A small village of mainly 19th century buildings lying along the A25. The village is contained within a valley; the gentle open slopes to the south, and the steeper slope to the north occupied by buildings and wooded gardens. The sense of visual containment is quite marked.
The south side of the road is dominated by the open spaces of the village green and cricket ground. This area contains isolated mature trees and has a parkland quality. The trees, open space and the Tilling Bourne provide a picturesque foreground to the properties in the village core.
The rising ground to the south gives the impression of being an extension to the open space at the bottom of the valley, although two thin belts of trees running east-west are important visually and give a sense of containment.
The north side of the Conservation Area contains a linear arrangement of mainly domestic properties along the main road, and a tight-knit cluster of buildings at the junction with Hackhurst Lane. This latter group includes the pub, school and antiques shop.
The well-treed gardens of properties in this area create an impression of containment. The ridge of trees and shrubs forms a striking backdrop to the buildings on the north side of the A25. A tree of note is the horse chestnut by the antique shop.
The flat watercress beds along the valley bottom on the eastern side of the Conservation Area are a long established feature of the village. They contrast with the cluster of buildings on the north side of the road and reinforce the Conservation Area’s appearance of isolation and containment.
Although the village has a strong 19th century flavour, some buildings have earlier origins, notably the Listed Buildings 1 and 2 Marsh View and Laurel Cottage (17th century). The predominant materials are brick and tile, with some local stone and weatherboarding. Chimneys are a notable feature, particularly on the school, which rise above the roofscape and provide interest in views to the north. The mix of small workshops, the village shop and residential buildings combine to create the impression of a working village.
The Conservation Area has some strong boundaries, especially along Hackhurst Lane where brick and stone walls are a very significant visual element. Holly and privet hedges are also common.
A line of 14 Edwardian properties set in mature gardens. The Conservation Area includes the access road and embankment on the east side. The special character of the area is provided by the large, varied and attractively detailed Edwardian properties and the large mature gardens in which they are set. The variety of architectural detailing, the quality of the buildings and the natural setting provided by the gardens together produce an attractive residential environment. None of the buildings are listed, but together they form a distinctive and cohesive group.
The belt of trees along the embankment contributes to the overall character of this Conservation Area.
A small enclave of pleasing domestic properties surrounded by modern estate houses. The two feature buildings, the listed Old Bakery and Old Rectory, look outwards from the edge of the Conservation Area. The remaining buildings are 20th century, set in attractive gardens. Of note is the imposing early 20th century St Giles rectory.
A feature of the Conservation Area is the tight, narrow streets, reinforced by strong garden boundaries, particularly the brick walls. The line of lime trees along the southern side of Dene Road is of particular value.
This small Conservation Area comprises the house and garden of Ashtead House and the 18th century Headmaster’s House and adjacent lodge.
The neatly kept Headmaster’s House and garden, with its metal railings, are an extension of the parkland around the City of London Freemans School. To the north of the house the high brick walls are listed in their own right, but important also to the wider character of the Conservation Area. The walls are contemporaneous with the buildings and therefore important to their setting. They enclose gardens and are a reminder of historic uses and associations with Ashtead House.
Elsewhere, small blocks of woodland provide a sense of enclosure and a backdrop to Ashtead House.
The Conservation Area contains an irregular scattering of mainly domestic buildings strung along The Street. Modern developments have been discreetly sited and it is the more traditional architectural character of the 17th and 18th centuries that predominates. The historic core lies around the 11th/13th century parish church. There are certain key buildings: the Parish Church, Betchworth House and The Old House. Their importance is reflected in the open space that surrounds them. The hierarchy of spaces within the Conservation Area emphasises the irregularity of village form and preserves the links and views out into the countryside.
The Conservation Area is bounded on the southern and eastern sides by belts of mature woodland, which give a sense of enclosure and provide an attractive backdrop to buildings. There are however important views into the surrounding landscape, notably from The Walled Garden north to the Downs, and from Betchworth Bridge south along the River Mole.
The southern half of the Conservation Area has changed little over the past two hundred years. The only obviously modern addition has been a large modern farm shed between Fryleigh and Fryleigh Cottages.
There have been more changes in the northern half, with development within the walled garden north of Church Street and around Home Farm. The impact of both is reduced by brick walls and the use of brick and handmade clay roof tiles.
The tight cluster of white painted buildings around the junction between The Street and Wonham Lane is a pleasing group of 16th/17th and 18th century buildings, white painted with clay tile roofs. It includes the Dolphin Public House which is fronted by a laurel hedge and pollarded limes.
The best views of the church are from the Church Street approach. A pleasing mix of early Victorian cottages, Victorian workshops and 16th/17th century cottages flank the Church Street approach to St Michael’s to create an attractive and historic enclave.
Brick walls are an important feature throughout the Conservation Area. High brick walls surround Betchworth House and form one side of the churchyard, giving a feeling of seclusion and importance to the buildings. The brick walls around The Walled Garden are a pleasing feature in their own right and reduce the impact of the new housing. Low hedges divide the Church Street gardens, an appropriate setting for these more modest dwellings.
Within the Conservation Area are valuable pieces of woodland. Of particular importance is the belt of woodland running down the eastern boundary of the Conservation Area, broadening south of Wonham Lane to clothe both sides of the River Mole.
The southern end of the Conservation Area has a pleasing, more open character containing the landscaped park of Betchworth House, the River Mole and Wealden farming landscape.
This is a small, isolated collection of dwellings lying in a wooded valley on the northern slopes of Leith Hill.
The buildings demonstrate a variety of vernacular architectural traditions. The use of local sandstone, galleting, brick dressing around windows and doors, and clay tile roofs give the domestic cottages a distinctive, attractive local appearance. One Listed Building is half timbered.
The collection of farm buildings at Home Farm has been masked and cluttered by more utilitarian buildings closer to the road. A K6 red telephone box is in keeping with the area’s character.
Broadmoor is surrounded by dense mixed woodland, the fringes of which are included in the Conservation Area. It gives a feeling of isolation to the collection of buildings.
There are some valuable trees within private gardens, particularly at the southern end of Broadmoor. These make a significant contribution to the setting of the cottages.
Stone garden walls incorporating a tile crease are an important feature. Elsewhere hedges of holly, beech and yew form strong boundaries to private gardens.
The dominant feature is the large village green which provides a picturesque setting to houses in the heart of the Conservation Area.
The Conservation Area contains a considerable variety of buildings. 20th century housing development has taken place to the north and south of the village green leaving the core of the village little changed since the beginning of the century. The varied building styles are still predominantly modest in scale.
The mixture of building styles works well around the Green. On the north side is a tight collection of cottages. White render or painted brick under clay tile roofs predominate. Small dormer windows are a feature of several buildings. Two public houses are integrated into this group. This side of the Green is dramatically seen against the steep slopes of Box Hill.
The east side of the Green is a contrast. The Victorian North and South Lodge contributes to the variety of building types around the Green. The timber framed Vicarage Cottage provides a picturesque setting to the church. Buildings on this side of the Green are largely hidden behind trees and tall hedges. The neatly proportioned and maintained early Victorian parish church dominates the views of the Green. Its spire is a landmark and is clearly visible from Box Hill.
The west side of the Green is a tightly built frontage of housing from a variety of different periods; traditional timber framed dwellings, Regency stucco and Victorian cottages.
On the north side of the Borough Bridge is an attractive group of 17th century cottages, mostly rebuilt in red brick, with some timber framing visible. They overlook the river flood plain to the south, but are otherwise surrounded by mid-20th century bungalows.
The Dodds Park estate lies to the south of the Green. The estate has an attractive appearance due to its generous open grass verges and unity of building style. Alterations to the houses, even on details such as windows and doors, would dilute the unity of the area.
A group of listed cottages at the junction of Wheelers Lane and Middle Street are prominent and important for the setting of the church. The Vicarage and the primary school are feature Victorian buildings.
On the eastern edge of the Conservation Area is Brockham Court Farm, with a collection of traditional tile and timber clad farm buildings. The remaining buildings are of considerable value as a farm cluster in a splendid setting. Although close to the village centre, they are separated by a field, and have an attractive isolated setting.
The final group worthy of mention is the buildings lying along Tanner’s Hill and Old School Lane. Red brick and timber framed cottages lie on the outskirts of the village where the woodland of Tanner’s Hill gives way to open farmland. A pleasant row of 19th century semi-detached cottages of brick with slate complete the picture.
The setting of the Conservation Area is enhanced considerably by belts of woodland which penetrate into the built-up area of the village. Of particular value is the woodland in the north east corner of the Conservation Area which runs down to the River Mole and along the back of properties fronting the north side of the Green. This woodland enhances the footpath access to Brockham from the north east, and provides a backdrop to the buildings in the centre of the village.
A second, equally important tree belt runs from the Borough Bridge down behind properties fronting the west side of the Green, flanking Tanner’s Hill. Again the value is as a backdrop, but also contributing to the rural character of Tanner’s Hill and a dramatic contrast to the open landscape to the west and the Green to the east.
There are several valuable individual and small groups of trees. The pine trees on the east side of the Green are of dramatic interest, dwarfing neighbouring buildings. The plane tree on the corner of Wheelers Lane and Middle Street is a focal point, especially from the footpath to the south west, and enhances the setting of the church. There is a large and visually important oak in the front garden of Oaktree House in Wheelers Lane. Just east of the Old School House in Old School Lane is a small group of deciduous trees enhancing the setting of the Listed Buildings. The ash tree by the pound south of Brockham Court Farm is another focal point, and the nearby trees in the Dukes Head car park provide a setting to the Green and its buildings.
There are several areas of open space which contribute to the particular character of the Conservation Area. Apart from the main Green they include the open space forming the flood plain of the River Mole and the farmland west of Middle Street. The trees and hedgerows which fringe the fields enhance the landscape setting of the village.
Boundaries are generally well maintained, especially around the village green. Hedges are a strong feature, but there are also attractive stone walls on the north side of the Green and around the churchyard.
The Conservation Area is divided by the busy A25. To the north the neatly kept oblong village green with its pond and war memorial form an attractive area. It is surrounded by an informal arrangement of traditional buildings.
A variety of building styles encircling the Green contribute to the overall charm of this part of the Conservation Area. The Tower Barn dominates the scene. Its rather clean-cut appearance belies its 17th century origins. Its dark timbers contrast well with the white painted farm house immediately adjacent.
There are three substantial Victorian properties at the north end of the village, the most prominent being the former village school. Its steeply pitched tile roof, heavy timber detailing and decorative barge boards are typical of Surrey.
To the south of the A25, is the parish church and the adjacent terrace of buildings which includes the Post Office and village stores. Buckland Court is also an important building. The character of this part of the Conservation Area is created by a varied mix of housing from the 17th/18th century to the present day.
To the west the tighter arrangement of dwellings is largely the result of infilling over the last two hundred years. Included in the Conservation Area are the larger, more substantial dwellings, set in pleasantly wooded gardens.
The north eastern portion of the Conservation Area includes open fields, which contrast with the tight wooded village centre and a reminder of the wider landscape setting.
Hedgerows are an important feature of the Conservation Area. Neat hedges around The Green form a strong encircling boundary. To the north, along Rectory Lane and Slough Lane, native hedges and trees provide a sense of enclosure. To the south hedges continue to be important, especially along Old Road, but brick walls become more common, notably along the A25 frontage of the church and around Dungates Lane.
There is a considerable amount of tree cover within the Conservation Area. Views of the church from the north, and of The Green from the south, are very much enhanced by the framework of trees. The feeling of enclosure around The Green is largely due to the mature trees which encircle it.
The trees vary from tall specimen trees in gardens, such as the two evergreens in the grounds of The Orchard on the northern edge of The Green, to the small areas of woodland south of the parish church. On the edge of the Conservation Area there are some fine field oaks, including two within the garden of Weylands in Slough Lane. The trees which frame Tower Barn and The Rectory, on the southern edge of The Green, are particularly valuable.
The Conservation Area has a long linear form fronting The Street. It contains an eastern spur along Vicarage Lane. The Street snakes through the Conservation Area, widening in the centre of the village. The serpentine road is part of the charm of the village. The mix of uses is typical of many Surrey villages: residential uses punctuated with small village shops, community buildings and public houses.
The Conservation Area has a varied appearance, with modern housing cheek-by-jowl with 17th century Wealden cottages and Victorian cottages. There is a number of larger key buildings such as Churchgardens Farmhouse, The Red House and the Almshouses, but the predominant form is one of small cottages built close to the road frontage, often arranged in small groups of terraces. The Conservation Area lacks a strong central focus and, unlike many village Conservation Areas in the District, does not have a central open space or green. The parish church is screened by trees within the churchyard. Only the widening road, garage and pub indicate that the centre of the village has been reached.
The mixed building styles are matched by a wide variety of building materials: red brick, tile hanging, sandstone, weather boarding and timber framing.
There are important gaps in the built-up road frontage, which offer views through to adjacent countryside, and help to maintain the rural feel. Some more recent housing developments have reduced the gaps in the built-up frontage.
Properties in Vicarage Lane are of a rather different character. They are larger and set in substantial gardens with mature trees. A striking characteristic of Vicarage Lane is the number and maturity of the trees both along the road frontage and around the buildings. They give a special quality and interest to the road, and to the eastern approach to the village centre.
The northern end of the Conservation Area includes a sliver of open fields which includes some field trees and ponds in the area of Capel House Farm. This open space provides a valuable setting for the traditional buildings on the east side of the road.
Elsewhere in the Conservation Area the boundary tends to follow the line of rear gardens fronting onto The Street or Vicarage Lane. The well-treed churchyard and rear of The Crown Public House are important and provide an attractive setting to two important Listed Buildings.
Just as the materials used in the buildings are mixed, so too are the boundaries. Hedges, stone walls and palisade fences are traditional and successful boundary treatments. The brick wall fronting Charlotte Broadwood Flats on Vicarage Lane is listed.
The Charlwood Conservation Area is a large area covering the historic core of the village and peripheral medieval buildings. The village lies in relatively flat farming landscape of the Weald south of Norwood Hill. The village setting of hedged fields, winding country lanes, field oaks and woodland is important because of the views out from the Conservation Area and the backdrop formed for important buildings such as the Parish Church.
The village has a characteristic form, reflecting distinct phases of expansion. The medieval timber framed buildings are widely dispersed and generally occupy peripheral locations around the centre of the village. They reflect the past prosperity of the Weald and their picturesque qualities add much to the appearance of Charlwood. They include large manor houses and modest yeoman cottages. Many are listed and have fine garden settings with stone paths and mature trees. The size of the curtilage of these buildings is generally a reflection of their importance.
The next distinct phase of development is the housing that was built in the present-day centre of the village following the Enclosure Act of 1845 when common land was divided into plots. Victorian houses and cottages were built on these plots. Once again, a range of house types was built including the picturesque stock brick Dolby Terrace and large imposing villas. As with the medieval houses, garden size reflects the status of the properties they serve and, whether large or small, provide appropriate settings. Many of the larger Victorian properties are unlisted but occupy prominent positions on the main roads through Charlwood. Properties such as the Rising Sun Public House and Charlwood House at the junction of The Street and Ifield Road are feature buildings whose architectural form and detailing makes a positive contribution to the appearance of the Conservation Area.
The Grade I Norman Church of St Nicholas is the most important building in the Conservation Area. Its setting on the edge of the village and within an area of open space known as Rectory Field maintains its rural setting. Views of the church are important. The approach to the church along The Street is very picturesque. It is narrow and flanked by brick and tile hung buildings before opening out to provide expansive views of the church, churchyard and the countryside beyond. There are also unspoilt views from the footpaths to the south of the church and the properties fronting Ifield Road.
The churchyard and many of the footpaths and pavements in the village are surfaced with local Paludian Limestone. This material is no longer readily available, but as a material which is characteristic of the village, deserves to be carefully conserved.
Open spaces are a feature of the Charlwood Conservation Area. The formally maintained and open recreation ground contrasts with the informality of Tifters Field immediately to the east. Tifters Field contains a belt of mature trees, along its western and northern boundaries, that provide an attractive entrance to the village centre and an attractive backdrop to the recreation ground. A more intimate space is Wickens Orchard, surrounded by characteristic hedging. Rectory Field is another important informal space contributing to the wider character of the Conservation Area and providing a setting for the Parish Church and the vicarage. It and Tifters Field represent a wedge of countryside penetrating to the heart of the village. These open spaces are part of the hierarchy of open spaces that contribute to the historic character of Charlwood and they help to break up the developed frontage along the main road. On the northern edge of the Conservation Area the open space is provided by fields which separate the medieval farmhouses, a reminder of a past settlement form that was more dispersed.
Trees are important to the appearance of the Conservation Area. The pollarded trees around the recreation ground provide a formal edge to this piece of open space. The wilder, informal space of Rectory Field is characterised by a mix of mature native trees and a mixed native hedge around its periphery. Trees here provide a valuable backdrop to the church and preserve its isolated setting. Garden trees of note include those around the Manor House, Hunts and the properties along Rosemary Lane and Ifield Road. Hedges are a strong feature around private gardens.
There is a rich heritage of local building materials. Earlier buildings are timber framed with infill panels of brick or render and clay tiles and tile hanging. Horsham stone is also widely used on roofs. Brick predominates on later buildings, with some rendered and generally painted white. Many of the Victorian cottages have attractive brick string courses and quoins.
The interplay of landscape and buildings produces a very special atmosphere and character unlike any other Conservation Area in the District. There is a unique character to Coldharbour which is a quiet, isolated and upland village. The Conservation Area is in fact several groups or clusters of buildings separated by open areas of rough grass and woodland. It affords magnificent views south and east over the rolling Weald. The impression is of an informal scatter of buildings clinging to the side of Coldharbour Common.
Two buildings are listed. The Christ Church is a 19th century church in a 13th century style. It is attractively nestled against the side of the hill within a group of mature lime and yew trees. 1 and 2 Mosses Wood Cottages lie on the southern edge of the Conservation Area and is a 17th century timber framed building.
There are many other modest but pleasant and well detailed 19th century cottages of local stone, brick, tile hanging and clay roof tiles.
The closest to formal open space is the small triangular “green” which sits above the road opposite The Plough Public House. It is not a dominant feature but gives a central focus for the haphazard arrangement of buildings around it.
Within the boundaries of the Conservation Area are large areas of dense woodland and some rough grassland and verges. They draw the surrounding landscape into the hamlet and provide an important setting to the buildings. Trees on the edge of Coldharbour Common are a mixture of coniferous and deciduous and have a wild unmanaged look. Woodland to the east is rather less dense, but a mixture of oak and birch.
Trees within the churchyard are also important, especially the lime and yew, which give seclusion and frame the appearance of the church. There is also a prominent oak tree a few metres west of the public house. There are several attractive boundary hedges and walls of local stone and brick.
Dorking has traditionally been a trading centre and market for the surrounding rural communities. Despite the residential expansion of the town from the mid 19th century onwards, represented within the Conservation Area by Wathen Road, the atmosphere and character of a small market town has been retained. This has resulted from the architectural continuity of the commercial centre of the town and the retention of many traditional townscape elements from shopfronts to street cobbles, underlining the town’s historic character.
The character of the Dorking Conservation Area is created by the mix of small shops and businesses in the High Street, West Street and South Street and 19th century residential development adjacent to the commercial core.
The hierarchy of streets in the Conservation Area is marked by a combination of scale and uses. Taller and more elaborate facades are generally a feature of the High Street, while the narrower residential streets on the edge of the Conservation Area are more modest in scale and architecture. Within the Conservation Area there are therefore areas of contrasting townscape.
The three principal streets are arranged in a Y-shape, converging on Pump Corner, the historic centre of the town and former site of the town market. The townscape qualities of this area are enhanced by serpentine streets of changeable width and changes of level, closing off long vistas and gradually exposing street facades to view. These streets also offer glimpses of the Downs to the north.
There is considerable variation in building style and character reflecting different periods of the town’s prosperity from the 16th century to the present day. The tallest buildings are the three storey late Victorian buildings at the east end of High Street of red brick with terracotta decoration. Elsewhere there is considerable variation in both building height and materials. Brick and clay tile are common, but there is also some flint, sandstone and render. Many of the town centre buildings are listed. Large-scale redevelopment has not been a feature of Dorking. Here and there commercial frontages have been redeveloped in the 20th century, but the sense of history and continuity with the past is very strong as a result of the architecture and mix of small shop uses together with the irregularity of street layout and form.
The northern end of South Street is more open as a result of redevelopment in the 1920s, which established the war memorial, an important civic space. Junction Road is an area off South Street continuing the mix of commercial and community uses characteristic of the town centre. Overlooking this part of the town are the residential properties on Butter Hill. The changes in level are at their most dramatic here, creating vantage points for views over the town. The Dorking roofscape is important because of the varied topography and because roofs are often seen against the backdrop of surrounding hills. Natural slate and clay tiles on pitched roofs are traditional and this limited palette of materials gives unity to a complex roofscape. The tall spire of St Martin’s church is a focal and reference point for the town.
West Street contains many fine buildings and a high proportion are listed. There is a predominance of 18th and 19th century building, but many of these have older cores. A key building is Mullins House, an impressive red brick building of the 17th century which has associations with the Pilgrim Fathers. A particular feature of West Street is its many fine traditional shopfronts. The townscape qualities of West Street are enhanced by the variable building line and the wavering kerb line.
Dene Street is an extension of the High Street commercial core. It again varies considerably in width, broadening out from a very narrow section at the High Street end. The commercial frontages quickly give way to a street of residential character; typically tight knit clusters of cottages and terraces, nicely detailed, of varied age from 16th to 19th century.
Narrow streets and pavements and a mix of small businesses and residential properties are characteristic features of the north side of the Conservation Area. The urban fabric is tightly knit and it includes pedestrian passages such as Archway Place and St Martin’s Lane. The buildings are small scale, mostly red brick. This area includes St Martin’s church and churchyard. The contrast with surrounding streets is very marked. The small red brick cottages contrast with the whites and greys of the monumental church and the differences in scale and materials is best appreciated along this road.
Although only a short distance from the busy town centre, this part of Dorking has a quieter character. The churchyard in particular offers a more peaceful refuge from the traffic and bustle of High Street. Also included in this area is Spring Gardens, a terrace of painted brick and weatherboard cottages dating from the mid 18th century arranged around a rectangular green.
This is an area of housing representing a south westerly residential extension of the town in the first half of the 19th century. Road patterns are more regular than in the medieval town centre and there is a greater uniformity of housing style and materials. Houses are arranged in terraces but each street has its own characteristic appearance. The plainer terrace cottages of Mount Street without front gardens providing a contrast to the grander semi—detached villas of Howard Road.
Several properties at the junction of Station Road/Vincent Lane/Westcott Road form an important group of historic buildings at the western entrance to the town. They include the Vicarage (17th and 18th century), and West Lodge (18th century). Brick walls are a feature of this part of the town.
These two residential areas are located to the south of the High Street. They are both arranged around a central grassed area and consequently have a more open quiet character. Both areas occupy an elevated position on the lower slopes of the Greensand Hills and have fine views over the town centre buildings north to the Downs.
The Victorian arch attached to Rose Hill House is an important feature and marks a sharp divide between the busy town centre and the open, quieter, residential character of Rose Hill. The Italianate and Tudor Villas built between 1838 and 1860 are characteristic of the area and are marked by attractive and quirky details. Walls and gardens and mature trees are important to the setting of the houses.
The buildings of Cotmandene are more mixed in design. The Victorian and Edwardian properties on the north and east side include the almshouses in a characteristic Tudor style incorporating tall chimneys. On the west side the modern block of flats contrast with the scatter of 18th and 19th century cottages. The unifying element is the important and extensive area of open common land which is the central feature of this part of the Conservation Area.
A residential street built at the end of the 19th century and characterised by an eclectic mix of architectural styles and motifs. The street is characterised by a mix of classical, Italianate and Gothic revival styles. Many of the houses have attractive garden settings and there are important views beyond to the North Downs.
The Conservation Area contains two distinct areas separated by the Lower Road. On the north side there are large dwellings on either side of The Street and three large and prominant feature buildings on School Lane. They are: the Fetcham School, a large attractively detailed Victorian school in its playing field; The Bell Inn, a large public house with a symmetrical curved front facade in a neo-Georgian design typical of the 1930s and The Bell House, a substantial early 19th century house in an attractive, well treed garden.
Properties in The Street vary in age from early 17th century to 20th century buildings which attempt to look older than they are. They are similar in size and the predominant building material is red brick. Brick walls and hedges are a strong feature of The Street.
On the south side of Lower Road the Conservation Area is more open and has a parkland character. It contains the Parish Church and Fetcham Park House, two Grade II* Listed Buildings. The approach to the church and Fetcham Park House is through a residential road which has encroached on the parkland setting to these buildings. Their close proximity enhances their contrasting scale, character and function. The garden walls, railings and furniture are valuable features which enhance the setting of both buildings.
Trees are an important element in the Fetcham Conservation Area. The mature trees which line the front gardens on both sides of The Street are a notable feature. The mature parkland trees of Fetcham Park House provide an attractive end view from The Street, and are important for the setting of the Grade II* Listed Building and the church.
Throughout the Conservation Area the space around buildings is important. In The Street large gardens provide an appropriate setting for the houses. Generous space around the larger public and commercial buildings at the northern and southern end of the Conservation Area is appropriate to their size and scale.
The Forest Green Conservation Area comprises a loose grouping of buildings, mostly arranged around the Green. This lies at the heart of the Conservation Area and its open, expansive character is quite distinctive. The area still retains a sense of a small community in a forest clearing.
Relative to the size of the Conservation Area, there are few buildings and these are of varied appearance and age. Only three are listed.
Tillies is a picturesque timber framed cottage sitting opposite the pond. It is listed Grade II and dates from the late 16th century. Another Listed Building is Collins in the northern arm of the Conservation Area. The farmhouse dates from the 17th century. It is brick and tile with some Horsham slab and tile hanging and is part of an important group which forms the stop for views north from the centre of the Conservation Area. The third Listed Building is Gosterwood Manor which lies on the east side of the Conservation Area, behind a collection of outbuildings fronting Ockley Road. The majority of the remaining buildings are of the late Victorian period.
There are distinctive groups of buildings in the Conservation Area. The group around Forest Green Farm is dominated by an imposing Victorian house in a vernacular style with large brick chimneys. Another group is the attractive and prominent collection which surrounds the small Victorian church. The church itself is largely hidden, but the domestic buildings stand out on the west side of the Green. The Parrot Inn is a key building now surrounded by a large area of car parking and open gardens.
The large irregularly shaped Green is the central feature of the Conservation Area. Apart from the cricket ground, a meadow maintenance is adopted, both on the Green and the wide grass verges on the Ockley and Horsham Road. The grasses and wildflowers contribute to the beauty of Forest Green. The Green has been largely kept clear of trees, although there has been some planting of limes on the periphery. The pond is a pleasant feature. The wide grass verges along Ockley Road are an extension of the common land at the centre of Forest Green, and another pleasing and characteristic feature.
The thick belt of deciduous woodland which surrounds the Green give a sense of enclosure. A good mixture of native broadleaves is to be found, including species of oak, ash, field maple and willow.
There are several important individual trees in the Conservation Area. The mature oak to the east of Collins is right on the edge of the Conservation Area. There are another two splendid oaks on either side of the entrance to Gosterwood Manor. To the west of the church is a line of characteristic stag-horn hedgerow oaks. There are some excellent mixed native hedgerows in the Conservation Area comprising blackthorn, hazel, field maple and hawthorn.
The Conservation Area is a small neat collection of 19th century estate cottages in a picturesque rural setting which has retained its traditional character. The narrow roads with their steeply wooded banks suddenly open out at the valley bottom around the picturesque mill pond. The surrounding topography provides a dramatic setting, with steeply wooded slopes surrounding the small, isolated collection of modest cottages.
Local stone, with brick detailing around windows and doors, and clay tile roofs predominate. The simple, attractively proportioned cottages, with doors painted in the estate colours of blue and yellow, give the hamlet its distinctive appearance.
At the southern end of the Conservation Area, at the centre of the informal collection of cottages, is the Stephen Langton Public House. Designed in a mock Tudor style it is the largest of the buildings in the Conservation Area.
Hedgerows of holly and beech, and brick and stone walls are characteristic of the Conservation Area. The stone walls are a feature on the east side of the road through the hamlet, interrupted only by the open forecourt of the public house.
The Conservation Area contains a mix of residential and commercial uses, in Church Road, High Street, Lower Road and East Street. Its character is largely created by the variable building line, the prominent position of the parish church and the small-scale buildings which line the principal streets.
Flint, red brick and clay roofing tiles are the dominant building materials. Slate has been used for roofs in East Street. The Grade I St Nicolas church with its weatherboarded tower is a focal building at the northern end of the Conservation Area. The large churchyard provides a quiet contrast to the busy streets around. Another quiet enclave is Townshott Close where the dominant building is the former school and master’s house of the mid-19th century. Some attractive stock brick cottages complete The Close.
At the southern end of the Conservation Area the focal building is Bookham Grove House, a mid-18th century Listed Building. A strong feature in this area is the red brick and flint walls. Elsewhere in the Conservation Area, particularly in Church Road, railings are a feature.
There are a substantial number of mature trees, notably in Lower Shott and within Bookham Grove House. These provide a natural backdrop to the centre of the Conservation Area. At the northern end, the trees in the churchyard provide a similar function and frame views of the church. There are two key specimen trees: a cedar and monkey puzzle on the corner of Lower Road and East Street. Mature trees are also a feature of East Street on a wide verge on the east side of the road. East Street is predominantly residential in character and a contrast to the busy High Street.
A linear Conservation Area, the southern portion of which falls within Mole Valley District. The landscape setting gives the village a sense of isolation. To the east and west the land rises with thickly wooded slopes. The village has a strong picturesque Victorian feel. There are substantial gaps in the ribbon of houses along Horsham Road and the wooded hills and some open farmland reach into the heart of the village.
In the Mole Valley part of the Conservation Area the collection of buildings at Hopedene House by Richard Norman Shaw are the most important. The garden and landscape setting to these buildings has been largely retained despite a subdivision of the property. To the north of Pasture Wood Road lie the buildings of Bulmer Farm, and picturesque cottages and gardens of Pasturewood Cottage and Pasturewood West.
Thick mixed woodland cover and rhododendron understorey is a feature of the boundaries and periphery of the Conservation Area. Red brick and tile are the predominant building materials.
This small Conservation Area falls mostly within Reigate and Banstead Borough. It is centred on the parish church of St. Bartholomew, a 14th century building, and the Six Bells Public House, a 15th century building with Horsham stone roof. The main natural feature is the River Mole to the west of the church, which characteristically meanders south to north between steep scrub-lined banks. Its line also forms the administrative boundary between Mole Valley and Reigate and Banstead. The Conservation Area lies in the flat flood plain of the river which provides a valuable wedge of countryside in an otherwise built-up area.
That portion of the Conservation Area falling within Mole Valley lies on the west side of the river. This is flat land devoid of buildings but it provides an attractive setting for the church with its thin elegant shingled spire.
The town lies on land sloping down towards the River Mole. The historical development of Leatherhead as a crossroads town is reflected in the street pattern, the intersection of High Street, Bridge Street, North Street and Church Street being the important historical and present centre of the town. The Conservation Area boundary is complex and the area is best described by dividing it into separate zones of distinct character.
This is an area containing many high quality buildings which give the area its particular character. They include the Mansion House, Parish Church and several Listed Buildings in Church Street. The streets are a mixture of early timber framed cottages, 18th century rendered buildings, and a variety of 19th century buildings from simple stock brick terrace cottages to imposing Victorian Gothic houses. The mix of uses is also a part of the character of this part of the Conservation Area. The dominant building is the church which occupies an elevated site and is surrounded by a extensive churchyard and gardens. Red brick walls, some incorporating flint detailing, are a very strong feature around the church and along the Dorking Road. These are vulnerable structures that should be conserved. The White House is an important focal building for views up Highlands Road from the west. Recent highway works have enhanced its setting.
This is an area of mainly late 19th century terraced and semi-detached houses. These are attractive, modest dwellings. There are two important public buildings in the area: Mount Zion Chapel which is a pleasing, modest building dating from 1869, and the Methodist church of 1893.
These streets together make up the commercial and historic centre of the town. North of the junction with The Crescent, the character of Church Street changes as a result of 20th century redevelopment. The street has been widened and the buildings on either side are considerably taller than other buildings nearby and include the former Thorndike Theatre. At the High Street end the traditional small scale is restored again and the width of the street is narrowed. Church Street is therefore a street of contrasts.
Within the pedestrianised streets the varied building line in the High Street is a reflection of the historical development of the street and adds character and interest to the townscape. The buildings themselves are mixed in character but the small-scale market town character has been retained.
Bridge Street is one of the most attractive of the town’s streets and an important part of the Conservation Area. Its character and interest is the result of the quality of the buildings, many of which are listed, and the mix of residential, retail and office uses. The street’s architecture is very varied and includes the Running Horse Public House which is a medieval hall house, the early to mid-nineteenth century stock brick town houses, and the 1928 neo-vernacular building on the corner with North Street. The views down Bridge Street towards the treed banks of the River Mole contribute to the character of the Conservation Area.
Gravel Hill contains a group of picturesque buildings. The most noticeable of these is Sweech House but there are others grouped around the war memorial that are important to the character and townscape of the Conservation Area. Characteristic of this enclave is the use of flint as a decorative building material, along with warm red brick and slate. The war memorial is a key civic space. An Indian bean tree is a feature of this space. North Street is mixed in character and has been subject to selective redevelopment during the latter part of the 20th century. Its special character is the result of the quality of many of its buildings.
This area is predominantly residential in character, with one or two community buildings. The area was developed at the turn of the century. The development of Fairfield Walk and St Anne’s Court in the 1980s reflects the scale and form of this earlier housing. This is a quiet residential area whose character is the result of well-detailed Edwardian houses and the largely uniform use of brick and slate building materials.
The Conservation Area is an informal collection of buildings arranged around the junction of Tapners Road, Leigh Place Road and Clayhill Road, with an arm stretching northwards along Leigh Place Road to incorporate Leigh Place.
The focal point of the Conservation Area is the triangular village green which is overlooked by the parish church of St Bartholomew’s and The Priest’s House, which is a key building in the Conservation Area. Two other buildings around the Green are listed: the 18th century Plough Public House and the former school dating from 1845. Both are very prominent, key buildings which lie close to the main road through the village. The K6 telephone kiosk and the late 19th century well head on the village green are also listed.
Other buildings which are important elements in the Conservation Area include Granary Cottage, the last of the properties on Leigh Place Road before entering open countryside, and the late Victorian / Edwardian properties on Clayhill Road whose steeply pitched roofs can be seen from a number of places within the Conservation Area.
Trees and hedges are important to the rural character of the Conservation Area. Very striking are the large oak trees both within the built-up area of the village and in the flat open landscape between Leigh Place and the village. The church is attractively framed by mature evergreen and broadleaved trees which greatly enhance its setting. Hedges border most of the roads and properties and are important features in the Conservation Area.
The Conservation Area has an open, informal feel and is set in an open landscape. The large churchyard, village green and open space at The Glebe contribute to this sense of informality. Domestic properties are set in large gardens, contributing to tree cover and the open character. Timber framing is a prominent feature of older buildings and clay tiles or Horsham stone on roofs. Later buildings on the periphery of the Conservation Area including Leigh Place are constructed of local brick.
The Conservation Area contains two distinct groups of important buildings. The first is the informal cluster of buildings that includes Manor Farm, an early 18th century building, associated farm buildings and the large tithe barn, the Manor House School, another 18th century building, and the 12th century church. This is an informal collection of buildings which retains a strong rural character, enhanced by the narrow twisting lane, the tree cover and the mix of uses: agricultural, residential and ecclesiastical. The church is constructed of flint with limestone dressings, while domestic buildings are of brick, painted render and clay tiles.
The second collection of buildings, linked to the first by open fields, is gathered around Preston Cross. Here there is a fine collection of vernacular buildings, especially along the west side of Little Bookham Street. The buildings here are from the 16th and 17th centuries and are of characteristic timber frame with brick and rendered infill panels and clay tile roofs. A key building is the Preston Cross Hotel. Both it and The Grange are substantial former residential properties, now in commercial and institutional uses, which benefit from their settings in large parkland gardens.
Walls are an important feature, particularly around Preston Cross. Of special interest are the red brick walls in the garden of The Grange. Hedges composed of native hedging plants, are a feature of Manor House Lane.
The main core of the Conservation Area is ranged along approximately 750 metres of the Old London Road. Many of the buildings lie on or very close to the Old London Road and a high proportion are of historic or architectural interest. The predominant architectural style is from the 18th and early 19th century. Red brick and tile predominates, with render and slate also common. The parish church with its lighter materials of flint and clunch stands out in marked contrast. Modern infill development is limited and unobtrusive.
Box Hill School and grounds are an important feature of the Conservation Area. There is an imposing school building which occupies a central position in the site. The mature trees and the brick boundary walls which define the school’s curtilage are especially important features.
In this central part of the village a number of footpaths converge and there are important views out towards the landscape surrounding the village. To the east, the parish church is seen against the steeply rising slopes of the North Downs.
A north easterly arm of the Conservation Area sweeps around the outside curve of the A24 dual carriageway with residential buildings hugging the rising ground that overlooks the road. Buildings here are generally later than the historic centre of the village. They are a collection of 19th century houses with some modern infill. Of particular note is the collection of buildings around Byttom Hill, high above the road. They include the school, the King William IV Public House, the flint almshouses and early 19th Elm Cottages, both of which are listed. This is an important group of 19th century buildings which is very prominent amongst the wooded slopes above the A24.
High red brick walls, some of which are listed, form a strong feature of the Conservation Area along Old London Road. Trees are also important along this road where the southern section of the Conservation Area owes much of its appearance to the mature deciduous and evergreen trees, producing a gradual transition from countryside to village centre.
Milton Street is a quiet, neatly cared for Conservation Area containing a picturesque collection of historic houses and early 20th century stock brick houses lying below the Greensand Ridge in the valley of the Milton Brook. Houses are scattered along the narrow road north-south from the A25. The road meanders gently, following for the most part the line of Milton Brook. There is an attractive relationship of buildings and landscape.
More than half the buildings are listed. The largest of these is the former stables to Old Bury Hill House at the northern end of the Conservation Area on the corner of Milton Street and the A25. This important feature building can also be seen from the southern end of the Conservation Area. The high walls around the garden are a dominant feature.
Many of the other Listed Buildings are timber framed buildings dating back to the 17th century. However, the refacing of these buildings in red brick and the extensive use of tile hanging gives the Conservation Area a 19th century feel.
Trees within and surrounding the Conservation Area are a mixture of evergreen and deciduous, probably part of the landscaped estate of Old Bury Hill House. Woodland to the east reaches down into the Conservation Area and to the west is a deciduous coppice. The rural character of the Conservation Area is reinforced by the gardens and woodland between properties.
Gardens vary in size. The general impression is of a more open landscape to the west. To the east the land rises steeply and is wooded. There are two important trees along Milton Street; an oak tree near Crooked Acre and a willow fronting numbers 3 and 4 Milton Street. Evergreen hedges are a feature of the Conservation Area.
The Conservation Area is an informal collection of varied buildings ranged along two roads, Village Street, and at right angles, Church Road. The core of the village is at the junction of these two roads. The feel of a small, Wealden village has been retained despite some modern infilling. Important to this is the mix of traditional properties: the Six Bells Public House and shops, the agricultural buildings and the parish church.
Two groups of buildings make a significant contribution to the character of the Conservation Area. First is the group which includes the parish church, at the junction of Village Street and Church Road. The church, dating back to the 13th century, is an impressive building set in a neatly kept churchyard. Yew Tree Cottage, the barn at The Six Bells Public House and the White Cottage and Old Cottage date back to the 16th/17th century and are listed. The barn is a prominent building in the public house’s car park, especially viewed from Church Road. Opposite the church is a pleasant terrace of brick cottages.
The second group comprises Dean House Farm and its collection of buildings on the eastern edge of the Conservation Area. The farmhouse dates from the 16th century and farm buildings from the 18th and 19th century. The approach from the church, along Church Road, is very attractive.
The only other Listed Building is the Village Stores and Wirmwood Cottage, located on a prominent corner near the northern boundary of the Conservation Area. The two shops in the village are important to its character.
Trees are an important feature in the Conservation Area. There are notable individual trees such as the horse chestnut by the Village Stores and another in the south eastern corner of The Rectory. The yew at Yew Tree Cottage is also an important feature. The mature trees, especially oaks, along the roads and throughout the Conservation Area are characteristic of a Wealden village. They help to retain a rural feel within the Conservation Area and are a link with the surrounding landscape.
There are some valuable gaps between buildings along the two roads. The churchyard is perhaps the most significant, but also of note is the large garden of The Rectory, an appropriate setting for the largest domestic building in the village. The gaps on the southern side of Church Road provide important views to the surrounding countryside.
Ockley Conservation Area is a linear collection of buildings lying along the A29 in a splendid landscape setting. To the north west the wooded slopes of Leith Hill overlook the village. To the east there are views out to the rolling farming landscape of the Weald. The northern and central section of the Conservation Area is arranged informally around an extensive elongated Green. The picturesque cottages, the informality of the Green and the surrounding hills combine to produce a scene of great beauty. South of the Green the character changes. There is a closer-knit feel and a more mixed architectural character. Gaps in the frontage and views out into the countryside are reminders of the rural setting.
Many of the buildings around the Green are listed. Many are buildings of the 17th century, remodelled in a picturesque Gothic style in the 19th century. Although very different in appearance, there are distinctive architectural features which give Ockley its special character : decorative barge boards, dominant brick chimneys, ornate windows and tile hanging. The pleasant timber pavilion on the southern edge of The Green is a focal building. So too is the early 20th century red brick village hall at the northern end of the Conservation Area. It stands prominently on its own and is larger in scale.
The charm of Ockley owes much to the open character of the Green. Its informality is enhanced by meadow maintenance, its irregular western boundary, and the gaps between the houses which link the fields beyond to the open space in the centre of the village.
There are important open spaces between buildings on the east side of the A29. The gaps around the village hall and south of Swiss Cottage, for example, provide valuable visual links to the countryside around.
Trees are an important element of the Ockley landscape. The south west corner of the Green is heavily wooded, providing a sense of enclosure to the cricket green. There are smaller blocks of woodland on the north west corner of the Green which again add to its setting and to the Listed Buildings. Gaps between the woodland into the countryside are also important.
On the east side of the Green, the line of horse chestnuts is an important feature and provides partial screening from the road. An attractive group of trees in the south east corner defines the southern extent of the Green. Trees within the grounds of Elderslie are tall and important features
Hedgerows, both within the village and, notably, in the surrounding agricultural landscape, are also important features.
The name of this Conservation Area suggests its character and setting. The group of buildings retains the impression of a small hamlet in a clearing within the wooded Wealden landscape. The Conservation Area has an isolated, remote feel, and the fairly informal scatter of buildings and twisting road contributes to this impression. There are very attractive views between buildings, especially to the north east.
Within the Conservation Area there are four listed medieval timber framed houses which are important to its character. Woodhams Farm is an important feature and has a mixed variety of farm buildings.
The Conservation Area contains several traditional buildings which are a picturesque mixture of timber framing and tile or Horsham stone roofs. There is some modern infill development at the east end of the Conservation Area which produces a mixed architectural character.
There are some splendid field and hedgerow oaks in the Conservation Area. The wide grass verges and hedges are an essential part of its rural character. To the south of the Punch Bowl Public House is open farmland and the neatly kept cricket ground, which contributes to the rural character of the Conservation Area.
The Conservation Area contains an informal collection of mainly 18th and 19th century buildings forming a distinct group along Pixham Lane on the north eastern edge of Dorking. The North Downs scarp forms a dramatic backdrop to these buildings.
There is considerable variety and interest in the architectural character of the Conservation Area. A key building is Pixham Mill which has both architectural and historic interest. It is painted brick under a slate roof and dates from the early 19th century. It is listed Grade II.
The Pipp Brook meanders north to south and its wooded banks contain many mature trees that provide a backdrop to buildings in the Conservation Area. To the east and west of Pixham Mill are picturesque cottages, including the 17th century Pixham Mill Cottage which is listed Grade II.
North of the Pixham Mill, the scale of buildings changes. The two dominant buildings are Pixham Firs and Purbrook, large 19th century houses now divided into flats. Despite this subdivision and some more recent housing close by, the character and setting of these large houses has been retained. Mature trees in their gardens are significant features.
At the south eastern end of the Conservation Area there is a pleasing group of early 19th century cottages, a small timber framed cottage and Pixham School. They are all attractive buildings although contrasting in their architecture.
The through road is a wide, dominant feature, its width accentuated by wide grass verges. It cuts across the Pipp Brook, an intimate river landscape which links properties north and south of the road.
To the south east of Pixham Lane, the Conservation Area includes a portion of the recreation ground characterised by its strong hedge line and flat, open space.
This is a large Conservation Area covering the centre of one of the bigger villages in the District. The centre of the Conservation Area has a tight-knit form, although there is considerable variety, from large houses in extensive grounds to close groupings of cottages. The central focus is the village green, a triangular open space hemmed in by a high hedge on its western side and a mix of commercial and private properties on the north and south. This is an attractive and special part of the Conservation Area enhanced by the quality of the buildings, the grouping of trees along the edge of the highway and in private gardens, and the views north to the scarp slope of the North Downs. The Downs provide a backdrop against which buildings, especially roofs and chimneys, are viewed.
The western portion of the Conservation Area is different in character. The close-knit cottages and houses give way to an area of open heathland rising up to the Victorian parish church.
The relationship of the Conservation Area to its surrounding landscape is an important one. South of the A25 the land rises steeply to form the Greensand Hills. A number of buildings occupy elevated positions above the road. The open land around the church is another reminder of the wider landscape of acid heath.
The elevated ground of the Greensand provides vantage points over the village to the North Downs. The roofscape of the Conservation Area which includes clay tiles and natural slate and its jumble of chimney stacks and clay pots is a vital element of local character.
The A25 is a feature but it twists through the centre of the village revealing new vistas along its length. Strung out along it is a variety of shops and public houses which together contribute to the character of a small but busy local centre.
A considerable expansion of Westcott took place at the end of the 19th century and the Conservation Area has a strong Victorian character. This development can be found between earlier vernacular buildings in Westcott Street inclulding The Barracks, a large 17th century building, and several small cottages from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Conservation Area also contains several early 19th century feature buildings in larger gardens such as Wintershaw, Heathcote and Skeynes House on the Guildford Road.
Another important early 19th century group is 2 to 6 Guildford Road which stand prominently above the village green. The overall scale and architectural character of the Conservation Area is therefore very mixed.
Despite the tight village fabric, trees are an important visual element of the Conservation Area. Particularly noteworthy are the trees in the grounds of Wintershaw and surrounding properties on the north side of the A25 east of Sandrock Road. The belt of trees on the edge of the A25 on the corner with The Paddock are prominent from a number of viewpoints.
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