NEWBROUGH Conservation Area Character Appraisal

Adopted February 2009

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CONTENTS

1 Introduction

2

2 Statement of S

ignificance

7

3 Historic Development

8

4 Context

14

5 Spatial A

nalysis

18

6 Character analysis

21

7 Public Realm

32

8 Manag

ement recom

mendations

33

9 Appendix 1 P

olicies

38

Appendix 2 L

isted Buildings

41

Appendix 3 S

ources

42

Newbrough Town Hall

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1

New

brough Conservation Area

New

brough

is located on the northern side of the River Tyne valley

some seven kilometres to the west of Hexham and 5 kilometres to

the east of Haydon Bridge

(Map 1). The villag

e is lo

cated within St

John Lee Parish and Warden and New

brough

Ward. Its centre is at

National G

rid reference NY 872679.

Conservation areas are ‘areas of special architectural or historic

interest, the character or appearance of w

hich it is desirable to

preserve or enhance’.1 They are design

ated by the local planning

authority using local criteria.

Conservation areas are about character and appearance, which

can derive from

many factors including individual buildings, building

groups and

their relationship

with open spaces, architectural

detailing

, materials, views, colours, landscaping and street furniture.

Character can also draw

on more abstract notions such as sounds,

local environm

ental conditions and historical changes. T

hese th

ings

combine to create a distinctive sense of place worthy of protection

1 Plann

ing (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, s69

Map 1: Location of Newbrough

New

brough

Conservation Area was designated in January 1991 in

response to the historic and architectural significance of the village

with buildings that can be traced back to at least the seventeenth

century (M

ap 2).

© Crown Copyright LA100018249

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New

brou

gh Conservation Area bo

undary

© Crown Cop

yright LA 100018249

Map 2: Newbrough Conservation Area

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The nearby Rom

an W

all, the Rom

an road the ‘Stanegate’ which

runs through the centre

of the villag

e, a

nd two

nearby R

oman

fortlets add depth to the settlem

ent’s historic envelope and a ready

source of building material in past tim

es. The collection of fifteen

listed

buildings (fourteen

grade

II and

one

grade

II*) in the

conservation area is te

stimony to its heritage importance (Appendix

2).

1.2

Planning Context

Conservation

area design

ation

remains the

principal mea

ns by

which local authorities can

apply

conservation

policies

to a

particular area. The Council has

a duty when

exercising

its

planning

powers

to pay

special attention

to the

desirability

of

preserving

or enhancing

the

character

or appearance of

conservation

areas. This

includes when

determ

ining

planning

applications. It also has a duty, from time to time, to draw

up and

publish

proposals

for its preservation

and

enhancem

ent,

and

consult local people on them

.

The protection and preservation of historic enviro

nments are now

extensively recogn

ised for the contribution that they make to the

country's cultural and historic heritage, its economic well-being

and

quality of life. Public support fo

r conservation - both in th

e built and

natural environm

ents - is also well establishe

d. National and

regional governm

ent gu

idance reflects this. It is not the purpose of

conservation areas to prevent change but to m

anag

e change

in

such a w

ay as to m

aintain and, if possible, strengthen the area's

special qu

alities. Current legislation

is set out in the

Planning

(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. This places a

duty on the Council to declare as conservation areas those parts of

their area th

at th

ey consider to be of special architectural or historic

interest. It also imposes on the C

ouncil a duty to review

past

design

ations from time

to time.

Conservation

area status also

means th

at th

ere are stricter controls on changes that can be made

to buildings and

land including

the

need to secure consen

t to

demolish

any building, strengthening

controls over some

minor

form

s developm

ent and

the

automatic p

rotection

of a

ll trees in

conservation areas. Governm

ent p

olicy is defined in PPG 15.

2

Tynedale

Council

has

adopted

a number of policies

that are

directed tow

ards preserving and enhancing the character of the

conservation

area. Detailed

in Appendix

1, they cover

new

developm

ent, alterations, demolition and protecting the setting of

2 Planning

Policy Guida

nce

Note

15: Plann

ing

and

the

Historic

Enviro

nment

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the conservation area. Furthermore, N

ewbrough

is included in the

Green Belt.

Following

the

introduction

of ‘Best Value P

erform

ance Indicator

(BV219: P

reserving the special character of conservation areas,

ODPM, 28

th February

2005)’, the

duty to regu

larly reappraise

conservation areas – and form

ulate and publish proposals for the

preservation

and

enhancem

ent of these

– has

become

more

urge

nt.

1.3

New

brough Conservation Area Character Appraisal

This character appraisal is the first step in a dynam

ic process, the

aim of which is to preserve and

enhance

the

character and

appearance of the conservation area. It defines and records the

factors that m

ake the conservation area special, thereby providing

a

baseline for decisions about the area’s future. It also identifies

features and problem

s that the detract from the special quality and

sugg

est,

by means of outline manag

ement and

enhancem

ent

proposals, the

ways

in which this special interest can

be

safegu

arded

and

improved. The appraisal also provides the

opportunity to review

the boundaries of the conservation area and,

where appropriate, propose amendm

ents.

The survey and appraisal were carried out during August 2008

following

the

methodology sugg

ested

by Eng

lish

Heritage. To

ensure that a complete picture is built up about the value and

character of the area the Council will consult with people who

live,

work and visit the area to secure their view

s, including

what they

like or dislike about the area, and their ideas about how the area

could be preserved or enhanced.

The next stage

the

process

will be to prepare

a detailed

Manag

ement

Plan

for

the

conservation

area.

This

will be

undertaken once the Character A

ppraisal has been through the

consultation exercise and approved by th

e Council.

This document is not exhaustive. Omissions should not necessarily

be regarded as having no interest or making no positive contribution

to the character and appearance of the conservation area. The

character appraisal w

ill be updated about every five years in order

that it can take account of changes in the area.

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Further information

For further inform

ation on the conservation area and this character

appraisal, please contact:

Elaine Gray

Senior Conservation Officer

Tynedale Council

Old Grammar School

Hallgate

Hexham

NE46 1NA

Telephone: 01434 652121

email: Elaine.gray@tynedale.gov.uk

This document can be downloaded from

:

http://www.tynedale.gov.uk/residents/docushow

.asp?serviceid=7

3

http://www.tynedale.gov.uk/residents/docushow.asp?serviceid=73

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2 STATEMENT OF SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE

New

brough

stragg

led

alongside

Stanegate until the

1960

s/70s

when Sidga

te, a relatively large volume of new

municipal housing,

was added to

the village

moving the balance of the built m

ass of th

e

settlem

ent to the south of Stanegate. The new

housing

, most of

which is outside the conservation area, has had a lim

ited impact

upon the layout and appearance of the historic core of the villag

e

which still comprises a

necklace

of fine

buildings separated b

y

mature hedges and open spaces. The cluster of buildings at the

centre w

hich stretches building lines creates a focus but it is the

remarkably grand Italianate to

wn hall, which appropriately overlooks

the late eighteenth century ‘picturesque’ setting of New

brough

Park,

which visually dom

inates the heart of the settlem

ent. The extension

added to the T

own Hall is a good exam

ple of how

high qu

ality

contem

porary design

can

enhance

the

historic character of a

conservation area and sustain and invigo

rate com

munity life.

Open spaces, decorated and edge

d by m

agnificent mature trees

and stone boundary w

alls, separate groups of buildings and bring

the rural hinterland into the village

where extensive and extremely

attractive view

s along both sides of the valley ad

d to its charm and

allure.

The conservation area contains two fine country houses with their

associated buildings, walls and

landscaped ga

rdens. They ad

d

style, grandeur and visual excitement. The rem

ains of old farm

s

reinforce

the

rural character of the

village

an

d the

medieval

Thornton Tow

er just outside the edge

of the area w

here the road

twists and clim

bs up the side of the valley towards Torney’s Fell is a

reminder of its turbulent past. Thornley is still separated from

the

old village

of N

ewbrough by clum

ps of trees and fields reflecting the

medieval settlement p

attern where the two ancient communities sat

side by side.

The almost universal use of warm honey-coloured sandstone with

splashes of red brick complem

ents the lush greenery of the fields,

trees and shrubs w

hich surround and ornament the village

. The

extensive spread of Welsh slate and presence of chimney stacks

and pots creates a com

fortable and attractive roofscape which is

only occasiona

lly interrupted by rooflights. The rare use of stone

flags to cover buildings brings traditional rustic charm

and appeal.

There are

still a

substantial number of properties which retain

traditional fe

atures and details such as timber window fram

es which

enrich the historic character of the area. New

development in the

conservation area is varied and includes som

e go

od examples of

infill housing.

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3 HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

3.1

Prehistory and Roman occupation

The Tyne valley and its tributaries would have been inhabited in

prehistory. Its rich hunting grounds, agricultural fertility, defensive

topography and supply of fresh water would have attracted nomads

and settlers for millennia. T

here is clear eviden

ce of prehistoric

settlem

ent in and around New

brough

through

the presence of an

Iron Age enclosure located immediately to

the south of Sidgate. T

he

rectangu

lar camp

is surrounded

by two

ditches, p

robably for a

timber palisade. The site is a

scheduled

ancient monum

ent.

Another Iron Age

settlement toge

ther w

ith field systems can be

seen th

rough cropmarks beside Meg

gie’s Dene Burn to th

e north of

the village

. How

ever, the most substantial prehistoric presence in

the area is the large hillfort of W

arden Law which can be found to

the east of New

brough sitting on the w

estern flank of the valley

overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Tyne and North T

yne.

There are not m

any of scattered prehistoric finds in

the im

mediate

vicinity of the village

, but lithic workshops w

here flint tools were

made have been discovered at nearby W

arden. O

ne of the most

interesting Iron Age

artefacts is the slab of sandstone at Carr Edge

to th

e north of Thornley which is decorated by a carving of a warrior

figure wielding a sw

ord and a shield which is likely to

be a depiction

of the Iron Age

god of w

ar, C

ocidius.

Hadrian’s Wall w

as built between 120A

D and 130AD to defend the

northern frontier of the R

oman E

mpire. The m

ilitary line initially

reinforced and eventually replaced a series of forts that had been

built to

the south of the Stanega

te, the road betwee

n New

castle and

Carlisle w

hich the emperor Trajan decided in the first century to

define the northern edge of the R

oman E

mpire. New

brough

sits

astride the Stanegate. Traces of the road have been excavated in

the locality but the remains are unfortunately not exposed. Other

evidence of Rom

an occupation

can

be found

with outlines

of

fortlets, one to the south of Sidga

te by the Iron Age

enclosure and

another in the churchyard of St Peter’s C

hurch to the w

est of the

conservation

area. This

60 metre square base was probably

abandoned in th

e second

century with th

e construction of Hadrian’s

Wall and re-occupied in fourth century with the m

ilitary re-ordering

of the frontier. There are no remains from the D

ark Age

s in the

area, most settlem

ents being

insubstantial and destroyed during

successive invasions and

periods of tribal and civil war. The m

ost

sign

ificant reference to this period is through

accounts of the m

id-

sixth

century

Battle of Heavenfield that took place

some

2

kilometres to the north east of W

all where O

swald defeated the

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PGlossary?readform&GLOSSARY=palisadehttp://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PGlossary?readform&GLOSSARY=Iron+Agehttp://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PGlossary?readform&GLOSSARY=Cocidius

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Welsh armies of Cadwallon

following

which Bede

claimed that

Christianity was restored to Northum

bria.

3.2

Medieval P

eriod to the mid-eighteenth century

The conservation area contains the sites of two medieval village

s,

New

brough

(Old English Nieweburc – new fort)3 and Thornton (Old

English Thornetona – thorn-bush settlement).4 It is probable that

Thornton was orig

inally the larger of the two. Som

etime between

1124 and 1153 King David of Scotland granted Thornton to Richard

Cum

in and his wife Countess Hextilda and in 1221 Henry III granted

their son a weekly market on a Thursday. By 1330 a descendant o

f

Cum

in assigned to herself half the manor and an orchard, 128

acres of dem

esne (privately ow

ned) land, thirteen bondages, four

cottage

s, a croft, a water m

ill and ‘half the ville called New

brough

’, a

clear indication of the size of the settlement.5 It eventually declined

and eventually joined the band of lost m

edieval village

s, including

3 Northum

berland

Place Nam

es – Stan Beckensall 197

5

4 ibid

5 History of N

orthum

berland

– John Hod

gson 181

1

Stonecroft,

Side, Allerwash

and

Carrow, which are

scattered

throughout the area.

New

brough

was also founded and form

ed into a borough by the

Cum

in fam

ily about the beg

inning of the reign of Henry III. Its roots

are unclear but its position on the Stanega

te, by then know

n as the

Carelga

te, would ha

ve been a

resting

and

trading

place

for

travellers. One of the village

’s m

ost famous visitors was Edw

ard I

who, with his court, stayed from July until September 1306 on his

way to wag

e his

last campaign

against the

Scots under the

leadership of Robert the Bruce. The rich fertile plains would have

supported an agricultural com

munity. Possible outlines of m

edieval

ridge

and furrow farming can be seen in the field cutting across

natural terraces opposite W

hitehouses at the eastern end of the

conservation area.

Nothing

substantial survives from this early period as the border

wars and reiving raids would have caused periodic mayhe

m and the

destruction of buildings. The m

assively defensive Thornton Tow

er

house is first m

entioned in 1542 where it is described as ‘a to

wer at

New

brough

, of the in

heritance of Lord Burrowe, and in

measurably

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce

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good reparations.’6 B

y 1813 a

ll of its a

shlar work, internal and

external had gone. It is now

reduced to rubble and wall core apart

from

a section of west face which is exposed within a barn.

Possible ridge and furow patterns opposite Whitehouses

The cessation of violence in th

e early seventeenth century fo

llowing

the Act of Union in 1603 marked a gradual change to the economy

of the area. This is m

arked by an increase in

both agricultural a

nd

industrial activity.

6 ibid

3.3

Mid-seventeenth century onwards

Lead had been mined since Rom

an times with lead levels beside St

Mary’s Well and the rubble filled mine at Stonecroft farm

illustrating

the continued practice of lead extraction. How

ever, the onset of the

industrial revolution linked to the expansion of towns and cities le

d

to the exploitation of a wider range

of minerals and stone for both

manufacturing

and

construction

purposes. Coal was mined at

Fourstones, ga

nister quarried

at Frankham and

Witherite at

Settling

stones, the world’s sole producer of this m

ineral used in

glazes and

the

manufacture of soap between

1873 and

1969.

Limestone was quarried in the area for construction, m

ortars and to

be burned and spread to improve the qu

ality of agricultural land.

Sandstone was extracted to provide high

quality building materials

locally, such as John D

obson’s New

castle C

entral Station opened

in 1850, nationally alon

g Princes

Street and

internationally in

Honolulu. N

earby Prudham

stone boasts a

large

and impressive

sandstone

quarry, which supplied

building

stone

for nineteenth

century construction. S

urviving

rem

ains include hug

e revetm

ents,

crane bases and platform

s, a bridge and lines of iron bars inserted

into th

e working face.

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By the mid to late eighteenth century the core layout of New

brough

was becoming

established

with Arm

strong’s map of 1769

confirm

ing the layout pattern which com

prised ribbon developm

ent

to the south of the Stanegate. His m

ap shows New

brough

in m

ore

detail than usual, possibly because, as Hodgson noted, Arm

strong

was ‘hospitably entertained at M

r Lambert’s country residence’, the

antecedent of New

brough

Park. Interestingly, the m

ap does not

show

or name Thornton and displays the line of the S

tanegate,

called Pudding

Row

, to the north of the village

running

to the fortlet

in S

t Peter’s churchyard. It does illustrate the presence of large

country houses, including Stonecroft, which w

ere replaced in the

late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. H

odgson w

rote in 1811

that the earlier New

brough

Park was ’a very old and curious house

– of three centuries at least – w

ith broad m

eadow and fine trees

before it.’7

7 ibid

Map 3: Armstrong’s Map 1769

Reproduced with permission of Northumberland Collections Service

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Map 4: Newbrough – First Edition Ordnance Survey 1866

The First Edition

Ordnance

Survey

of 1866 clearly show

s the

general layout of the villag

e together with the shape of the grounds

that surrounded the country houses.

The M

echanics Institute was built in 1848. It was almost certainly

founded

as an educational

establishm

ent

to provide

adult

education, particularly in technical subjects, to w

orking m

en and

funded by local industrialists on the

grounds

that they would

ultim

ately

benefit from

having

more

know

ledg

eable

and

skilled

employees. The local m

ines, qu

arries, farms and Fourstones paper

mill generated considerable em

ployment which w

ould have driven

the developm

ent of the Institute. It was con

verted to the Wom

en’s

Institute in

the twentieth century. A post office is shown beside the

Red Lion, a U

nited Pesbyterian Methodist C

hapel on the site of

Whitehouses, d

emolished in th

e the 1970s to m

ake way fo

r new th

e

housing, and

New

brough

School on Butt Bank

where it

was

considerably detached from

the villag

e. Hodgson refers to a school

having

been built at the tu

rn of the eighteenth/nineteenth century by

subscription with rooms added for the master. This was probably an

earlier establishm

ent in the body of the villag

e, possibly in the O

ld

School H

ouse which dates from

the same period.

Reproduced with permission of Northumberland Collections Service

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_education

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Map 5: Newbrough – Second Edition Ordnance Survey c.1890

The S

econd Edition Ordnance Survey c1890 show

s little chang

e

other than the addition of the of the charm

ing Tow

n Hall in 1876

courtesy of Miss Jane Todd who lived at New

brough

Park. A pant

was installed at the centre of the villag

e in 1889 by the P

elican

Board of M

ercy. O

ther chang

es include the construction of Archw

ay

House beside the Red Lion and enlargem

ent of the farmhouse at

Hom

e Farm.

The early years of twentieth century also saw little change, the most

sign

ificant being

the

installation

of the

War

Mem

orial to the w

est of the Tow

n Hall. It was

not

until the

twentieth century

that the

composition

of the

village

altered

with the

developm

ent of S

idga

te housing

estate to the

south and Khartoum bunga

lows to the north of

the historic core. D

and S

Denham and S

ons

took over the

M Charlton and

Sons

Bus

Com

pany, to the north of the Red Lion, in the

latte

r qu

arter

of

the

twentieth

century,

maintaining an industrial presence in th

e village

. The War Mem

orial

Reproduced with permission of Northumberland Collections Service

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4 CONTEXT

4.1

Geology and building materials

4.1.1 Geology

New

brough

is situated over carboniferous lim

estone which is

penetrated by thin coal seam

s and deposits of lead, ga

nister and

witherite. The rock is covered by a thick mantle of boulder clay

deposited during the last ice ag

e giving

rise to heavily textured clay

soils overlain by lightly textured alluvial soils that are associated

with the sedimentary deposits which acumulated at the confluence

of the New

brough Burn and the River Tyne.

4.1.2 Building Materials

Clay

Brick

is the

most common material using

clay. There is an

extrem

ely lim

ited use of brick other than in th

e manufacture of ridge

tiles and the construction of chimney stacks and m

anufacture of

pots which make

a vital contribution

to the

character of the

conservation

area. The m

ost attractive

and

conspicuous use

of

brick can be fo

und in th

e construction of th

e late eighteenth century

garden wall to the west and south east of New

brough Park, part of

which overlooks Stanegate.

Stone

Stone is th

e predom

inant b

uilding material used in th

e conservation

area. It

tends

to be local pale yellow and

buff

carboniferous

sandstone where used as a building material and W

elsh slate when

used on roofs. Som

e of th

e building stone is tinted grey with age

or

discoloured by traffic splash and patterned through

the introduction

of different coloured stones and boulders, particularly rubble walls.

The m

ost noticeable sandstone flagg

ed roofs cover W

est Cottage

which fronts onto Stanegate and th

e farm

buildings beside The Blue

House on the road to

Carr Edg

e. Som

e of th

e more recent buildings

gleam w

ith new

ly cut yellow and

buff facing stone. Rough

, rock

finished, squ

ared, rubble and tooled stone are used through

out the

village

with ashlar an

d carved masonry providing

decorative

features such as windo

w and

door surrounds and qu

oins. Stone is

laid in

a variety of ways including square coursed, rubble coursed,

or as random

rubble. This reflects the style, function and ag

e of

buildings. There is little direct evidence of re-used Rom

an stone in

the conservation area other than some large qu

oins and rare large

shaped stones in elevations, such as to th

e west of A

shley House.

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Stone is used in

the

construction

of b

oundary walls w

hich link

buildings and spaces throug

hout the villag

e. Stone cobbles can be

seen along th

e front and side of the Red Lion where they provide an

admirable setting to the historic building. S

tone kerbs line some

footpaths including fine sandstone edges to the U8138.

Timber

Timber is used in the m

anufacture of windo

w frames, doors and

barging. Although

there are som

e fine exam

ples of historic joinery

and tim

ber details, many original elements have been replaced in

uPVC which detracts from

the historic integrity and appearance of

the individual buildings and th

e wider area.

The survival of historic timberwork is vital for the heritage

wellbeing

of the conservation area.

Metal

The m

ost common use of metal is through the fabrication of cast

iron rainwater goods. Metal is used for other functional purposes,

some historic such as the two water pum

ps on Stanegate and the

Victorian letter box set into the blocked-up gatew

ay in th

e stone wall

which surrounded the

form

er walk

along

the

northern edge

of

New

brough

Park. T

here a

re m

ore

contem

porary u

ses including

road signage

and the large sliding doors ranged along

the front of

Denham’s ga

rage/workshop. The most notable

and

attractive

exam

ple

of historic fencing

is the

nineteenth century boundary

along the front of W

est Lodg

e whereas the m

odern hooped m

etal

fencing

on the

crossroads opposite the

Red Lion clutters and

fragments the tow

nscape. Metalwork is used to decorate buildings,

the most notable example being the clock face on the Tow

n Hall.

Render and paint

Virtually all tim

berwork is painted. A num

ber of properties, m

ainly

twentieth century, have been rendered m

aking a bland and dull

contribution to the villag

e when contrasted against textured and

colourful stone and brickw

ork.

Other materials

Modern materials are used sparingly. H

owever, their use can be

visually jarring

and

detract from

the a

ppearance

of the area

in

general. Plastic is used to replace rainw

ater goods. uP

VC windo

ws

have been introduced throughout the

area. These often

have

clum

sy, chunky proportions and are usually placed flush w

ith the

face of the building, rather than being

set back into an appropriate

reveal, thus losing

depth and shadow to the building’s architecture.

Synthetic slates, reconstituted stone and concrete tiles are also

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present. Roads and fo

otpaths are ge

nerally surfaced in asphalt with

some lanes and paths remaining

unm

etalled.

Brick and stone Timber windows and doors

Decorative metalwork Rendered walls and concrete tiles

4.2

Topography and Setting

The villag

e lies across the basin that spreads over the confluence of

the River Tyne and New

brough

Burn. The settlement ge

ntly rises

from

east to west b

ut clim

bs m

ore dram

atically to

the north from

the

crossroads tow

ards T

hornton Tow

er along

the side of M

eggie’s

Dene Burn valley which eventually runs into New

brough

Burn at th

e

western edg

e of the villag

e. The highest point of the conservation

area is approximately 82

metres and the lowest approximately 62

metres above sea level.

The wider setting of the conservation area is largely determ

ined by

its position to

wards th

e base of the Tyne valley and is characterised

by rural landscapes which are patterned by woo

dlands and fields.

They sw

eep around all sides of the villag

e. The rising slopes of the

valley to the north and south form horizons, the southern edge

being more distant a

nd visually coherent.

Other historic settlements are range

d along this section of the Tyne

Valley, with Fourstones to the

east being

New

brough

’s closest

neighbour. Large

country houses and grounds were developed in

the area, two of w

hich, New

brough

Park and New

brough

House,

are located in the conservation area. The late eigh

teenth century

New

brough

Lodg

e and

the

early nineteenth century

Stonecroft

House are situated to the west of the villag

e.

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4.3

Views out of the Area

Views to the south from the villag

e offer distant glimpses of the

south

side of the

Tyne

valley

which is heavily decorated

by

hedg

erow

s and clum

ps of trees. The valley side

is separated from

the village

by the fertile flood plain which is crossed by woodlands

to create a series of visual foils. The woodland is sufficiently dense

in places to obstruct views of th

e valley and enclose the village

.

Views to the north from Stanegate generally flow over ge

ntly rising

pastures to tree lines which substantially m

ask the distant crest of

the northern scarp of the Tyne valley. Views twist out of the villag

e

as the U

8138 to Thornton Tow

er w

eaves up the M

eggie’s Dene

Burn valley. H

igh banksides, hedge

s and boundary w

alls contain

and channel view

s before they break out to take in broader vistas

over Torney’s Fell and Frankham Fell which lie beyond the tree

lines th

at contain th

e scenes from

the C227.

Views to the west are dominated and foreshortened by the dense

canopy of trees

which overhang

Stanega

te as it

crosses

New

brough

Burn. Views to the east are also controlled by m

ature

trees

which are

ranged along

both sides

of the

Stanega

te.

How

ever, because the road is straighter the visual containm

ent is

less immediate with more

open view

s of adjacent fields being

glimpsed beneath th

e canopy of the trees.

Views south over the flood plain Views north towards Frankham Fell

and the south side of Tyne valley

Views west framed and contained Views east extending along

by trees overhanging Newbrough Stanegate towards Fourstones

Burn bridge and Stanegate

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5 SPATIAL ANALYSIS

5.1

Development pattern, layout, grain and density

Medieval development pattern

Little is known about the size and com

position of New

brough

in the

middle

ages other than historic references to

the

two

villes of

New

brough

and T

hornton where the latter was at one tim

e the

larger of the

two

settlem

ents. It

is probable that a

number of

cottage

s would have spread along

side the Stanegate with inns and

services such as a smithy to sustain the local agricultural economy

and travellers passing along

the Carelgate betwee

n New

castle and

Carlisle. The lost medieval village

of Thornton and its m

edieval

market probably clustered over the flat land around the defensible

Thornton Tow

er.

The Arm

strong’s Map

of 1769 (M

ap 3) show

s New

brough

comprising buildings stretched alongside the road which lies to the

south of the putative line of the Stanegate. This is a representation

of a m

edieval street villag

e. Thornton is not m

arked on the plan

giving

rise

to the

assumption

that both the

tower and

related

settlem

ent had been totally abandoned.

Post Medieval development pattern

The 1863 Ordnance Survey (M

ap 4) show

s that the late medieval

‘street village

’ layout of New

brough

had large

ly survived into the

nineteenth century. This was anchored around a num

ber of key

buildings – New

brough Park on the south side which is believed to

have a development tim

e line dating back to at le

ast the sixteenth

century

and

the

seventeenth

century

Hom

e Farm and

Ashley

House, a form

er inn, together with the eighteenth century Red Lion

on the northern side. It is possible that som

e of th

e cottage

s on the

southern side of Stanegate to

the west o

f Sidgate Lane were built in

the late eighteenth century or incorporate fabric dating from

that

period. The m

id-nineteenth century layout of the village

straggles

along this east-west axis with the re-em

erge

nce of development in

Thornton

following

the

construction

of New

brough

Hall and

its

associated buildings, including

the stable block and cottage

s on th

e

west side of the

U8138, together w

ith the farm com

plex w

hich

incorporated the rem

ains of the medieval tower house. The late

nineteenth century saw

the development pattern m

anipulated w

ith

the construction of the tow

n hall to add a new

visual focal point in

the village

.

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Chang

es over the next century included some demolition, such as

the buildings to the north of the R

ed Lion where traces of former

fireplaces can still be seen in th

e pub’s north elevation and the farm

complex on the opposite side of the U

8138 to be replaced in the

1970s by Denham’s Haulage

contractors and Khartoum bunga

lows

respectively, ag

ain

stretching

the

developm

ent pattern of the

village

.

The m

ost sign

ificant chang

e to the d

evelopment pattern o

f the

village

in the twentieth century has been the 1960s developm

ent of

the

Sidgate housing

estate which reflects

a typical post-war

municipal la

yout annexed

to the south of the villag

e to provide the

greatest concentration of buildings in New

brough. This skew

s the

developm

ent pattern of the village

. It has, how

ever, little impact

upon the

conservation

area which remains focussed upon the

historic street village

and

Thornton with only a short section of the

first phase of the housing estate included in th

e area.

The layout of the historic core of th

e conservation area continues to

be characterised by collections of properties separated by fields

ranged alongside

Stanegate. They

still form

distinctive

groups

comprising the Tow

n Hall to the Red Lion on the northern side; the

terraces of h

ouses on the southern side; and Hom

e Farm com

bined

with N

ewbrough

Park at the w

estern end of the village

although

later developm

ents have altered

the

shape

of the

groups and

extended th

e built fo

otprint of the historic core.

New

brough

Hall and its associated buildings to the north of the

village

are physically detached from

the main settlem

ent a

nd can be

only occasiona

lly glim

psed from a few

vantage

points from

the rest

of the villag

e when the

tree canopy diminishes over the w

inter

period.

The pattern of developm

ent across the villag

e includes a generous

provision of open space which leads to a relatively low density

across the w

hole of the settlem

ent. There are pockets of high

er

density fo

cused on both old and new te

rraced housing

.

5.2

Land use

New

brough

is predom

inantly residential (Use C

lassification

C3).

There are no shops and one public house (Use Classification A4).

Business

focuses

on D and

S Denham and

Son Haulage

contractors (B1/B2) and farming. Tynedale District Local Plan has

not allocated

sites

for econom

ic developm

ent in New

brough

,

recogn

ising

that the

village

is well placed

to benefit from

employment opportunities provided in H

exham. The tow

n hall and

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its

admirable

extension

provide

community

focus

(Use

Classification D1).

5.3

Views within the area

The main

view

s within the

area follow the

road patte

rn. The

principal vista runs along

Stanegate where disjointed and inform

al

building

lines, varieties of scale a

nd d

esign

together w

ith o

pen

space and pockets of m

ature landscaping on both sides of th

e road

creates

visual interest and

surprise. This

inform

ality reveals

a

gradual d

evelopment process. The open spaces bring the village

’s

rural hinterland into the heart of the settlement. This fractures the

building

lines but provides extrem

ely attractive

settings to both

individual and

groups of buildings.

Other view

s lead

ing

off

Stanegate along Sidgate Lane and the U8138 lead past buildings

and fields to broaden out over open countryside

. Generally, view

s

are

dominated by the

older

stone

built properties, the

two

exceptions being

along

Sidga

te Lane where the 1960s/70s housing

commands the street scene and the blocks of 1970s developm

ent

which front o

nto the southern section of the U8138.

Staggered building lines, roof heights and chimney stacks add modelling

and visual interest

Green spaces bring the rural hinterland into the village

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6 CHARACTER ANALYSIS

6.1

Townscape and building form

The conservation

area comprises the

successor

of the

two

medieval villes, Nieweburc and Thornetona.

8 Although

the physical

appearance of the settlem

ent has totally chang

ed from the twelfth

and thirteenth centuries, the general arrangement of two distinct

groups o

f buildings, ‘old’ New

brough

and T

hornton, e

stablished

during the post-Conqu

est era survives.

The historic core of ‘old’ New

brough stretches along

Stanega

te.

The eastern edge was m

arked in the m

id-nineteenth century by the

Methodist Chapel a

nd a pair of cottage

s which were demolished in

the 1970s to m

ake way for the W

hitehouses bunga

low court. This

has created a more open aspect and removed a la

ndmark building

at the entrance to the villag

e. The range

of historic buildings which

front onto Stanegate as far as its junction

with Sidga

te Lane

comprises a pair of terraces. They follow a con

stant building line

which is te

rminated at their eastern end by Rose Cottage

which juts

out at right angles to ‘book-end’ the

terraces. Rose

Cottage

8 Northum

berland

Place-Nam

es : Stan Beckensall 197

5

occupies an area w

here the S

tanegate originally w

idened

at its

junction with Sidgate Lane, which led to Allerwash Mill, a

nd th

e road

to Thornton. This

is the

possible location

for a

small historic

market/trading area opposite the R

ed Lion and the village

pum

p

which could m

ark an earlier well or spring point.

Eastern length of terrace W

estern length of terrace

Blanked internal arches, The opposite side of Stanegate

White Gates overlooking the grounds of

Newbrough Hall

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The two terraces form distinct groups of buildings. The eastern

collection includes the O

ld S

choolhouse and W

est Cottage

, the

latte

r with its sandstone

flagg

ed roof sugg

esting

a late-

eigh

teenth/early nineteenth century

construction. The western

group is m

ore diverse in appearance with a substantial arched cart

gate and

decorative

stone

dorm

er ga

ble

adding

variety and

modelling. Blanked internal arches inside the cart entrance sugge

st

that the chronological development of the terrace m

oved from west

to east.

Unfortunately som

e new and enlarge

d openings and th

e insertion of

bow windo

ws ha

ve altered the balance and appearance of some of

the properties diminishing th

e overall quality of the western terrace.

The northern side of Stanega

te opposite the

terraces is

undeveloped

and

open

s out to provide

extensive

view

s across

fields

and

the

parkland setting of New

brough House towards

Frankham Fell. Mature ornamental trees in

the parkland contribute

to the com

position of an outstanding landscape which m

akes a

substantial contribution

to the h

istoric a

nd visual setting

of the

eastern end of the conservation area.

This open aspect ran throug

h to the ju

nction of Stanegate with the

U8138 until the

mid-twentieth century

and

the

construction

of

Westfield on the corner. The m

ass of this large hipped roof stone

house reflects the scale of the Red Lion that stand on the western

side of the junction.

W

estfield House The Red Lion

The eighteenth century Red Lion, how

ever, continues to dom

inate

the

cross roads due

to its shape a

nd visual strength w

hich is

reinforced by lack of gardens or contained space along

the back of

the cobbled pavement. Old fe

atures, including

the survival of earlier

fabric and sixteen- and twelve-pane sash windo

ws impose a sense

of history

at an important focal point in the

centre of the

conservation

area. This

quality is extended along

the

front of

Stanegate where th

e attached buildings, w

hich date from

the mid to

late nineteenth century, jut o

ut to

extend the building mass as far as

the detached Tow

n Hall. Visual interest is enha

nced by the arch

and its substantial classic m

oulded kneelers on the front of A

rchw

ay

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House, the larger, high

er and slightly austere M

echanic’s Institute

and the tall chimney stacks. The Italianate Tow

n Hall b

rings charm

and

architectural charisma

into the

village

. It

was subtly and

sympathetically

extended

in

2000

to

provide

additional

accommodation

and

a sheltered

courtyard. The adjacent War

Mem

orial completes this group of buildings w

hich overlooks the

lowered boundary wall on the opposite side of S

tanegate w

hich

contains the northern edge of New

brough

Park.

Archway House The Mechanics Institute/Wom

en’s

Institute

View to the south over the lowered boundary wall are dom

inated by the

former landscaped grounds of Newbrough Park

Newbrough Town Hall The attractively designed extension

The 1960s housing on Sidga

te Lane also overlooks the grounds

albeit partly obscured by the eastern boundary wall of New

brough

Park which d

ips do

wn

from

over three metres in h

eigh

t at the

junction with Stanega

te to

becom

e a more traditional field boundary

further south. The partly rendered twentieth century

terraced

housing toge

ther w

ith a group of bungalow

s and disused public

conveniences on the west side of Sidgate Lane do not add to the

special character of the conservation area.

Similarly, the

layout and

appearance of the

twentieth century

developm

ent that h

as taken place on both sides of th

e U8138 to

the

north

of its junction

with the

Stanegate, including

Khartoum

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bung

alow

s and

Denham’s Haulage depot,

do not augm

ent the

architectural quality of the conservation area.

The w

est end of the east-west axis of ‘old’ New

brough

clusters

around H

ome Farm and N

ewbrough

Park. H

ome Farmhouse and

Ashley House, which front onto Stanega

te, was a former inn. It

dates from

the sixteenth century but possibly incorporates earlier

fabric. S

ome of th

e large stones in th

e qu

oins and set into th

e walls

may have Rom

an orig

ins.

Hom

e Farmhouse/Ashley House Nineteenth century farm building

This is a particularly attractive group of buildings, partly because of

their obvious ag

e but also because traces of earlier features, such

as the lost central doorway a

nd the seventeenth century stone

mullions cut-aw

ay from

first floor windo

ws, probably in the

nineteenth century, to insert larger multi-paned

fenestration,

describe historic timelines. A substantial and attractively detailed

early-nineteenth

century

house

extended in the

late-nineteenth

century located in the north east corner of the complex can be

glimpsed from

the road. F

arm outbuildings tu

cked behind Stanega

te

have been converted to housing

and a cul-de-sac of short lengths

of stone built terraced houses sits beside and behind the old farm.

The new developm

ent has

been design

ed to ensure that the

houses w

hich front onto Stanega

te reflect the m

ass and ge

neral

shape of the older terraces which can be seen in

the conservation

area.

The north, ‘back’, elevation of Newbrough Park and attractive brick garden

wall fronting onto Stanegate

The n

orth e

levation

of N

ewbrough

Park loom

s over S

tanegate.

Partly shrouded by trees and shrubs, the fa

çade is a com

bination of

a massive wall with regu

lar

windo

w openings and

smaller

extensions com

prising a variety of roof heigh

ts and planes. H

igh

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garden w

alls, partly built in brick, are attached to the house. The

elevation is enlivened by the presence of doorway w

hich includes

an attractive renewed radial fanlight.

Stanegate leaves the conservation area by New

brough

Bridge

built

in 1839 to a

robust and

attractive

design

using

ashlar stone

reflecting the ge

nerally high qu

ality of design and craftsmanship to

be fo

und in ‘old’ N

ewbrou

gh.

Newbrough Burn bridge and its 1839 datestone

The U8138 leads

from

‘old’ New

brough

to the

settlem

ent of

Thornton which is now orientated around New

brough

Hall and its

associated buildings. The link

between

‘old’ New

brough

and

Thornton is rural in character with the attractive The B

lue House

farm

and W

est Lodge the only historic buildings on the east side

and open countryside to the west. The bulk of N

ewbrough

House

estate lies to the w

est of the road. T

he 1866 Edition Ordnance

Survey (M

ap 4) describes the arrangement of formal and kitchen

gardens together w

ith garden buildings and glass houses which

encompassed the John Dobson design

ed early nineteenth century

house. The substantial stable block and associated cottage

s which

enclose the stable yard are located on the east side of the road.

This

general arrangem

ent and

appearance of estate buildings

survives w

ith only minor m

odifications w

hich do not diminish the

complex’s overall historic character.

The Blue House farm buildings High boundary walls link estate

buildings and run along the edge

of Newbrough Hall gardens

The high stone walls which run along the east side of the road and

contain the gardens link onto W

est Lodge and Garden Cottage to

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provide

a robust edge

opposite the

more

modelled

and

architecturally diverse frontage form

ed by the eastern elevation of

the stable yard which is dom

inated by the two storey stables with its

heavy eaves and catslide roof. The pow

er house built in 1902 with

its whimsical G

othic og

ival pyram

id roof a

nd finial inspired by tu

rn of

the century ge

nerating apparatus can be seen from

the road. The

farm

complex to the

north

of the

early/m

id nineteenth century

Thornton

Tow

er Cottages, a

stone

built two

storey terrace, is

located outside the conservation area.

The stable block Cottages contain the stable yard

6.2

Key buildings

Key buildings provide

historic anchor points, visual focus, aesthetic

quality and influential examples of local building type.

New

brough Park

and New

brough Hall are

fine

exam

ples of

country

houses which are

of both historic and

architectural

importance. T

hey represent a

tangible expression of th

e wealth th

at

flowed through

the region during the early decades of the industrial

revolution and the concom

itant attraction of the Tyne valley as a

convenient and pleasant p

lace to

live. T

he stable block to

the west

of New

brough

Hall adds grandeur to

the historic com

plex. T

he 1839

bridge at th

e west e

nd of the villag

e is an attractive ashlar structure

built with some

style

and

prom

inent datestone. It

denotes

the

presence of New

brough Burn and the importance of the flattened

basin at the confluence of the Burn and the River T

yne in the

developm

ent of the villag

e.

The Town Hall is a building which reflects a striking urban design

reduced in scale to com

fortably fit into the shape and appearance of

the village

. The m

ore severe and m

odestly designed neighbouring

Mechanics

Institute, now the

Wom

en’s Institute, marks an

important

period

in the

social de

velopm

ent

of the

village

representing

the

early to mid-nineteenth

century

movem

ent to

provide educational opportunities for working m

en.

The Blue House and

its associated buildings to the

south

of

New

brough

Hall are

good e

xamples o

f vernacular farm d

esign,

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enriched

by the

stone

flagg

ed roofs, illustrating

the

agricultural

history of th

e village

.

6.3

Green elements

Green spaces make a vital contribution to the character of the

village

. Clusters of buildings are separated by fields which com

e to

the

edge

of roads

and

paths. These fields

flow into open

countryside where they merge

to create an extrem

ely attractive

rural hinterland w

ith views which roll over the slopes of the Tyne

valley. The green

spaces are

decorated

by both individual

specimen trees and woo

dlands to create m

odelled landscapes and

add grace, shape and maturity to

enrich the historic character of the

area. T

hey also fram

e and provide backdrops to buildings.

Hedge

rows work with walls to

link buildings and contain spaces and

grass verges soften the impact of roads.

New

brough

Burn valley at th

e western end of the conservation area

is heavily colonised by trees to create a natural woodland which

enriches the qu

ality of the conservation area and introduces variety

of shape and colour at the edge

of the villag

e.

Gardens provide green space between buildings and buildings and

roads.

A magnificent tree between the The woodland along Newbrough Burn

W

ar Mem

orial and Hom

e Farm

6.4

Details

Details are w

oven

through

out the character area m

aking decisive

contributions to its distinctive character and sense of place. They

include masonry, doorways, roofs, w

indo

ws and rainwater goods.

Masonry

Most of the buildings in the conservation area are built in local

carboniferous sandstone. Som

e early buildings are constructed in

random

rubble where w

alls are constructed in stones w

hich are

irregularly shaped and of different sizes laid in random patterns with

some occasional rough coursing. This can be seen on the front of

Ashley House, S

tanega

te.

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Later houses adopted

a more

form

al approach using

roughly

squared stone in courses, such as Rose Cottage at the junction of

Sidga

te Lane with Stanegate. Som

e large

and

fine

building,

including the Tow

n Hall and New

brough

Park, incorporate tooled

squared

stone. Dressed stone

quoins, sills and

lintels were

frequently used to provide style and elega

nce.

Rubble wall Roughly squared Tooled squared

Ashley House coursed stone wall coursed stone wall

Rose Cottage the Town Hall

Doorways

Original door openings large

ly survive. Most of the doors w

ould

have been either planked or panelled many of which survive.

Panelled door Planked door

M

echanics Institute Newbrough Park

Windows

Windows

are

an important tool in understanding

the

age

of

buildings and m

ake a vital contribution to their visual character.

Window opening

s can change

over tim

e, both in terms of position

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and size. The presence of redundant stone lintels and cills set in

to

walls illustrates a depth of history that spans centuries. A

limited

variety of original w

indows survive including late eighteenth/early

nineteenth century

sixteen- and

twelve-pane, such as Ashley

House, N

ewbrough

Park, and th

e Red Lion, and m

id/late nineteenth

century four- and two-pane sliding

sash w

indo

ws. U

nfortunately

many windo

ws have bee

n replaced with uPVC units which have a

negative impact upon the appearance of individu

al prope

rties and

the townscape in term

s of dimension, shape, profile and colour.

This

is compounded

by change

s to the

shape

and

plane

of

windo

ws. The colour of uPVC units is particularly im

portant in that it

introduces the uniform

presence of polar w

hite, not used until the

mid-twentieth century, in place of traditional colour ranges.

Traditional timber sliding M

odern replacem

ent

sash window, Red Lion windows

Roofs and roof furniture

Most roofs in New

brough

are dual p

itch with flat ga

bles. There are

some minor variations including

hipped ga

bles, such as the Red

Lion and W

estfield House, and the occasional catslide roof w

hich

slope do

wn from

principal pitches. Virtually all of the pre-twentieth

century buildings in the villag

e are roofed in W

elsh slate with som

e

limited but good exam

ples of sandstone flags.

Catslide roof The im

pact of rooflights

Som

e dorm

ers

have been added

to properties. How

ever, the

overwhelming impression is one where rooflines are substantially

uncluttered and uninterrupted. This adds to the qu

ality of the area

and should be protected. A num

ber of rooflights have been inserted

which, although

less intrusive than dormers, can fragm

ent principal

elevations.

It is important

that rooflights

are

design

ed to

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conservation standards and situated in discrete positions. Chimney

stacks and pots help to

create interesting and attractive silhouettes.

They include

elaborate

and

decorative

stone

stacks a

s well as

lighter brick structures.

Rainwater goods.

Traditional rainw

ater goods, including gutters and dow

npipes, w

ould

have been simple and originally m

ade out of wood or lead. These

were gradually replaced using cast iron with the gutters supported

on spikes driven into the wall. Good exam

ples of this type can be

seen on the cottage

s which form part of N

ewbrough

Hall stable

block. C

ast iron is in turn being

substituted by plastic, sometimes

mounted on tim

ber fascias, to the detriment of the character of the

area.

Boundary walls

Boundary walls are dom

inant and crucial elements in the built form

of th

e conservation area. T

hey are of historic and visua

l importance

threading their way along

side roads and lanes containing spaces

and view

s. They include field and garden boundaries.

Traditional spiked iron gutter Boundary wall around

South Cottage Newbrough Park

6.5

Neutral and negative features

Neutral features

Neutral features are those which have a balance of positive and

negative characteristics.

• The developm

ent of Sidga

te housing

estate introduced an

important measure of social housing

into the village. How

ever,

the design

of the estate reflects a traditional 1960s layout and

appearance which does not enhance the special and distinctive

historic character of the village

. This observation can also be

applied

to ‘Khartoum’ senior citizen’s bung

alow

s built in

the

1970s.

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Negative features

Neg

ative features are those which detract from

the overall character

and appearance of the place. T

here are several neg

ative aspects.

• As mentioned in section 4.1.2 above, orig

inal timber joinery is

occasionally being

replaced by synthetic m

aterials. T

he success

of uP

VC windo

ws

which attempt to copy the

design

and

proportions of traditional w

indo

ws depends on the w

idth and

profile of the fram

es. u

PVC fram

es are usually th

icker and more

angu

lar than timber ones and can not accurately incorporate

details such as m

ouldings, horns and beading. uPVC ‘glazing

bars’ are often false strips superim

posed onto glazing

which

have a flat, flimsy appearance. uPVC does not take on the

patina of time in the sam

e way as tim

ber. The result almost

always harm

s the appearance of the character area.

• A num

ber of m

id to late twentieth century houses have been

built with little rega

rd to the

traditional appearance of their

historic counterparts. T

heir

design a

nd location

disrupts a

nd

diminishes the special character of the conservation area.

• Overhead cables and their support colum

ns.

• The abandoned public conveniences set into N

ewbrough

Park

boundary wall along

Sidgate Lane.

• There have been increm

ental change

s that have gradually

damaged the historic integrity and attractiveness of buildings.

They include the loss and replacement of original architectural

details toge

ther with inappropriate designs, materials and

methods for repairs, a

lterations and new

works.

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7 PUBLIC REALM

Public realm is the space between and within buildings w

hich are

publicly accessible, including

streets, forecourts, entrances

and

open spaces.

The quality of the public realm through

out the conservation area is

generally satisfactory although

very little historic fa

bric survives, the

obvious exam

ple being the sandstone setts to the front and side of

the Red Lion.

Asphalt has been applied as a road and footpath surface across

most of the conservation area to create a generally dull floorscape.

This

surfacing

has

been patch

repaired

and

cut and

filled

to

accommodate service and utility upg

rades. T

he addled effect is

unattractive. O

ther m

aterials have been introduced such as short

leng

ths

of concrete flags between

the

Red Lion and

the

War

Mem

orial and poured concrete along part of the frontage

of the

terrace to the east of R

ose Cottage. A

mixture of flags, crazy paving

and aspalt cover the landscaped sitting area opposite the Red Lion

detracting from

the appearance of an important area of public open

space. S

ome paths and lanes are either unm

etalled or rough

ly

gravelled with loose binding

s. They create a less form

al and m

ore

attractive appearance. A

s mentioned in section 4.1.2, m

etal hooped

fencing at th

e junction of Sidga

te Lane with Stanegate conflicts with

the historic character of the conservation area.

Street lighting tends to be strapped to columns carrying cables and

is therefore relatively inconspicuous. The exceptions are twentieth

century housing estates where m

odern standards requ

ire lighting

columns.

Mixed finishes opposite the Sandstone cobbles around the

Town Hall Red Lion

Inappropriately designed Lighting units on

highway fencing cable colum

ns

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