BoughtonConservation AreaCharacter Statement

BOUGHTON, a small scattered village, 1½ miles N. of Stoke Ferry, and 6 miles E. by S. of Downham Market, has in it’s parish 209 souls, and 1,322 A 2R 17P of land. At the enclosure, land was allotted to the poor for fuel.

WILLIAM WHITE 1845

Character Statement Designated: March 1977Revised October 2009

Contents

1Introduction

1Setting and Location

2Origins and Historical Development

3Character Overview

5Spaces and Buildings

9Listed Buildings

10Important Unlisted Buildings

10Post War Development

10Traditional Materials

11Archaeological Interest

11Detractors

11Conservation Objectives

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Boughton Conservation Area

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Character Statement

Introduction

A Conservation Area – “An area of specialarchitectural or historic interest, thecharacter of appearance of which it isdesirable to preserve or enhance”.

The conservation of the historic environmentis part of our quality of life, helping to fostereconomic prosperity and providing anattractive environment in which to live orwork. The Borough Council is committed tothe protection and enhancement of WestNorfolk’s historic built environment andsignificant parts of it are designated asconservation areas.

Conservation areas were introduced by the1967 Civic Amenities Act. Local Authoritieswere required to identify areas of specialarchitectural or historic interest, whosecharacter or appearance it is desirable topreserve or enhance, and to designate themas conservation areas. This duty is now partof the 1990 Planning (Listed Buildings &Conservation Areas) Act which also requiresthe review of existing conservation areasand, where appropriate, the designation ofnew ones. The quality and interest of aconservation area depends upon acombination of factors including therelationship and architectural quality ofbuildings, materials, spaces, trees and otherlandscape features, together with views intoand out of the area.

The Boughton Conservation Area wasfirst designated in March 1977 andrevised in 1992. This documenthighlights the special qualities whichunderpin the character of theConservation Area, justifying itsdesignation. It also seeks to increaseawareness of those qualities so that wherechanges to the environment occur, they do

so in a sympathetic way without harm to theessential character of the area. This type ofassessment has been encouraged byGovernment Advice (PPG15) and it has beenadopted as supplementary planningguidance.

This character statement does not addressenhancement proposals. Community ledenhancement schemes will be consideredas part of a separate process.

Setting and Location

Boughton is a village of approximately 38acres with a population of around 200.

The village is located approximately 1.25kilometres (¾ mile) north of the mainA134(T) road connecting Kings Lynn 27kilometres (17 miles to the north) andThetford, the same distance to thesouth-east.The larger village of Stoke Ferrylies 2.5 kilometres (1½ miles) to the southand the smaller villages of Wereham, 3kilometres (2 miles) to the west: Oxburgh 7kilometres (4½ miles) to the east and BartonBendish 4 kilometres (2½ miles) to the northare located along minor roads leading fromthe settlement. The town of DownhamMarket lies approximately 13 kilometres (8miles) to the west.

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Boughton Conservation Area

The village is surrounded by agricultural landin all directions and this was one of the maingenerators of the village form. The landgently falls from north to south towards thevalley formed by the River Wissey and itscut off channel. The presence of water andland drainage is a vitally important factor indetermining settlement pattern in this area,which is effectively Fenland “Edge”.

The main east/west road (Chapel Lane, TheGreen, Mill Hill Road) acts as the centralvillage spine and contains the focal point ofthe pond. At the same location, the importanttrack of Church Lane leads off to the north.Roads from the south create smaller ‘nodes’at their junction with this east /west road.

The setting is therefore one of linearsettlement along these roads interspersedwith pockets of mature landscape locatedbetween and beyond the buildings,containing trees, grass verges and

hedgerows. Attractive views of the opencountryside beyond are afforded betweenthese components.

Views in to the village from the south, alongStoke Road afford a rare glimpse of thevillage centre, largely unaltered by newdevelopment.

Origins and HistoricalDevelopment

Boughton, or “Buchetuna”, meaning “Buccas”Enclosure (bucca + tun – enclosure orsettlement, farm) was originally a settlementbased on a water feature, the pond, whichacted as a natural drainage “vessel” forsurrounding agricultural land.

It was also clearly a junction, located wheretracks or ancient roads converged in aneast/west and also north/south direction.The earliest known settlement was in theAnglo Saxon period and the settlementpattern since then has followed a fairlytypical form, always based on agriculture. Inits earliest years the settlement was probably

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Character Statement

centred on a farm or a few farmsteadsgrouped around the pond with a church sitelocated to the north.

Buildings in the form of cottages and“servant” industrial uses such as blacksmithor baker were gradually built and spreadoutwards from the original village core, in alldirections. The pattern of development wasand still is, dependant upon the relativebuoyancy of the economy, the ownership,purchasing and selling of parcels of land,and changing patterns of living and need forcommunication between adjacentsettlements.

Most periods of architecture are representedin the village although the earliest styles areless evident than the later ones of Georgianand Victorian buildings; e.g. The Poplars,an early Victorian house on Chapel Lane.More historic fabric could be containedbehind later facades, but over time, buildingshave been adapted, extended and given achange of use, all in response to theinfluences mentioned earlier. “Infill” plotsover time, and parcels of land have beensold, and built upon, and new housingcontinues to be built in the village to this dayas the dramatic changes in agricultureimpact on the built environment of such asettlement.

The converted Methodist Chapel, school,bakery and farm buildings all reflect thechanges and difficulties such villages facein the 21st Century. The lack ofinfrastructure to maintain a truly rich and vitalcommunity, such as school, shop, post officeor pub is sadly all too obvious. Yet thesettlement is still an extremely attractiveplace to live, and is clearly deeply cherishedby its residents.

Character Overview

The Boughton Conservation Area has a unityof character and architectural interest, asetting in the landscape, and in terms ofvillage form, has the central feature of thepond. Another important feature is thedegree of linear settlement along the roadsand tracks which enter and leave the villageat certain key points.

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Boughton Conservation Area

The range of building types is extensive andtypical of such a mature village community.It varies from small workers cottages,farmhouses, the Church, the “grand” housesof The Poplars and Rectory House, theconverted school and Methodist Chapel.Modern construction has been and is stillbeing inserted into this fabric, largely in theform of housing.

It is encouraging to see farming still inexistence in the village although little otherindustry is now carried on.

An essential component in the character ofthe conservation area is, as always, thespaces created between and beyond thebuildings themselves, containing a maturelandscape of grass verges, open fields,paddocks, trees, hedgerows and theattractive reed fringe to the pond.

All these components contribute to theoverall quality of the conservation area and,in combination, form an attractive and variedseries of spaces and vistas. The subtletwists and changes of direction of the roadsand tracks all generate a range of thesevistas which are interspersed with the mainfeatures of the pond, church andchurchyard. Good, long distance views ofthe settlement are afforded from the north(from Barton Bendish Road) and from thesouth (Stoke Road).

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Character Statement

There are several sites which will be underpressure for future development, especiallyafter the demise of the piggeries and thechanges in agricultural practice creatingpockets of land and derelict buildings. Greatcare will be needed to develop them withrespect to ‘context’ and the existing unity ofcharacter.

In summary, the essential conservation areacharacter is an historic linear settlementbased in agriculture, formed around a centralnode and by the matrix of roads, paths andtracks which converge on the settlementfrom all directions. The buildings in theconservation area are of all ages and areconstructed in the range of local vernacularmaterials common to this part of the countyto give a unique quality of architecturalinterest and unity.

Spaces and Buildings

Boughton Conservation Area has apredominantly elongated east/westorientated form but with a significantextension to the north around Church Lane.The array of buildings and spaces betweenthem formed by a matrix of building plots ofdifferent size and orientation along the major

communicating arteries of the village. Theyprovide the essential character of theconservation area.

Starting at the Village Green around thepond, this space in itself is worthy ofconservation area status. It provides aquintessential English village scenecontaining water feature, village green,access track and buildings on four sides togive a sense of enclosure. The space is notparticularly intimate, the dimensions beingover 160 metres (175 feet) in an east/westdirection and over 100 metres (109 feet) ina north/south direction. There is a distinctfeeling of openness to this space which alsocontains important historic buildings in alldirections, but particularly to the north andsouth.

The road to the south is the ‘through route’and whilst Church Lane enters the spacefrom the north the traffic generated is smalland the east/north and west ‘edges’ to thepond are almost like cul de sacs thus addingto the feeling of serenity. The “through route”is however heavily used by lorries servingthe adjacent haulage companies associatedwith agriculture.

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Boughton Conservation Area

There are few mature trees on the pondfringe itself and it is the tree belts/clumpsbetween and beyond the surroundingbuilding which provide an important visualbackdrop to the scene. In townscape termsthe components such as bench seating,waste paper bins and chain linkfencing/posts are reasonably discreet.

A small playground is located to the northwest and contains post box and village noticeboard. The playground is set behind awell-maintained, green painted row ofhooped railings.

In summary, this area with its wildlife andreed fringe is the ‘gem’ of the village.Special mention should be made of the oakvillage sign which is a tour de force ofenergetic design.

In terms of enclosure there are importantscreen walls located to the Old Bakery,“Winward” and Hall Farm House. The fenceto Manor Farm is a little ‘strident’ but is nota major detractor. Finally, no attempt shouldbe made to introduce kerbing to the area;the spillage of grass verges over the accessroad should be retained at all costs and isgenerally an attractive feature of the wholearea.

Mention has been made of Church Lane.This attractive access road leaves the villagegreen to the north and leads to the importantspace formed by All Saints Church and itschurchyard. This space and that furthernorth is much more rural in character.

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Character Statement

The eastern side of this track has beensubject to most built development althoughseveral modern dwellings have been insertedto the north west as the track takes adramatic turn eastwards towards adjacentagricultural land. The spaces created alongthis track by the assembly of buildings andlandscape are interesting and views backtowards the Church and pond from the northare particularly attractive. The latter view ismade more dramatic by the enclosureprovided by “Winward” and the particularlyfine Old Bakery range of building which stepdown in size along Church Lane. Thenorthern periphery of the conservation areais formed by the “Rose Cottage” range offour cottages.

The modern housing is rather bland incontrast, as is the enclosure formed bystrident timber fencing and too formalhedging with evergreen speciespredominating. The plastic chain fencing isparticularly inappropriate and traditionalindigenous hedgerow planting should beencouraged wherever possible. TheChurchyard is, as always, a vitally importantspace together with its mature trees,hedgerow and attractive screen walling tothe west.

Mill Hill Road is the built area to the westof the pond. It is essentially lineardevelopment, again with a mixture of old andnew buildings, and is all contained within theconservation area boundary. The characterof the conservation area is somewhat dilutedin this part. Modern infill housing to the northof the road is all undistinguished and addslittle to intrinsic local character, but thedesign of recent housing development,inserted south of the former piggeries, is aconsiderable improvement on the earliermodern development and augers well for thefuture.

To the south, Wretton Road leads outwardstowards open countryside and contains someplain housing inserted onto infill plots. The

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Boughton Conservation Area

outbuildings to Hall Farm lying to the east ofWretton Road are mostly converted toresidential use.

Further east Hall House, and Hall FarmHouse are both important historic buildingstogether with their remaining outbuildingsand mature landscape of trees, hedges andscreen walls, with attractive views out to theadjacent countryside beyond.

The western edge of the conservation areais dominated by open agricultural landsweeping up to the village. To the south aresome important and attractive ranges ofcottages and associated outbuildings.

The road to the east of the pond, ChapelRoad, contains an even more extensivearray of historic buildings on both north andsouth sides, culminating in the complex of“The Poplars” a ‘listed building’ dating fromthe 1830s. It is here that the most intensebuilding took place in Victorian times. Aparallel line of buildings, Poplar Cottages, islocated to the north. The spaces and vistascreated are all interesting as is the exampleof different architectural styles from the“grand” house, converted cottage,semidetached Victorian villa, the convertedMethodist Church, modern housing andhealth centre. The character is still rural with

frontages directly onto the road together withmature landscaping of verges, trees andhedges.

Another minor ‘node’ is formed to the eastas Chapel Road splits into Oxburgh Roadand Stoke Road. Both roads containmodern infill housing, which despite design,are of reasonable scale. This area containsa derelict barn, surrounded by metal fencing– part of a redevelopment scheme yet to becompleted in this visually sensitive spot.

The eastern conservation area boundary isformed by the garden to Rectory House onthe north of Oxburgh Road. This part of theconservation area is governed by itsattractive rural landscape of mature trees,grass verges, hedgerows and views throughto open countryside to the north.

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Character Statement

Finally, returning to the pond, mention shouldbe made of the fine assembly of buildingson the north-east side of Church Lane,formed by the The Old Bakery and HallFarm, together with the backdrop of treesbetween and behind. The barn, east ofManor Farm is, at present, being converted.

In summary, the conservation area is acomplex assembly of many components. Itis a historic settlement with pressure forfuture development on certain key sites.Such development has its positive andnegative sides. In a sense developmentactivity can help to sustain a vibrantcommunity life, but usually it is accompaniedby increased motor traffic and rarely meansenrichment provided by a recreation of theold village infrastructure based, perhaps, ona shop or post office.

Listed Buildings

There are three Listed Buildings within theConservation Area. The statutory list wasrevised in 1985 and there have been nofurther additions.

Grade I Buildings

None

Grade II* Buildings

Church of All Saints, Church Lane.Early 14th Century west tower; naveand chancel 1872. Flint with ashlardressings and plain tiled roofs.

Grade 2 Buildings

The Poplars, Chapel Road. Builtaround 1830. Gault brick with state roof.‘T’ plan; 2 storeys in 5 bays of balancedsymmetry. Façade articulated into 8bays with sunk pilasters. Hipped roofin Welsh slates. Good Victorian railingsand dwarf wall to south curtilage – allintact.Granary and stables east of thePoplars, Chapel Lane. Built around1870. Gault brick with slate roof in 3recessed bays hipped roof in Welshslate.

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Boughton Conservation Area

Important Unlisted Buildings

The character of Boughton ConservationArea benefits from the above ListedBuildings but, more importantly, relies on thevernacular styles of its unlisted buildings andthese have been identified on the map.

Post War Development

Modern post war development in BoughtonConservation Area comprises much infillhousing with, generally, one house per plot,either bungalow or 2 storey dwelling. Mostearly post war housing up to the 1980s hasbeen non-descript and, apart from scale,contributes little to the essential character ofthe conservation area – unfortunately acountry wide phenomenon. The last

decades have seen a reassessment of theneed to respond to “place” and “context” andthe design of later buildings has attemptedto reflect character. The housing south ofthe piggeries is a good example.

The most serious post war development forthe conservation area has been the rapidityof decline in local industry - not onlyagriculture – which has torn the heart out ofvillage infrastructure throughout the country.The reliance on the motor car, the demiseof agriculture and its associated localindustries, and consequently villageinfrastructure such as school, pub, post officehas resulted in what can be described as“housing villages”. Boughton ConservationArea shows the results of all these changes.In this sense it is gratifying to learn of a stillvibrant and caring community with workingfarms still in situ.

Traditional Materials

The character of Boughton ConservationArea owes a great deal to the use of localtraditional materials in the construction itshistoric buildings.

These materials include:-

ChalkRandom and coursed field stones of flintnodulesKnapped flintsDressed limestoneNorfolk red brick.Local pinkey/buff brickwork.Gault brickworkClay pantiles – both natural red andblack glazedColourwashed brick, flint and render

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Character Statement

Welsh slateCarstone – random rubble; gallettedcarstone

Archaeological Interest

There are no known sites of archaeologicalinterest in the area.

Detractors

The special quality of conservation areascan easily be eroded by seemingly minoralterations such as unsuitable replacementwindows and doors, inappropriate materialsor unsympathetic paintwork, removal ofwalls, railings, trees and hedges.

Unfortunately examples of all thesedetractors are present in Boughton,particularly the insertion of inappropriatewindows and doors and poor enclosurethrough ‘urban’ planting schemes, poorpaving materials and construction of“anywhere” housing, walls and fences.Opportunities to redress the situation infuture years should be taken whenever theopportunity arises. The presence of“wirescape” is not serious, certainly whencompared to other local villages. However,this should be removed whenever possible.

Mention has been made of through traffic,particularly heavy good vehicles.The dangerand impact to the residents and the historicfabric is obvious.

Conservation Objectives

Statement 1

The overall conservation objective isto protect and reinforce theestablished special character ofConservation Areas and their setting.

This will be achieved by:

Encouraging the retention andmaintenance of buildings whichcontribute to the overall characterof each conservation areaEnsuring that new development issympathetic to the special qualitiesand character of each conservationareaProtecting the setting of theconservation area fromdevelopment which adverselyaffects views into or out of the areaThe retention, maintenance andlocally appropriate new planting oftreesMaintaining and enhancing localfeatures and details whichcontribute towards an area's localdistinctivenessWorking with the community toprepare schemes of enhancementEncouraging the removal ofdetractors to the special characterof each conservation area

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Boughton Conservation Area

Contacts and advice

Within conservation areas, a number of special controls apply and it is advisable that anyone proposing to carry out new development, alteration, extensions, installations or demolition should seek advice from Development Services at an early stage. Special controls also apply to the trees sand some may be subject to Tree Preservation Orders. Anyone wishing to carry out work to trees within a Conservation Area should therefore seek advice from Development Services.

King’s CourtChapel StreetKing’s LynnNorfolk PE30 1EXTel: (01553) 692722Fax: (01553) 691663DX 57825 KING’S LYNN

830-187-1

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This Map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controllerof Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may leadto prosecution or civil proceedings. Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. Licence No 100024314. 2009.

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CONSERVATION AREA BOUNDARY

NOTATION

LISTED BUILDINGS

IMPORTANT UNLISTED BUILDINGS

BOUGHTONCONSERVATION AREA