Conservation Area: Great Barrow Conservation Area (124)

The conservation area covers most of the village apart from the residential estate to the north east. Great Barrow has a hill top location with views out into the surrounding countryside. It is a good example of an early settlement although a good many of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. There are contrasting areas within the village. Some roads lead into wooded areas with a definite rural feel, the central area has a strong urban feel and the more recent areas are quite suburban and plain. The majority of the village is relatively enclosed within its setting with views along country lanes at the point of exit. The entrance to the village along the B5132 is particularly impressive. Leading up the hill into the conservation area it is bordered by mature trees and hedgerows continuing a definite rural feel. The church is a prominent landmark set on sandstone outcrops and framed by mature trees. The bend in the road as you get into the village heightens a sense of arrival, the trees to the west contrasting with the hard edge of the built form on the eastern side. The plan form and mixture of landscape and built elements provide a picturesque townscape setting along the lanes leading to the church, with sandstone outcrops evident and views into the grounds of properties providing depth. These routes are very enclosed by mature trees and cut their way through sandstone outcrops, with the space opening out in front of the church to provide fine panoramic views. The space opens up as you reach the crossroads on the B5132. The green area to the north east is open and surrounded by a grass verge and hedges continuing the green element into the village. The lane leading to the west to Greysfield has a strong rural character lined with sandstone walls hidden by vegetation, hedgerows and mature trees. The road to the east leads to the main body of the village. The built form is reasonably compact around the system of roads with a varied building line helping to give an interesting townscape. The area opens up in front of the White Horse Inn and the new shops on the opposite side of the road forming a node. Part of the pub buildings abut directly onto the road capturing the space to the east, defining an edge to the space. This space is complemented further along the road by the island in the junction with the pump on it, which is primarily a visual feature. The older properties address this space, and together with the wall to the north help to define an edge, though it is essentially quite open. There is a sandstone outcrop evident under New House Farm and good views into the surrounding countryside along Mill Lane. There has been recent· housing ·development around this area. The development on the New House Farm site has blended quite successfully with the village form. The development in the central area on the site of the nursery has a more dramatic effect and is evident throughout the village. This development has been surrounded by a high sandstone wall along Heath Road, helping to define the street space on the bend by the pump and minimising the effect of the houses on their immediate surroundings. The main route continues up to the north though the development becomes more dispersed, opening up to the west by the recreation ground. The space then becomes more enclosed by trees as one leaves the village, Barrow Lodge providing an interesting feature. The main focus in the western part of the village is the village green. The linear housing development to the north and west and development along Heath Road to the east provide a definite hard edge around the space. The Manor House on Heath Road is a good landmark feature evident from the B5132 across the green. Surrounded by grass verges and hedges, and bordered by mature trees, the green itse.lf has well defined soft edges. The trees capture the space within the green and help define the surrounding street space. This is a particularly important feature along Lampit Lane, enclosing and capturing the space. Mill Lane leads off the island with the pump to the east and goes down a gradual slope with dispersed development continuing from the central area. The building line is quite consistent, with the properties on the northern side relating closely to the road. The character of the lane becomes distinctly rural with hedgerows and trees to the east and opens up with views of the surrounding fields. A terrace of Victorian properties provides a hard urban feature at the end though they are framed by trees. Sandstone and brick walls are evident throughout the village, particularly along Heath Lane and are important in defining a harder more urban edge within the village which has a strong green character. New infill at the northern end of Heath Road has wide recessed openings to the driveways in contrast to the tighter gateways which are close to the road on the older properties. The dominant building materials within the village are red brick with slate roofs and timber window frames.