasium equipment occupies a large grassed area suitable for team games. There is also a green space shaded by trees suitable for relaxing in.

None.


43





Close (Area 9)




The main Walden road surrounds two sides of the exterior of this area but does not intrude. Church Hill road leading into the main village creates a “green tunnel”. There is a gravelled drive to serve the small courtyard and a green-sided drive up to All Saints Church. Footpaths down into the valley (part of the Harcamlow Way), and by crossing the main road, it is possible to join paths to the centre of the village or to Hall Farm and beyond.

The development sits parallel to the main road with its own access road with the exception of 1-8 Guildhall Way which fronts Fallowden Lane. There are no public footpaths.

The development is accessed by a roadway from Guildhall Way, there are no public footpaths or bridleways.

On main road from Saffron Walden to Bartlow through village. At junction just after Fallowden Lane there is a very bad bend leading down to the centre of the village. Pedestrian access around blind bend dangerous as no pavement for the majority of residents. There is a footpath along drive to Hall Farm.


44

Church End- Conservation Area ( Area 8)




Close (Area 9)




The area is surrounded by mature trees and vegetation. Of particular note are Ashdon Hall Gardens, with the oldest oak in the village and the more recently planted arboretum opposite. Also, there is a triangle of land facing Guildhall Way and the Churchyard is an oasis of peace. The Ancient Monument Site is under rough pasture and the valley below is tree lined.

Large open green to the front of the properties. The road verge opposite is a ‘Special Roadside Verge’ managed for wildlife.

Communal open grassed play areas with surrounding hedging and some planted trees and small gardens to many of the properties.

Housing backing onto fields or long back gardens.


All Saints Church is a well recognised and useful landmark for orientation throughout the village. The Old National School building on the corner, see below in “Buildings” section. Pine trees on triangle and bus stop are recognisable features.

The bus stop sits amongst a stand of Scots Pines, the green is opposite and on a left-hand bend shortly after entering the village.

There are no particular landmarks.

Flint and brick Old School building on Church End, which is now used for a soft furnishing business.


45





Close (Area 9)




All Saints Church is grade 1, mainly C14 & C15th. The Guildhall, a fine timbered, part-jettied building, dates from late C15th and is Grade 2*. Ashdon Hall - grade 2 with C17th core but much altered and added to. The Old National School building built in brick and flint is further described in the Church End mixed linear section and is on the Local Heritage List and included in the Conservation Area. Other fine buildings include The Old Vicarage and Church Farmhouse, both grade 2 listed. All residential buildings are no higher than two storey.

Typical post war local authority brick built and concrete tiled semi -detached 3 bed. The later development is terraced brick built, tiled 2 and 3 bed. The detached properties are a mixture of brick built and timber framed bungalows and two storey houses.

2000-2006 built with mix of brick and board cladding of the two and three storey properties, terraced, semi -detached and flats.

A mix of modern and old houses, with dormer bungalows but no building more than two storey height. Materials include weatherboard, red brick and plaster render. Old School House, flint and brick build, included in Conservation area. Redundant farm buildings at Hall Farm of late 19th and 20th century design.


46





Close (Area 9)




Ashdon Road has various road signs, such as 30mph speed limit signs, a small number of street lights, a bus stop and shelter with a bin.

Some street lighting, street signage, camera activated illuminating 30mph speed limit sign. There is a Parish notice board in the car park on the corner of Fallowden Lane.

A modern development with consistent street signage, lighting, railings, garden fencing and noticeboard.

Post box let into flint wall of Old School House. Bend warning signage. Insensitive overhead cables.


Conservation Area with small number of residential houses.

Residential. Residential with leisure facilities.

One business in Old School House and one farm.


47





Close (Area 9)




Views out from the Scheduled Ancient Monument site across the valley towards the Windmill and down into the valley towards the main village.

There are extensive views of All Saints Church and the cemetery as well as open arable and wooded countryside distant views, including views to Hales and Little Hales, ancient woodland.

Most residents have views of open arable and wooded countryside.

Mixed housing streetscape on Church End around road bend gives a pleasing view along main street.


48





Close (Area 9)




Any development needs to be sensitive to the Conservation Area setting.

Any development would need to consider the views across the countryside to ancient woodland and the setting of the Conservation Area. This is an important gateway to the entrance of the village. The recent scalping of Orchard House landscape is an example of how an important entrance to the village can be degraded. Existing green space, native planting and soft landscape features should be protected.

If future development were to occur here, thought should be given to native tree planting to soften high roof lines at this village gateway.

Redundant farm buildings could be considered for sensitive conversion to business units or homes but should be in keeping with traditional layout, height and style of the existing units and be sensitive to the high elevation of the farm buildings site on the upper slopes of the Bourne valley. Concentrating development on the lower southern slopes closer to Church End would ensure that it relates positively to the existing settlement. Setting any development within a strong landscape structure of native planting would be essential given the elevated nature of the site.

Character Area C: THE ENDS

49

4.4 Character Area C: The Ends This character area assessment deals with the following Ends: 1. Rogers End and Holden End 2. Water End, Steventon End and Knox End Overview of character area “Essentially, the community is made up of a rich profusion of isolated farmsteads and little clusters of older cottages called Ends … each with its distinctive character and idiosyncratic loyalties.” Annals of Ashdon - Robert Gibson. There are six “Ends” in Ashdon, Church End, Water End, Steventon End, Rogers End, Holden End and Knox End. For the purpose of this document, we have separated Church End from the others as it forms a large part of the western end of the village. The site of the medieval village, which is now a scheduled monument, stands in a rough field below the church. The village is thought to have suffered during various plague years and families moved from the old village to a safe distance from their neighbours to avoid infection and so satellite “hamlets” or in our case “Ends” were populated. These were quite distinct settlements each with their own character. The “Ends” are one of the reasons that Ashdon has such a quantity of footpaths and bridleways, the Ashdon inhabitants and traders needed to access different parts of the village set in the river valley and they used the shortest ways to do this. This can be confusing to the visiting walker nowadays as they “pop-up” in a completely different place to where they thought they were, this is the magic of Ashdon! On the Bartlow Road, Rogers End leads into Holden End and with a settlement break, into Knox End. Steventon and Water End are set some way out of the main village and have their own character. This is not just an historic settlement pattern, today the residents are clear which End they live in and enjoy the distinction. “Conserve - seek to protect and enhance positive features that are essential in contributing to local distinctiveness and sense of place through effective planning.” Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006.

Character Area C: THE ENDS

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Holden End looking towards Knox End in the distance.

Character Area C – THE ENDS: ROGERS END & HOLDEN END

51

4.4.1 Rogers End and Holden End

The Rogers End and Holden End areas are illustrated in the map below:-


52

Character Assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessments for Rogers End and Holden End. These summaries have been extracted by the volunteer from their detailed assessment work.

Rogers End: Tredgetts and Carters Croft

(Area 4)

Rogers End: Mixed linear (Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)

Holden End: Area from All Saints Cottage

to Polly Cottage (Area 4)


53


(Area 4)

Rogers End: Mixed linear

(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




In a cul-de-sac rising westwards from Bartlow Road stand two C20 residential estates: Carters Croft (18 bungalows built for older people) and Tredgetts (14 semi-detached/terraced houses developed as affordable housing). There is a lack of parking for residents and visitors and this creates a very cluttered streetscape with cars parked on either side of the street. Access for emergency vehicles can be an issue due to congested street.

Set back from the Bartlow Road is a row of ex-local authority dwellings. There are also eight semi-detached two-storey, brick built cottages erected in the 1960s by Thurlow Estates for agricultural workers. All are set back from the road with front and back gardens. There is no pavement in front of the Thurlow Estate houses and speeding traffic around the bend makes walking safely here an issue. The ex-local authority houses have no front drives and only have car access and parking via Tredgetts.

This area has older picturesque cottages in a small cluster and a converted ex-pub, a new semi-detached house and 3 chalet bungalows. There are glimpses of open countryside between the buildings, which anchor Rogers End in its beautiful rural setting as the homes range around the bend. Fine views and trees. Speeding traffic is a major issue. Parking on-road slows traffic but can be dangerous and there is no pavement. Overhead wires are ugly and detract from rural ambience. Flooding from the Bourne is a persistent and recurrent problem.

This area is semi-rural and is one of the village's original Ends, but as a result of C20 ribbon development is no longer separate. It is an attractive mix of five thatched C17-18 listed properties, a red brick Victorian terrace conversion, two modern houses and another under construction. There are no pavements so walking is hazardous. Speeding traffic - effective traffic calming urgently required. Proliferation of overhead wires are ugly and out of keeping with period properties.


54


(Area 4)


(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




At the top of the steeply rising cul-de-sac, houses at Tredgetts are arranged in a semi-circle with open-plan front gardens and separate block of garages. Extensive views from back gardens. Dwellings at Carters Croft are atop sloping greens with tiny front gardens, concrete access slopes and white handrails. Rising topography affords beautiful views to the allotments and undulating countryside, unfortunately not reciprocated from afar where the stark layout of the area is too prominent in such a rural setting. The same holds true when viewed from Bartlow Road.

Linear development along the Bartlow Road, set back from the highway with front gardens or gardens incorporating off-street parking (Thurlow Estate houses). Hedging affords privacy and shelter.

This part of Rogers End is characterised by a long left hand bend as the road wends along the river valley. To the right is a small lane which slopes towards the river providing access to a cluster of four period cottages. They are positioned at one of the very lowest points in the landscape and suffer regularly from flooding from the river.

The cottages are ranged along the road at the top of a gentle slope, and back onto open countryside. There is a small parking area opposite and an untamed woodland area owned by Thurlow Estates. With the exception of Pennycroft which is situated at the bottom of sloping gardens by the river, all dwellings are in close proximity on the left side of the road as it curves gently along the river valley towards Knox End.


There two small greens at the entrance to Carters Croft with a decorative tree and bench in each.

None. None. None.


55


(Area 4)


(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




Carters Croft and Tredgetts form a cul-de-sac with dwellings lining each side of the road. This terminates at a central shrubbed area marking the entrance to Tredgetts. The road is in a poor condition but the pavements are acceptable.

The houses built by Thurlow Estates have driveways open onto Bartlow Road. There are no pavements on most of the road, so walking is hazardous. On the opposite side of the road is the Bartlow Road/Steventon End junction.

The Bartlow Road is the access road to this area and a right turning into New Road, the road to Steventon End and the Camps. A public footpath to the Windmill is located next to Thristalls. Pavement only extends from Carters Croft entrance to 5 Rogers End, on the other side of the road, so walking is dangerous.

The main road is in poor condition and without pavements. Despite nearby 30mph signage, heavy and speeding traffic poses a danger to pedestrians. There are two public footpaths, popular with walkers: between All Saints Cottage and One Holden End and north of Pennycroft.


There are grassed slopes throughout Carters Croft and shrubbery at Tredgetts.

The front gardens and hedging introduce some greenery and soften the streetscape.

There are countryside views behind the houses and glimpses of these views through the gaps. On the long bend between Thristalls and Bricklayers Cottages, there is a fine group of trees including an attractive horse chestnut and weeping willow.

An open “wild untamed” area extends from Pennycroft to the turning to Steventon Road.


The Windmill and its adjacent terrace of two cottages are visible on the far horizon.

Long bend in the road. The long bend with its grouping of C18 period cottages and beautiful trees is the focal point of the area.

The red brick Victorian terrace conversion and neighbouring thatched and weatherboarded cottages epitomise the original Holden End.


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(Area 4)


(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




Carters Croft (1970s) comprises single-storey bungalows with flat roofs and side entrance porches. Tredgetts (1980s) is composed of two-storey, primarily semi-detached houses. Both estates reflect social housing design of their time and employ late C20 building materials - brick, concrete roof tiles, cladding and at Tredgetts matching brown door canopies and window frames.

There is a mix of housing including 12 post war ex- local authority houses with rendered facades. The Thurlow Estate houses are typical estate workers houses of the time. Built from stock brick, with unadorned elevations, concrete roof tiles, flat roofed side extensions, central chimney stacks and shallow Georgian style pediment porches.

There are five C18-19 listed buildings, three 1960's chalet style houses and 2 semi-detached village houses from the 1980s. Building materials are age appropriate. On the bend the old Bricklayers Arms - one of Ashdon's last surviving pubs is now two listed semi-detached cottages.

A mix of listed C17-18 buildings, Victorian, and two C20 dwellings. Lathe and plaster, red Victorian brick, weather boarding, thatch, slate and pantile roofs in evidence with some C20 and C21 construction. At right angles to the road, All Saints Cottage was originally Ashdon Children's Home.


There are 6 street lights, two benches, and signage for both Carters Croft and Tredgetts. There is little or no boundary delineation between the two developments. Parking for the Bartlow Road houses is located at the top of Carters Croft.

The driveways of the Thurlow Estate houses are connected to the Bartlow Road with front gardens screened by hedge boundaries. There are various road signs and a number of telegraph poles and overhead wires.

There is signage for “Rogers End” and a three-way finger signpost marking the right turn to Steventon End. There are two streetlights, several telegraph poles and consequent overhead wires. A mix of hedges and fencing mark boundaries.

There is “Holden End” signage, several telegraph poles and overhead wires and one street light. There are some fences and hedges but most properties front the road with only small areas of separation.


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(Area 4)


(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




Residential. Farmland visible throughout reinforcing rural setting.

Residential. Residential. Residential. Farmland and a patch of “wild untamed" woodland owned by Thurlow Estates.


Fine, sweepings views from various vantage points to undulating countryside with glimpses of the Windmill.

Views of houses on other side of road.

The long bend is a focal point with its trees and period cottages, while back towards the village there are outstanding views of undulating countryside.

Garden trees much in evidence, Views to open countryside -particularly back towards the village.


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(Area 4)


(Area 4)

Rogers End (Area 4)




Landscaping of Carters Croft would be of significant benefit - even limited hedge planting would help. Lack of parking for current residents is difficult now and this could be exacerbated by more housing. Any development should seek to safeguard and/or enhance the parking areas at the top of Carters Croft (there is a potential for it to be vulnerable as an access point for back garden development from ex-Local Authority houses along Bartlow Road).

Speeding traffic is an issue - as it is throughout this area - and must be taken into account when any development proposals are considered. Any new proposals must maintain or increase current off-street parking provision (building in the back gardens could exacerbate current parking issues). Safety at Bartlow Road junction (with its long bend and speeding traffic) is a key constraint to additional development.

The cluster of historic properties in their original setting should be preserved. Speeding and increased traffic and parked cars on the roadside would be exacerbated by further development. Regular and recurrent flooding would be a difficult issue to resolve.

“Wild untamed” areas and garden adjacent to the north of Pennycroft help to maintain rural character. Flooding of Bartlow Road just beyond Polly Cottage cuts this part of the village off from Bartlow/Cambridge and the subsequent diversion up New road to Steventon End also suffers from impassable road flooding. Speeding traffic is also an issue. Historic properties in their original roadside setting should be protected. This area has an important historic settlement boundary gap between Holden End and Knox End.

Character Area C – THE ENDS: WATER END, STEVENTON END AND KNOX END

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4.4.2. Water End, Steventon End and Knox End

These Ends are illustrated in the maps to the right and below:


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Character Assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessments for these Ends. These summaries have been extracted by the volunteers from their detailed assessment work.

Water End (Area 11)

Steventon End (Area 12)

Knox End (Area 13)


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


Water End (including Midsummer Hill) is a rural, somewhat isolated, agricultural area. Positives: It is a very attractive landscape, in and around the upper valley of the River Bourne. Scattered houses and farms are traditional in style, and several are listed. Negatives: Lanes are long and narrow with no public transport. There are no public facilities or amenities. There is no main sewage after Hill Farm. Flooding all along the lower valley. The B1053 (Radwinter Road) is a very well used and busy rural road with speeding traffic.

The area is a beautiful mixture of farmland, houses and open fields with a number of buildings of particular historical importance to the village. Speeding traffic and flooding are issues of concern for residents and Steventon End is located off the main sewerage system for the village.

Undulating, unspoilt agricultural landscape with scattered historic farm stead and cottages. Imagining the Assandun battlefield along the valley is easy in a landscape unchanged in centuries. There is a settlement gap between Holden End and Knox End of historic importance. Flooding of the road when the river breaks its banks makes the Bartlow Road impassible to traffic. A significant area of the landscape is designated as a floodplain.


Water End encompasses the headwaters of the River Bourne with several significant tributaries, and often steep valley sides. The End is accessed from the main B1053 through narrow lanes which fork twice to dead ends. Buildings are widely spaced on the main ‘B’ road and on the lanes; they are set back from the road in large gardens.

Y-shaped layout with housing concentrated near the top of the ‘Y’ in centre of Steventon End and along the forks to the NE and along Overhall Lane. Steventon End is located uphill from the main village centre and includes one of Ashdon’s highest points, with the Windmill located on the 100m contour.

Steep sided valley with the River Bourne cut into the landscape. Rising to the Ashdon/Bartlow Road where the White House stands high on the landscape. Very scattered buildings, even those with road frontage are spaced, although Mansard and Nightingales stand next to each other with space either side. Existing historic settlement gap between Holden End and Knox End.


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


The recreation value centres on the wooded river valley, and the many rights of way in the area. There are commercial fishing lakes. There are no greens or formal playground areas. When dry, the bridle path beside the river is hugely popular with walkers, cycle riders, joggers and runners as well as horse riders.

Village Cricket ground. Football pitch and small building with changing facilities.


There is no appropriate on-road parking; the ‘B’ road is fast and is used as a rat run for traffic to Stansted airport. The lanes are single track and banked. There is no bus service. Bridleway 76, Rock Lane, and footpath 30 are the only safe pedestrian paths connecting with the village centre but the bridleway, in particular, is muddy and churned up by horses, a real problem in the winter months.

The main road out of Ashdon through Steventon End is a national speed limit road despite narrowing to single lane near the centre. There are no official passing points. This road is used by workers at Stansted Airport as they commute from the Haverhill area. Overhall Lane is a single -track road with high hedges and some banking. There are no pavements along the road in Steventon End but there is relatively good connection to the rest of the village during good weather via the comprehensive network of footpaths and bridleways.

Situated on main road out of Ashdon to Bartlow. Two tracks off road, one to Newnham Hall Farm and one to Lang Meadows. Attractive footpaths, in particular The Brues, in the valley bottom, joining Newnham Hall and Rectory Lane.


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


In addition to the valley woodland and the visually important copse near Goldstones, there are important trees, old oaks and scots pines near Hill Farm and in the ‘End’ which should be preserved; some form Landmarks. The Wilderness and the wide corridor of trees and hedgerows running beside the river, provide an essential wild-life corridor of a sufficient width from Ashdon Meadows right into the heart of the village behind the Museum; a route through the un-welcoming arable fields. The ancient woodland of Hales and Little Hales are on the periphery. There are protected verges, some orchards, and an SSSI (breeding ground for resident barn owls).

There is woodland between the centre of Steventon End and the Windmill, which is accessible via the public footpath. This woodland provides habitat for owls (notably tawny owls) and there is also a badger sett located in the area. There are mature trees lining the road entering Steventon End in the grounds of Waltons Park.

Lots of small woods, copses and tree cover between undulating meadows and fields - a feature of this end of the village.


From the higher areas All Saints Church and Church End, the windmill, and Hill Farm with Scots pine are clearly visible landmarks. Woodland forms the horizon to the west. The unspoilt historic cluster of thatched cottages at the bottom of Stallentine Hill are a wonderful example of old cottages and houses in their original setting in the landscape.

Steventon End contains the Ashdon Windmill along with a number of other listed buildings (cottages, stables barns etc). Other buildings of cultural importance are also located in Steventon End, notably a number of cottages and a previous pub (The Bonnet) featured in the novel Reuben’s Corner, by Spike Mays.

Newnham Hall Farm, tucked into the valley. The White House high on the hill as the first house on the road leading to the village from Bartlow. Football pitch hidden behind hedge. Sewage plant and pumping station. Old railway bridge remains. View of the Windmill across the valley from the hill above Newnham Hall.


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


Buildings are mainly of a traditional style; ages vary from 17th century to the present. The majority are two storey with walls of plaster, red brick or weather boarding. Roofs are thatch, slate or red tile. The buildings are individual in construction with no two buildings the same.

Largely detached houses with a handful of semi-detached properties in Overhall Lane. Housing includes several thatched timber framed houses, which are several hundred years old, a number of which are listed. Newer properties in Steventon End have retained the character of the area and have been sympathetically designed (for example incorporating gable ends, dormer windows and chimneys). Bungalows and chalet-bungalows and two storey maximum height. Flint is included as a building material.

Newnham Hall and the cottages along the Bartlow Road are ancient, plastered and thatched or tiled. Lang Meadows is a large modern conversion down a track out of sight of the main road. The White House is prominent and slate roofed.


There is no street lighting. A post box and village noticeboard are located on the main road and salt bins on the steep lane (Stallentine Hill). Overhead cables interrupt views throughout.

Steventon End has electricity and telephone lines provided via overhead wire. There is only one street light, on the old telephone box in the centre of the End. There are signs in both directions marking the entrance to Steventon End and signs marking the sharp double bend in the road.

Signage at entrance to village. Hedged boundaries.


The End is set in arable farmland with scattered houses and farms. There is commercial shooting and fishing, and employment in farming and in small business units. Rural leisure activities centre around footpaths and woodland. There is an SSSI and protected verges.

Steventon End incorporates a mixture of residential properties and arable farm fields, along with Waltons Park, a private estate.

Overwhelmingly agricultural and a working farm with cattle. A few scattered cottages and houses.


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


Looking S into the area from the N side near Hill Farm the whole wooded valley is visible, with most buildings nestled into the valley or on the plateau areas. Looking from W to E from the higher land, views are wide and include Ashdon landmarks, extensive woodland, and the river valley descending to the main village. The wind farm near Balsham is visible to the north.

The best, most far-reaching views in Steventon End are found at the Ashdon Windmill, which offers views down towards the main village centre and over Waltons Park.

Extensive views into the valley, especially to Newnham Hall Farm and from the valley looking towards the village and up to Rectory Lane.


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Water End (Area 11)


Knox End (Area 13)


Any development should be sensitive to the rural nature of the area. Buildings should be of traditional style and materials, incorporating plaster and weather boarded walls. They should be set within the valley or set back on the plateau. Location on the valley sides results in a highly visible, visual intrusion. Narrow, rural access lanes limit traffic. Severe flooding in the valley bottom. Most of area remote from village facilities, necessitating use of car. Water End has no connection to a sewer. (See also section 5.2.8 of Alison Farmer’s February 2020 Landscape Appraisal which makes some specific comments on Water End).

There is limited scope for new building in Steventon End because of lack of pavements, speeding traffic and reliance on car-use to access village facilities. The topography of the area creates flooding as the water from the surrounding landscape gathers at the lowest point in the middle of this part of the village. Any new buildings should complement the historical nature of the End and continue to incorporate traditional design features, notably dormer windows and chimneys. Steventon End has no connection to a sewer. (See also section 5.2.5 of Alison Farmer’s February 2020 Landscape Appraisal which makes some specific comments on Steventon End).

Any development would need to be very sensitive to this historic open landscape. This area is an important entrance to the village. Subject to recurrent and persistent flooding on Bartlow Road and a flood plain covers a significant part of the landscape here.

Character Area D: COUNTRY LANES

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4.5 Character Area D: Country Lanes Overview of character area “Conserve historic lanes and unimproved roadside verges” Chris Blandford Landscape Character of Uttlesford District 2006. The Lanes are grouped together in this section and although they have similar characteristics such as being single track, they all have different and unique traits. Puddle Wharf, Fallowden, Rectory and Dorvis Lanes all connect to the “main” road that runs through the village from Saffron Walden to Bartlow in that order. Kate’s Lane and New House Lane connect with the Radwinter Road, leading from Crown Hill in the village centre towards Radwinter village. The location of each lane is shown on the Parish map on page 21 of this report. We have left the small Mill Lane and Overall Lane, although both tarmaced, as part of the Steventon End area. The Lane leading down to Water End, Stallentines, has also been included in the section covering Water End as it is the centre of housing in that area. Generally, the density of housing is low and scattered with large areas of agriculture between old farmsteads, but there is sometimes a higher number of houses at the “mouth” of the lane where it joins the road, such as Rectory Lane and Fallowden Lane. The Lanes are steeped in history as we put our feet where others have trodden before us over the centuries. They are a reminder of our agricultural past, when getting plough teams, wagons and labourers to work in distant fields was key. They connected scattered farmsteads and hamlets to the main village centre or in the case of New House Lane, were used as a connection to Saffron Walden and Radwinter. All the lanes share wonderful views across the pattern of fields, woods and copses, where large deer herds can often be spotted relaxing in the sun against the edges of the trees. Rectory and Dorvis Lanes are steeply banked with trees set on the top of the banks and all are rich in flora and fauna, although in recent years, they do suffer from verge erosion caused by increased use and are generally unsuitable for today’s larger vehicles.


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Dorvis Lane, looking down from the top to main street.


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The Country Lane areas are illustrated in the maps below:


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Character Assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessment for each Country Lanes. These summaries have been extracted by the volunteers from their detailed assessment work.

Dorvis Lane (Area 5)

Rectory Lane (Area 6)

Kate’s Lane (Area 7)

Fallowden Lane (Area 10)

Puddlewharf Lane (Area 14)

New House Lane (Area 15)


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Dorvis Lane

(Area 5) Rectory Lane

(Area 6) Kate’s Lane

(Area 7) Fallowden Lane

(Area 10) Puddlewharf Lane

(Area 14) New House Lane

(Area 15)


A short sunken lane with a distinct historic character and ancient high hedgerows and mature trees that form archways overhead. The lane serves 4 unique properties, of which two are listed (Grade II). Overhead cables, posts and wires detract from the rural setting.

Attractive sunken lane with a fine range of mature trees and hedgerows and some fantastic views over open countryside. It is about 1 km long, serves 2 listed and 9 newer properties and leads on to several public footpaths. Traffic is very light but one or two very small pedestrian lay-bys to stand in and let vehicles pass would make walking in the lane easier for pedestrians.

Kate’s Lane offers picturesque rural features and views. Residents have reported issues with traffic and lack of pavements.

Pleasant rural lane leading from Church End into countryside with views across farmland on both sides of the Lane. Some distance for walking to village facilities, especially from far end of Lane with no pavement or street lighting and, once on the main road, no safe path around blind bend in Church End. No connection to main sewer at far end of Lane. Ugly overhead cabling and wires.

A meandering rural single-track no through road with scattered housing being a mixture of historical farming properties and a plant nursery business.

A single track rural Protected Lane running across the Ashdon farmland plateau for 2.5 Km from Red Oak Hill west to the Parish boundary at the new build barns. Properties are spread at intervals along the length of the road being old farmhouses and barn conversions. Positives – scattered houses on winding rural lane with pleasant views. Negatives – speeding vehicles on blind bends.


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The lane rises fairly steeply for most of its short length of about 120 metres. At its end is a gate from where a public footpath continues. The 4 properties all sit on substantial plots, forming no regular settlement pattern.

The lane rises steeply for the first 300 metres, continues more or less level for about the same distance before dipping into the next valley and rising again to Ricketts Farm. All properties have their own driveway from the lane.

A no through road, set parallel to the valley. There is a steep drop in gradient to the north side, with a wide thicket, along the tributary of the River Bourne. Flanked by farmland on both sides. There is also steep banking on the lane on the south side which continues to the west of The Cottage.

Mainly single track rural lane leading from several properties at far end up through hedged fields up to junction with Church End, where there are two rows of houses facing each other on both sides of lane at entrance. Housing linear in placement at this point. Very gently undulating countryside with far-reaching views on either side of Lane.

Located at the southern end of the Parish outside of the signed village edge. A rolling and meandering ‘lane’ with very few widely dispersed buildings that are set back from the road frontage.

Elevation on eastern 1.75 km is 105 m +- 3, the western ¾ km rises to the 112 m contour. Mainly arable fields to both sides with a few grazing pastures.


None. A short way up the lane is a large recreation ground with play facilities for children and picnic tables.

None. None. None. None.


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The public footpath that continues from the end of Dorvis Lane leads to Newnham Hall Farm.

The lane leads to Ricketts Farm, where the metalled road ends and a public footpath continues. Several other footpaths branch off the lane to the north and south.

Kate’s Lane is a single-track access only road, rural in character. No pavements. There are public footpaths towards the Windmill and Steventon End. A bridleway bisects the end of the lane, the section to the Windmill is called Homewood Way in memory of Dorothy Homewood, who kept the path clear.

Lane is single track after houses near junction with Church End. Footpaths and bridlepath at end of lane lead to outlying farms and footpath from Fallowden Farm leads to the Walden Road, near The Old Lamb, once a public house.

A single track tarmaced road, there are a number of public footpaths (including the Harcamlow Way) crossing the road as well as a marked bridleway.

Footpath numbers 79, 90, 93, 95 & 106 leave the road to north and south and bridleway path 41 crosses the road near Wills Ayley and follows the course of the Roman Road on the Parish boundary.


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The lane has no level verges due to its sunken nature and the banks on either side support a range of mature trees.

The steep banks of the lane feature a fine range of mature trees and hedgerows. Opposite The Old Rectory is a meadow, and the footpath, called The Glebe, crossing it leads to several very impressive oak trees, believed to be some of the oldest in Ashdon.

Flanked by agricultural farmland. Native hedgerows.

Old hedgerows run both sides of Lane beyond initial houses. Views of small copses and woods and very rural countryside breaking up the agricultural landscape.

Ancient woodland and arable farmland throughout its length.

Ancient woodland is located to the south of the road as well as small copses, all are on private land giving a wooded aspect to the south.


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Dorvis Cottage, at the end of the short lane, is a very picturesque thatched cottage (Grade II listed). Skye Cottage with its ornate brickwork can also be seen from the lane and is on the Local Heritage List.

The Old Rectory, an imposing listed building and barn, is about halfway along the lane and Ricketts, a listed former farmhouse, is at the end of the lane. Suggested site of Canute’s church to commemorate the Battle of Assandun 1016. Ancient oak trees on the Glebe. Marpa House is resplendent with prayer flags flying across the garden.

The open agricultural setting with open views to the Windmill.

Site of old railway track and remains of “Ashdon Halt”.

Old style wooden fingerpost signage at the junction with the main road. A very fine, recently restored, yeoman’s farmhouse (Ashdon Street Farm) at the far end of the lane.

There are no distinctive landmarks except for a new barn conversion at the western end of the lane, which is currently very prominent in the landscape.


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The two listed buildings are single-storey with attic. The other two properties are 2-storey houses. All properties vary in style, including face-brick, plaster and clap-boarded walls and thatched, tiled and slate roofs.

Close to the village there are seven properties, all dating from the last century. The three to the north are bungalows, and of the four to the south two are detached and two are semi-detached houses. Further up the lane are four more properties, two of them listed, The Old Rectory and barn, both grade 2 listed and Ricketts, also grade 2. Materials include timber frame, red brick, plaster and render. There are bungalows and 2- storey houses. Ricketts and the Rectory are 2-storey with attic rooms.

Leaving the junction with the Radwinter Road, opposite The Chestnuts, there is a farm outbuildings conversion, Chapel Farm Barn, which has kept to the traditional black weather boarded style. There are three cottages: The Cottage, a C17-C18 timber-framed and tiled dwelling, listed grade 2, Farrants Cottage and Kate’s Cottage. The Orchard is a two storey house and Old Sandons Farmhouse is at the end of the Lane. Materials used include plaster, render, black weatherboarding, slate and clay roof tiles.

At far end, Fallowden Farm, Springfield Barn and Halt cottage all converted from original use. One new house (Springmead) built down into landscape to replicate the height of the bungalow it replaced. Near main road area is a colourful terrace of cottages with small front gardens/parking spaces, one modern house and The Croft, a thatched grade 2 house. Two storey maximum height.

A range from a modern nursery development with extensive glasshouses and associated modern dwellings, 18th century farm and a 15th century farm building with modern barn development.

A total of twelve properties along the lane are comprised of three Grade II buildings- two timber framed farmhouses (one thatched) and one listed barn. These date from the 16th and 17th century. The other buildings date from the 18th to the 21st century and are a mixture of styles. Four of these houses are barn conversions. All sit within the landscape with the exception of the new barn conversion, which would benefit from some native tree and hedgerow planting.


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There is no street lighting or street furniture, and the boundaries consist of wooded banks. There is a five-bar gate at the top end of the lane. At the mouth of the lane there is a grit bin.

There is no street lighting or street furniture. The boundaries consist of banks with hedges and trees, followed by hedges with fencing, more wooded banks and finally wooden agricultural fencing separating the lane from the cattle grazing land.

There is no street lighting along the lane.

An unusual signpost at the entrance to the lane- “No Through Road”. 30mph signs approaching housing. Some parking on road edge/pull-in by houses on other side of road near junction. Most houses have hedged boundaries with picket fencing to some homes on the cottage terrace.

No street lighting just telegraph poles carrying telephone and electricity supplies.

No street furnishings are in the lane, the only signage being the public rights of way markers. All properties are set back from the lane, with the exception of the new barn conversion, and have, in the main extensive gardens, often screened by hedges. A number of ancient trees are on the line of the lane.


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The land on either side of the lane consists of the grounds of the residential properties it serves.

Ricketts Farm is no longer used as a farmhouse but is tenanted. Marpa House, a former orphanage, is a centre dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism and culture. All other properties are residential. The open land bordering the lane consists of the recreation ground, a wild-flower meadow (Beeches Nursery) and open and fenced farmland and meadows.

Surrounded by agricultural land. Old Sandons Farm – breeders of prize-winning Norfolk Horn sheep.

Surrounded by agricultural land with housing backing onto fields.

Residential with a commercial plant nursery but mostly arable farmland.

Entirely agricultural apart from the woodland and areas around the private houses.


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There are no particular views from the lane itself because of its sunken nature. However, there is a view down to Knox End from the very top of the Lane.

From just before and after The Old Rectory there are splendid views to the north, and further on to the east across the village to the historic Windmill and beyond.

The view up to the Windmill at the north eastern end of Kate’s Lane. The undulating farmland on both northern and southern aspects.

The gap between the top and bottom groups of houses gives far reaching views across fields and separates heavily built area from rurally isolated homes.

Far-reaching views of ancient woodland and arable farmland.

As the terrain is a plateau, views to the horizon are extensive but can only be appreciated when on foot. The large number of blind bends preclude good observation when in a vehicle.


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This lane is in the Conservation Area and any development would need to be sensitive to this setting, as well as taking into account the steep banking of an historic sunken lane. There is no connection to the main sewer up the lane.

It is difficult to see how this single-track lane with its steep banks could support further residential development as this would inevitably entail an increase in motorised traffic. The houses at the mouth of the lane are connected to the main sewer but beyond this the residents are reliant on septic tanks.

This is a single-track rural road with few buildings. Any new build should be in keeping with its agricultural setting. Distance from the village bus stop would mean that car-use would be necessary for any development further along the lane. Connection to main sewer could also be an issue.

Any new development should be no taller than two storey maximum, cottage style with ample off-road parking. Single track could limit development as could lack of connection to main sewer for majority of the lane.

Any development would need to respect the rural aspect and far-reaching views. The single track lane would be a constraint as well as the land to the east of Puddlewharf Farm serving as a flood plain. The Lane is reliant on septic tanks.

Most of the existing agricultural buildings have already been converted so little opportunity exists for further development of redundant farm buildings. Any new development needs to take into account the agricultural setting, narrow single track lane, only passable by one vehicle and unsuitable for heavy vehicle use. Any development should use traditional materials and be appropriately landscaped to sit discreetly within this rural setting. Reliance on septic tanks or digesters could also pose problems.

Character Area E: WALDEN ROAD

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4.6 Character Area E: Walden Road Overview of character area The main road into the Parish from Saffron Walden is characterised by wooded landscape, Hales Wood adjacent to the road, and across the fields views of Little Hales and Shadwell Wood. A part of Hales Wood and all of Shadwell Wood are SSSIs, the first managed by Natural England and Shadwell Wood, a Nature Reserve owned and managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, which consists of 7 hectares of ancient woodland, resplendent with rare orchids and oxlips. The road climbs uphill from Saffron Walden and winds up to the Parish boundary with a double sharp bend, which gives entrance to Butlers Lane. This whole area, being on high ground, affords generous views of the countryside, which is agricultural and rural with wooded landscape. Between the woods and copses the undulating landscape, with its irregular field patterns, follows the topography with hedged fields and scattered linear housing to the left-hand side of the road as the road nears the village. There are scattered ancient farmsteads, like Brights and Nutts, documented in 1520, the roots of many farms in the Parish go way back in history. There are some modern houses and bungalows set back from the road and the Lamb, an old “beerhouse”; the building still fronts the road, a position which was useful to attract passing trade and serve those who lived near this part of the village. The road is a main thoroughfare and is particularly busy in “rush hours” as people commute in and out to work. However, this is an area rich in flora and fauna on either side of the road and has remained unchanged in its agricultural purpose for centuries.


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Looking out of the village towards Ash Tree Farm (Nutts) with Brights in the far distance, between the cars


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The Walden Road area is illustrated in the map below:


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Character Assessment detail The table below summaries the character assessment for Walden Road. This summary has been extracted by the volunteers from their detailed assessment work.

Walden Road (Area 14)


Scattered roadside detached properties of widely varying ages situated between Puddlewharf Lane and Church End. Fast, speeding traffic, particularly at “rush hours”.


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On the high plateau at the southern end of the Parish, all of the properties are on the west side of the main Walden Road with some set back and some nearer the roadside.


None.


All properties face the main Saffron Walden to Ashdon road, footpaths to the rear of The Lamb and across to Little Hales Wood. No pavement along this fast and dangerous road.


All properties are set within their own grounds. Access to Shadwell Wood, a managed woodland and nature reserve and an SSSI.


The Lamb, formerly an 18th century Inn, now a private property.


Wide ranging in age and type from 1780s to 2000, all detached, all within their own grounds, some extensive.


The Walden Road area has no signage or lighting for the majority of its length. The village boundary and 30mph speed signs are either side of the road shortly after The Lamb.


90



Residential interspersed with arable farmland and ancient woodland.

Views Important views into/out of area.

Far reaching views to Radwinter, Sewards End and into Cambridgeshire towards Bartlow.


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Any development would need to preserve the rural setting, the far-reaching views and the lack of pavement on this fast (often dangerous) country road.

Date post:	14-Sep-2020
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ASHDON CHARACTER ASSESSMENT · character of Ashdon, and how to respond to this appropriately...

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