Hilperton Village Design Statement

Hilperton Village Design

Statement

Hilperton Village Design Statement 3

1. INTRODUCTION

Any village in this Country today is always likely to be subject to change.It is not only large developments which can alter a village, but it can beequally affected by smaller alterations. Conversions, additions to buildings,homes, gardens, pressure on open spaces, footpaths, hedgerows, even streetsigns can also affect the look and feel of a village. Change cannot beprevented or undone and there will always be a need to move with the timesif the village is to remain a lively and attractive community. However, newdevelopments large and small can be planned and designed in a way thatwill enhance the existing character of the village and this document providesadvice on how to do that.

The aim of the advice is to minimise the impact on Hilperton as a whole,and to ensure that any further development or change will protect andenhance the character of the village and its surrounding area. AsSupplementary Planning Guidance, the recommendations will help to guidethe decisions of the Planning Authority, and so will have to be taken intoaccount by: statutory bodies, public authorities, planners, developers,builders, architects, designers, engineers, local community groups,commercial enterprises, and by individuals, making planning applications.

The area that was studied for the purpose of this Statement compriseseverything contained within the Parish Boundary plus a small area whichfalls outside the Parish Boundary, altogether covering some 800 hectares.This consists of the old village of Hilperton, Hilperton Marsh, the settlementat Whaddon, and the whole of new development at Paxcroft Mead.

A large part of the old village is designated a Conservation Area. ThePlanning Authority (West Wiltshire District Council) has also defined aVillage Policy Limit enclosing the conservation area, much of the old villageoutside it and Hilperton Marsh, restricting development outside. PaxcroftMead is a new housing development adjoining Trowbridge and covered byurban planning guidance.

This document, which has been produced by a Steering Group made up oflocal people, is based on a considered understanding of Hilperton’s past;describes the village as it is today and makes recommendations for thefuture. It highlights the qualities valued by its residents, whose views, andopinions were obtained at a series of public exhibitions held in April 2002.

Please pass this document on to any future occupant of your house.

Part 1 General Information

2 Hilperton Village Design Statement

CONTENTS


1. Introduction 3

2. A tour of the parish 4

Part 2 Planning Guidance

3. Planning context 9

4. Hilperton set in its surroundings 10

5. The old village 13

6. Hilperton Marsh 17

Part 3 Reference

7. Statement of consultation 20

8. Who to contact about village issues 20

9. Acknowledgments 21

10. Glossary 21

11. Map 23

Hilperton Village Design

Statement2005


the name of Hilperton, but still bearingthe Saxon influence.

Apart from the names of numerousowners and tenants of land, little seemsto have been recorded of any eventsin Hilperton’s history until the firstofficial census in 1801, when a workingpopulation of 708 was recorded. Only20 people were employed inagriculture, compared with 688employed in Trade, Manufacturing andHandicrafts’ industries, probably linkedto the existence of the large WoollenIndustry in Trowbridge and also thatthe owners of the Mills lived inHilperton, so it seems safe to assumethat their workers also lived here.Many of the older cottages in thevillage are thought to have beenweavers’ homes.

There are four visually distinctiveresidential areas in Hilperton Parish;Hilperton Marsh in the north; the oldvillage in the centre; further south, thenew development of Paxcroft Mead;and the fourth is the hamlet ofWhaddon, in the Northeast corner ofthe parish.

Hilperton Marsh

The Kennet and Avon Canal, opened in1810, forms part of the northernboundary of the Parish. A wharfconstructed at the time also served theneeds of Trowbridge. Today, this is thesite of Hilperton Marina, a gateway forvisitors, just off Hammond Wayadjacent to an industrial estate. Thecanal and the wharf are a busythoroughfare for boat traffic and itstowpath is a favourite place foranglers, picnickers, ramblers, dogwalkers, and cyclists. With theincreased popularity of canals andboating, a number of associatedbusinesses are starting to appear alongits length in the parish. Holiday BoatHire, boat building and repairs,permanent moorings, caravan touringcampsite, are just a few. Thesecontribute to the life of the village,making it more than just a residentialarea.

Before any houses were built in thisarea, the land literally was marsh land,hence the name of Hilperton Marsh. Itis centred on a triangle of roads formed

by Wyke Road, Marsh Road, andHorse Road. The housing developmentin the middle of this triangle was builtin the 1960s. At one time, there used tobe a public house at each corner of thetriangle. The Prince of Wales is now aprivate house. The Ring O’ Bells onMarsh Road near the junction withHorse Road, is now a guest house andon the other corner, closest to theCanal, is the King’s Arms, whichremains a pub.

Wyke Road was once the mainthoroughfare from Trowbridge toStaverton, Holt, and Melksham.Opening on to it was the driveway toWyke House, a large property, ownedby the Hammond family, who wereowners of cloth mills in Trowbridge.The original Jacobean house was builtin 1616 and was replaced with aVictorian house in 1864, built in thesame grand style. Opposite was ThePoplars, a large Victorian house,characterised by a row of Poplar trees,of which only one remains today. Inthe late 1930s a row of semi-detachedhouses was built in Wyke Road by abuilder, Mr Sprules, who at the timelived in The Poplars and subsequentlyfurther housing developments havecovered the area. The Poplars stillremains today, but Wyke House wasdemolished in the 1950s and the site isnow occupied by modern housing atTudor Drive and Saxon Way. Throughtraffic to Staverton was diverted toHammond Way, Wyke Road wasclosed to vehicles at its northern endand traffic-calming measures wereintroduced.

Marsh Road starts at the King’s Armswith a petrol station, post office, andshop. It has houses on each sideranging from old cottages to 1930s

semi-detached houses. There isan access road to the GardensEstate.

Hill Street leads from Marshroad at the junction with HorseRoad. In the corner formed bythese roads are Marshmeadand Newleaze, with housesmostly built in greyreconstituted stone or concreteblock. Marshmead includes 40houses that were built as a self-

build project, one of the first schemesof its kind in Britain. Started in 1950,the group of people included a fewskilled builders, but mainly office orother workers, a majority of whomhad not put a spade in the groundbefore this project. A good many arestill occupied by members of theoriginal group or their family. Theproject was finished and opened in1954. It caused a lot of interest at thetime and was a remarkable achieve-ment considering that the group hadvirtually no model to follow andreceived no external encouragement ormedia interest. Newleaze was localauthority housing although many ofthe houses are now owner occupiedand it provides the only access to thevillage school, other than a footwaylink to Hill Street. There is also somehousing for older residents.

Much of Hill Street has houses only onone side; opposite are the arablefarmlands of Marsh Farm. It has someof the first local authority houses to bebuilt, constructed of red brick in 1926.Opposite this is The Giffords, a groupof warden controlled elderly personsbungalows.


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Kennet and Avon Canal

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Self Build Marshmead.


2. A TOUR OF THE PARISH

Hilperton is a village in the county of Wiltshire, in the WestWiltshire District Council area. It is a long ribbon settlement,one mile to the east of Wiltshire’s county town, Trowbridge.The towns of Bradford-on-Avon, Melksham, Devizes andWestbury are all less than ten miles away, and it is twelvemiles to the south east of the historic city of Bath. It is at thetop of a gradual incline on a bed of mainly Oxford Claywith Alluvium in parts. The highest point in the Parish, atthe Parish Church of St Michael, is sixty-four metres abovesea level, and is on a par with the top of the spire of StJames Church in Trowbridge. The land drops away to 30metres on the northern Parish boundary formed by the RiverAvon and the Kennet and Avon canal. And at 40 metres, onthe southern boundary is Paxcroft Mead, a housingdevelopment commenced in 2000, which has doubled thenumber of houses in the parish. The population of Hilpertonin April 2002 was 4296, based on the Electoral Roll. Therewere 1796 dwellings of a great variety, types, ages and styles,from the oldest found in the Conservation Area, surroundingSt Michael and All Angels Church to the newest at thePaxcroft Mead development. The key roads running throughthe Parish are the B3105 to Staverton, and through to jointhe A363 north of Bradford-on-Avon; and the A361,recently diverted to pass through the Paxcroft Meaddevelopment. Unfortunately the level of traffic through thevillage, especially heavy goods vehicles, detract from its ruralcharacter. The proposed expansion and development east ofTrowbridge will inevitably increase these levels. There is aregular bus service to Trowbridge and Melksham.

Hilperton has a strong sense of community spirit, with manythriving special interest groups. The village hall and playingfield in Whaddon Lane, St Mary’s Church which doubles asa centre for those in the Marsh area and the new centre atPaxcroft Mead are all well used by groups as their base. Awide range of activities for all ages are covered, fromtoddlers, play-groups, scouting and guiding groups, walkers,gardeners, women’s institute to over sixties. Football, skittlesand darts are the main sports played. Events such as coffeemornings, church fete, open garden day, and Christmaspantomime raise money for village charities, and take placethroughout the year. three churches presently serve thecommunity, St Michael’s and All Angels in the old village,used for worship by Methodists and Anglicans, also used byAnglicans is St Mary Magdalen at Hilperton Marsh, and StMary the Virgin at Whaddon. There are two primaryschools, Hilperton Church of England School, Newleaze andThe Mead, Paxcroft. Older children travel acrossTrowbridge to attend secondary schools.

The Canal Road Trading Estate abuts the Parish boundaryto the north so there is no dedicated commercial area in thevillage, but a wide variety of small-scale commercialenterprises are spread throughout the Village, such as agarden centre; kitchen suppliers; ice cream seller; as well astwo public houses, two post offices/shops, a supermarket, agift shop, two take-aways, petrol station and car sales.,private children’s nursery, together with a number of active

small businesses. Some of the newest enterprises are thedevelopment of those associated with the Kennet and Avoncanal, where there is a holiday boat hire company, mooringsand boat supplies and a small Touring Caravan Park. In thecountryside surrounding the built-up areas are many farms,about 50% having an interest in arable and 50% in animals,beef, and dairy. Some of these have diversified with smallbusiness units along side their agricultural interests.

There is evidence of both Iron Age settlement and Romanhabitation at Whaddon. East of the church is a wellpreserved example of an abandoned medieval settlement.The settlement is well documented and its ownership can betraced from 1086 to the present day. It is a ScheduledMonument, protected by English Heritage. Throughout theparish there is documented evidence at 30 sites of artifactsand settlements ranging from bronze age flints and iron agepottery to evidence of early farming.

The earliest written mention of a settlement in the area firstappeared in the ancient Saxon book, Cantularium Saxoniumof 964AD, was that of Hulpryngmor. In the Saxon language,it is also recorded as Hylpric, a formof Helpric, a personal name, and as the ‘ingtun’ at the endmeans dwelling or homestead. The derivation of the nameHilperton could simply have meant Hylpric’s Farm. In theDomesday Bookof 1086 there isan entry of asettlement calledHelprintone, withtwo tenants ofthe King. Sincethen the manorsor lands ofHilperton havepassed throughmany differentfamilies, ownersand tenants, withslight variationsin the spelling of


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Hilperton House

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Andrews and Dury map 1773


owners, who were mostly engaged inthe Woollen trade, included, in the1920s, Major Eric Mackay of Palmerand Mackay, whose prominentwoollen mills occupied a large area ofTrowbridge. The current owners havecarried out extensive restorationworks. Behind its wall is a large,spring fed pond at one time thoughtto be the origin of the village name –‘hilsprintun’ or hill with springs. Atone time, there were over 60 wells inthe village and many still remain inprivate gardens.

The village school was located in theKnap from 1832 until 1970 whennew premises were opened inNewleaze. The old school buildinghas now been converted into a privateresidence with an added storey anddormer windows, but still has theschool bell in its place on the roof.The schoolmaster’s house alsoremains as a private dwelling.

Opposite the Knap is the WarMemorial, which commemoratesthose lost in the two World Wars.Alongside this is the village lock-upor Blind House, so named because ithas no windows. Thought to havebeen in existence before 1600, it wasused to ‘house’ miscreants. It isscheduled as an ancient monument byEnglish Heritage and is in theownership of the Parish Council.

At the end of Church Street is the

Lion and Fiddle Public House, whichis a thriving business with a goodrestaurant trade. A building adjoiningthe Pub was thought to have beenwhere Wilts United Dairiescommenced business. This enterprisewent on to become a nation-widebusiness and its head office onceoccupied large premises inTrowbridge. It later merged with Cowand Gate and became Unigate.Eastwards is Devizes Road, wheretraffic calming measures and a20mph speed limit have beenintroduced. At the junction is one oftwo turnpike houses in Church Street(the other being at the corner of TheKnap ), reminders of the days whenthe main route to Trowbridge layalong Church Street and alongMiddle Lane. Road tolls ceased in1868, and the gates across the roadwere removed. The Turnpike house’sroof was raised in 1926, making it atwo-storey house. Next to theTurnpike House, built in the early1800s, is a house once a shop, tea-rooms and bakery. Nearby is TheGrange, a large Victorian house builtin 1859. Standing in large grounds, itrivals Hilperton House for size andgrandeur.

Paxcroft Mead

The Paxcroft Mead development inthe very south of the Parish coversapproximately 100 hectares ofpreviously agricultural land, whichwas designated for residential

development by the local PlanningAuthority. The roads on thedevelopment were largely namedafter the names of the original fieldsexcept Hackett place, which wasnamed in memory of Linda Hackett aParish Clerk who died just beforePaxcroft Mead was completed.

This development has had a hugeimpact on the parish as it has morethan doubled the number of houses inHilperton. It has stimulated muchthinking about our built environment.The houses have been built by anumber of well-known national housebuilders. The design of the housesfollows the companies’ corporatenational style too, which are not, inthe main, indicative of the style of theoriginal cottages and houses.

There are open play areas, acommunity centre, a small parade ofshops including a supermarket, aprimary school and a privately runnursery. Many public rights of waywere diverted. Paxcroft Brook on thesouthernmost boundary of the Parishwas considerably altered to controlflooding and landscaped with trafficfree areas where residents can walkand cycle. New footbridges were builtover the brook at various pointstogether with a road bridge tosouthern areas of the development. Acyclepath and footway running underthe A361 allows people living northof the road to gain access to theschool and shops.

Whaddon

The hamlet of Whaddon is one mileto the northeast of the old village andis reached via Whaddon Lane, asingle track road. It is situatedbeyond the Kennet and Avon canal,and overlooks the River Avon. Thehouses are strung out along the lane,with clusters beyond the canal,around the Church, and surroundingWhaddon Grove Farm. Many havebeen renovated or rebuilt on sites ofolder properties.

Whaddon is an ancient site, whichhas been occupied since prehistorictimes and there is evidence of Romanhabitation. Humps and hollows in thefield around the Church mark the site


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Old Village School


The Old Village

Hill Street starts to rise as it entersthe old part of the village and olderstone cottages with stone walledgardens close in on either side. LittleAshton was originally known asSlades Farm and was once owned byDonald Mackay, nephew of MajorEric Mackay, the then owner ofHilperton House. Also in the samevicinity is Yew Tree Cottage, the oncehome of the Baptist minister, JohnDymott after whom Dymott Squarewas named. The old Baptist Churchschoolroom is still on this propertyand there is an interesting old Follyor sanctuary in the garden.

At a narrow right hand bend HillStreet leads into Church Street.Whaddon Lane branches off to theleft here and there is a driveway tothe old and new Rectory. There is arecord of the existence of the oldRectory in 1672. It was sold when anew rectory was built in the orchardnext to it in 1980 and is now aprivate house. The stables belongingto the old Rectory have beenconverted into another house. About100m down Whaddon Lane areHilperton Village Hall and PlayingFields. The Hall, originally aconverted nissen hut, was rebuilt andopened in 1974, with a furtherextension in 1981. Although by nomeans an architectural gem, the Halland its playing field is the socialcentre of the community, and bothare used by many organisations.

At the top of Church Street is theformer Wesleyan Methodist chapeland schoolroom. Built in 1891 toreplace an earlier chapel of 1819; ithas been converted into two homes.Adjoining this is the Old Crown, builtin about 1800 and a public house

until 1966, when it was convertedinto a home. A terrace of weavers’cottages, originally a mid-17th centurycoaching inn reputedly frequented byCromwell and his soldiers, is nowknown as Cherry Tree Cottages, afterthe trees planted in the 1930s byMajor Mackay of Hilperton House.In Spring of each year these trees infull bloom are a familiar village scene.The cottages are Grade II listed, butthe last cottage, 231, was not actuallybuilt until the 1920s. Cherry Gardenswas built on allotments at the rear ofthe cottages in the 1960s, whichinvolved demolishing an old cottageto gain access.

The Knap, from ‘cnaepp’ – a hill inold English, is a cul-de-sac, joiningChurch Street. In the Knap are StMichael’s and All Angels Church,Hilperton House, the old school, andschoolhouse. Middle Lane, a publicbridleway that is thought to havebeen an old drove road for villagerstaking their sheep and cattle to

markets in Trowbridge, leads fromthe Knap. Even today, this is still avery well used route to Trowbridge,and is a popular starting point forwalkers using the other footpathsleading from the Knap. Due to a lackof other parking spaces in the village,the Knap has become a parking placefor cars belonging to residents, andfor those using the church.

T H Wyatt rebuilt the original twelfthcentury church of St Michael and AllAngels between 1847 and 1852 in thefourteenth century style. However, thetower, south porch, and nave floordate back to Norman times and wereretained during the rebuilding. It hasa three-stage tower, topped with anoctagonal “broach” spire. There isalso a clock with faces to the southand east. There is a peal of six bells,which is unusual in so small a tower.The oldest bell was cast in 1663 andbears the name of John Slade, whowas the church warden at the time.He lived in 209 Church Street, as didhis family for over 200 years. Theoriginal church of St Michael and AllAngels was valued at £5 in 1291. By1535, this had risen to £16!

Hilperton House, once visited byQueen Mary, could be considered asthe most important house in thevillage and is favourite village featurewith many residents. Its previous


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Hill Street 1985

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Weavers Cottages, Church Street

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The Knap


3. PLANNING CONTEXT

The Development Plan

Development in West Wiltshire isplanned at regional, county and locallevels. Local development documentsare prepared in accordance withnational planning policies andguidance.

The Structure Plan

The Structure Plan is prepared byWiltshire County Council and sets outthe broad strategic planning policy forthe whole county. The WiltshireStructure Plan 2011 covers the periodto 2011 and was approved in January2001. A new structure plan isexpected to be approved in Spring2005 to cover the period to 2016.

The District Local Plan

The District local plan is prepared bythe District Council and elaborates onthe structure plan policy framework byproviding detailed developmentpolicies and proposals for the towns,

villages and rural areas. The Council’scurrent District Plan 1st Alterationwas adopted in June 2004 and coversthe period to 2011. Future localdevelopments and documents willprogressively replace the Local Plan.

Village Policy Limits

The District wide local plan identifiesvillage policy limits for over 30 villagesin West Wiltshire including Hilperton.Within these policy limits limited infillhousing development to support localservices will be permitted providedthat a number of detailed criteria aremet.

Hilperton Conservation Area

The Hilperton Conservation Area wasdesignated in 1991 to preserve andenhance the special architectural orhistoric interest of this area of thevillage. Within or adjacent to this area,the preservation of the specialcharacter or appearance is the primaryconsideration when assessingproposals for development. Stricter

planning controls exist in conservationareas over minor alterations to existingland uses and buildings and overproposals for demolitions or treeworks.

Village Design Statement

This guidance supplements thefollowing policies contained within theadopted West Wiltshire District Plan1st Alteration:

C17-C25 Conservation Areas; C26-C29 Listed Buildings; C31a Design;C40 Trees and Tree Planting; R2Protection of Recreation Areas; H16Flat Conversions; H17 Village PolicyLimits; H18 Areas of MinimumChange; H21 Residential Conversionsin the Countryside; H24 New HousingDesign; E6 Rural Employment; E7Farm Diversification; E8 EmploymentConversions in the Countryside; E10Horse Related Development; T03Hotels, Guest Houses and SelfCatering Accommodation; T04Camping, Caravans, Holiday Homes;CF3 Rural and Village Facilities.


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A sunny day in Dymott Square Audrey Hall



View from Whaddon

of a medieval village. This is ascheduled ancient monumentprotected due to its archeologicalimportance. At the time of theDomesday Book, it was a smallvillage with a manor house and amill. It was larger and moreimportant than Hilperton, but in the14th century Whaddon suffered asignificant depopulation because ofthe plague, the Black Death. In the16th century, it was simply a cloth-making site with a mill on theSemington brook.

The Long family, who were wealthyclothiers, once owned Whaddon,together with Hilperton and otherestates in Wiltshire. In 1660, WalterLong built a large addition to themanor house. Whaddon House,which was surrounded by parkland,was destroyed by fire in the 19thcentury. Whaddon Grove Farm nowstands on the site of the House. Thereremains a 17th century back door ina moulded frame. There are twostone former dairies. A pair of semi-detached stone cottages, to the southof Whaddon Farm, was the PoorHouse in the 1830s. Eight houseswere noted in 1783, and appear again

on the tithe map of 1838. Four ofthese houses have gone but three newhouses were built in the 20th centuryand one outbuilding oppositeWhaddon Farm at the centre of thehamlet. This was originally the stableof the vicarage house and has beenconverted to a single storey residence.Agricultural buildings belonging toboth farms now make up much of thehamlet. These range from moderngalvanised metal barns, to old stonebarns. The agricultural use is mainlydairy with some cattle and a pig-rearing unit. Some businessdiversification has taken place.

St Mary’s the Virgin, orthe ‘church in the field’ isa small, simple Normanchurch, with a nave,chancel and north chapel.It stands high above theRiver Avon, and wasprobably built in thetwelfth century but it hasundergone extensivealterations with a majorrestoration in 1878/79. Itstill features windows anddoors from the 14th and15th centuries. Of interest n

Whaddon Church

is a tombstone on the church flooropposite the south door dedicated tothe Rev. Edward Cooper, an uncle ofJane Austen. There was a closerelationship between the Austenfamily and their Cooper cousins.Outside, the brick wall enclosing thechurchyard is an unusual feature inthis part of Wiltshire, and dates fromthe 18th century.


The vast majority of land in the Parishis open countryside, amounting toapproximately 600 hectares. All theland, apart from public areas suchplaying fields, is farmed;approximately half is arable and halfpasture. The earliest record of the fieldboundaries largely as they appeartoday can be found in the EnclosureMap of 1816 and again in the TitheMap of 1837. All the fields shown onthe Tithe Map have individual names.The field and hedgerow pattern createdthen, with its typical patchwork form,can still be appreciated today evenwith modern farming practices. Wherearable farming is practised, somehedgerows have been grubbed out. Inthe south, a large area of openfarmland has been lost to the newhousing development at PaxcroftMead, as have smaller areas within thevillage due to infilling. Those areasthat remain support a varied range ofwildlife and species of birds, and canbe accessed by a network of publicfootpaths and rights of way.

To the west, between the village andTrowbridge, is the area of land, knowncolloquially as the Hilperton Gap. Thisis an important area of opencountryside, as it provides a barrierbetween the village and the easternoutskirts of Trowbridge. There areattractive rural views across the Gapfrom the old village and to the churchfrom Hilperton Marsh whichcontribute greatly to the villageatmosphere and character ofHilperton. Middle Lane, a publicbridleway, lined with hedgerows, treesand a deep ditch, reminiscent of theold drove roads, crosses the Gap fromthe village to Victoria Road inTrowbridge. Every day many peopleuse it to gain access to the fields in theGap, and in particular those walkers,joggers and cyclists going to the townas it avoids the busy roads. The rest ofthe land, which is criss-crossed by anetwork of Public Rights of Way, is animportant amenity area for informalrecreation, which for the most partruns successfully alongside itsagricultural uses. The most popularfootpaths are those radiating from theKnap across the open fields of the

Gap. These are principally used by dogwalkers (including walkers fromTrowbridge). Path numbers are 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 33, and 54. Thefields beside the B3105 were known asCourtleaze and those nearest HorseRoad were known as Cowleaze. Path33 is a pleasant walk to and fromTrowbridge, featuring hedge, ditch,raised path, and a useful widebridleway. It cuts across the middle ofthe “gap” and gives expansive viewsacross to Bradford and Holt. There arepockets of ecological interest withhedgerows, old ponds and haymeadows. Although the hedgerows arenot the best in the Parish, they are stillinhabited with a good range of wildlifeand many species of birds. The narrowbrook at its lowest point always haswater in it even in the driest ofweather.

The Kennet and Avon Canal crossesthe Parish from east to west and is animportant landscape and wildlifefeature. It is of crucial worth for itsamenity value, for boating, fishing,walking and cycling. This and theRiver Avon form the northernboundary of the Parish. The rivervalley in particular incorporates a richarea of marshland. These twowaterways are designated asCounty Wildlife Sites and aremanaged by the EnvironmentAgency and British Waterways.They provide an excellent andinteresting nature corridorconveniently reached viaWhaddon Lane and throughMarsh Farm. The canal is afavourite area for informalrecreation and has the mostpopular paths for local andlong distance visitors. Path 31,the towpath, is part of theSustrans national network ofcycleways which attracts longdistance cyclists. BritishWaterways estimates in 1995between Bradford on Avonbridge and Martinslade bridge(near Seend) suggested therewere 332,000 informal visitorsalong this 14 kilometre length,plus 7000 anglers and 62,000cyclists, with 1000 boats.

Path 17, used by local horse riders,runs on the opposite side of the canal.It joins up in Semington with path 22which is the only safe rideable circuitnot ending at a busy road.

Semington Brook joins the Avon atWhaddon alongside pasture and is animportant area of scrub and copse.Several streams occur in the Parish thatalso create diverse habitats for wildlife.Running through Paxcroft Mead isPaxcroft Brook, which has beenwidened to control flooding and this inturn has created open areas andhabitats for many creatures

Farm ponds can be found in the opencountryside but many of these havebeen neglected and are generallyovergrown or used as a dumpingground. Some have been filled incompletely. Two ponds have beencreated in recent years at Marsh Farmand Paxcroft Farm, adjacent toPaxcroft Brook. Both these take runoff water during flooding but aremanaged sympathetically. The areaknown as Hilperton Marsh has largelybeen drained and built on.


4. HILPERTON SET IN ITS SURROUNDINGS:

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Farm pond, Marsh farm

To the east the village adjoins open countryside thatspreads out along both sides of the ridge bordering GypsyLane (byway no.22 to Semington) and affords widespreadrural views to Whaddon and beyond and to SalisburyPlain. To the southeast open countryside lies between theB3105, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Avon.These areas are easily accessible through the fields exceptwhen recently ploughed.

The open countryside setting is anessential part of Hilperton’s ruralcharacter.Some fields in the Parish, display evidence of the ancientridge and furrow method of farming. Four areasdisplaying this are in the Gap, including Church Field,adjoining the Cemetery, others can be found at Whaddon,and between Maxcroft and Marsh Farmsadjacent to the Canal. Further surveys maydiscover more examples.

There are no areas of woodland in the Parishbut trees add interest to the landscape, sited inthe open countryside, either standing alone or insmall groups. A copse is situated west ofWhaddon Lane with ash and maple but withmany dead elms. Another one is sited at PaxcroftMead. Farmers have planted trees and shrubs inthe Parish including oak, cherry, ash, and broad-leaved lime among other species either inclumps, or in hedgerows or alongside farmtracks. The orchards that were oncecommonplace around the village have all butdisappeared, although remnants remain in backgardens, notably along Church Street. The ParishCouncil undertook a survey of trees in theresidential areas in 2002 and are in the process

of obtaining Tree Preservation Orderswhere appropriate. There are still severalareas where trees add interest to thelandscape, are of importance to the villageenvirons and form essential wildlifehabitats. Examples are: the row of beechand cluster of pine and lime trees in fieldson the approach to Hilperton fromTrowbridge; two separate oaks at MarshFarm and Paxcroft Farm; the two copses ofash and maple off Whaddon Lane and atPaxcroft. It is worth noting that trees withtrunks of over 75mm (3ins) in diametergrowing in the Conservation Area cannotbe lopped or felled without consent of thelocal Planning Authority. This includestrees in private gardens.

The Parish Boundary plays a crucial role inthe protection of our landscape andwildlife resources. Approximately three-

quarters of the boundary is in open countryside andusually consists of a sometimes double hedgerow, ditch,and bank. This is generally unmanaged and uncut, andcontains many native hedgerow species such asblackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, elder and dog rose. Ash, oakand field maple trees are present along with the occasionalcrab apple, and willow and alder if near water. These treesare all more likely to grow to maturity if situated in aboundary hedge.

Boundary hedges between farms in different ownershipalso provide areas richer in wildlife, and shape importantwildlife corridors. These in turn provide links to the RiverAvon and to the Kennet and Avon Canal. Many dead elmsare often left unchecked in the corridors and hedgerows. Ifthey were extracted and destroyed it would prevent thefurther spread of Dutch elm disease. Elms can, and dothrive, in hedgerows if either traditional layering orcutting checks their growth.



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Landmark trees from Fieldways

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View to Roundway Hill from byway 22


especially at Fieldways. Wide verges are typical, in someareas including pavements e.g. Devizes Road,Hill Street and Marsh Road. Hedgerows are commongiving a rural look and acting as natural boundariesbetween properties.

In Ashton Road there is an abrupt juxtaposition ofPaxcroft Mead with the older village, having no similarityin house design or layout. This is masked by highhedgerows, which screen the view from each side.

The old drove road from Trowbridge (Middle or BackLane) enters the old village at The Knap, and from thispoint there are sweeping views across the Hilperton Gaptowards Bradford on Avon.

5. THE OLD VILLAGE

This area includes the Conservation Area; which coversthe whole of Church Street and parts of Hill Street,Whaddon Lane, Trowbridge Road and Ashton Road. Itcontains much of the historic part of Hilperton and anychanges are required to preserve or enhance the characterand appearance of the conservation area. Buildings withinthe conservation area should be used for future housebuildingstyle anddesign.

At this endof HillStreet theroad startsto rise andon bothsides aredetachedcottages with small front gardens set behind old stoneboundary walls giving a more confined look than inHilperton Marsh. The pavement is on one side only formuch of the length of Hill Street but green verges on thecorners of Greenhill Gardens and Dymott Square softenthe scene. Dymott Square, a cul-de-sac leading from HillStreet, has terraced cottages re-constructed in Bath stoneand modern red brick detached houses, built in 1984. Thedesign and layout used a sympathetic approach to the siteand its former buildings, which was the farmyard ofManor Farm and derelict weavers’ cottages.

Other fine larger houses in Hill Street are Oriel House andLittle Ashton. Kemps Leaze Barn, originally farmbuildings, was converted for housing in 1988 usingreclaimed materials and brick, with further work in 1999.The Baptist Chapel of 1806 has been converted into flats.Between this and Whaddon Lane there is a terrace of brickhouses, with stained glass above their doors and wroughtironwork on the sills of one. Old cottages, 1970s houses,and bungalows line the start of Whaddon Lane. They area mix of styles but mostly finished in Bath stone.


Recommendations:

• The natural beauty of the landscape including flora,fauna features should be respected and whereappropriate enhanced and protected.

• New development in open countryside shouldbe avoided.

• New developments on the edge of the village shouldgive high priority to landscape design.

• Green verges, hedgerows and spaces arecharacteristic of the entry to Hilperton and shouldbe included in new development.

• All public rights of way should be respected andmaintained through liaison with landownersand farmers.

• Existing hedgerows should be retained andenhanced to maintain the character of the village.

• Advice and grants for improving open spaces areavailable from The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, LocalAuthorities, Community First and the Farming andWildlife Advisory Group.

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Dymott Square before renovation


There is evidence in some hedgerowsof the traditional layering method,which was carried out long ago. Thismethod of hedgerow layering shouldbe encouraged, as it provides the besthabitats for wildlife. Also, it is stockproof, and once established needsmuch less annual upkeep. A layeredhedgerow can last up to twenty yearswithout any further work. Thosehedgerows found on Lower PaxcroftFarm, on the south side of the A361,are distinctly different to elsewhere inthe parish, being very broad andthick, and very good for wildlife.

Unfortunately, some field hedgerowsin open farmland have become rathersparse in depth and height. Modernmethods of farm management are notalways compatible with managementfor wildlife, where to leave theautumn cut until after berries havebeen consumed would be desirable.The A361 also acts as a obstacle forwildlife crossing from the relativelysheltered routes of the byway 22 from

Whaddon Lane and Semington in thenorth to Lower Paxcroft in the south.

Public open spaces at the playing fieldin Whaddon Lane and alongside thebrook at Paxcroft Mead provideopportunities for wildlifeenhancement projects. Gardens havebecome increasingly important forwildlife now that many naturalhabitats have disappeared. Thecreation of ponds without fish canprovide a safe place for frogs andnewts. A bramble or nettle patch isan ideal feature to attract butterfliesand birds. By this method one gardenin the village recorded 22 species ofbutterfly and 148 species of mothsduring the year 2000.

Most pastureland in the Parish issemi-improved or improved and iseither grazed by stock or used toproduce winter fodder. Grasslandsthat have not been managed in thisway for early silage production andhave not been intensely fertilised ortreated with herbicides have the mostinteresting flora. Two of these fieldsare located in the Gap area. Anotherone, adjacent to the Canal, wasdesignated as being of interest, an‘Amber Site’, by British Waterways.Unfortunately, despite this, spoil fromthe canal was dumped on the field.

The Countryside Stewardship Schemeactively encourages low intensityfarming. Under this scheme,Whaddon Farm is currently recreatingwildflower meadows, regeneratinghedgerows, and positively managingfarm ponds and marshland forwildlife. Other farms have installednest boxes for barn owls, createdponds and replanted trees and shrubsto enhance the landscape. Grants toprovide incentives for improving openspaces, hedgerows and farmland forwildlife are available through thelocal authorities and Community Firstwith advice from the WiltshireWildlife Trust and the Farming andWildlife Advisory Group.

From Trowbridge along HilpertonRoad, there is a very attractive treelined approach flanked by largeVictorian villas set well back from theroad. The mature trees are the mostattractive feature. From Fieldways

roundabout the road makes a straightapproach to Turnpike House. There isa hedgerow on the left bounding theHilperton Gap and an attractive rowof beech and lime trees on the right,giving characteristic open rural viewsfrom the village. The pavement is onone side only but both sides of theroad have grassy verges giving adistinctly rural look. St Michael’schurch is a very attractive view acrossthe Gap from here.

Other particularly interestinglandmark features not alreadymentioned include Turnpike Houseand Navy Cottage in Church Street.The Grange is a feature on enteringthe old village from Paxcroft Mead.Also notable are the walnut tree atthe back of the Lion and Fiddle andthe beech tree in Woodcote nearby.

From Trowbridge Road. the oldvillage is still surrounded by greenverges, hedgerows, trees and fieldswhich separate it from Paxcroft Mead


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View south towards Lower Paxcroft

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Broad hedgerows at Paxcroft

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Gap fields north of St. Michael’s


period, rather than typical of thevillage, but some effort has beenmade to use matching materials, suchas Bath stone, and because of theirposition they have little overallimpact on the appearance of thevillage. The result of all this buildingand rebuilding is a wide difference inthe ages, sizes, construction, and styleof the houses and cottages. But itsvery lack of uniformity, withvariations of coloured renderings andtextures, contributes to its appeal.

The property next to the Blind Houseis Church Farm, a foursquarebuilding with stone mullions and“eyebrows” to the windows. Thiswas in agricultural use until the1980s and the farm yard area stillcontains interesting old buildings thatare not visible from the road. Set inthe wall of the farm is an old springwater supply, hidden beneath aseemingly insignificant metal cover.Near this is Iris Cottage, number 226,built by Mr Matthews, a localbuilder, in the Victorian Gothic stylepopular from1860 to 1890. It was atfirst a house for the butler toFieldways House, now an hotel, justoutside the parish boundary. A rowof old cottages between this and thePost Office were demolished andrebuilt in 1939. The post office wasoriginally built in approximately1768. At least three stages of thebuilding are evident and about 100years ago it was divided into twoproperties. Further along was a

bakery that was open until 1990 andwas converted to a private dwelling in1996 Opposite the post office isNursery Close, an access road to acottage and houses built in 1980s. Onits corner no.109, formerly a gardennursery and a nursing home, wasbuilt in the Victorian Gothic style. Itis unusual in that it was built back tofront! The side facing the road isreally the back with the frontentrance at the rear. One of the oldesthouses in the parish is number 209,which dates back to the late fifteenthcentury and was thought to be themanor house of the area at the time.

Church Street terminates in aT-junction with Devizes Road andTrowbridge Road by the Lion andFiddle public house. Here the streetscene is dominated by a mini-roundabout with raised concretekerbs and pedestrian barriersproducing avisual effectquite out ofkeeping with itsvillage location.However outsidethe old TollHouse oppositethe Lion andFiddle publichouse granitesetts remain inplace from anearlier time.

The houses at this end of DevizesRoad are a mixture of old cottages,Georgian houses, and substantial 20thcentury houses, all with contrastingarchitectural styles but finished inmatching stone. Unfortunately atraffic calming scheme on Devizesroad has used speed tables with abrick finish, which is out of keepingwith this end of Devizes road,although satisfactory at the easternend where the surrounding houses arethemselves brick. Some finerestoration work has been done on123 Devizes Road, which is about300 years old. It was originally twohouses and was part of The Grangeestate. Foundations for two othercottages were found in the backgarden. An adjoining garage hadmany previous commercial usesincluding parking a lorry and storingcoffins. When it collapsed in 1998, itwas rebuilt and converted into aseparate dwelling using much of theold materials from the site.Honeysuckle Cottage, 126 DevizesRoad, is one of a terrace of threehouses built in the mid to late 1700sof rubble stone and covered withplain rendering with stone quoins andBath stone surrounds and mullions tothe windows. It was part of the estateof The Grange but was sold at publicauction along with 127 and 128Devizes Road in 1956. Along thenorth side of Devizes Road leadingout of the village there is a ribbondevelopment of large post wardetached houses in a variety of styles,mainly in red brick.


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The Blind House

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Lion and Fiddle/Turnpike House


From the top of the hill, ChurchStreet runs from the junction withWhaddon Lane round a sharp cornerat The Knap until meeting Devizesand Trowbridge Roads. The partbeyond The Knap was at one timecalled High Street and contains someof the oldest buildings in the villagemany of which are listed buildings.The ages of the properties range fromthe seventeenth century to the 1960s.Between Hill Street and The Knap themainly terraced houses are close up tothe street, looking out on to it eitherdirectly or over small front gardens.A feature of the Street is that all thehouses are constructed in stone, eitherdressed Bath Stone or undressed orrubble; some are painted render orpebbledash under brown clay or slateroofs, but there is no red brick visiblefrom the road, although there is someuse of it to the rear of some cottages.The house at the corner of The Knap,number 100, was a toll house whenMiddle Lane – now a bridleway – wasa route to Trowbridge. Its bowedsouthern wall certainly allows viewsin both directions. Extension work inthe 1980s was notentirely sympathetic.

The Knap is the oldcentre of the village,flanked by HilpertonHouse, the church, theold school andschoolhouse. There aregood views across theopen fields of theHilperton Gap here, toHilperton Marsh,Staverton and Holt tothe North andTrowbridge to the West.Granite setts are still inplace along the lengthof The Knap adjacentto Hilperton House.The original fifteenthcentury church of StMichael and All Angelswas rebuilt between1847 and 1852 by T HWyatt in the fourteenthcentury style. Howeverthe tower, south porchand nave floor dateback to Norman timesand were retained

during the rebuilding. It has a three-stage tower with clock faces to theSouth and East, topped with anoctagonal “broach” spire. Five of themonuments in the churchyard havebeen listed. Hilperton House is a fineexample of an early eighteenthcentury house with its ashlarGeorgian façade with a lateeighteenth century extension and alarge conservatory. Set in a largegarden, it has a high stone boundarywall running along a large part ofChurch Street and The Knap. On theroad side of the wall, set into a niche,is an old water pump and plaquereferring to Hilperton’s entry in theDomesday Book.

Opposite The Knap is the WarMemorial and Blind House or villagelock-up. The latter, constructed inlimestone ashlar forming anoctagonal shape with a domed rooftopped with a ball finial, is a typicalexample of the many foundthroughout the region.

Beyond The Knap, Church Street


looks very confined by high boundarystone walls, has narrow pavementsand its appearance is marred byprominent overhead wires and poles.Some walls are crumbling away dueto constant erosion, pollution orneglect. There is an obvious conflictbetween appearance and the need forcar parking as some garden wallshave been demolished to make roomfor off road parking.

Other significant architecturalfeatures include dormer windows;stone carved porches; stone mullionswindows to the cottages and oldstone front walls, including the highwalls to Hilperton House. The onlyvisible red brick is two old frontwalls. Over the years, the Street hasseen many changes, with houses beingpulled down and rebuilt with similarbuildings; or renovations to existingbuildings. A number of access roadshave been built off Church Street toprovide access to more modernhousing at the rear. These houses aregenerally in styles typical of their

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Architectural features in the old village


Near the Lion and Fiddle is Ashton Road, which leads toSteeple Ashton but is now closed to motor traffic where itenters Paxcroft Mead. Modern 20th century housing, witha cul-de-sac of stone bungalows, are built along its length.In 2001, a new build of three houses was built of stone to ahigh specification, in keeping with older village properties,with porches, gable windows, and stone mullion windows.Westerly from the Lion and Fiddle, is Trowbridge Road.There are modern and older houses of different styles builtof stone except for one modern dwelling, which is of redbrick. Willow Cottage, 117, and its neighbour were built in1600 of stone rubble and with small stone mullionwindows. It was thought to have been an inn and a smithybefore being converted to two houses. Many of the originalfeatures inside the house remain.

There are some recent examples of gooddevelopment practices in this area:

• Three new cottages in Ashton Road including naturalstone boundary walls. Built to a high specification, thesehouses are admired throughout the village as being inkeeping with those architectural features that arefrequently seen: stone built, with porches, gable windowsand mullions to the windows. The three front elevationsare different enough to give each house individualcharacter.

• Sympathetic renovation work at 123 Devizes Road. Thereconstruction used stone from a collapsed garage wall,recovered pantiles for the roof and reclaimed timbers.

• Sympathetic renovation at Hilperton House, usingmatching materials.

• Development at Dymott Square retaining the facades oforiginal buildings and including green verges. This wasformerly an area of dereliction, but brought back to lifeby some imaginative restoration of the terraced cottagesand a barn conversion.

• Conversion of the old Methodist Chapel into two houses,retaining original material and restoring the originalboundary walls and railings.

• The old bakery was converted from commercial use tohousing whilst retaining its original external appearance.


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Renovated cottage, Devizes Road

Recommendations/Reason forrecommendations• New development should be finished in a manner

which complements the visual character of the locality,where stone is the predominant material. / Tomaintain the visual character of the area.

• New development should be of a style and scale whichis sympathetic to surrounding buildings. / To maintainthe visual character of the area.

• Rendered finishes should only be applied to buildingswhere rendering is already present to repair ormaintain continuity with an existing finish. / Tomaintain the visual character of the area.

• The removal of gardens at the front of houses in orderto provide off street car parking should bediscouraged: off street parking should be behindhouses and not obvious from the road. / To maintainthe visual character of the area.

• New roads and pavements should retain existinghistoric features and use traditional materials such asstone. /To retain and enhance the historic appearanceof the village.

• Developments should be bounded by natural stonewalls / To retain and enhance the historic appearanceof the village.

• Cables should be buried in new developments andexisting ones buried when the opportunity to do soarises. / The appearance of Church Street is marred byoverhead cables and posts.

Dymott Square Ashton Road The Old Bakery


6. HILPERTON MARSH

Although there are individual buildings from many eras,going as far back as the 17th century, most of thebuildings and side roads in Hilperton Marsh date from thepost war period. The buildings have a decidedly suburbanlook but the area is given a rural feel by extensive viewsover the surrounding open fields, particularly from firstfloor windows, by the spacious layout of roads andgardens, and by the numerous examples of mature trees ingardens and public spaces throughout the area. Views areenhanced by the complete absence of tall buildings.Houses are predominantly two storey semi-detached orbungalows. Even the non-residential buildings are lowbuildings set in spacious grounds, such as St MaryMagdalene’s church, which has no tower. The roof lineinvariably comprises pitched roofs, mostly with gableends. The two-storey houses have roofs unbroken bydormer windows, but at a lesser height quite a fewbungalows have dormer extensions.

Construction materials for houses are in general eitherstone/cement block or brick, with rendering mostly limitedto older houses dating back before the 20th century. Thevarious materials are used in distinct areas, correspondingwith the dates of construction. Along Horse Roadbuildings are predominantly of Bath stone or reconstitutedstone blocks with clay tiled roofs in brown or red shades.To the south of Horse Road, Marshmead, Newleaze andHill Street as far as the bottom of the hill echo this patternin reconstituted stone or cement block with similar roofs.Approaching the bottom of the hill, red brick houses, stillwith brown tiled roofs, appear in Hill Street and continuetowards the old village until the point where the roadstarts to rise, where there is a sharp transition to a morehemmed-in appearance with materials characteristic of theold village. To the north of Horse Road the post-warestate is comprised of brick built houses, again withbrown or red clay tiled roofs. Yellow shades of brickpredominate near to Horse Road but giving way to redbrick towards the Marsh Road end. To the north end ofWyke Road, houses are again stone or reconstituted stoneblock, but the new estates to the west of Wyke Road areof yellow and red brick in the post 1970s style.

Although developed to its current extent in the 20thCentury, some of the buildings along the roads in this areaare of an earlier date, notably four listed houses in HorseRoad. These are Weavers Croft, built of Flemish bondbrick with stone dressings and stone slate roof probably inthe mid 18th century, which was extended in the 20thcentury. Pound Farmhouse, built in the 17th centuryaltered mid 19th century, of painted rubble stone, with aBridgwater tiled roof and brick stacks. 3 Horse Road is adetached cottage built in the late 17th century of renderand a Bridgwater tiled roof with brick stacks. The 16thcentury Thatched Cottage sited in a lane off Horse Roadis the only thatched building in Hilperton. Formerly twocottages, it is now one, with a part timber frame withbrick noggin, part limestone rubble. These older homes

have features in common with those in Hilperton Village,including stone and rubble construction with clay tiles,some stone mullions to windows, porches, andoccasionally dormer windows. Also located in Horse Roadis the church of St. Mary Magdalen, built in 1889 by localpeople. The chancel was completed in flint but there was ashortage of money to finish it, so a ‘flat pack’ nave madeof corrugated iron was purchased from Harrods ofKnightsbridge. The church is affectionately known locallyas the ‘tin church’. As well as for worship, it is used bymany other community organisations.

Landmark buildings also tend to date back to earlierperiods, with their materials and architecture in contrastto the suburban houses that have grown up around them.

Notable landmarks include:

• St Mary Magdalene’s Church – locally known as the“tin church” for its largely pre-fabricated corrugatediron construction.

• The Poplars on Wyke Road, a large three storey housein ashlar stone with a stable block and workshop, datesback 200 years and can be glimpsed through twoimposing stone gateposts.


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St Marys Church

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The Poplars


HilpertonVillage Design Statement 19

• New development should beconstructed of complementarymaterials and in a scaleappropriate to the surroundingbuildings./ To maintain the visualcharacter of the locality.

• Rendered finishes to buildingsshould not be used except tomaintain continuity whenrendered buildings are repaired orimproved./ To maintain the visualcharacter of the area as a whole.

• New buildings or extensionsshould not be higher than existingbuildings or two storeys where itwould adversely impact on viewsof the open countryside./ Topreserve views of the landscapesetting and character of thevillage.

• New buildings or extensionsshould have pitched roofs with

gabled ends./To protect thecharacteristic roof line of the area.

• The addition of dormer windowsto two storey houses (as part ofloft conversions, for instance)should be discouraged./ To protectthe characteristic roof line andviews of open fields over rooftops.

• The design of industrial buildingsshould incorporate the traditionalrural characteristics of the area,especially concerning height andmaterials. The renovation ofexisting structures is preferred.Where uncharacteristic designfeatures are unavoidable theyshould be masked by tree orhedgerow planting with nativespecies./To provide a visuallyacceptable solution where afunctionally designed buildingis required for local business

to thrive.

• New buildings should conformwith existing building lines and befronted by low walled or opengardens. Off-street parking at thefront of houses is accepted, wherethere is also provision of a frontgarden, as part of the character ofthe area./ To maintain the openand spacious appearancecharacteristic of the area.

• Roads should have pavementsand, where space allows, grassverges./ To maintain the open andspacious appearance characteristicof the area

• Mature trees and hedgerowsshould be retained./ To maintainrural character.

Recommendations/Reason for recommendation:

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A quiet spot,Whaddon Kylie Parfit


• A row of mature chestnut treesrunning west from Wyke Roadmarks the site of the drive to WykeHouse. The house has beendemolished and replaced by newhousing development, but thedrive remains as a footpathproviding a characteristic entry tothe area that has the potential tobe an attractive feature.

• The “Ring o’ Bells” on MarshRoad, once one of three publichouses in Hilperton Marsh, butnow a guest house, is well knownin the locality.

• The large willow tree on the greenin Marshmead.

Roads in this area present a wide andopen aspect with buildings set back,leaving room for off-street carparking at the front. Street lighting isuniversal. Pavements are on bothsides of the roads and in theMarshmead/Newleaze area neatgrassed verges are incorporated.However, the east side of MarshRoad and Hill Street has no pavementfor most of its length, but a roughgrass verge enhances the visualtransition to open fields and

hedgerows beyond. As Hill Streetapproaches the old village thefootpaths incorporate wellmaintained grass verges, which add tothe rural feel. Throughout the areathe sense of space is enhanced by“open plan” front gardens with onlylow walls and hedges or none at all.

The southern side of Horse Road issomething of an exception to this tidylayout, with several unsurfaced lanesserving a jumbled array of housesfrom earlier eras; however thespacious arrangement and viewsare maintained.


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The Green and willow, Marshmead

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Interesting buildings and views in Hilperton Marsh

Part 3 Reference


Maps

AA motorists’ atlas of Britain.

Explorer maps.

Definitive map from rights of way dept WCC.

Statement to accompany the definitive map as depicted onO.S. sheets ST86 NW, ST85NE, ST8658-8758.

Developers

J.J. Gallagher Ltd (0121 7666789)

9. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Hilperton Village Design Statement could not havecome into being without the work of all those in theDesign Statement Group, the financial support ofHilperton Parish Council, technical advice fromprofessionals in various organisations, particularly theofficers of West Wiltshire District Council and theinformation and views so willingly provided by manyresidents of the parish. Our thanks to all those individualswho have contributed their time and expertise to thisstatement.

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We will remember them William Gredington

10. GLOSSARY

Ashlar: smooth stone masonry with straight joints.Brick Nogging: bricks used to infill the panels in atimber frame.Bridgewater tiled roof: a particular style of tiled roof.Dormer Window: small window projecting from a slopingroof to let light into attic bedrooms.Dressed Stone: well worked stone.Façade: the front face of a building.Flemish Bond Brick: a particular design of brickwork.Finial: an ornament that is the final feature of a structurei.e. on the top of the roof.Gable: the triangular end of the roof.Granite Setts: granite curbstonesMullion Windows: vertical uprights in a window.Pebble dash: pebbles set into cement render.Quoins: well dressed stone or bricks at the cornersof buildings. Render: plaster covering of external walls.Rubble: type of masonry sometimes appearing rough andrandom but can be well dressed.

Part 3 Reference


7. STATEMENT OF CONSULTATION

Hilperton Parish Council organised a public meeting on 17 May 2000 to introduce the idea of a Village Design Statement and at a secondpublic meeting on 19 September 2000, attended by 20 people, the Hilperton Village Design Statement group was formed, volunteers totake on the work came forward and the area to be covered was agreed. Over subsequent months the members of the Hilperton VillageDesign Statement group carried out a survey of the area and its history in order to identify the key features and recommendations.

Their findings were brought together at a series of three public exhibitions, which packed St Marys Church Hall, Hilperton Village Halland Paxcroft Mead Community Centre on 20, 21 and 28 April 2002 respectively. Visitors were asked to complete a questionnaire toascertain their views and 105 were returned. Advice was also sought from rural organisations such as the Countryside Agency. Thisfeedback was incorporated into the information and recommendations of the Village Design Statement. Advice was also obtained fromPlanning Officers of the West Wiltshire District Council. The Parish Council were very supportive but did not wish to influence thecontents of the Village Design Statement.

Draft copies of the Village Design Statement were displayed during June 2004 at the post offices, community centres, pubs and schools inHilperton, in Trowbridge public library and at the Village Fete on 12 June 2004. A letter to the Wiltshire Times and an article in theparish magazine ensured that this last opportunity to comment was widely publicised and 25 comments were received, nearly all inagreement with the content. Copies were also submitted to the Parish Council and District Planning Officers for comment and advice.After consideration of these final comments the village design statement was submitted to West Wiltshire District Council at the end of2004 for adoption as Supplementary Planning Guidance.

8. WHO TO CONTACT ABOUTVILLAGE ISSUES

The following information is correct at time of writing.

Hilperton Parish CouncilMrs M Timms (Clerk)Maplewood, 15a Church Street.Steeple AshtonTrowbridgeWilts, BA14 6EWTel: 01225 852518

Local CouncillorsMr E Clark (01225 769940)West Wiltshire District Council and Chairman of HilpertonParish [email protected]

Mr T Carbin (01225 762032)West Wiltshire District Council andWiltshire County Council

Council offices and departmentsWest Wiltshire District Council (01225 776655)Bradley Road, Trowbridge.

Local Planwww.west-wiltshire-dc.gov.uk/planning/districtplan.htm

Wiltshire County Council (01225 713000)Bythesea Road, Trowbridge.

Structure plan, highway and school issues:www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning

Clarence (0800 232323)Highways freephone

Trowbridge library and records office (01225 761171)Large multimedia stock including books, leaflets, maps onwhere to walk, local points of interest. 1838 tithe mapwww.wiltshire.gov.uk

Other organisationsThe Countryside Agency – essential information including:“New rights new responsibilities”.“Out in the country. Where you can go and what you cando”.“Quiet roads: taming country lanes”.“Horses in the countryside”.“Waymarking”.www.countryside.gov.uk

Office of the Deputy Prime MinisterThe government department concerned with localplanning issues. The web site contains a good deal of generalinformation about how the planning system works.www.odpm.gov.uk

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (01380 725670)Elm Tree Court, Long Street, Devizes, Wilts

English Nature (01380 726344)Prince Maurice Court, Hambledon Ave, Devizes, Wilts

Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (01225 777839)Long Acre House, Frome Road, Trowbridge, Wilts

The Wiltshire TimesDuke Street, Trowbridge. www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk

Institute of Public Rights of Way Officers“Public rights of way. The good practice guide” 2000 – The“bible” for procedures relating to implementing public rightsof way legislation.

Campaign for the Protection of Rural EnglandWest Wilts Group (01225 768705)

SurveysWCC survey October 2000 to ascertain vehicle movementsthrough Hilperton particularly heavy goods vehicles.“Gap” road referendum results published by Mr. TrevorCarbin (district and county councillor for Hilpertonand Staverton).Hilperton VDS questionnaire results.


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The park Vera Carbin

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Broombridge on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Hilperton Village Design Statement

Documents

Transcript of Hilperton Village Design Statement