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IPSWICH URBAN CHARACTERISATION STUDY NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
IPSWICH URBAN CHARACTERISATION STUDY
NORWICH ROADCHARACTER AREA
CONTENTS
Introduction 3
History 4
Transport and Access 6
Open Space and Biodiversity 7
Landform and Views 8
Urban Analysis 9
Character Sub Area Description – London Road/Norwich Road 10
Character Sub Area Description –
Norwich Road/Bramford Road 12
Summary 14
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
INTRODUCTION 3
The Norwich Road character area is a cluster of19th century residential suburbs to the northwest of Ipswich town centre, grouped aroundthe roads leading westwards out of the town. Itoccupies low lying land to the north of the river,sloping upwards on its north east side towardsBroom Hill and the town centre. The area dividesinto 2 character sub areas:
• Bramford Road/Norwich Road• London Road/Norwich Road
The area developed rapidly in the 19th centuryalong the roads leading from Barrack Corner,starting with a mix of house types along LondonRoad. The mix of terraces and larger dwellings,many faced in Suffolk white brick, is a feature ofthe area.
Further west, red brick predominates and thereis a clear hierarchy of terraced house types laidout along regular streets. The areas character iswell preserved with few sites cleared for modernredevelopment.
This is one of the most accessible areas ofIpswich, served by major routes which support amix of transport types. Away from the busy mainroads the residential streets are quiet andprovide a permeable layout of cross routes.
Streetscapes are often softened by frontgardens, many of which retain their original brickwalls and gatepiers. Within the rectangularblocks of housing the long narrow rear gardenshave matured into attractive private spaces.
Picture: Typical late 19th century red brick terraced housing (Kitchener Road) Imagery copyright Getmapping PLC
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
HISTORY 4
History In common with most of Ipswich’s suburbs thearea was agricultural until well into the 19thcentury, crossed by routes such as LondonRoad, Bramford Lane and Norwich Road. Therural roads and lanes were scattered with farmsand some larger houses such as Brooks Hall.The arable fields were interspersed withorchards and the clay pit excavations and kilnsof brick works. Suffolk White bricks for much ofthe later housing construction may well havebeen fired locally.
The railway line, built by the Eastern UnionRailway on an embankment, was opened in1859. Its original bridges are intact – box girderconstructions over Bramford and NorwichRoads (the latter with the ‘Ferodo’ advertisinglogo) and an arched brick structure overBramford Lane.
The arrival of the railway provided the impetusfor the town’s expansion in the second half ofthe 19th century, and the Norwich Road area isa particularly well preserved example ofsuburban housing constructed during thisperiod.
Picture: Brooks Hall, c.1910. This historic house survived untilafter the first world war, when the site was cleared to make wayfor Valley Road. Ipswich Town FC played in open fields near thehouse until 1878/88 when the club moved to the Portman Roadsite. The Inkerman pub provided changing facilities for theplayers. The firemen in the image may be part of a fund raisingparade.
The Norwich Road area in 1926 (Ordnance Survey map)
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
HISTORY 5
The earliest building took place on the higherground near Barrack Corner, at the edge of thehistoric town centre. Property developersstarted with prestigious house types; at the topof London Road, for instance, the Crescent andWellington Terrace are in the grand style moretypical of the earlier 19th century.
Nearby, Clarkson Street is on a more modestscale but the ornamental treatment of doorwaysand window openings show that this was alsointended as middle class housing.
Further west, on more level ground, larger areasof land were sold off by owners such as theSherrington family for development into streetsof red brick terraced housing. The precedent forthe more organised parcelling of land forresidential use had been established someyears earlier by the Freehold Land Society, intheir highly successful venture in the Californiaarea.
Development of the Norwich road area wasassisted by proximity of the town centre, andthe existence of public transport connections –from 1898, for instance, the Ipswich OmnibusService offered a ‘Penny Omnibus’ service fromBramford Road to Wherstead.
Construction took place before the existence ofmodern planning controls, so there was nomasterplan to guide development. Instead,speculative builders tried to anticipate marketdemand and it is this which dictated thecharacter of residential street layouts. Variety inthe streetscape was created by churches,chapels, school buildings and corner shops.
AA Gibbons flour mills on Benezet Street,c.1920. These mill buildings remain intact;important local landmarks and rare survivingexamples of 19th century agriculturalenterprise. The tall structure in the backgroundis a concrete silo, since demolished.
Houses at the junction of Norwich Road and All Saints Road, c.1912 and present day. Now converted into shops, these substantial late19th century houses are a good example of the local pattern of residential development. They also demonstrate how adaptable the area’surban form can be, without the need for comprehensive redevelopment.
OS map (1883) showing the piecemeal nature of speculativedevelopment in the grid of new streets between Chevallier Streetand Brookeshall Road. Note the position of the original All Saintschurch – now the church hall.
Cavalry Barracks. This imposing building stoodat the top of a rectangular parade ground,approximately where Geneva Road and CecilRoad are now located.
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
TRANSPORT AND ACCESS 6
Transport and accessGood road connections are a feature of the area.Important roads leading westwards out of thetown centre are connected by straight streetsand the inner ring road intersects with the majorroutes. On-street carparking is an effectiveinformal traffic calming feature, although it hasbeen necessary in some places to block throughaccess, for instance in the Rendlesham Roadarea.
The pedestrian and cycle environment is lesssuccessful, partly because of the busy trafficenvironment and the lack of width on primaryroutes. The riverside cycle path provides analternative route westwards from the towncentre, but on-road facilities (particularly alongNorwich Road) require further improvement.
Broom Hill Road. Well proportioned streets and clear sightlinesare a feature of the area.
Prospect Street. Selective road closures can create pedestrianfriendly areas, though they also tend to reduce legibility andpermeability.
© Crown Copyright and database right 2014. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100021566.
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
OPEN SPACE AND BIODIVERSITY 7
BiodiversityNorwich Road character area contains littlegreen space, but there are importantbiodiversity resources at its edges: BramfordLane allotments, Sherrington Road Park andBroomhill Park to the north and Alderman Parkand Local Nature Reserve and the River Gippingto the south. Two key wildlife corridors also linkinto the area: the Alderman Canal and theFelixstowe/Lowestoft railway line.
The largest biodiversity resource within the areaitself is concentrated within the significant areasof private gardens. The value of gardens towildlife has been identified on the ecologicalnetwork for Ipswich as they provide both habitatand transport links for wildlife to live in andmove within the network.
Any future reduction in the size or number ofgardens would result in a net loss of biodiversityand reduced effectiveness of the ecologicalnetwork. Any new development planning shouldtake this into account.
In addition, opportunities for enhancing thebiodiversity value of homes and gardens shouldbe promoted, e.g. Swift and Bat features,wildlife-friendly planting, fencing with gaps forhedgehogs and so on.
Dillwyn Street West.
The dense residential layout and busy roadnetwork excludes areas of public green space.Rear garden plots, however, are generous andthese have developed into mature green areaswith some tree planting . A number of reargarden areas have been redeveloped foradditional housing or industrial uses. The loss ofgreen space in this area is significant and shouldbe resisted where possible.
Front gardens provide an attractive green edgeto some streetscapes, though in others the onlyvisible greenery is a distant glimpse at either endof the street. Where modern development takesplace, shallow front gardens should be providedso that the strong street line is maintained whilstproviding space for planting.
The planting of street trees can be problematicbecause of lack of space both above and belowground. Where traffic control or other measurescreate paved pedestrian spaces andopportunities, new tree and landscaping plantingmust be considered.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2014.
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
LANDFORM AND VIEWS 8
London Road. The International Church (1870, Grade II listed, ArchitectFrederick Barnes) is a local landmark. In the foreground, BurlingtonRoad Baptist Church, 1875, locally listed. Architect Brightwen Binyon.
Barrack Lane. Gatepost with inscription and ball finial, 19thcentury. This is a surviving part of the wall enclosing theformer cavalry barracks. The site is now occupied by housing.
Landform and viewsAlthough the underlying landform rises towards the north eastern edge of the character area, there arefew views within its boundary. The dense pattern of development and relatively narrow streetsconstrain viewlines.
The regular street layouts frame longperspectives, but only two structures (the towerof All Saints, Chevallier Street and the spire ofthe Ipswich International Church) rise above therooflines of surrounding buildings. Theopportunity exists for development within thearea or in adjacent streets to form newlandmarks, but these should be carefully scaledand detailed so as to complement the domesticscale of the area.
Views a Valley Road – view of All Saints towerb Gatacre Road – view of All Saints towerc Surrey Road – view of All Saints towerd London Road – view of Ipswich
International Church spiree Geneva Road – view of Ipswich
International Church spire
Landmark buildings1 Ipswich International Church
2 Burlington Road Baptist Church
3 38-44 London Road
4 71-76 London Road
5 Former flour mill, Benezet Street
6 Rose and Crown (former)
7 Cumberland Tower
8 County Record Office (former Gatacre Roadschool) (Listed Grade II)
9 All Saints church (Listed Grade II)
10 Springfield Junior School
11 Bramford Road Methodist church
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2014.
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
URBAN ANALYSIS 9
The urban streetscape is definedby active frontages and apermeable network of routes.Legibility, however, is underminedby a lack of landmarks - it is easyto get lost in a grid of streets withfew distinctive features.
Modern infill development hasoften ignored the traditional patternof development in the area. Thereare, however, examples of newbuild terraced housing and thispattern of development,maintaining active frontages to thestreet, should be continued.
The Masons pub, VictoriaStreet. Small businessescontribute to thestreetscene and are animportant part of the areascharacter.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2014.
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
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The development of the Norwich Road suburb began withspeculative housing on the edge of the historic towncentre. The focus of early construction - around themiddle of the 19th century - was Barrack Corner, animportant meeting point of routes leading westwards out ofIpswich. At the time, this junction was dominated by the HorseBarracks, built in 1795 as a permanent base for the cavalry. The classicalinfluence of the Barracks can be seen in the design of The Crescent andWellington Terrace at the top of London Road, and in the Suffolk white brickdetailing of the terraced housing on Clarkson Street.
1 The Crescent, London Road.This imposing terrace is in atransitional style between theclassicism of the earlier 19thcentury and the morepicturesque style of theVictorian period.
2 London Road. Middle classhousing, second half of the 19thcentury. The Victorian detailing– bays, dormers, decorativeroof tiling – is used withconfidence, though the use ofbrick for the architectural detailover doors and windows isunusual.
3 Victoria Street. Althoughsome original details have beenlost such as the sash windows,the painted render finish andshaped gables at either end ofthis terrace create a distinctivestreet frontage.
4 London Road/Victoria Street.Fine detailing is often preservedin perimeter walling andgatepiers.
5 Waterloo Road. The tower ofAll Saints church on ChevallierStreet is a local landmark. Thehouses are good examples oflater 19th / early 20th centurydesign, with distinctive ‘Artsand Crafts’ details such asdecorative tiling and terracottaplaques.
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CHARACTER SUB AREA - LONDON ROAD/NORWICH ROAD
Imagery copyright Getmapping PLC
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
CHARACTER SUB AREA - LONDON ROAD/NORWICH ROAD 11
The transition to the style of the later Victorianperiod is visible in the housing further downLondon Road. Still targetting an upper middleclass market, these houses make use of baywindows, decorative gables and dormers andmixed construction materials; red brick withstone dressings, red brick and terracotta, redbrick and flint. It is important that these earlysuburbs are conserved and protected as far aspossible from demolition and unsympatheticalteration.
More typical of the Norwich Road character areaare the connecting streets between the mainroads, lined with smaller red brick terracedhouses. Decorative detailing is limited to brick
colour contrasts and carving on stone windowand door lintels. A stone plaque often shows thedate of construction. Many of the houses havenarrow front gardens enclosed by brick wallswith piers.
The combination of active frontage overlookingthe street and garden planting is an attractiveone, and new development should reflect theexisting layout as far as possible. Modern andcontrasting designs can of course be made towork in this setting, but street frontages shouldcontinue to be the focus of building frontages;avoid unnecessary setbacks from the streetline,or building layouts which turn inwards.
The transition to the decorative Victorian style of building can be traced in the building materials, from Suffolk White brick in ClarksonStreet to the ornamental use of ‘rustic’ materials such as flint cobbles. This eclectic mix can be reflected in the design of moderndevelopment, though deliberate contrast has to be balanced by careful scaling and detail. 1 County Records Office, Gatacre Road.
Formerly Bramford Road Board School, built in1888, this landmark building has been adaptedto house the County Records Office and SirJohn Mills theatre. The modern buildings arelarge but sensitively integrated into the site.
2 Cumberland Tower, Norwich Road. The scaleand detailing of much postwar housing in thearea is less successfully integrated. Althoughsome grassed areas and tree planting have beencreated, the lower density layouts, blockedroads and set backs from historic streetlinestend to undermine legibility and permeability.
3 Norwich Road shopping area. The design ofCoes store shows how modern design whichrespects the scale and streetline can besuccessfully incorporated into the streetscape.
4 Benezet Street. Modern housing successfullyintegrated with the existing streetscape.
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NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
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On the lower ground north of the river the principle roadsspread out in a trident pattern. Within this triangular space- formerly fields and orchards - terraced streets laid out inthe later 19th century connect the main roads and forman irregular grid of large rectangular plots. Spur roads runout at right angles, to the south towards the river, to the northup the slope of Broom Hill.
Land for development was sold in larger plots than had been availablenearer the town centre. This made the laying out of long, straight streetseasier, and the reproduction of standard house unit designs. Maps from the1880s show, however, that the pattern of development was piecemeal;individual or semi detached plots were developed alongside terraces, andmany plots remained empty. The result is a distinctive mix of types; villas, for instance, alongsidehousing with names such as ‘Persevering Terrace’. Substantial redevelopment is unlikely in this
dense suburban neighbourhood. However,individual plots or smaller sites may becomeavailable and in these cases proposalsshould respect the scale and urban grain ofthe area, in particular ensuring active streetfrontage and continuity of the existingbuilding line. The mixed architecturalcharacter is robust enough to absorb avariety of architectural styles, includingmodern design.
A shortcoming in the area is the lack oflandmark buildings. This significantlyreduces the legibility of the gridlike streetlayout. Development proposals which canadd landmarks visible over rooftops andalong streets could make a contribution tothe area, though the design brief for suchfeatures should emphasise design qualityand distinctiveness rather than bulk orheight.
1 Norwich Road. The largesthouses in the area are built inthe most visible locations,facing the main roads. Thisgroup of terraced properties is‘bookended’ by octagonalcorner bay windows withconical roofs, overlookingadjoining road junctions.
2 Broom Hill Road. Many ofthe typical features of the areaare visible in this street; baywindows, decorative stonelintels over windows andpaired front doors, enclosedfront gardens. Because of therising ground level, the originalslate roofs, leadwork andchimney stacks areconspicuous.
3 Kitchener Road. Many of thefeatures of the larger housesare repeated in the nearbystreets. Here, decorativestonework and bay windowsare a feature, as well asornamental brick garden walls.Conservation of these detailsis an important aspect ofprotecting the areas specialcharacter.
4 Bramford Road / RichmondRoad. Former off licence, nowa corner shop. The area haswell established local centresand services and the terracedlayout has proved adaptable tochanging retail conditions.
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CHARACTER SUB AREA - NORWICH ROAD/BRAMFORD ROAD
Imagery copyright Getmapping PLC
NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
CHARACTER SUB AREA - NORWICH ROAD/BRAMFORD ROAD 13
The materials palette is based on combinations ofred brick with a range of other materials, forinstance stone, tile and terracotta. Moderndevelopment should follow this pattern, or providea clear justification if contrasting materials areproposed.
Paired doorways are a characteristic feature, leading to hallways. They allowed forarchitectural expression, for instance carved lintels or decorative canopies.
1 Norwich Road. The changes in architecturalfashion at the end of the Victorian eraencouraged fresh thinking about housingdesign and layout. These unusual Suffolkwhite brick villas are located at the corner ofNorwich Road and Kitchener Road.
2 Entrance detail
3 Arts and Crafts detailing on a house (nowan opticians) facing Norwich Road
4 Norwich Road. Speculative builders werealways looking for cost saving innovations.These dormer windows facing Norwich roadare made of cast iron, though it is unclear ifthey were made locally.
5 Protection of the area’s distinctivecharacter depends to a large extent oninvestment by private owners. Public andprivate sector development proposals needsto take into account the fine grain of detailand design that has been preserved.
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NORWICH ROAD CHARACTER AREA
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• Make use of existing street frontages and corners, adapting where possible rather than replacing.• New development should reflect the predominant domestic scale. Contrasting scale should be justified interms of its impact on its streetscape surroundings.
• Retain where possible the detail of existing frontages, including window and door lintels, garden railings anddecorative footpath tiling. The distinctive appearance of individual streets should be taken into account whenplanning new development.
• Where new development makes use of historic forms, the detail should reflect local materials and featuressuch as the proportion of window openings, the depth of reveals and eaves, roofing styles and design ofchimneys.
• Avoid the paving of front gardens for vehicle hardstanding or the creation of street edge carparking or otherhard surfaced areas to the back of pavements.
• Enhance the biodiversity of the area through the protection of front and rear gardens and street trees, and thecreation of new features and habitat where possible.
• Loss of green space, including front and rear gardens, should be resisted if possible. • The biodiversity value of homes and gardens should be encouraged. • Backland plots should be redeveloped imaginatively rather than for conventional culs de sac. Contrastingforms and materials are possible in these enclosed sites.
London Rd/Norwich Rd sub area• Protect where possible the distinctive mix of styles and building materials which characterise the area. Thisincludes architectural details.
• The historic mix of styles creates more opportunity for imaginative modern design, but proposals should besensitive to the contrast between classical and more eclectic styles between the east and west parts of thearea.
• New development should reflect the prevailing scale which varies in this area between 3 – 4 storey blocks and2 storey terraced streets.
Bramford road/Norwich road sub area• Protect distinctive architectural details where possible.• New development should reflect the contrast in scale between main road and side road frontages.• New landmark buildings could work in this location provided their scale and design is justified in terms of localsightlines and the character of the immediate context.
• Materials choice should either reflect the prevailing combination of brick and slate, or provide contrast whichcan be justified in terms of the setting.
SUMMARY
