WEST WILTSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL

WARMINSTER TOWN CENTRECONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER ASSESSMENT

Informative Document

Consultation Draft/Cabinet DraftDecember 2006

CONTENTS

1. BACKGROUNDIntroductionPlanning Policy FrameworkUsing the AssessmentDefinition of Special Interest of Warminster Town Centre

2. CONTEXTLocation and TopographyGeneral Character and Plan Form

3. ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

4. SPATIAL ANALYSIS

5. CHARACTER AREAS

5.1 Market Centre5.2 Secondary Retail Area5.3 The Original Settlement5.4 Residential Area 15.5 Residential Area 2

6. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF MAPSMap 1 – Warminster Town Centre Conservation AreaMap 2 – Warminster in its Context (to be added)Map 3 – Historic Development of Warminster Town CentreMap 4 – Character AreasMap 5 – Market CentreMap 6 – Secondary Retail Area (to be added)Map 7 – The Original Settlement (to be added)Map 8 – Residential Area 1(to be added)Map 9 – Residential Area 2 (to be added)

APPENDICESExplanation of Boundary Changes.Conservation Area Boundary as approved.Criteria for assessing buildings of local interest.Historic Building Overview and Audit.Listed Buildings and Buildings of Local Interest Map. (to be added)Statement of Community Involvement.Useful information and contact details.

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1.0 BACKGROUND

1.1 OBJECTIVE The purpose of this assessment is to identify

and record the special features andcharacteristics of the town centre that makeup its architectural and historic interest. Thisis important for providing a sound basis forpolicy formulation and development controldecisions, as well as for the preparation of amanagement strategy to preserve andenhance the conservation area.

1.2 INTRODUCTIONThe Planning (Listed Buildings andConservation Areas) Act 1990 places a dutyon local planning authorities (LPA) todetermine which parts of their district are"Areas of Special Architectural or HistoricInterest, the character or appearance of whichit is desirable to preserve or enhance" and todesignate them as conservation areas. TheAct is supported by Planning Policy Guidance15 that states that the LPA have a duty toformulate and publish proposals for thepreservation and enhancement of allconservation areas in the form of a characterassessment and management proposals.

Warminster town centre was originallydesignated as a conservation area byWiltshire County Council in 1973. Acomprehensive review of the wholeconservation area has now been undertakenin line with the latest advice from Government

and English Heritage. As part of thisassessment a review of the conservation areaboundaries was undertaken. A number ofboundary changes were adopted on the 13th

September 2006. The current conservationarea boundary is shown in Map 1. For moreinformation see Appendix 1

1.3 LOCAL POLICY FRAMEWORKSpecific policies for the preservation andenhancement of conservation areas areincluded in the West Wiltshire District Plan 1st

Alteration (WWDPA) adopted in June 2004.Copies of this document are available fromWest Wiltshire District Council or on theCouncil's web site www.westwiltshire.gov.uk.Other guidance documents that have beenproduced by the District Council and may berelevant to assessing development in theconservation area are: Design Guidance Principles SPG, and The Residential Design Guide SPD

These policies and guidance now form part ofthe Council's Local Development Framework(LDF). A review of the Council's conservationarea policies will be undertaken during theproduction of the Core Strategy.

In accordance with the latest advice fromEnglish Heritage and the Department ofCommunities and Local Government (DCLG),this assessment will be a backgrounddocument to support the policies in the LDF.This document will go through a thorough

Map 1

Warminster Town Centre Conservation AreaRevised September 2006Warminster Town Centre Conservation AreaRevised September 2006

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public consultation process and will be amaterial consideration when planningapplications and other related applications aredetermined.

Coming out of this assessment will be amanagement strategy for Warminster TownCentre that will highlight the areas whereimprovements to the environment andregeneration proposals should be focused.

1.4 USING THE ASSESSMENTThis statement contains an assessment of theWarminster Town Centre Conservation Areaand is intended for use by all those with aninterest in the town, in particular: thoseconsidering redevelopment, or undertakingwork on its buildings, landscape, streets orpublic spaces.

It is important that the distinctive features thatcontribute towards the town’s character arerecognised so that they can be protected andenhanced for the benefit of everyone, todayand in the future.

This assessment and the accompanyingmaps are intended to highlight significantfeatures but they should not be regarded asan exhaustive account, the omission of anyreference to a particular building or featureshould not be taken to imply that it is of nosignificance. This may only be fully identifiedif a feature or building is subject to rigorousassessment as part of a subsequent planningapplication necessitates.

The controls that apply in a conservation areavary and in some instances the features orbuildings that have been identified assignificant features cannot be fully protectedby planning legislation. Phoning the PlanningOffice or looking at the web sitewww.westwiltshire.gov.uk. can provide furtherguidance on the controls that apply inconservation areas. Advice on individual sitescan be obtained from the DevelopmentControl section or from Planning Policy andConservation.

In most instances, dates attributed toparticular buildings will be derived from one ofthe sources set out in Section 6. In theremaining cases, dates will generally bebased on the external features of a building.The authors acknowledge that in somecircumstances, additional information such asinternal features may suggest a different ageso that dates in this document cannot beconsidered to be definitive.

Definition of Special Character of WarminsterTown Centre

The town is contained within open countrysideand wooded downs on the western edge ofSalisbury Plain, which provides a beautiful settingand also plays an important role in the history andfunction of the town. Warminster is believed tohave derived its name from the River Were andthe Minster Church that was erected by theNormans.

Warminster has functioned as a market town formost of its existence. The corn market whichexisted in medieval times continued to besuccessful for over 600 years, forming animportant commercial centre for the region'sfarmers. The corn market boomed until the mid19th century, largely due to the fact that the townwas by then on important trading routes betweenLondon, Bristol and the South. Other industriesthat flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries weremalting and inns, which were related to the localfarming industry, and iron, cloth and leathermanufacturing, all of which have both left theirmark on the town centre.

Market Place formed part of a 14th centuryextension and has become the focal point of thetown that continued to develop in a linear fashion.Land ownership was generally divided intoburgage plots. This has resulted in buildinglayouts that are tightly packed along the mainstreet frontages and a number of narrow streetsand alleyways running back from the main streets.The increasing importance of the roads as primarytrading routes also created a number of inns,resulting in the creation of service yardssurrounded by ancillary buildings and stables, anumber of which are still in evidence.

As with many towns a number of the earliestremaining buildings erected in the town wereecclesiastical. However, Warminster hasmanaged to retain a number of historic houses aswell as commercial and industrial buildings all ofwhich enrich the built environment. During theprosperous 18th and 19th centuries many finebuildings were erected along the main streetfrontages whilst some older buildings were re-fronted. Consequently, the fabric of the mainstreets consists mainly of 3 storey stone frontedterraces with varying heights and Georgian orVictorian architectural features.

Away from the market centre the predominantbuilding form is small terraced housing, althoughthe more distinctive buildings are those that nowhouse Warminster’s numerous schools and theremaining industrial buildings.

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2.0 CONTEXT

2.1 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHYWarminster is one of the five market townswithin the district. Located in the south westof the district on the western edge of SalisburyPlain, Warminster is within the upper reachesof the River Wylye where the River Were joinsit. It is well contained within a rural location,which is attractive and gives the town a senseof isolation, particularly since the constructionof the by-pass (the A36). The A350 (M4 toPoole) and the A36 Bristol to Southamptonroads meet just to the west of Warminster.Map 2 illustrates the town's context.

The steeply rising landscape to the north-eastand east of the town of Salisbury Plain givesthe perception of it being in a valley, though,the surrounding landscape levels out to thesouth and west. The topography within thetown centre is relatively flat, affording anumber of attractive views of the surroundinglandscape.

Directly to the north and west of the town arewooded scarps of the Plain, which present abackdrop to the town, known as Arn Hill andCop Heap. This attractive setting for the townhas a strong presence within the centre withviews northbound along routes such asPortway and Station Road showing openfields and green woodland. This gives thetown a rural feel.

The River Were runs to the north west of thetown centre, creating a number of watermeadows adjacent to Warminster School'splaying fields, and the Minster Church beforeentering the town from the north. It passesunderneath the town centre and emergessouth of the town centre, in the Lake PleasurePark, between the town centre andWarminster Common. Further south the RiverWere joins the River Wylye.

In terms of geology the main part of thehistoric town centre lies on greensandalthough there are some pockets of chalkunderneath the town. The scarp slopes of thePlain are also formed on large expanses ofchalkland.

2.2 GENERAL CHARACTER AND PLAN FORMThe Warminster Town Centre ConservationArea is centred on the linear element of thetown, which runs west to east from WestStreet to East Street with four roads leadingoff in a northerly or southerly direction.

Warminster has historically functioned as amarket centre. Nevertheless, even in theearly 20th century Warminster was very ruralin character. The later growth of the town hasresulted in a much larger, more urban,settlement, but within the conservation areaWarminster has retained reference to its ruralsurroundings as well as its retail focus.

The most actively commercial streets havenot changed since the 18th century namely: Market Place High Street East Street (previously called East End) George Street (previously Chain Street) Silver Street

Salisbury Plain has historically providedsheep pasture, consequently other historicroutes into the town, such as Newport andImber Road, may have originally been droversroutes, used to herd flocks to market or tolower pastures for the winter. The town’s wellestablished roads also put Warminster on themap as a coaching stop on a number ofimportant trading routes. Whilst potentiallyinfluencing the linear plan form of the townthis also opened the way for other industriesto develop. In particular there was the maltingindustry that benefited from both the cornmarket and the successful agricultureindustry.

These uses and historic routes, as well as thetopography of the surrounding lands, haveshaped the development, layout and buildingforms within the Conservation Area.

A number of commercial industries andactivities have left their mark on theappearance and character of the town.Historically the most important industry withinWarminster was the corn market, whichflourished for over 600 years, however, for thevast majority of time it was an open market,and there is no obvious physical evidence of itremaining within the current conservationarea.

Other uses and influences on thedevelopment and character of the towninclude:

Malting – at its peak there were 36malthouses within the town and a numberof these buildings have been retained.The town was probably one of the mostimportant centres for this industry in theSouth West. One traditional malting, inPound Street, is still in operation today

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and is internationally acclaimed for itsproduct.

Inns and Taverns – Passing traders andthe coaching resulted in a high demandfor refreshment and accommodationwithin the town. This has both influencedthe architecture and buildingarrangements within the town and isresponsible for a number of the courtyardlayouts. A number of these 18th and 19th

century buildings remain in use as publichouses and hotels.

Cloth/wool trade – As well as bringingwealth to the town the cloth trade has lefta number of weavers’ cottages anddistinctive buildings. Later the townbecame well known for leather glovemanufacturing.

Building Materials – Warminster ischaracterised by rubble stone claddingand bricks that were quarried andmanufactured locally. This industry nolonger functions making it harder tosource matching materials for newdevelopment.

Ecclesiastical Influences - Amongst thenormal array of Church of England,conformist and non-conformist churchesthere was a burgeoning centre forreligious training in the town. A men’smissionary and an equivalent convent forwomen were established in the 19th

century. They were inward lookinginstitutions but outwardly they had animpact on the architectural character ofthe town and later an influence on someof the educational institutions.

Longleat Estate – Not far fromWarminster is Longleat the seat of theMarquess of Bath. There is evidence thatover the centuries the Longleat Estate hasplayed an influential role, directly andindirectly in the growth and character ofthe town. One example of this is in thefounding of Lord Weymouth’s GrammarSchool. Today it is responsible forattracting visitors to the area.

The Railway - Until the establishment ofthe railway in the mid to late 19th centuryit was difficult for some forms ofmanufacturing to function efficiently due tothe cost of obtaining coal. The coming ofthe railway line is also seen as damagingto the corn trade and other local industries

that relied on road traffic andtransportation.

Military – There is also a large militarypresence within the town. Despite theclose physical proximity of the armybarracks and School of Infantry, thearmy’s infrastructure is hidden by thelandscape and does not have a visualimpact within the town.

Modern Housing Development - Theform of Warminster as a whole is nowdominated by large residential suburbs,reflecting the popular environment, whichattracts people to the town as a place tolive, rather than the success of thecommercial centre, it once was.

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3.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

There are no Scheduled AncientMonuments currently in Warminster TownCentre. However, immediately to the east ofthe town are the massive earthworks ofBattlesbury Camp, an Iron Age hill fort thatprovides tangible evidence of prehistoricsettlement patterns in the area.

The Extensive Urban Survey undertaken in2001 by Wiltshire County Council compiledfrom desktop studies of the sites andmonuments record that numerousexcavations within the Warminster areahave revealed prehistoric and later artefactsincluding: Neolithic worked flints that have been

recovered from a number of sitesthroughout the town.

Bronze Age artefacts that were found tothe rear of George Street prior to theundertaking of modern development inthe mid 1990s.

On Weymouth Street, just outside of theconservation area, Roman materialswere found during the redevelopment atthe Regal Cinema.

Records of the Saxon period suggest that aSaxon church was located on the oppositeside of Church Street to St Denys’ Churchon ground now belonging to WarminsterSchool adjacent to the swimming pool. Arielphotographs showing crop marks appear tosupport the documentary evidence of thesite of the possible Saxon church. TheCounty Council has not recorded furtherphysical investigation in this location.Archaeological evidence, including a seriesof drainage ditches and pottery finds,identifies further Saxon activity around theEmwell and Silver Street area.

During the medieval period there was alarge expansion of the town to the east ofthe original Saxon settlement. The mostnotable feature that demonstrates clearevidence of this planned medieval growth ofthe town, are the number of burgage plotsthat still exist as narrow strips of private landoften contained within brick or stone walls, atthe rear of property fronting onto East Street,Market Place and High Street. The mostnotable section is to the rear of buildings onthe south side of East Street into MarketPlace. Any proposals for development inthese areas should ensure that these plotsare maintained in an identifiable form. Thisissue will be taken up more fully in the

section devoted to the town centre and theWarminster Conservation Area ManagementPlan. Many finds and artefacts are nowhoused in the town museum that is housedwithin the Library and bear witness, to thethriving community during the past. Whilstthe historic buildings within the townrepresent an important element ofWarminster's environmental richness, itshould be recognised that many of thebuildings that display 18th and 19th centuryfrontages are, in reality, earlier medieval andlater medieval structures that were simplyrefronted during the more affluent part of themarket town's evolution.

The industrial heritage of the town is mainlyrepresented by the malting and brewerybuildings that are located in and around theprinciple streets. Many of them havesurvived although converted, to other usesincluding; residential accommodation. Themost important group still operating are inPound Street, whilst examples of convertedmaltings or breweries can be found to thenorth of Silver Street and south of VicarageStreet.

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3.2 THE ORIGINS AND HISTORICDEVELOPMENT

The earliest reference to a settlement in thislocality dates from the 10th century andmakes reference to an Anglo Saxonsettlement, focused on the River Were, onthe edge of a great forest. The forest wasbelieved to be located to the south west ofChurch Street, and it is possible that aSaxon church and burial ground was locatedto the south west of the Norman Church.

The first record of a place name identifiesthe earliest settlement as “Worgemynster”.This has been identified as signifying theRiver Were and a Minster church.

The Domesday Book identifies Warminsteras a royal manor, sited to the east of theparish church, with agricultural holdings ofsome standing with several mills. The mainsettlement was located to the west of thecurrent town centre in the region of ChurchStreet, extending from St Denys' Church toEmwell Street. The market centre is said tohave been at the junction of Church Streetand Silver Street, where the obelisk nowstands.

Over the following centuries Warminster wasextended and a total of eight manorsemerged. In the late 12th century the royalmanor was granted to Robert Mauduit and itbecame Warminster Manor. In the 13th

century part of the estate belonging toWarminster Manor was granted to a youngerson and the manor of Newport was created.This was later to become Portway Manorand is now the only manor remaining whichwas situated within the boundaries of theTown Centre Conservation Area. Themanor of Kingston’s, also established in the12th century was located on what is nowcalled The Close, but it is no longer anyphysical evidence of it.

Boreham Manor which stood to the East ofthe town is also believed to have previouslyformed part of the estate belonging toWarminster Manor and was created in the13th century.

12th- 14th CenturiesBy the early 12th century the town hadspread as far as Silver Street and GeorgeStreet areas. High Street and Market Place,formed planned extensions to the settlementin the 13th century. Burgage plots* are animportant feature of the town that are

indicative of a planned medievaldevelopment. The fact that they are stillevident in some areas has a significantimpact on the character and appearance ofthe town and should be preserved.

The first record relating to the market statusof the town is in the form of a market grant,which dates between 1204 – 1244, and wasgiven to Mr Thomas Mauduit. It is thereforelikely that either King John or King Henry IIIawarded market status.

15th -17th CenturiesBy the 16th century the corn market was wellestablished and was of some considerableregional importance. A Town Hall waserected in the middle of Cornhill, which hassince become High Street and Market Place.

At this time other manufacturing and tradeindustries, were emerging, in particular thewoollen and malting industries. The woollenindustry did not result in the building offactories or wool mills in Warminster andwas probably based on the earlier cottagestyle weaving. Nevertheless, the clothingtrade was prosperous and well known in the16th century. Wealthy clothiers built some ofthe more prestigious houses within the town,such as Byne House and Portway House.The only factory-based cloth manufacturingemerged in 1874, which was the silkworksfactory on Factory Lane.

During the 17th century brick making andthe leather manufacturing industriesemerged. Brick making resulted in anincrease in the use of brick in localconstruction. Warminster also became wellknown for leather glove manufacturing Dentsstill have a factory located just outside theconservation area.

The increasing use of the corn market andrising levels of traffic, meant an increase inthe significance of Warminster’s roads,although many of the streets we see todaymay, at this point, have still been droversroutes, as the market was not solely relianton the corn trade.

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18th-19th CenturiesThe visual characteristics of the town aremainly attributable to this period. Whilst anumber of buildings date back to the 16thand 17th centuries, many of these were re-fronted in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1727 the Warminster Turnpike Trust* wasestablished. This body was one of theearliest of its kind in the country, and is anindication of the importance of the town andits function within the south region. TheTrust generated employment and ensuredthe continuing success of Warminster’s cornmarket and coaching industry. Seven tollhouses were built to finance roadimprovements.

The work undertaken, through or with theassistance of the trust, helped to shape thecurrent form of the town centre including: 1759 Portway was widened for

increased traffic. 1763 Footbridge known as Almshouse

Bridge was replaced by a road bridge.Almshouse Bridge was located at theend of George Street where it meetsPortway and High Street.

1783 major works to Market Place. 1808 joining of two narrow streets, one

of which was called Chain Street, toform a broader thoroughfare renamedGeorge Street.

1831 the opening of Weymouth St to linkthe newly built Christ Church with thecurrent Town Hall, built by Lord Bath.

1838 The need to widen the pavementsin East Street resulted in the loss of frontgardens and garden walls.

Trading routes connected Warminster tosome of the most important towns on thesouth such as; London, Barnstable, Bath,Bristol and Salisbury and southern portsincluding Southampton and Portsmouth.Consequently, there was a buoyantcoaching industry in Warminster in the 18th

and 19th centuries that relied on the goodposition of Warminster on the main coachingroutes.

In 1815 powers of the Turnpike Trust wereextended on the grounds of public safety tothe extent that they forbid the use of thatchwithin the Town Centre. Consequently,thatch, though once a common roofingmaterial in Warminster, can no longer beseen within the town centre.

as it diverted traffic from the road andresulted in trade passing by the town.

The success of the corn market and thestrength of the local farming industryresulted in a strong malting industry, aidedby the trade routes, local alehouses andbreweries, by the early 19th centuryWarminster was the malting capital of thesouth west. The one remaining malting thatis in full operation is in Pound St.

Despite the early origins of the corn marketa corn market building was not constructeduntil the early 19th century. As an attempt tosustain the corn market it failed and thebuilding, which was on the south of MarketPlace, has now been demolished.

The 19th century saw a shift in focus fromindustrial development to civic investmentssuch as the construction of the Town Hall,and the Athenaeum. The Warminsterathenaeum as an institution was set up in1851 and initially leased premises within theLiterary and Scientific institute, which waslocated opposite the Town Hall on theCorner of Weymouth Street and MarketPlace.

In 1856 The Marquess of Bath agreed to sellthe premises known as The London Inn tothe Athenaeum Trust, The London Inn wasbuilt on the site of the former Search HoopInn that was built in the late 17th centuryand destroyed by fire in the early 19thcentury. The London Inn had been animportant coaching stop and one of thebusiest inns in Warminster.

The location of both the Town Hall and theAthenaeum served to maintain this area ofthe town as the focus community activity.The 19th century also saw an expansion inthe quantity and size of educational facilitieswithin the town, many of which occupiedprominent locations within the town centre.

The arrival of the railway is blamed for thedecline of the coaching industry and loss ofthe corn market in the 20th century,

20th CenturyFollowing the loss of the corn market in themid 19th century, and the decline in otherindustries, which had been buoyant in the18th century, by the early 20th centuryfarming, horticulture and service trades werethe dominant employers.

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The town, like many others, became serviceorientated and seemed to lack a particularcommercial focus, or many opportunities forfurther employment.

Warminster’s landscape setting as well asthe reason for the containment of the townnow proved to be a source of employmentand wealth within the local economy. Thelarge expanses of uninterrupted terrain uponSalisbury Plain attracted the military as agood environment for military training.

The influx of military workers in the early 20th

century and the establishment of WarDepartment Barracks in 1938 brought with itemployment opportunities and fuelled theservice sector by considerably increasingthe population of Warminster and providinga source of custom.

The arrival of the army was followed by thebuilding of fighting vehicle workshops andfinally the establishment of the School ofInfantry, located on the northern edge of thesettlement.

The attractiveness of the towns setting, theneeds of the military and changes inlifestyles in the mid 20th century led to theconsiderable expansion of the town, with thedevelopment of residential suburbs reallytaking off in the 1960s. In addition to militarypersonnel, Warminster has also become anattractive place for retirement.

Another important industry in the 20th and21st centuries is tourism. Since 1966Longleat House and gardens (roughly 5kmwest of Warminster) has also become animportant tourism venue, which has boostedtourism within the wider area, when itbecame a safari park. The other largesttourist attraction in close proximity toWarminster is Centre Parks, which was firstopened in 1996 and provides employmentas well as bringing tourists to the locality

Summary table of important historicevents that have impacted upon thetowns’ evolution.

Date Event1086 Domesday Book identifies the

Royal Manor of Warminster.Early 13th

CenturyWarminster identified as havingMarket Status.

1575 People of Warminster bought TheChapel of St Lawrence.

1707 Founding of Lord WeymouthGrammar School on Church Street.Financed by the Longleat Estate.This became Warminster School in1973.

1711 Completion of Warminster TownHall in the middle of High St.Demolished in 1832, as itobstructed the free flow of traffic.

1727 Warminster Turnpike Trustestablished by an Act of Parliamenton 24th June.

1720-1750

Peak of the malting industry withapproximately 36 malthousesacross Warminster.

1784 Parliament agreed to have theRoyal Mail sent by coach fromBristol to London via Warminsterdue to improved road conditionsspeed of travel. The principle PostHouse was The Angel Inn.

1820 Lord Bath bought Portway Manorand Estate.

1831 Opening of Weymouth Street toform link to Christ Church.

1830 Construction began on the NewTown Hall that was commissionedby Lord Bath.

1838 Opening of the Literary andScientific Institute.

1851 Arrival of the railway.1851 Creation of the Warminster

Athenaeum Trust.1855 Construction of the Corn Exchange

building commissioned by LordBath. Previously trade had takenplace on the streets.

1856 Extension of the Westbury toWarminster railway to link withSalisbury.

1857 Opening of the Athenaeum,following the completion of the firststage. Comprising a lecture theatreand waiting room to the rear of thesite.

1859 Athenaeum building workcompleted (designed by WilliamStent).

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Date Event1870 The Warminster Turnpike Trust

ceased to operate.1890 Closure of three malthouses

leaving one in Pound Street and asmall overflow facility.

1894 Creation of the Warminster Urbanand Rural District Councils.

1912 Palace Cinema opened at theAthenaeum.

1919-1920

Closure of the corn market. Thebuilding was then demolished in1923.

1924 Opening of the Lake Pleasure Park.1938 Construction of first permanent

army barracks1955 Warminster Urban District Council

brought Portway House as itsoffices and turned the ground floorinto a new library.

1960s Residential development led to aconsiderable expansion of thetown.

1964 Gates to Portway House restoredafter an appeal raised £950

1966 Longleat Estate became theLongleat Safari park

1974 Creation of West Wiltshire DistrictCouncil as an amalgamation of the7 existing Urban and Rural DistrictCouncils.

1981 Dewey House converted from aschool to the Town Council Offices.

1982 Opening of new library andmuseum to the rear of Market Place

1988 Construction of the A36 Warminsterby-pass

1901-1991

The population of the town soaredin the 20th century from 5,547 to16,276

1994 Centre Parks was opened adjacentto Longleat

2005 Wiltshire County Council estimatethe population of Warminster to be23,790

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4.0 SPATIAL ANALYSIS

4.1 ENTRANCES INTO THE TOWN CENTRE

The edges of the historic town weregoverned, particularly to the north and theeast, by the steeply rising slopes ofSalisbury Plain, the route of the River Wereto the north west and the low-lying floodplains of the River Wylye to the south.However, in the 20th century the shape ofthe town as a whole has been changedsignificantly due to considerable suburbanresidential development. Whilst most of thehistoric centre has been retained within theConservation Area with limited pockets ofredevelopment, the boundaries of theConservation Area are as clearly defined onthe ground as the historic town limits were.

There are a number of visual and physicalgateways into the historic centre including:

Portway – the terraces and semi -detachedVictorian and Georgian buildings mark theentrance into the town. This gateway isformed by the sudden rise in the density andurban nature of the buildings.

Church Street – St Denys’ Church marksthe edge of the current and historicsettlement. Along with the buildings ownedby Warminster School, Church Streetvisually presents a transition from opencountryside into the built up settlement.

East Street – part of East Street isessentially commercial and is containedwithin the Town Centre Conservation Area.Before becoming Boreham Road, as youenter the Boreham Road Conservation Areathe overriding character of the streetchanges, becoming less dense anddomestic in character. This shift in charactermarks the gateway between the historictown centre and the residential suburbs.

West Street – The extent of the Georgianand Victorian settlement is very apparenttravelling into Warminster from the east, dueto the sudden change in architecture. Thestyle of development is nevertheless urbanrather than suburban in character andclearly marks the entrance into the towncentre.

4.2 FOOTPATHS AND PUBLIC SPACES

There are a number of pedestrian routesaround the town that have existed for many

years. Often to the rear of the main streetsthese serve to link different parts of the townand historically may have been used to getto market or as alternative routes to the mainstreets that were often overrun on marketdays.

There are few public open green spaceswithin the Conservation Area although thereare a number of walled gardens, cemeteriesand private green spaces that are of somesignificance within the Conservation Area.Close to the edge of the conservation arealies The Lake Pleasure Park, the mostimportant recreational facility within thetown, formed in a natural valley around aman-made lake served by the River Were.

4.3 KEY VIEWS AND VISTAS.Views in and out of the conservation areaare governed by the surrounding topographyand the street patterns.

Warminster adjoins Arn Hill and Cop Heapto the north and Cley Hill to the south west.At 400ft high, these hills are the mostprominent features in the wider landscapethat surrounds the town. Located within avalley these adjoining hills are the onlylocations to offer extensive views across thetown although glimpses of prominentbuildings can be obtained from lowervantage points.

One of the most prominent landmarks withinthe town is Christ Church, which is locatedto the south of the main centre and outsideof the conservation area. It’s location, highabove the town on Sambourne Hill, and itspinnacle tower make it a visible feature froma number of vantage points both within andoutside the settlement boundaries.

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5.0 CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Focused on the main trade routes andmarket centre of the town, the WarminsterTown Centre Conservation Area, hasdeveloped a varied character, generallyfocused around the uses, which have beendominant during different periods, and theuses that are dominant today.

In order to identify the key features thatcharacterise the conservation area and itstownscape, the conservation area has beenseparated into five character areas. Theseare loosely based on the predominant usesand identities associated with these parts ofthe town:

1. Market Centre – this area includes themain retail centre and covers themajority of the medieval market.

2. Secondary Retail Area – centred onGeorge Street and Silver Street, thisarea portrays the characteristics of asecondary retail area, with aconsiderable number of residentialbuildings and less commercial emphasisthan in the Market Centre.

3. The Original Settlement – Centred onChurch Street and stretching down fromthe Minster, this area is thought to bethe original location of the town in the9th century. It now includes land andbuildings relating to Warminster Schooland has St Deny’s Church at its head inthe vicinity of possibly an earlier Saxonchurch.

4. Residential Area 1 – Portway ischaracterised by residential propertiesand although originally identified in the13th century. Today it forms the edge ofthe Georgian and Victorian settlement.

5 Residential Area 2 – West Street andVicarage Street form part of one of theearliest routes through the town.

As part of the character analysis of theconservation area, the urban design of thetown and the historic buildings within it willbe considered in greater detail. This is notdesigned to be a comprehensive account ofall the town's notable buildings, but doesinclude a selection of the salientarchitectural features, including significantnon-listed buildings.

Whilst the majority of buildings within theconservation area make a positivecontribution to its character and appearance,it is possible to identify certain buildings that

play a particularly important role incontributing towards that character. Theirimportance may be derived from theirhistoric associations, architectural interest,technological innovations or a combinationof these factors.

There are over 351 separate entries for thetown centre in the Warminster TownStatutory List for Buildings of SpecialArchitectural or Historic Interest. PortwayHouse is a Grade I, 8 are Grade II* and therest are Grade II. There is also a map ofthe conservation area that indicates whereall the listed buildings are located.

Buildings of Local Interest have also beenidentified during the course of the surveywork. These, together with the listedbuildings referred to above, are all indicatedon a map within the appendices. Thecriteria for assessing local interest buildingsare also provided as an appendix to thisreport.

MATERIALS

Locally quarried rubblestone roughly squared was apopular building material in the 18th century. Themore affluent buildings used dressed stone,fenestration details such as door and windowopenings and quoins. Bath Stone was imported foruse on some of the most prestigious buildings withinthe town such as Portway House, The Athenaeumand the Town Hall

Brick as a building material began to be used in themid 18th century. One of the earliest examples ofbrickwork is in the Weymouth Arms, Emwell Street.From this period onwards bricks were also usedaround doorways and windows.

In the 19th century many of the existing buildingswere refronted or rendered in stucco, althoughbuildings continued to be constructed with localrubble and brick dressings. Cambered arches werecommonly used and details such as this should beaccommodated in new buildings and extensionsHouses entirely of brick were uncommon during theearly nineteenth century, but became more commontowards the end of the century.

Originally famous for its thatched roofs, Warminstergradually adopted plain clay tiles, made from localclay, as a safer roof cladding due to concerns overfire. The roofscape today is recognised as being inthe main an attractive assembly of traditional roofshapes and coverings, that can be fully appreciatedfrom the top if St Lawrence's tower.

Traditional cast iron street nameplates are stillcommon in the town. It is important that these streetfeatures are retained. Other features common toproperty are foot scrapers that still appear on theexterior of many period houses.

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MARKET CENTREThis area includes Market Place, HighStreet, North Row and East Street and partof Weymouth Street.

Since the 13th century High Street andMarket Place have been the focus for tradewithin the town. This area has beenrelatively unaltered and retained the majorityof the building frontages that existed in the19th century. However, there are a numberof considerably older buildings behind theGeorgian and Victorian frontages.

The majority of the 20th century developmentspills back off of Market Place. To the northit is in the form of small shopping centres,which open into the modern car parks. Tothe south more of the earlier town’s planform is retained with the vestiges of burgageplots still in evidence.

Warminster town centre today is dominatedby traffic, although this is not new asWarminster’s traffic problems date back tothe 18th century. There are ongoing studiesand discussions taking place between theHighways Authority and other interestedstakeholders on how this issue may beresolved. This document is not theappropriate format to address this issueother than to note it as a potentialenhancement opportunity.

USESThis area has historically been characterisedby shops and inns and taverns, many ofwhich are still in evidence. Many of theseshops are in buildings that have residentialaccommodation above, some that are emptyand some that have offices. Where theseare empty it, there is clearly a need to re-establish uses.

The area has remained the primary retailarea, but has been dramatically changed bythe need for parking. The civic andentertainment uses in the form of the towncouncil and the Athenaeum have beenretained, although the Town Hall is nolonger used as a civic building and iscurrently on the District Council’s buildingsat risk register. The modern library andmuseum building, located in the car park tothe north of Market Place, is also animportant focus for community activity.

The Chapel of St Lawrence was originallybuilt in the 13th century as a chapel of easeto the Norman Minster Church. It was

subsequently rebuilt in the 16th century andthen sold by Edward VI in 1575 to thepeople of Warminster. Owned by the townand administered by local people, thischapel is most unusual in this respect and isone of only a handful like this in the country.This also emphasises the social importanceof this part of the town, with communityactivities as well as religious worship stilltaking place in the chapel.

The Market Place itself is now, as always, abusy vehicular thoroughfare, which due tochanges in the nature of traffic is no longer asuitable environment for an open market.Consequently the market is now held in thecar parks to the north of Market Place, on aweekly basis. Detached from the historic

SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES

Street and Building LayoutGenerally narrow building frontages along linearroads, historically with long burgage plots to the rear.Alleys and small courtyards are common features inthis area.

Building TypesIndividually designed buildings of varying heightsand qualities arranged in long terraces.

There are a large number of traditional shop fronts inthis area that are important to the character of theconservation area.

MaterialsAshlar stone and render are used most frequently inthis area, but locally manufactured red brick, tilesand rubble stone can also be found.

Landscape FeaturesHard, urban landscaping dominates this part of thetown centre relying on the green backdrop ofSalisbury Plain's escarpment to give reference to itsrural setting.

Parking On street, Rear courtyards, and Designated car parks to the north of Market

Place

StreetscapeIn a number of the courtyards and alleyways as wellas a covered area to the front of The Bell Inn, haveretained pitched paving stones, which are importantto the conservation area, as the only remaininghistoric ground surface treatment.Traditional street nameplates are also an importantfeature.

SkylineThe building heights are varied tending to be of 2-4storeys in maximum height thereby allowing longdistance views of the steeply rising landscapesetting.

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Market Place and main shopping roads thecurrent market has a sense of beingdetached from the historic town itself. Thisshift in the retail focus for the town, and cardependency, that draws people to the rearof Market Place. Nevertheless, MarketPlace itself retains its vibrancy andcontinues to be the main focal point for thetown.

LAYOUTHigh Street & Market PlaceHigh Street and Market Place are wide,busy commercial streets with buildingsdirectly fronting the footpaths and a strongbuilding line that bends to accommodatecurves in the road. Despite the width ofthese streets little space is given topedestrians in comparison to that allocatedto vehicles.

Buildings typically have narrow frontagesand extend back in a burgage plot plan formwith courtyards and alleyways. Thebuildings, which front High Street, are oftenlarger in scale with wider frontages.

There are a number of rear courtyards andalleyways that were used to access othercommercial buildings or associated stablingand outbuildings. The best remainingexamples are: Chinns Yard - an alleyway with a

number of retail uses fronting onto it anda converted malthouse at the southernend.

14-28, East Street – a number ofcommercial buildings surrounding acourtyard.

Carsons Yard – a courtyard thatprovides access to a number ofindustrial units.

High Street starting at the top of a hill, dropsdramatically to the west so that views fromthe Athenaeum, in a northerly direction, areof the varied skyline and upper storeys ofthe buildings that lead down to the junctionwith George Street.

Market Place and East Street are relativelyflat accommodating a long vista of attractivebuildings, interrupted by parked cars anddelivery vans and the occasional traffic sign.

East StreetEast Street is a high-density narrow streetlocated on the periphery of the primary retailarea. East Street is busy in terms of traffic

movement and is lined by terraces thatdirectly abut the highway.

It contains a number of small-scale retailuses but is generally of a more domesticnature that is reflected in the scale andcharacter of the buildings. It also channelsviews of the attractive avenue and frontgardens of Boreham Road.

North RowNorth Row is a very narrow predominantlyresidential street that is remarkably tranquiland rural in character. This may be partlydue to its "secret" entrance off the HighStreet, as it has a modest pedestrianentranceway between buildings. It also hasa less ridged character as some buildingsextend forward of the building line whereothers are set back behind walled gardens.

North of Market PlaceIn the 20th century the need for additionalretail space and the need to accommodatemotor vehicles have resulted in the creationof small shopping centres (ThreeHorseshoes Walk and The Cornmarket),which lead back off of Market Place andadjoin large open car parks. The manner inwhich the shopping centres have developedin terms of their linear nature and small unitsize has retained some reference to theearlier burgage layout and the names ofthese centres obviously have reference tothe historic functions of the Market Place.The car parks have effectively destroyedany standing evidence of the medievalpattern of burgage plots in this area.

Generally, the buildings to the north ofMarket Place are 17th, 18th and 19th centurybuildings with later 20th century additionsbuilt off of them. From within the car parks, itis possible to view the rear of a number ofsignificant historic buildings, behind themore recent extensions.

This area is contained by a significant stoneboundary wall, which runs along TheAvenue, interspersed by trees. Previously awide road The Avenue is now a pedestrianonly route, which connects Portway with therailway station. Direct pedestrian links withthe railway station, Market Place, North Rowand Portway, make this an important nodefor the town.

Weymouth StreetThis road was created quite late on to act asa link between the town centre and

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Sambourne Road. This acts as a mainjunction operated by traffic lights for trafficturning into High Street and Market Place. Itis quite narrow at this point although it widenout as it goes south down hill, past car parksand main entrances to The Lake PleasurePark and Morrisons.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMThe characteristics of the frontage buildingsin this part of the conservation area havegenerally been retained.

Market Place and High Street have a highproportion of ashlar Bath Stone frontedbuildings, but rubble stone of local origin ismore common throughout the historic towncentre for both residential and commercialbuildings.

In general terms building scales varythroughout this area, but by dividing the areainto streets it is possible to make a moreaccurate definition: Market Place is dominated by three

storey buildings of varying heights.Building frontages tend to be relativelynarrow, although there are a number ofexceptions.

On Market Place and High Streetparapets are common in this area, butdormers have very rarely been added orincorporated into the original design.

High Street has buildings with muchwider frontages and larger footprints butalso does not extend beyond threestories, despite the variation in finishheights.

There are a number of important shopfrontages as well as a number of bland20th century shop frontages, howeversome of the most ornate architecturalfeatures are to be found at first andsecond floor levels, a good example ofthis is 36 High Street.

Banks commonly occupy some of themost ornate ashlar Bath stone frontedbuildings with strong classicallyproportioned facades.

East Street begins with large threestorey buildings but quickly drops to amore domestic scale and style, and ispredominantly two storeys.

North Row has a handful of three storeybuildings but is predominantly 2 storeycottage style terraces. There arehowever some semi- detached ordetached properties. Interspersed withsome larger buildings of a very different

character i.e. The Baptist Chapel andDewey House.

Being of a more domestic naturedormers are more common on EastStreet and North Row where thearchitectural form is also generallysimpler and less ornate.

There are many fine buildings in this areamost displaying similar architecturalcharacteristics, however, others are uniqueand would be difficult to find similarexamples anywhere else. The Town Hall,The Old Bell and the Athenaeum are someof the most unique in the zone.

SHOP FRONTSThis area has retained a number of periodshop fronts which are very important to thecharacter and attractiveness of the town andshould be preserved. Those that stand outwithin the streetscene are:

6, East Street 7and 9, East Street. 10, East Street 4, High Street 6-8, High Street (Gibsons) 10, High Street 30, High Street 20, Market Place 36, Market Place (Coates and Parker) 38/40, Market Place 45, Market Place 51/53, Market Place ( Dorothy Perkins) 84, Market Place

There is a wealth of old photographs andrecords for the town, providing anopportunity to reinstate lost features or evenentire shop fronts if they have been replacedwith less sensitive modern examples.

LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURESThe majority of the buildings in this area arelisted and are worth noting for theirappearance and historic significance. Thefollowing is a list of those, which are mostdominant, due to their positioning and/orarchitecture:

2&6 Portway and 52&54 High Street(corner group) known as Carters Corner.

36 High Street. 24 North Row. Dewey House, North Row. The Baptist Chapel and Hall, North Row The Athenaeum. St Lawrence Church. The Town Hall.

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34 Market Place 37 Market Place The Bell Inn, 42 Market Place 69 Market Place 71 Market Place The Police Station, Station Road 6 East Street

BUILDING MATERIALSWalls: render, rubble stone and ashlar Bathstone are the most common forms ofcladding, but there are some red brickbuildings within this area. Roofs: clay pantiles are the most commonroof finishes but stone tiles and slate canalso be foundFenestration: timber Georgian and Victorianstyle sash, often with multiple glazing bars.

STREETSCAPESmall areas of traditional paving materialshave been retained. The majority are on theentrances to alleyways such as the cobblesalong Chinns Walk. An area of pitchedpaving had also been retained to the front ofThe Old Bell underneath the colonnadedarcade that provides a unique frontage tothis building.

Street nameplates are predominantlytraditional in size and materials and shouldbe retained.

The streetlights are often attached tobuildings including a number of listedproperties.

The pavements are often narrow andsomewhat cluttered by street furnishings.

LANDSCAPEUrban high-density environment, with theonly areas of greenery and significant treesbeing to the rear of the main streets andsurrounding St Lawrence Church.

OPPORTUNITIES• Promote the use of appropriate shop

front designs and materials withinthe historic market streets.

• Empty shop units and premisesabove shop level should bemonitored and where possible newuses actively encouraged whilstallowing the buildings character toremain intact.

• Removal of on street parking toenhance the pedestrian environment

and allow trade onto the streets. Thestudy currently being promoted bythe Highways Authority should takeinto consideration this characterassessment with regard to theproposals being put forward.

• Investigate the ownership andnature of the Buildings at Risk withinthis part of the town and pursue theirrepair and reuse as part of theregeneration for Warminster.

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SECONDARY RETAIL AREAThis area is formed from a series of roadsincluding George Street, Silver Street andEmwell Street, the southern end of Ash Walkand the northern end of ambourne Road.Archaeological evidence appears to suggestthat Saxon habitation may have beensituated within the area now formed byEmwell Street – an area slightly raisedabove the river Were’s floodplain. An earlymedieval market is also said to haveflourished at the meeting of the roads inSilver Street and Church Street, where theobelisk is currently located.

The early origins of this part of the town aretherefore an important contributory factor tothe way this area has gradually evolved tobecome the complicated urban fabric thatcharacterises this area today.

USESThis part of the town has always acted as aphysical link between the earliest part of thesettlement and the later medieval part in theHigh Street area. Despite this it has grownto have its own special features especiallyreflected in terms of the quality of the builtenvironment. It is characterised by amixture of uses including residential, retail,small business, including several inns andsemi-industrial uses. The balance betweenthese elements fluctuates but is generallystable apart from the shop units in GeorgeTerrace that do not all appear to beflourishing, leading to some units beingconverted back to residential use.

The uses genuinely reflect the fact that thisarea is not the main commercial centre ofthe town although there are some wellestablished shops that have been operatingfor many years. Many shops are classed asspecialist and provide a slightly unusualrange of goods from antiques to electricalitems. Some of the dwelling houses in thearea have been converted to small businesssuch as dentists or architects practices,whilst others seem to be successful inproviding family accommodation. The closeproximity of a number of schools in ChurchStreet and Vicarage Street makes this areaattractive for residential use.

LAYOUTSilver Street and George Street areorientated in roughly the same alignmenteast-west and appear to be separated atpresent by a small mini roundabout thatallows for Sambourne Road to merge with

them. Highway features mark each end ofthese roads; Silver Street starts at thejunction where the Obelisk stands, whilstGeorge Street ends at the mini roundaboutat the Portway and High Street junction.Both have attractive visual ends and arelined almost continuously with high densityhistoric development fronting directly ontothe pavements.

There are few gaps between development,although the most notable is that large areapresently boarded by MaCarthy Stone

SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES

Street and Building LayoutHigh density, narrow building plots fronting ontopavements.

Wide streets with parking in bays along each side.George Street, in particular, has raised crossings.

Emwell Street in contrast is narrow and has becomeone –way to alleviate problems with school andresidential traffic.

Building TypesUniform terraces of brick up to 3 storeys in heightinterspersed with individual buildings of varyingheights, styles and architectural qualities arranged inlong terraces or groups.

There are a number of traditional shop fronts in thisarea that are important to the character of theconservation area.

MaterialsAshlar stone and render are used most frequently inthis area, with some locally manufactured brick andrubble stone can also be found. Many of therendered buildings are painted in attractive shadesthat help to distinguish each one.Casement and sash windows reflecting Georgian,Victorian or earlier origins.

Landscape FeaturesHard landscape associated with an urban centre.

Parking On street, subdivided into parcels of parking

areas in George Street. Rear courtyards and some coach houses

converted to garages.

StreetscapePresence of traditional street nameplates.

SkylineThe lowest part of the town so that buildings in theimmediate vicinity tend to block any views out of thetown. Buildings are of varying heights whilst othershave uniform heights forming visual blocks.

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hoarding that used to be the OctagonMotors Garage, occupying an importantcorner site on George Street and Ash Walk.There is a higher predominance ofproperties with private gardens in SilverStreet, especially towards the western end.Craven House in particular boasts gardensto its front and rear.

Emwell Street runs parallel to Silver Street,with the effect of both creating a largeroundabout containing property on the southside of Silver Street and the north side ofEmwell Street by linking into SambourneRoad and Vicarage Street. This results insome of the property being accessed fromboth roads, effectively having two publicfrontages. Emwell Street is distinctlydifferent in character from the other roadsbeing one-way, traffic calmed and narrowerthan them, it has a more suburban feel to it.The areas of open space Created by schoolplaying fields and off-street car parking thatbreak up the southern side of this street alsocontribute to this character.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMThe strongest group of buildings to in termsof visual impact is George Terrace. These3 storey Victorian terraced houses dominatethe north side of George Street emphasisedby the sheer wall of brickwork.

Public Houses are numerous in this part ofthe town, possibly reflecting the historicassociation this area had with the brewingindustry. Many inns still survive as pubs themost notable being The Weymouth Arms Innand The Farmers Hotel. Both prominentbuildings in both scale and position. Theformer is an 18th century re-working of anearlier structure- possibly 16th century indate- and is regarded as one of the firstbuildings in the town where the wings havebeen faced in brick, it is also likely to havebeen a house before it became an inn. TheVenetian window and gothic tracery at therear together with a pedimented doorway onthe front give this building an attractivequirky appearance that tends to allow it todominate the road.

The Farmers Hotel is in contrast a laterbuilding , deliberately built as a hotelalthough attached to earlier buildings at therear that may have been workshops.Interestingly this started out life as a grocery,licensed to sell tea, coffee, pepper, tobaccoand snuff! before changing to a temperancehotel in 1879 selling cocoa. The most

salient feature of this building is its angledfront onto the corner of Silver Street andSambourne Road.

Now redundant but recognisable externally,is the 19th century 2 storey building on thecorner of Church Street and Silver Streetfacing the obelisk. Once known as the “Shipand Punchbowl”, this was the site for one ofthe earliest inns in Warminster pre-dating1710. The original thatched building burntdown in 1880 and was replaced with thecurrent brick and tiled building withdistinctive dog-tooth cornice details at theeaves. The alley by the side of this inn wasthe entrance to Warminster Brewery, nowapparently converted to a row of housesknown as Obelisk Terrace.

Houses in this area seem to either be flatsabove shops especially in the 3 storeyproperties within the George Street area or 2storey cottages in terraced groups. The rowof cottages numbered 44-49, Silver Streetare a particularly attractive group withcolourful rendered fronts, adding a visualbreak from the somewhat monotonous brickand stone of surrounding buildings. CravenHouse on the opposite side of Silver Streetis a high status building from the 18th

century, set back from the street behindornate gates and walls.

SHOP FRONTSThis area has retained a number of periodshop fronts which are very important to thecharacter and attractiveness of the town andshould be preserved. Those that stand outwithin the streetscene are:• 2, Silver Street (Obelisk Antiques)• 5, Silver Street ( Double M Electrics)• 16, Silver Street (Manfield House)• 34, Silver Street ( Collectables)• 1 and 2, George Street• 42, George Street.

There is a wealth of old photographs andrecords for the town, providing anopportunity to reinstate lost features or evenentire shop fronts if they have been replacedwith less sensitive modern examples

LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURES• George Street Terrace.• The Weymouth Arms Inn• The White Hart• The Farmers Hotel• The former Police Station now

Warminster Christian ScienceSociety HQ.

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• Obelisk• Craven House and railings, Silver

Street• Methodist Chapel, George Street

BUILDING MATERIALSWalls: Stone, brick and render are the mostcommon forms of walling materials, althoughthere appears to be little example of mixingthem in individual developments. 19th

century brickwork has some ornate detailssuch as dog-toothing at eaves.Roofs: Plain clay and pantiles predominatewith slate primarily on later Victorianbuildings. Most buildings have stone andbrick end chimneys.Fenestration: Timber Georgian andVictorian sashes. Earlier timber casements,some within stone mullions frames.

STREETSCAPEThere are a number of areas along the mainroads- George and Silver Street where on-street parking is accepted. George Streetand Emwell Street have been traffic calmedwith raised tables in the road that helps toreduce traffic speeds.

OPPORTUNITIES• Encourage retention of existing shop

units for retail uses and to also work atfinding over the shop uses compatiblewith this part of the town and thebuilding form.

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THE ORIGINAL SETTLEMENTThis area comprises primarily of ChurchStreet incorporating The Minster, the ParishChurch of St Denys and Warminster School;two major establishments in the town andVicarage Street. Historically, it is thoughtthat Church Street was once the focus of aSaxon settlement complete with a church,before the establishment of the NormanMinster church. Vicarage Street is not asold but has links with Warminster School,and with the character influenced by theposition of other schools to the south isincorporated into this section as a logicalextension of the functions in Church Street.

USESThere are a variety of functions associatedwith the different buildings in this part of thetown, primarily religious and educational,uses that are often compatible. Foremost ofthese is the main town church thatcommands the northern end of this part ofthe town. Other ecclesiasticalestablishments were also founded in ChurchStreet including a community for women, StDenys and a mission college for men knownas St Boniface’s. These are all attributed tothe 19th century vicar of Warminster, theRev. James Erasmus Philipps. St Denys,currently housed in Ivy House, continues tooperate as a religious conference andretreat centre. St Boniface, however,opened in 1860 and closed in 1943, has,since 1969, formed part of Lord WeymouthSchool, later to become Warminster School.

The most dominant use in Church Street isWarminster School, formed from LordWeymouth and St Monica schools in 1973when the two establishments were merged.This would explain the multiple numbers ofdifferent buildings that make up the buildingsof the school, manifesting itself along eachside of Church Street. The open spaces andland associated with the school, again onboth sides of the street, provide playingfields and on the western side are boundedby the River Were. Thomas Tynne, firstViscount Weymouth, who was responsiblefor the fine Queen Anne style building,stables and outbuildings, originallyestablished the Lord Weymouth GrammarSchool in 1707. It was referred to as agrammar school as it taught Greek and Latinbut this term was dropped in 1955. Sincethe late 1960’s the school has developedand expanded taking over other religiousand educational establishments, andsupplementing these with new buildings.

Currently the school attracts pupils on aninternational basis.

The junior or Preparatory School to theSenior School, together with the MinsterChurch of England Junior School are bothlocated on the southern side of VicarageStreet, adding further to the educationalinstitutions in this part of the town

so that children’s voices can often be heardduring play and recreation time.

SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES

Street and Building LayoutMany buildings are set back from the street edgeswith small walled gardens. Other buildings areconstructed directly on the road side.

Roads are generally long and wide apart from atcertain pinch points such as in front of St Boniface'sBuildings. The street has to also bend around thechurchyard around the Minster.

Building TypesIndividually designed buildings of varying heights,many detached and within their own grounds. 2-3storey in height in general although some buildingslike the Church and St Bonifaces are much talleradding variety to this part of the conservation areaand the skyline.

MaterialsAshlar stone and render are used most frequently inthis area, but locally manufactured brick and rubblestone can also be found. The more notable buildingshave more polite architectural detailing withsymmetrical frontages and high quality stone.

Landscape FeaturesVery urban and hard landscape in character, thispart of the town centre relies on its green backdropto give reference to its rural setting.

Parking On street. Rear courtyards and old coach house buildings. Some car parking within the school site.

StreetscapeA number of the courtyards and stable yards, haveretained pitched paving stones that are important tothe conservation area, as the only remaining historicground surface treatment.

SkylineThe detached buildings allow long distance views ofthe steeply rising landscape setting. This isespecially the case for the Warminster Schoolplaying fields where gaps formed by driveways andpaths between buildings allow long distance viewsinto rural landscape. The heights of buildings in thisarea are high and stop views, apart from throughthese gaps.

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The schools and church, when in use, are ahub of activity with pupils and worshippersgoing to and throw between buildings andcar parks, or using the many sports pitchesbehind the school buildings. WarminsterSchool does provide some livingaccommodation for students, but many daypupils arrive by bus and car to this and theother schools, so that at times this area canbe very busy. At other times, however,especially at weekends, it has an air oftranquillity in contrast to the maincommercial parts of the town.

In between the school and ecclesiasticalbuildings are a small number of terracedcottages and larger houses. Providinghousing for staff or privately owned, theyadd a different layer of visual interest to thearea. Outbuildings, such as stables andmalthouses are also present. Once servingthe principle buildings, these buildingsmainly survive in converted forms and areused for storage and workshops for theschools and larger houses.

LAYOUTChurch StreetThe main focus of this part of theconservation area is on Church Street, along sinuous road running north-south,meeting the junction of Silver Street andVicarage Street where the obelisk is located.Along the length of the street is an almostcontinuous frontage of development,although there are some gaps, especially atthe northern end around the Minster. Mostof the buildings front directly onto the streetpavements, whilst a few are set back withsmall gardens bounded by formal wall andrailings. In between the buildings are viewsand glimpses of trees and land mainlybelonging to Warminster School that servesto provide a perception of spacious openland form and allows this area to naturallyflow into the rural land beyond theconservation area’s boundaries.

Views towards the west from Church Streettake in the mature trees and meadowland ofthe River Were, with Norridge Wood forminga backdrop and in the distance Cley Hillbeing visible. To the north are theoccasional views of Arn Hill with itselectronic mast standing proud. There arefew open views to the east and south, apartfrom of other parts of the town.

Church Street, at its northern end, curvesaround the churchyard to The Minster with

strong stonewalls lining its eastern side andtrees and hedgerow to the west, providing asemi-rural feel. Further south, however, thecharacteristics of the street alter to a moresub-urban feel by the houses and largerbuildings fronting onto it. Cars parked on theroad and a pelican crossing further down theroad add to this character. The roadappears to narrow nearer its junction withSilver Street and this is exaggerated by thehigher density and heights of the buildings atthis point and the lack of outward views.

Ash Walk and Dorothy Walk.To the east of the main street area, are twosmaller lanes that are narrow and partly freefrom vehicular access, thereby allowing thefree flow of pedestrians. Historically, AshWalk would have served as the main accessto the Manor House, that no longer existsbut that would have been closely associatedto the Minster Church. The large houseknown as Warminster Court, nowsurrounded by a late 20th century housingestate, is also accessed from the lane.Whilst it also allows limited traffic into therear of Warminster School the Lane is a nothrough road and is therefore a peacefulfootpath for users between the Church andSchool and the junction of Silver Street andGeorge Street. Hedgerow and somestonewalling mark much of its route alongthe school’s curtilage. Dorothy Walk runsalong the eastern side of the churchyard tothe Minster, taking pedestrians further a fieldand eventually linking up to the top end ofPortway Lane via another footpath. It is anattractive tree lined track at this end,dominated by the stone walling of thechurchyard with glimpses between the treeson its eastern side towards open fields andwater meadows associated with the Were’swater course.

Vicarage StreetVicarage Street is an extension of WestStreet that runs into the town from the westand is historically associated with the latergrowth of the town. Although this road isvisually separated from Church Street by themeeting of a series of other roads, terracedhouses and buildings of a slightly differentcharacteristic to those in Church Street, theunifying characteristic between to two areasis the presence of the school that owns mostof the larger individual buildings that frontonto the both sides of Vicarage Street. Thepurchase of the convent building from theCommunity of St Denys was carried out in1994, thus allowing a visual link between

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this part of the senior school and thePreparatory School that is separately basedon the south side of Vicarage Street.Immediately to the east of this is the MinsterCE primary school that also fronts onto partof Emwell Street.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMAt the north end of Church Street stands thegrand 11th century parish church that hasalready featured in this section. It has adramatic presence in the street due to itsscale and orientation, although this issoftened by the location of a large yew treethat conceals much of the churchessouthern elevation. This extensive stonechurch and tower, although covering a largearea, does not visually intrude due to thebuilding being set back from the road and ina slightly raised position together with thecharacteristic crenelated parapets that allowthe roofs to be screened from public views.The central square tower is also quite squatand relatively free from decorativeembellishment. The major restoration of the1880’s may have altered much of theoriginal Norman and medieval fabric.

Around the church is a traditional churchyardwith older monuments and tombs in theimmediate vicinity and criss-crossed with anumber of footpaths many of which are stilllined with the pitched stone cobble surfaces.Surrounding the churchyard is a traditionalrubble stonewall with stone copings, and,along the roadside, a line of coppiced treesreinforces this.

Interspersing the larger, “institutional”buildings are a series of discreet groups ofsmall-scale cottages and terraces,displaying the vernacular stonewalls, plainclay tiled and pantiled gable roofs with amixture of timber casement and sashwindows. Some of the casements stillindicate earlier stone mullion frames. It isknown that the group immediately adjacentto the Church have earlier medieval originsthan their 18th century exteriors indicate.Others may also be later frontages to earlierstructures.

Lord Weymouth’s School, built in 1707, is afine example of the Queen Annearchitectural fashion, with a symmetricalfrontage of 2 ½ storeys. Although set backfrom the road, it still has a striking presence,with other outbuildings and later structuresforming a courtyard plan around the frontgarden. The school doorway was,

apparently, designed by Sir ChristopherWren for Longleat House. Built in the localstone, the main feature of this building is thewealth of sash windows subdivided with slimglazing bars evenly spaced on the façadewith little masonry in-between and thehorizontal stringcourse between the floors.

Within the grounds to the main schoolbuilding are a number of interesting originalfeatures and later additions. A stable blockand walled garden, mainly intact, feature tothe rear. The walled garden with a survivinggarden house built into one side of it, nowacts as one of the entrances into therecently constructed refectory that isattached to another part of the wall. Thereare also a number of fine tree specimenswithin its walls and beyond in the grounds tothe school. Many of these have individualTree Preservation Orders on them. On theopposite (southern) side of the walledgarden, are a group of relatively modernschool buildings of varying sizes and quality.The best of these is the library and scienceblock completed in 2004 that is built off thesouth eastern corner of the wall and createsa visually strong block to the rear of theschool site backing onto Ash Walk. Anotherinteresting feature in this part of the school isthe Fives Court; a tall section of wall thattowers above the ground attached to theend on one of the cottages immediatelybehind the group that front onto ChurchStreet.

The 18th century school building sets thetone for other development in the street,other later 18th century buildings of similararchitectural quality with symmetrical facesand large sash windows. Byne House andTeddington House are a few of the bestexamples in Church Street in this style.Many the gentile houses from this period arecomplimented with stonewalls and metalrailings to their curtilages and modest stableblocks. Examples of stable courtyards withthe original cobbles of pitched paving tillsurvive.Wren House in Vicarage Street is a verygood example of a Georgian house withstrong classical features dominating roadwith an ancillary coach house now convertedto a separate dwelling.

The nineteenth century brought furtherdevelopment to this part of the town. Therewas a growth in the malting industry at thistime and many malthouses, with thecharacteristic long 2-storey form and

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associated buildings, were constructed.There are two examples off Church Street,the one immediately opposite the LordWeymouth Grammar School building beingthe most recognisable. Built in stone rubble,this structure appears to be quite an earlyexample, with the gable end onto the streetstill with an intact 19th century shop front,once the HQ of Culverhouse Bros Ltd. InVicarage Street there is a similar group ofdwellings, to the Warminster Brewery row, ina malting building behind the buildings onthe south side of the road.

There was also an expansion in the religiousorganisations that were established in thisarea. St Boniface Missionary College is partneo-Jacobean style, part gothic, built in aseries of phases from the late 18th through tothe 1920's. The latter section is a starkwhite painted and rendered building thattowers over the road on the west side ofChurch Street. The only clue to its originaluse is the gothic style windows thatoccasionally interrupt the walls. The wholestructure appears on the street at anintimidating height compared with all thebuildings around it.Public Houses, numerous in other parts ofthe town, are not very common possibly dueto the other activities in this area. The onlyone, now redundant but recognisableexternally, is the 19th century 2 storeybuilding on the corner of Church Street andSilver Street facing the obelisk. Once knownas the “Ship and Punchbowl”, this was thesite for one of the earliest inns in Warminsterpre-dating 1710. The original thatchedbuilding burnt down in 1880 and wasreplaced with the current brick and tiledbuilding with distinctive dog-tooth cornicedetails at the eaves. The alley by the side ofthis inn was the entrance to WarminsterBrewery, now apparently converted to a rowof houses known as Obelisk Terrace.

Three quirky structures are also worthmentioning in this section. All are situated inthe vicinity of the junction between ChurchStreet and Vicarage Street. One is thestone built circular town Lockup nowconcealed behind later buildings and thesecond a 1913 memorial clock to John WHall, a major influence in the formation of theTariff Reform Movement. The third is one ofWarminster’s main landmarks the stoneobelisk set upon its own island at theconflagration of the three streets; Church,Silver and Vicarage. Dated to 1783, itcommemorates the inclosure of the parish.

It is a most distinctive feature of fineproportions and an important landmark inthe town.

LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURES• The Minster- the Parish Church of St

Denys and churchyard walls.• Lord Weymouth Grammar School

Building, walled garden andassociated outbuildings.

• Byne House and front railings.• Malthouse building on west side of

Church Street, now belonging toWarminster School, which was oncethe base for the building contractorsCulverhouse Brothers.

• New Library, Maths and ScienceBlock to Warminster School, off AshWalk.

• St Boniface Buildings.• Memorial Clock on No 1, Church

Street.• Obelisk at the junction of Church

Street, Vicarage Street and SilverStreet.

• St Denys Convent- now part ofWarminster School- and wallsVicarage Street.

• The main school building to theJunior School, Vicarage Street.

• The Minster CE, Primary SchoolBuilding, Vicarage Street.

• Wren House, Vicarage Street.

BUILDING MATERIALSWalls: Stone, brick and render are the mostcommon forms of walling materials, althoughthere appears to be little example of mixingthem in individual developments. 19th

century brickwork has some ornate detailssuch as dog-toothing at eaves.Roofs: Plain clay and pantiles predominatewith slate primarily on later Victorianbuildings. Most buildings have stone andbrick end chimneys.Fenestration: Timber Georgian andVictorian sashes. Earlier timber casements,some within stone mullions frames.

STREETSCAPEMany properties in this area have still gotintact garden walls and railings. The bestexamples, from two different periods, are theornate railings and low stonewall to ByneHouse and the later decorative brick wall toSt Denys Convent, now part of WarminsterSchool. Other plainer stonewalls, especiallyto the Churchyard perimeter and along Ash

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Walk, form strong boundary treatments inthe public domain.Small stable courtyards to larger houses andthe footpaths within the churchyard still havethe original stone pitched paving surviving.

LANDSCAPEThere are some fine examples of individualtrees in this part of the conservation area.There have been mainly identified on theaccompanying map. They are most prolificaround the Churchyard to The Minster anddotted around Warminster School grounds.The main species are beech and oak butthere are also special individual trees suchas the large Yew in front of the Minster andtwo large Wellingtonia to the south ofFurneaux House.

The presence of the River Were dictates theform of landscape to the north and west ofthis part of the town. Water meadows andclumps of trees offering good pasture forfarming provide the backdrop to theconservation area. In parts the school’splaying fields have encroached upon thislandscape but do not appear to haveharmed the overall character of the rivercourse. The sports pitches appear to mergeinto this landscape without imposing manyman-made structures onto it other than theinevitable goal posts or white lines. Closerto the school buildings, on the west side ofChurch Street, are some low walls thatbreak up the expanses on land providing atransition between the rural hinterland andthe immediate setting to the schoolbuildings. Car parking in this area isreasonably discreet being closely related tothe buildings and an access road thatdivides the school from the rest of the siteincluding the pitches.

OPPORTUNITIES• Removal of vegetation and repairs to the

churchyard wall are identified and initialdiscussions have been on-going with thetown council and Church parishioners tocompile a management plan for the site.This would also assist with any worksneeded to trees and footpaths.

• Discussions with Warminster Schoolneed to identify scope for newdevelopment and removal of harmfulexisting buildings. The formulation of amanagement plan for a future strategyto both schools is encouraged,encompassing development aspirations

and management of existing land andbuildings.

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RESIDENTIAL AREA 1This part of the conservation area includesPortway and The Close. Portway runssouthwards and is one of the main entranceroutes into the town. The Close also runsnorth to south, but is a smaller, one-wayback road.

The manor of Newport was created in the12th century, however, the road previouslyknown as Newport (now Portway) formedpart of a planned extension to the town inthe 14th century.

Strong reference to the rural setting of thetown and the historically rural nature of thetown. Whilst it emerged in the 13th centuryas a route into the market place and hasolder origins than High Street or MarketPlace it is likely to have developed from arelatively low key drovers or access route;has not been consumed by the commercialcentre/ uses of the town.

As an important entranceway into the towncentre, Portway has quite a suburban feel toit although it becomes more urban to thesouth as you get nearer to the town’s retailcentre.

The northern end of Portway has a steeplyrising wooded backdrop which, along withthe low density green (well planted/mature)residential environment which surrounds theconservation area at this point, makes thisone of the parts of the town which hasretained its rural character.

USESA large part of the Portway area was oncepart of the Portway Estate (previously theNewport Estate). Portway House is still themost dominant landmark feature within thisarea.

In the mid 19th century the railway line wasconstructed and crosses Portway,interrupting the avenue.

This area has always been on the peripheryof the commercial centre. Residential iscurrently the predominant use in this areathat is also true of its historic function.

At the entrance to The Close is theWarminster Hospital complex. Positioned tothe rear of Portway, these buildings do nothave a strong presence on this main routebut are a prominent feature on The Closeand The Avenue.

This area has also been the location of thefire station for over 100 years althoughoriginally located at the southern end of TheClose. In the mid 20th century it was foundthat the original building did not havesufficient capacity to meet demand and anew fire station was built on Portway. Thecurrent fire station is outside of theconservation area boundary and does notvisually contribute to the character of theconservation area. However, it representsan important function within the town andthe original first station building remainsarchitecturally intact.

Between Portway and The Close there areremnants of the town’s industrial heritageand sandwiched between these two

SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES

Street and Building LayoutVarying street widthsMajority of building directly front the highway

Building Types Predominantly residential terraces Some semi- detached or detached properties Portway House and No 35, large buildings set

in large grounds, multiple occupancy notapparent from the street.

Materials Mixture of rubble stone and brick, some

feature buildings in particular Portway Houseclad in ashlar stone

Clay tiles including pantiles, some slate andstone

Timber sash windows with glazing bars andtimber casement windows.

Railings are the most frequent front boundarytreatment.

Landscape FeaturesA large number of mature trees are important tothe visual attractiveness of this locality. These areeither to the rear of buildings or focused onPortway Lane, 33 and 35 Portway or around thewar memorial.

Parking On street or Courtyard and walled car parks. Some later creation of frontage parking. Some rear parking courtyards Garages are not a common characteristic of

the locality.

StreetscapeNo historic street finishes or furnishings have beenretained in this locality.

SkylineViewed against Salisbury Plain the varied nature ofthe skyline and roof detailing is considered animportant feature in this locality.

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residential streets are Victorian malthouseand brewery buildings.

LAYOUTThe majority of the buildings in this area areterraced properties which front directly ontothe highway/footpath, although a number areset back behind small enclosed frontgardens.

Portway in the most part is an unusually wideroad, which allows for long views and adds toits low-density edge of settlement feel. Largegardens and a number of breaks in thebuilding frontage allowing glimpses of greenspace or trees is an important feature. Therelatively low density of development north ofPortway House, gives the impression that thenorthern part of the area backs onto opencountryside.

The southern end of Portway is narrower inwidth and is characterised by high-densitydevelopment with narrow fronted terracesand a greater number of three storeybuildings. Layers of development becomevisible and a sense of the busy town centrespills across into Portway.

The Close is a narrow one-way street,consequently cars do not dominate it.Buildings directly abut the road althoughmany are orientated north and south ratherthan fronting The Close. Buildings are oftenvery spaced out with side gardens bound byhigh walls. The overall effect is a high senseof enclosure and an intimate feel.

The Close, previously known as CommonClose has a narrow entrance off of HighStreet, which historically was only apedestrian alleyway with a buildingterminating the street. With the demolition ofthat building in the 20th century The Closebecame a one-way street from Portway toHigh Street.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMThe scale and form of buildings varies withinthis area from modest two-storey cottagestyle terraced properties to three storey widefronted Georgian style town houses.

The Almshouses are the only single storeyterrace. The tall steeply sloping hipped roofensures that the neighbouring houses do notovershadow the building, and its detailedarchitectural features give it a strongpresence within the streetscene.

Portway House, a grade I listed building,fronted by large wrought iron gates withpillars capped by eagle statues. This is oneof the largest and most architecturallyinteresting buildings within the town.Portway House consists of three wings withthe central part being three storeys,dropping down to two storey of either side.Clad in ashlar Bath stone, it stands out asone of the most distinguished buildings inthe town.

The walls which front Portway House arealso listed in their own right with the frontwall and gateway being a grade II*.

Side gables are common, but a number ofthe feature buildings have steeply pitchedVictorian front gables. Parapets are notcommon in this locality despite being aregular feature on the towns’ commercialstreets.

The heights of buildings and roof pitchescreate a varied skyline that is enriched bythe multitude of chimneys.

LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURESWhilst a number of buildings or structuresstand out within this area due to their size,positioning or architectural detailing, thereare 2 key focal points:

The railway bridge, due to its simplicity,rather than being a barrier, acts as aphysical gateway into the town.

Portway House.

Other landmark or feature buildings include:

The Almshouses, Nos. 92 -98 (even)Portway.

The War Memorial, set in its smallcourtyard.

Nos. 83-91 (odd) Portway, Victorian frontgable, ornate timber detailing.

Nos. 37 – 43 (odds) Portway, a row ofthree storey weavers’ houses.

The pub, 49 Portway. The Hospital (main building), The

Avenue The Old Fire Station, The Close Nos. 2-6 Portway group with 52 and 54

High Street, corner building.

BUILDING MATERIALSWalls: As is common throughoutWarminster a large number of the buildingsare clad in rubble stone with brick dressings.

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Red brick frontages with stone or timberdressings, are found particularly along theeast of Portway and in the southern part ofthis area. The side and rear elevations areoften still finished with the local rubble stone.Some buildings have been painted orrendered.Roofs: Clay pantiles are the most commonroof materials, with occasional use of slate orstone.Fenestration: Where the original timberwindows have been retained, they tend to beeither glazing bar sash windows or narrowglazing bar casements. A number ofbuildings also have blind windows.

STREETSCAPEPortway is an unusual wide street, whichalthough not formally planted has the feel ofan avenue and a street of some status.

LANDSCAPESurrounded by prominent green landscapingwith views of mature trees and long greengardens to the rear of the buildings whichfront the street, Portway has retained a semi-rural feel.

There are a number of mature trees in frontcourtyards which are important to thecharacter of the streetscape andcomplement the long views of the attractivelandscape setting of the town.

OPPORTUNITIES In order to retain and enhance the

character of Portway the retention offront gardens and boundary walls isconsidered important.

The reinstatement of these enclosedspaces by introducing gateways wherenew drives have been created would bebeneficial.

The street can accommodate theinclusion of street trees due to its width.

There are a few neutral buildings that do notcontribute to the character of theconservation area:

35 Portway, is architecturally bland, butis nevertheless, of an appropriate sizeand positioned well in terms of itsrelationship with Portway House.Consequently, if redeveloped thebuilding form should be retained.

88 Portway, late 20th century detachedhouse. neither the materials, thepositioning nor the architectural style ofthis building is suitable for this locality.

Kyneston Court, architecturally does notpositively contribute to the character ofthe conservation area.

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RESIDENTIAL AREA 2This part of the Conservation Area is madeup of Pound Street, Pound Row, West Streetand the western end of Vicarage Street.

West Street was established by 1325 and bythe 16th century the town extended as far aswhat is now No. 34 Vicarage Street,(Vicarage Street formerly being part of WestStreet). By 1783 houses stretched alongWest Street on both sides for 0.8km beyondthe High Cross (now The Obelisk in SilverStreet), and along Pound Street further thanthe end of Princecroft Lane.

The entranceway from the town centre intothis area is the junction of Vicarage Street,Pound Street and West Street. Both PoundStreet and West Street, but particularlyPound Street, are narrower roads thanVicarage Street.

The western end of the Conservation Area inWest Street terminates with Bleeck’sBuildings and the southern end of theConservation Area along Pound Street ismarked by the change from higher densityurban form to a more rural feeling in thestreetscape.

USESPound Street and West Street arepredominantly residential in use and issomewhat removed from the town centre.These were principle routes into the townand linear development out of the town wasa natural evolution.

There are commercial properties within thisarea however and Pound Street contains theprinciple remaining commercial elements ofthis area, namely The Maltings on PoundStreet and The Old Silkworks off FactoryLane.

The Maltings, Pound Street, is Grade IIlisted malthouse built in 1879 and is still inoperation in its original use and as suchretains much of its original character. Thecharacteristic kiln roof structures are stillvisible even though some have been lost.

The Old Silkworks was built in 1874 as anextension to the silkworks in Mere andCrockerton. Silk manufacturing ceased inthe late 19th century at which point thefactory was then used for making shirts. Itwas used as a wool store by the WarDepartment but remained empty then until

1925. It returned to textile production at thispoint and was used for parachutemanufacture during the Second World War.Following the war the building has operatedalmost continuously in various forms ofcommercial enterprise.

West Street does have elements ofcommercial uses with The Cock Inn at No.55 (Grade II listed), and a modern garageuse on the corner of West Street and PoundRow.

LAYOUTThe majority of the buildings in this area areterraced properties which front directly ontothe highway, although a number are set backbehind small enclosed front gardens or rosebehind retaining walls.

The towards southern end of Pound Streetthe road becomes very narrow, occasionallywith footpaths only on one side of the

SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES

Street and Building Layout Narrow street widths Majority of building directly front the

highway

Building Types Predominantly residential terraces Some semi- detached or detached

properties Some larger plots Some large commercial buildings

Materials Mixture of rubble stone and brick, some

finished in render and/or paint Clay tiles including pantiles, some slate Timber sash windows with glazing bars

and timber casement windows Occasional boundary walls, some with

railings

Landscape Features Minimal, some trees Children’s play park on Pound Street

Parking Predominantly on street

Streetscape Narrow and enclosed Intimate

SkylineQuite an enclosed feeling created by thenarrow streets. The skyline is varies bygentle undulations in roofscapes, but thereare no views of the wider landscape.

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carriageway or even no footpath at all. Thisresults in a strong sense of enclosure withinthe street.

Within the conservation area densities arereasonably consistent, and there are fewdetached and semi-detached dwellings.Beyond the conservation area the buildinglayouts and character is much moresuburban. On Pound Street buildingsbecome detached and there are entrancesinto modern cul-de-sacs.

West Street is also narrow but has footpathson both sides of the carriageway along itslength. Consequently, there is a more openfeeling to West Street rather than the intimatenature of Pound Street. Once again thedensities and mix of property types areconsistent, however the plots are muchdeeper than those of Pound Street retainingthe sense of the medieval burgage plots.

Vicarage St??

West Street and Pound Street are connectedby Pound Row, creating a triangular blockbetween Pound Row and the junction ofVicarage Street, Pound Street and WestStreet.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMThe scale and form of the terracesthroughout this area are reasonablyconstant in that they are mostly modest twostorey cottage terraces. These areinterspersed with larger two storey detachedproperties and even a large three storeyresidential building.

The terraces are quite simple architecturallyoften with only minimal detailing. Theemphasis of the detailing is predominantlyon the door and window surrounds and onthe roof details such as decorative ridge tilesand chimneys.

The scale of the terraces is reasonablyconsistent but there are small variations inheights and indeed some ranges are set onbanks behind retaining walls. The effect ofthese minor variations in the terraces hasled to an attractive undulating skyline thatcomplements the intimate nature of thesestreets.

Some of the detached houses are grand andsituated on larger plots. These are generallyof a higher quality of architecture and boast

features such as bay windows, stone stringcourses and a larger use of quality stone.

14 West Street is a Grade II listed buildingand was built in the 1680s. It has beenaltered substantially over the years but stillretains an important presence in the street.Its striking façade and elevated roofline giveit grandeur over the surrounding area.

The three storey Bleeck’s Buildings on WestStreet – now 101-119 West Street – is animposing and dominant building within thearea. This building was in existence in 1886and at that time was the westernmost extentof the continuous development of the town.The building is now a collection of separatedwelling units. Despite this it has retainedmost of its original character and plays animportant visual and historic role in theConservation Area.

LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURES The Maltings Pound Street The Old Silkworks Factory Lane 14 West Street Bleeck’s Buildings (now 101-119 West

Street)

Other landmark or feature buildings include: 72-74 Pound Street 13-19 West Street Stables to 12 West Street

BUILDING MATERIALSWalls: The area is a mix of rubble stonebuildings and red brick buildings. Some ofthe rubble stone buildings have brickdressings and some of the buildings havebeen rendered and/or painted.Roofs: Clay pantiles are the most commonroof materials, with occasional use of slate.There are a number of decorative ridgecapping and chimney pots.Fenestration: Where the original timberwindows have been retained, they tend to beeither glazing bar sash windows or narrowglazing bar casements.Boundary Walls: Mostly brick built with brickcaps, some with railings.

STREETSCAPEDue to the narrow nature of both WestStreet and Pound Street, the streetscape isof an intimate nature and gives a strongfeeling of enclosure to the area. There are anumber of front boundary walls where theproperties are set back slightly, some ofthese have retained their railings, which add

32

a subtle but important visual element to thestreetscape.

LANDSCAPEThere is no real sense of the widerlandscape in this area due to the close-knitnature of the buildings and the fact that mostof the buildings front directly onto thehighway. In addition surrounding landscapeis flatter here which does not facilitate longviews.

The front gardens that do exist are small innature, not providing any real sense ofgreen space, although there are a smallnumber of trees at the junction of VicarageStreet, Pound Street and West Street.

OPPORTUNITIES The retention of boundary walls is

considered to be very important in orderto retain the remaining historic form ofthese buildings.

There are a very small number of historicstreet features such as iron gullies andboot scrapers. These should be retainedas they constitute increasingly rarefeatures.

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6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

N Pevsner (1991 reprint) The Buildings of England – Wiltshire, Penguin, London

R Cundick (1987) The Inns & Taverns of Warminster, The Warminster History Society

A Houghton (1988) Before the Warminster Bypass , the Story of Our Roads, Warminster HistorySociety

C Lane & P White (1999) Warminster in the Twentieth Century, The Warminster History Society

B Watkins (1985) Trails in and around Warminster, The Warminster History Society and WarminsterCivic Trust

Wiltshire County Council (2001) The Archaeology of Wiltshire’s Towns, An Extensive UrbanSurvey, Warminster, Wiltshire County Council, Trowbridge

Department of Environment (31st March 1978) Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural orHistoric Interest for Warminster and Westbury. DOE

Ordnance Survey Maps- Old Edition Series- Warminster 1899. The Godfrey Edition.

Other Ordnance Survey maps- current editions and older ones housed in the Wiltshire Buildings RecordOffice.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alwyn Hardy

Jack Field

Policy Project Group Members

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APPENDIX 1

Warminster Town Centre Conservation Area Boundary

The boundaries of the Conservation Area were revised on the 13th September 2006 in accordance withthe following table.

The location of these changes is identified on the plan following this table.

AREA DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGE

JUSTIFICATION

1 Large extension to include property onboth sides of the road in Portway up tothe railway line and then propertysolely on the west side of Portway onthe north side of the railway line.

A number of the buildings identified are listedand many are over 100 years old. There hasbeen some modern infill but generally this part ofPortway still retains important townscapecharacteristics, forming one of the mainentrances into Warminster.

2 Small extension in Station Road toinclude remaining buildings thatformed part of the 1900 extent of theold town. Also small modern factorybuilding to be removed from the CA.

1 Station Rd is estimated to be an Edwardianproperty. The land around it formed part of thetown centre in the 19th century. The proposedextension also includes a structure to the souththat used to be the weighbridge for the coal yardand predates 1 Station Rd.

Factory building at rear is not worthy ofretention.

3 Small extension to include group oflisted buildings on Weymouth Street.

Makes sense to include these listed buildings asthey were part of the town centre in the 19thcentury.

4 De-designation of land withinMorrisons Car Park.

A TPO protects the tree that was planted as areplacement in this part of the car park thereforeno reason to keep this area in the CA.

5 Removal of 21 Samborne Road andadjoining land on corner of the roadleading to Morrisons Car Park andCoppice Close.

Nothing currently on this site that is consideredspecial enough for retention.

6 Removal of large modern housingdevelopment around The Maltings eastoff Pound Street.

No architectural or historic merit in thisdevelopment.The proposed amendment will ensure all historicwalls are retained around this development.

7 Extension to include the Old SilkFactory off of Factory Lane and BeechAvenue.

The original factory building has architectural,historic and industrial interest. Local sourcesindicate that the factory continued making silkfor parachutes until the end of WWII.

An internal inspection of the buildings on thissite is proposed.

8 De-designation of buildings at the westend of Pound Street that have beensubject to recent re-development.

Old buildings but badly altered and no trees ofany significance.

9 Removal of part of estate to the westof Pound Street known as Westleighand large road verge on the south sideof Pound Row.

No architectural or historic merit in thisdevelopment.

10 Removal of land and buildings atwestern end of current CA at top endof West Street, including No 5 VictoriaMews.

No architectural or historic merit in thisdevelopment. No significance to the landadjacent to No 106.

11 Readjustment of the boundaries torelate more closely to the features on

More logical boundary around the perimeter ofthe school playing fields.

35

the ground and allow better protectionto the setting for Warminster School.

12 Removal of modern development offGeorge Street known as George StreetPlace.

No architectural or historic merit in thisdevelopment.The proposed amendment will ensure all historicwalls and trees are retained around thisdevelopment.

36

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APPENDIX 2

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING BUILDINGS OF LOCAL INTEREST

Not all buildings in the town centre are statutorily listed. Other buildings and structures maymake positive contributions towards the character and appearance of the conservation areabut cannot or have not been listed. The location of those buildings and structures that areconsidered to be of Local Interest in the town are indicated on the attached map. There maybe some buildings or structures that haven't been identified that may come under the criteriabelow and should therefore be included.Some of the buildings that have been identified under the criteria set out below, may be putforward for consideration for listing in due course. English Heritage is now the bodyresponsible for listing and the listing criteria is presently being redefined. However, the set ofcriteria below are based on the latest English Heritage guidance for locally listed buildings.

Criteria for Assessing Local Interest Building• The building is designed by an architect of local or regional note.• It has qualities depicted by age, style, materials, or any other characteristics that reflect

those that are typical of and makes a positive contribution towards the conservation area.• It relates by age, materials or other historically significant way to any adjacent listed

buildings or their settings.• It may either individually or as a group serve as a reminder of the gradual development of

the town or any historic activities associated with the town's past.• It may have a significant association with established features such as road layout,

burgage plots parks or landscape features.• It is a landmark building that makes a qualitative contribution towards the area.• It may have strong historic associations with local people or events.• It may be a structure of significance within the street scene such as a wall or streetscape

feature of some relevance either historically or architecturally to the area.

Any on of these criteria could provide the basis for considering that a building or structuremakes a positive contribution to the special interest of the conservation area, provided that itshistoric form and values have not been seriously eroded by unsympathetic alteration.

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APPENDIX 3

HISTORIC BUILDING OVERVIEW AND AUDIT.

There are a total of 351 listed building entries in the town centre conservation area. Thisgives the town a high proportion of historic buildings, contributing toward the architecturalquality and historic interest of the town centre. The attached map indicates where the listedbuildings are in the town centre. However, if there is any doubt about the statutory listing of abuilding, especially where there may be structures within the grounds of a listed building,guidance should be sought from the District Council’s conservation advisors.

There is 1 Grade I Listed Building within the town centre.There are 11 Grade II* (or B) Listed Buildings within the town centre.The remaining entries are Grade II Listed.

A Building at Risk survey was carried out over the summer of 2005. The preliminary resultsof this survey indicate that:

71% of buildings were in good condition.25% of buildings were in fair condition.4% of buildings were in poor condition.0% of buildings were in very bad condition.

List of buildings most at risk in the Town Centre as of August 2005:

Stable Block to north of Byne House, Church Street Grade IIThe Round House, Church Street Grade II7, East Street Grade II10, East Street Grade II14-30, East Street Grade II32, (The Agra), East Street Grade IIEntrance Screen to 45, (Yard House), East Street Grade II8, George Street. Grade IINo 1, George Street Grade II1-3 (Ciro Citterio), High Street. Grade II41, High Street. Grade IITown Hall, Market Place Grade II15-17 (Reeve the Baker), Market Place Grade II56, Market Place Grade II30-33, North Row Grade II7 & 8, Silver Street Grade IIWall to Churchyard at Parish Church of St Denys, Church St Grade BBoundary wall to the south of The Avenue. Not listed.

Three buildings/structures have recently been removed from the Register;The Organ Inn, High StreetThe screen wall to Portway House, PortwayNos. 37 and 39, Portway.

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APPENDIX 4

STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

INTRODUCTIONAs outlined in the WWDC Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), different LDFdocuments require different procedures for consultation and are likely to impact on differentgroups. Consequently, consultation on each document should seek to identify appropriatemethods and target appropriate stakeholders as well as statutory consultees.

This draft has been produced in consultation with a Planning Policy Group that includes;District Councillors, Local Councillors, members of the Warminster Civic Trust, local historiansand representatives of other relevant local bodies such as the Warminster Chamber of Tradeand Commerce.

During consideration of the conservation area boundaries, a thorough public consultationexercise took place.

METHOD

Targeted Consultation

1. The PPG have met four times prior to the completion of the consultation draft.2. A letter and questionnaire was sent to the individuals and organisations as well as

relevant individuals within the District and County Councils identified (see table 1)outlining the conservation area boundary changes proposed and inviting comments to bemade within a 4 week time period. The responses received are shown in table 2.

3. A consultation letter was also included within the members' information sheet that is sentto all District Council Members.

4. A display was put up outside the Planning Reception in the District Council Offices inJune inviting comments and identifying that formal public consultation was scheduled forthe boundary changes.

5. The proposals for the boundary changes formed part of the District Council’s exhibition atthe library in Warminster and interested individuals were asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Public Consultation - The public consultation period began on the 30th July 2006 and ran forthe maximum statutory period of six weeks ending on the 11th August 2006.

It was advertised in the following ways:

1. A press release identifying that the change was put out to public consultation.2. A public notice was published in the Wiltshire Times identifying where the proposals could

be accessed and how to make representations.3. Letters were sent to a number of statutory consultees who also received copies of the

proposed alterations to the boundary.4. Information was displayed within the District Council offices, at Warminster Library and

within the Warminster Youth Centre.5. The proposals were published on the WWDC web site.

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CONSULTEES AND RESPONSES

CONSERVATION AREA BOUNDARIES

Table 1 includes a summary of all of the consultees that were specifically included in thetargeted consultation process and the methods used for engaging them.Table 2 shows the results of the consultation.

Table 1- Phase 1- Boundary Changes

Consultees Method adoptedTargeted individuals owning or leasingproperty or land within the areas affected (acopy of the list can be made available onrequest)

- Selected property searches.- Targeted letters and questionnaires sent out to all

property and adjacent property

Local Councillors - Consultation letter- PPG

Wiltshire County CouncilCounty Archaeologist Consultation letterCounty Building Records Consultation letterCorporate Estates Consultation letterEnvironmental Services Consultation letterHighway Department Consultation letterOther OrganisationsGOSW Consultation letterSouth West Regional Assembly Consultation letterSWRDA Consultation letterEnglish Heritage Consultation letterWest Wiltshire Economic Partnership Consultation letterEnglish Nature Consultation letterCountryside Agency Consultation letterUtility providers – Wessex Water, BT,SWEB, Southern Electric, Transco, BritishGas

Consultation letter

Network Rail/British Rail Board Consultation letterLocal BodiesWarminster Town Council Consultation letterWarminster Civic Trust Consultation letterWarminster and Villages CommunityPartnership

Consultation letter- PPG

Warminster and District Chamber of Tradeand Commerce

Consultation Letter- PPG

Warminster Independent Trade Association Consultation Letter- PPG

Table 2 -Results of Questionnaires and Written Representations Received

Proposed BoundaryChange

Support Objections

Area 1 – extension 7 1Area 2 – extension 3 0Area 3 – extension 4 0Area 4 – removal 3 0Area 5 – removal 3 0Area 6 – removal 8 0Area 7 – extension 6 3 (4)

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Area 8 – removal 5 2Area 9- removal 4 0Area10 – removal 3 0Area 11- removal 5 2Area 12- removal 5 3

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USEFUL CONTACTS DETAILS

English Heritage

English Heritage (South West Office)29, Queens SquareBristolBS1 4ND

Tel: 0117 975 0700

Wiltshire County Council

Wiltshire County ArchaeologistWiltshire County CouncilCouncil OfficesBythesea RoadTrowbridgeWiltshireBA14 8JD

Tel: 01225 713000

West Wiltshire District Council

Mark RussellPlanning Policy and Conservation Manager mrussell@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Caroline PowerConservation Officer cpower@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Hilary MacleanUrban Designer and Conservation Assistant hmaclean@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Russell BrownHeritage Development Officer rbrown@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Chris KirkTree and Landscape Officer mgoodwin@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Web site: www.westwiltshire.uk

West Wiltshire District CouncilBradley RoadTrowbridgeWiltshire BA14 0RD

Tel: 01225 776655Fax: 01225 770314