Croft Lane (Letchworth) · November 2019 Doc Ref. 41545-WOD-XX-XX_RP-OH-0028_SO_P01 2. Character and Special Interest 2.1 Character 2.1.1 Croft Lane is a very small Conservation Area

North Hertfordshire District Council

Croft Lane (Letchworth)

Conservation Area Character Statement

Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited – November 2019

3 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited

November 2019

Doc Ref. 41545-WOD-XX-XX_RP-OH-0028_SO_P01

Contents

1. Background 4

1.1 Introduction 4

1.2 Setting of Conservation Area 4

1.3 Historical Development 4

2. Character and Special Interest 5

2.1 Character 5

2.2 Statement of Special Interest 6

3. Key Assets and Views 7

3.1 Designated Heritage Assets 7 Listed Buildings 7

3.2 Non-designated Heritage Assets 7 Buildings of Local Interest 7 Buildings or Features that make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area 7

3.3 Key Views 8

4. Opportunities for Improvement 9

5. Bibliography 10

Appendix A Conservation Area Map Appendix B Photographs


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1. Background

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 Croft Lane (Letchworth) Conservation Area was designated by North Hertfordshire District Council

in 1979 and its boundary was amended in 1991. The boundary includes Croft Lane, west of the

village of Norton, the very northern part of Cashio Lane, and seven of the houses on the east side

of Cashio Lane.

1.1.2 This report has been produced for the purpose of appraising the character of that Conservation

Area. It includes a character assessment highlighting key features, a statement of special interest, a

list of designated heritage assets, undesignated heritage assets and key views within the

Conservation Area, and opportunities for improvement. It is accompanied by an annotated map of

the Conservation Area which can be found in Appendix A. This report does not consider potential

boundary changes in the Conservation Area.

1.2 Setting of Conservation Area

1.2.1 The Conservation Area is in an essentially suburban setting, on the edge of Letchworth Garden City

and adjacent to the village of Norton, of which it is historically part. Although there is some

surviving agricultural and orchard land to the north of Croft Lane, the Conservation Area is

otherwise almost completely surrounded by suburban residential development, however this is

generally not visible from the streets within it.

1.3 Historical Development

1.3.1 Croft Lane is historically part of the village of Norton and its two large farm buildings remain as

evidence of the area’s rural past. Ordnance Survey maps of the late 19th century show the street

barely populated with the exception of farm buildings and a small group of cottages at the north

end of west end of Croft Lane, none of which remain today.

1.3.2 In the first decade of the 20th century, the development of Letchworth Garden City placed the new

city and surrounding suburban residential areas over the villages of Letchworth, Willian and Norton.

Croft Lane was developed as a residential street at this time, from around 1905 onwards, though is

notably occupied by larger villa type houses than are seen in the surrounding residential streets. It

is also distinguished for containing buildings by important Letchworth Garden City architects Parker

& Unwin, architect of Letchworth’s Spirella Building Cecil Hignett, and architect of Letchworth’s

‘£150 houses’ Geoffry Lucas.

1.3.3 Since the principal phase of development between around 1905 and 1911, other plots have been

filled with houses of a similar scale and the east end of Croft Lane appears to have been developed

more recently, towards the end of the 20th century.


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2. Character and Special Interest

2.1 Character

2.1.1 Croft Lane is a very small Conservation Area whose interest is very much confined to the

interrelation of houses and the streets due to the almost complete lack of long views either

through or out of it. It consists of two streets, Croft Lane and part of Cashio Lane, that despite some

earlier development are defined by a series of early 20th century buildings related to the expansion

of Letchworth Garden City, including two by Parker & Unwin.

2.1.2 Norton Grange Farmhouse (NHLE 1102027), Paynes Farmhouse (NHLE 1174144) and Thatches

(NHLE 1347675), of the 17th, 18th and 18th centuries respectively, are the three timber buildings

within the Conservation Area, the former two being sat opposite each other on Croft Lane as part

of U-shaped farm complexes, each with farmland behind. Thatches is east of these and

demonstrates well the situation of Croft Lane as historically a peripheral part of the village of

Norton, this being close to the ponds that sat at the centre of that village.

2.1.3 Through the rest of the Conservation Area, building is in brick and includes a significant set of

buildings connected to the founding of Letchworth Garden City. Treetops (1910) (NHLE 1102023)

and The White Cottage (1906) (NHLE 1347674) are both the work of Parker & Unwin, the architects

of Letchworth Garden City itself. The White Cottage is in roughcast brick with a thatched and tiled

roof and casement windows, with entrance via a ‘stoep’ (a South African style veranda with

recessed entrance) on the south side, a feature seen on other Parker & Unwin buildings in North

Hertfordshire. Treetops is also in roughcast brick, with a tiled roof over two projecting wings with

casement windows. The Three Gables (1907) (NHLE 1295871) and Croft Corner (1911) (NHLE

1102026) were both designed by Cecil Hignett, famously the architect of The Spirella Building in

Letchworth, the former for his own occupation. The former (Figure 2.1) is in roughcast brick with

thatched roof with eyebrow dormers and casement windows throughout. Croft Corner (Figure 2.2),

on an angle at the meeting of Croft Lane and Cashio Lane, is also in roughcast brick with thatched

roof and a substantial dormer containing casement windows. The remainder of the windows are

small casements, which makes for a very distinctive appearance for this prominent building.

Numbers 5-7 Croft Lane (1905-06) (NHLE 1245306) by Geoffry Lucas are in roughcast brick over a

brick plinth with casement windows and plain tile roof, and are notably similar in style to some of

his other buildings in Letchworth, for instance the ‘£150 houses’ at Paddock Close, and Hampstead

Garden Suburb

2.1.4 Through the remainder of the Conservation Area, buildings are of a comparable style and size to

these early ones. The exception is the east end of Croft Lane where the buildings are modern in-fill

between Thatches and The Three Gables, these in a variety of styles. All are in brick with gable-

ended roof and tend towards relatively square plans, in contrast to the rectangular plans of most of

the earlier buildings. This appears to be a consequence of their occupying smaller plots of land.

2.1.5 All of the buildings in the Conservation Area are set back from the road behind gardens which are

themselves separated from the road by tall hedges and other planting, creating a secluded feel

from the roadside and presumably also within individual properties. There are noticeably more

street trees west of Paynes and Norton Grange farmhouses and this locates the more enclosed-

feeling part of the Conservation Area to this part of it, i.e. around the earlier 20th century buildings.

The more modern properties on Croft Lane are distinguished from the overall style by having front

gardens with less definition to the street or lower fences than elsewhere. Norton Grange

Farmhouse is set behind a low white fence. There is a pavement on the south side of Croft Lane

which has, for the most part, a grass verge between it and the road. The kerbs here are stone.


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2.2 Statement of Special Interest

2.2.1 The special interest of Croft Lane Conservation Area lies in its connection to the foundation of

Letchworth Garden City and its having within it a series of significant buildings by key Letchworth

Garden City architects, Parker & Unwin, Cecil Hignett and Geoffry Lucas.

2.2.2 Although the Conservation Area has been further developed since its primary phase of

development in the early 20th century, later housing has maintained the separation of houses

established therein. Later development, towards the end of the 20th century, has introduced houses

of lower architectural significance, but still maintaining something of the character of the area as

originally designed.

2.2.3 Due to planting in front of almost all properties in the Conservation Area, long views are almost

entirely absent and it retains something of a rural feel, despite being almost entirely surrounded by

suburban residential streets of Letchworth Garden City.


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3. Key Assets and Views

3.1 Designated Heritage Assets

Listed Buildings

List Entry Name Grade NGR

1174144 Paynes Farmhouse II TL 22592 34190

1347674 The White Cottage II TL 22427 34196

1347675 Thatches II TL 22733 34159

1295871 The Three Gables II TL 22528 34138

1102023 Treetops II TL 22414 34007

1102026 Croft Corner II TL 22361 34090

1102027 Norton Grange Farmhouse II TL 22597 34151

1245306 5 And 7, Croft Lane II TL 22394 34153

3.2 Non-designated Heritage Assets

Buildings of Local Interest

3.2.1 Recommendations for buildings to be included on North Hertfordshire’s Register of Buildings of

Local Interest will be included in the Summary Report at the conclusion of the project.

Buildings or Features that make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the

conservation area

3.2.2 The following non-designated buildings are considered to make a positive contribution to the

character or appearance of Croft Lane Conservation Area. These buildings have been selected

through the contribution they make to the character of the Conservation Area.

7 Croft Lane

8 Croft Lane

1a and 1b Croft Lane

10 Cashio Lane


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3.3 Key Views

3.3.1 Four Key Views have been identified within Croft Lane Conservation Area as follows:

KV1: From the north end of Cashio Lane, south along Cashio Lane

KV2: West along Croft Lane from outside 11 Croft Lane

KV3: East along Croft Lane from south of Paynes Farm

KV4: West along Croft Lane from north of Thatches


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4. Opportunities for Improvement

4.1.1 The following opportunities for improvement have been identified within Croft Lane Conservation

Area.

consideration should be given to street tree planting to the east side of the Conservation Area,

between Paynes and Norton Grange farmhouses, and Thatches which would provide a greater

level of unity in character across it.


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5. Bibliography

Online mapping from National Museum of Scotland <https://maps.nls.uk/>

Bettley, J., Pevsner, N. & Cherry, B. 2002. Hertfordshire. London: Yale University Press

Victoria County History. 1912. A History of the County of Hertford: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History

A1 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited

November 2019


Appendix A

Conservation Area Map

.

© Historic England 2019. Contains Ordnance Survey data © CrownCopyright. All rights reserved. Licence number AL 100001776.

CROFT LANE

1102023

1102026

1102027

1174144

1245306

1295871

1347674

1347675

KV4KV3

KV2

KV1

522400 522600

2340

0023

4200

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Conservation areaListed Buildings

#* Grade I

#* Grade II*

#* Grade IIScheduled ancient monumentHistoric parks and gardensHeritage at risk

E Significant key viewBuilding or feature that contributesto the character of theConservation areaSignificant areas of trees

qp Significant treeSignificant green spaceSignificant blue space

B1 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited

November 2019


Appendix B

Photographs

B.1 Character Photographs

Figure 2.1: The Three Gables by Cecil Hignett, 1907 grade II property on Croft Lane, NHLE 1295871


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Figure 2.2: Croft Corner by Cecil Hignett, 1911 grade II on the corner of Cashio Lane and Croft Lane, NHLE

1102026


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B.2 Key Views

KV1: From the north end of Cashio Lane looking south along Cashio Lane. This view demonstrates the more

suburban nature of Cashio Lane as it runs south from Croft Lane into Letchworth Garden City.


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KV2: West along Croft Lane from outside 11 Croft Lane


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KV3: East along Croft Lane from south of Paynes Farm, demonstrating the rural nature of much of Croft Lane.


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KV4: West along Croft Lane from north of Thatches

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Documents

Croft Lane (Letchworth) · November 2019 Doc Ref. 41545-WOD-XX-XX_RP-OH-0028_SO_P01 2. Character and Special Interest 2.1 Character 2.1.1 Croft Lane is a very small Conservation Area