Conservation Area: Christleton Conservation Area (030)

The village is a large settlement close to Chester which exhibits some influence from the city in its buildings. Originally a farming village with its origins in the 11th century it has now become a residential community. The conservation area covers a large part of the village, excluding extensive housing estate development which has taken place to the south, and to a lesser extent to the west. The overall character of the conservation area has however remained intact, the new development having little effect on the main body of the village though evident from the canal. Within the conservation area the spatial hierarchy of the village form has remained intact with a definite agglomerating of the built form towards the centre reached by narrow country lanes. There is a gradual decrease in the density of development as you leave the central green leading out into the open country to the north and east. The effect is less dramatic to the west and south despite the canal, as you arrive at the busy A51. The route along Pepper Street is particularly pleasant bordered by walls and mature trees creating a very picturesque environment. The plan form consists of four routes meeting at the centre of the village around a green which essentially follow the medieval street pattern. The Pump House provides an interesting feature in the centre of the green which is enclosed to the south and relatively open to the north where the church, Manor House, gates and grassed area of the Old Hall define the space. The church is a landmark within the village though not evident from the surroundings. The properties within and around the centre address the road at different distances, with some abutting directly onto the road creating a tightly enclosed space. This can be seen in Little Heath Road where the buildings help to define the bend in the road, in Pepper Street, and most obviously in Village Road. The morphology of the area provides depth to the built form with views down alleys to buildings and pedestrian routes leading through the built edge in places. The village pond in the northern part of the conservation area provides a fine landscape feature. Here the village form becomes open with views out into the open countryside. The dispersed nature of the development in this part of the village, which faces onto the pond, is important in defining its character and no further development should be allowed here. Sandstone and brick walls are an important feature throughout the conservation area and should be maintained. These vary greatly in height and finish providing different edges to the streetspace. The boundaries are also well defined on the approaches to the centre by hedgerows which are important in defining and enclosing the space. The mature trees to t tie- west are particularly fine features and help to capture the space, especially along Faulkners Lane creating a picturesque landscape. The canal is a major feature of the conservation area though quite distant from the village centre. With two listed bridges and a pleasant walk it provides a useful recreational facility. Its setting is affected by the nearby A41 and views of the new estate development within Christleton. On the western side of the canal there is a group of building bordering the canal including the old mill which has now been converted to residential use. They give this part of the canal a more urban feel providing a hard edge to the space. The majority of the southern edge of the canal is defined by a grass verge with hedgerows and other wild vegetation. There is an area of cobbles and setts where Quarry Lane leads to Quarry Bridge which continue over the bridge and provide a quality floorscape. Combined ·with the wooded character of the surrounding open land to the north the resulting environment is of a high quality. The natural building materials used in the village are important in defining its character and include red-brown brick, natural stone and slate or blue-grey clay roof tiles with timber doors and window frames. There has been very little infill development within the centre of the conservation area, its character remaining intact. There has been some recent small scale infill which is located mainly along the routes out of the centre.