Stourport Conservation Area No. 1 Appraisal and Management Recommendations

This section describes the character and appearance of the area as it appears today. The conservation area can be divided into a number of sub-areas. [Plate 5.1]. The following areas are based on location and historical development.

1. The Riverside and Lower Basins, including the bridge and the fairground
2. The Upper Basins
3. Bridge Street, New Street and York Street
4. Lichfield Street and Mart Lane
5. Severn Side, Severn Way and Cheapside

The buildings in the areas are described in more detail in Appendix I.

5.1          Character Area 1: The Riverside and Lower Basins

This area encompasses the lower level of the canal basins, along the riverside. It is however quite varied. Key features (from west to east) include:

1. The green public open space, including children’s play areas, west of the bridge
2. The bridge and causeways
3. The Engine Basin (east side of the bridge)
4. The former Engine House (northeast of the Engine Basin)
5. Engine Lane
6. The fairground
7. The lower basins and their locks and the surrounding green public open space

5.1.1       Stourport Bridge

The bridge is a key feature of the western part of the conservation area; a gateway to the southern part of Stourport. It also links the riverside walks on the north and south banks of the River Severn which are both within the conservation area. The land to the west is largely green open space and used for public recreation. The bridge and the causeway on the north side dominates views from the west. On the south side of the bridge is a large freestanding building probably of 18th century origin. [Plate 5.2].

5.1.2       The East Side of the Bridge and the Lower Basins

On the east side of the bridge is another open space west of the Engine Basin, which is used for car parking. Again, the bridge and causeway are dominant features of this area. On the east side of the basin is the fairground which occupies the land between the Engine Basin and the New Lower Basin, south of the Engine House. It has a considerable impact on the character and appearance of this part of the conservation area. It is highly visible in views from the surrounding basins and from the bridge. [Plate 5.3].

To the east of the fairground are the New Lower Basin, the dry dock (with its curved metal 20th century roof) and the Old Lower Basin. There are channels from the River Severn with locks linking the New Lower Basin to the New Basin and the River Severn, and the Old Lower Basin to the Upper Old Basin and to the River Severn. The original eastern locks are wider than the later locks to the west. The area is an open green space, with railings and walls around the basins. There is a pontoon on the river bank which retains its stone wharf wall south of the Old Lower Basin. The basins and the features associated with them are of high significance in the conservation area. [Plate 5.4].

5.2          Character Area 2: The Upper Basins

This area includes the three large basin and the Georgian buildings associated with the basins around them. Key features include:

1. The basins – Upper Old Basin, the New Basin to the west and Lichfield Basin to the east
2. The former Iron Warehouse – the Canal Maintenance Building and Lock Keepers Cottage (west of the Tontine Hotel)
3. The Clock Warehouse
4. The Tontine Hotel
5. The Joynson’s Warehouse on the west side of the north end of Mart Lane
6. The bridge over the canal at the east end of York Street (late 20th century)

5.2.1       The Upper Basins and their Buildings

This is the core of the conservation area and of great significance. The historic buildings were built by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company from the 1770’s to circa 1800. The basins and the historic warehouse buildings are listed Grade II. The Tontine Hotel is Grade II*. The Clock Warehouse (now Stourport Yacht Club) and the former Iron Warehouse (Canal Maintenance Building and Lock Keepers Cottage) on the west side of the Tontine Hotel are key buildings in the area, highly visible from around the upper basins. [Plate 5.5].

5.2.2      The Tontine Hotel

The Tontine Hotel was built in 1772 possibly to the designs of Thomas Dadford. It provided lodgings and premises for the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company. The list description states ‘commercial buildings of pre 1840 date are uncommon: this is an exceptionally rare building, being a very early purpose built lodgings house with a strong canal connection. The special interest principally consists of its historical rarity; its association with the canal context; its architectural form; the survival of its original plan-form and interior fixtures’.

5.2.3      The Canal Maintenance Building

The Canal Maintenance Building was formerly an iron warehouse built at a similar time to the Tontine Hotel. It is possibly the earliest surviving canal warehouse building in the country [English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn: Pioneer Town of the Canal Age (Swindon, 2007)]. It was extended in the early 19th century, with offices and a lock-keepers cottage. The building has distinctive rounded corners, which are unique in the conservation area.

5.3          Character Area 3: Bridge Street, New Street and York Street

This area is highly commercial, with a mixture of shops, restaurants/cafes, offices and residential uses. It comprises the late 18th century terraced houses to the north and northwest of the basins. These have survived quite well on the west side of Bridge Street, in New Street and in part on the south side of York Street.

This area comprises:

1. Bridge Street
2. Coopers Lane
3. Raven Street
4. New Street
5. York Street

Bridge Street     

Bridge Street runs approximately north-south, from the south end of the High Street to the bridge. The east side comprises mainly modern buildings of no interest, and car parking. This area was undeveloped in the late 18th century and early 19th century and the houses on the west side of the street had a view of the basins. The main interest lies on the west side with two terraces of mainly Georgian houses (built circa 1800). At the south end of these is the Bridge Inn public house. The terraces climb the hill northwards. The houses are a mix of heights and widths. Most have slightly projecting eaves but a few buildings have brick parapets. The roofscape comprises a mix of gable ends and hipped ends. Most of the shopfronts are modern, but there are some older shopfronts which are of interest. Many historic sash windows and some entrances have survived. [Plates 5.7 and 5.8].

Coopers Lane

This is a narrow road on the north side of the Bridge Inn. On the south side is the blank wall of the rear wing of the pub. There is a blank wall on the north side too, with a very large and ugly duct at the rear of no. 11 Bridge Street.

Raven Street

On the south side of the street is a Georgian building, part single part two storey with unpainted brick facades. The facade has been altered with the replacement of window openings with garage doors at the east end. It is in poor condition but is of interest. On the north side is a mixed terrace with two listed Georgian houses at the west end and a post war building of little interest at the east end.  

New Street

New Street is an important and highly attractive early street. The north side of the street comprises Georgian houses and there are two Georgian house at the west end of the south side, all built circa 1800. The Georgian houses are listed grade II. There is a 19th century house and shopfront on the south side. The eastern end of the south side comprises a large modern block (which replaced the Town Hall) in a loosely Georgian style which detracts slightly from the rest of the street. So too does the post-war building at the west end of the street, which is set back from the building line [Plate 5.9].

York Street

Conservation Area No. 1 includes the buildings on the south side; the north side of the street is in conservation area no.2. York House (1780s) is the largest Georgian house in the conservation area and is highly visible landmark in views from the south. Nos. 19 and 20 are two impressive Georgian houses to the east. The north façade of the modern Waterfront Views towards the west does not address the street and detracts from the character of York Street. [Plate 5.10].

5.4          Character Area 4: Lichfield Street and Mart Lane

This is an almost wholly residential area. The exception to this is the guest house at no.8, at the east end of Lichfield Street. Key features include:

1. Lichfield Street – the terraced houses on the north side
2. Lichfield Street – the terraced houses on the southeast side, including the Warehouse at 10 Severn Road
3. The listed walls on the south side
4. Mart Lane - the terraced houses on the east side of the north end
5. The new development east of Mart Lane and south of Lichfield Street – around the recreated Lichfield Basin (late 20th century)

Lichfield Street

The west end of the north side of Lichfield Street comprises a mixture of Georgian three storey houses, circa 1800, of different designs. No.1 has an attractive shopfront with two bow windows. Nos. 2 and 3 are a symmetrical pair, again with bow shopfront windows. No. 4 is a large three bay house. Nos. 5 to 8 are a uniform three storey terrace, with attractive pedimented door surrounds. At the east end are two two-storey houses, which are the remains of a longer terrace. These are part of the Stourport Royal British Legion Club, with its car park on the east side. All houses are listed Grade II except for no.10, which is unlisted. [Plate 5.11].

On the south side of the street, at the east end is a terrace of two and three bay two-storey houses from the early 19th century. These have been altered, with modern windows, except for no,18. Nos. 16, 17 and 18 are listed Grade II.

To the west of no.18 there is a listed stone wall, four and a half courses high. This is an important historic boundary wall of the Lichfield Basin area. This stops opposite no. 4 Lichfield Street. The wall continues as a brick wall laid in English garden wall bond. Behind the wall is the new development known as Larch Way. The buildings are two and three storeys high, design in a traditional manner with sash windows, rendered lintels, and brick dentil course at eaves level. At the eastern end of the street (at the rear of 1 Mart Lane) is a small two storey light industrial building from the 19th century, which has been converted to a house. [Plate 5.12].

Mart Lane

Mart Lane is on the east side of the Upper Old Basin and comprises a mixture of Georgian and modern houses on its east side. The west side of the street is largely open, with a 19th century warehouse at the north end. The new but traditional bridge over the channel to the reconstructed Lichfield Basin is an important feature. The modern buildings on Mart Lane have been carefully designed to relate to the listed buildings adjacent. [Plate 5.13].

The larger blocks around the Lichfield Basin are contemporary in design and do not reflect the character of the Georgian terraces adjacent.  

Severn Side

On the east side of Severn Side, adjacent to the Tontine Hotel, is a 19th century warehouse, the original 18th century stable block for the hotel and, to the south, a terrace of late Georgian houses, of varying designs, set back behind small front gardens, which are unusual in the conservation area. At the southern end is a large three storey Georgian house (no.5), which is part of a terrace of three houses (nos. 5, 6 and 7) on the terrace which faces east. With the exception of the warehouse and nos. 8 and 9 Severn Side the buildings are listed Grade II. This is a very picturesque part of the conservation area. [Plate 5.14].

The Angel Inn (14 Severn Side) is a local landmark, highly visible from the River Severn. According to Historic England it is probably substantially of the mid 18th century, though extended in the later 18th century with the growth of Stourport as a new town [Historic England]. The public footpath (Severn Way) runs along the river bank in front of the pub garden. [Plate 5.15].

Cheapside

To the east of Severn Side the public footpath (Severn Way) continues along the riverbank. Here there are large warehouses/factories which partially occupy the site of the Cheapside Basin (1812) which was infilled in the 19th century and the gas works was built. There are high brick walls along the path. The large 19th century buildings in Cheapside are very different to any others in the conservation area. The Vinegar Factory building on Cheapside has semi-circular window openings in buff coloured brickwork, with decorative band coursing. The large roofs are slate covered. The windows are metal. Other parts of the original factory survive to the east of the site. There are several modern warehouse buildings here which are not of interest. [Plate 5.16].

The only houses remaining on Cheapside are the remains of an early 19th century terrace comprising nos. 1 and 2 Cheapside. These are listed Grade II but are in poor condition and can be regarded as buildings at risk. To the east of the houses is a large open service/parking area with ugly modern security railings on the street frontage. The historic brick wall on the south side of this part of Cheapside is of interest. (This area is the subject of a design brief for redevelopment).

5.6          Positive Aspects of the Conservation Area

5.6.1       The Basins

The basins and locks are a key part of the significance of the conservation area. They remain largely unchanged since they were built. Although they have been repaired over the years, original historic fabric, brickwork and stone walls survive. 

5.6.2       Georgian buildings

The Georgian buildings include the warehouses and houses which were all built within a relatively short period, approximately 1770 to 1820. The houses share some common architectural features which include the following:

• Generally three storeys
• Range of widths – two to four bays
• Shallow plans. Many terraced houses are only one room deep
• Continuous terraces, generally without front areas or front gardens
• Facades have passageway entrances leading to the rear (for example, Bridge Street and New Street)
• At the rear are a variety of out-buildings and extensions of various ages
• Brick facades – generally in English or Flemish bonds, with flush, narrow lime mortar pointing
• Bricks – warm red-orange to red-brown
• Regularly spaced fenestration; vertically proportioned, or square, openings
• White painted timber sash windows; some flush with the facades, others recessed
• Georgian sashes usually have six or eight panes. Top (second) floor windows may have three of four panes. (Georgian sashes do not feature horns)
• Window headers of various brick or render (stucco) designs – flat or segmental
• Projecting stone window cills
• Classical framed door cases in a variety of designs, including pediments, entablatures, with rectangular or semi-circular fanlights
• There is relatively little external metalwork. Some houses in Lichfield Street have balconettes at first floor level
• Shallow pitched roofs (30 – 40 degrees) either covered with slates or plain tiles. Ridges are parallel to the street facades
• Roofs are not inhabited. There are few dormer windows
• Brick dentil courses (or modillion cornices) at eaves level
• Brick chimney stacks (often on the party walls at ridge level)
• Water goods – traditionally cast iron

Some of the important characteristics of the Georgian house facades are illustrated in plates 5.17 to 5.24.

5.6.3       Front Gardens

The houses in Bridge Street, New Street and York Street do not have front areas. Their entrances are straight off the street and there are many examples of the steps up to the front doors being on the pavement.

East of the Upper Old Basin there are houses with small front gardens. At the north end of Mart Lane the terraced houses have small gardens enclosed by painted timber picket fences of traditional design. On Severn Side there are brick walls to front gardens, some with traditional railings. The gates are traditional timber picket style.

5.6.4       Boundary Walls

There are historic boundary walls in a variety of materials, including sandstone and brick. These have brick or stone copings, often semi-circular in shape. The walls are associated with the development of the basins and are of high significance. The key walls are as follows:

• The brick walls on the north side of Engine Lane
• The brick walls of the alleyway from Mart Lane to Cheapside
• The stone walls on the west side of Cheapside (east of the Lichfield Basin development)
• The stone walls on the south side of Lichfield Street (north of Larch Way)
• The brick walls on the south side of York Street north of the Upper Old Basin (Grade II)
• The brick walls around the former gas works site and the Vinegar Factory on the north side of the riverside walk (Severn Way) (Grade II)

Examples are shown in plates 5.25 to 5.27.

5.6.5       Shopfronts

There are a number of shopfronts which are of interest and need to be protected, and enhanced where appropriate. These include the following:

• The Bridge Inn (Victorian windows (circa 1850) either side of entrance door) – Listed Grade II
• 13 Bridge Street (Georgian style bow window) – Listed Grade II
• 22-24 York Street and 1-1A Bridge Street (A good late Georgian shopfront framework, albeit altered and with modern shopfronts inserted) – Listed Grade II
• 1 New Street (Victorian) - Unlisted
• 2 and 3 New Street (Georgian style bow windows. No longer shops) – Listed Grade II
• 20 York Street (Georgian style bow window. No longer a shop) – Listed Grade II
• 2 Mart Lane (Victorian shopfront - altered) – Listed Grade II
• 1 Lichfield Street (Late Georgian - Two bow windows either side of entrance door. No longer a shop) – Listed Grade II
• 2 and 3 Lichfield Street (Late Georgian - bow windows either side of the central entrance. No longer a shop) – Listed Grade II

The following have remnants of historic shopfronts which should be retained:

• 14 Bridge Street (19th century console brackets) – Listed Grade II
• 15 Bridge Street (19th century (?) shopfront window framework) – Listed Grade II

Photographs of the shopfronts are shown in Appendix III.

There are a variety of shop signs in the conservation area, using a range of materials and designs and of varying quality. However, none appear to be of historic interest.

5.6.6       Surfaces

Most of the surfaces in the conservation area are of tarmacadam and make a neutral contribution to the conservation area. There are modern brick pavements in Bridge Street, although with patches of tarmacadam introduced by utility companies. In New Street the north side is paved with square artificial stone paving with dark blue clay pavers (diamond chequer) edging to the kerb side. In York Street there is square artificial stone paving with dark blue clay pavers (diamond chequer) edges on north side which is in the Stourport No.2 conservation area. The south side is tarmacadam. [Plates 5.28 and 5.29].

On Mart Lane there are brick pavers on east side outside the older houses then tarmacadam in front of new house north of the bridge. Severn Side, Cheapside and Lichfield Street have all tarmacadam surfaces. The only exception is the southern end of Cheapside, which runs down to the River Severn, which has some dark blue clay pavers (diamond chequer) and some granite setts in the gutter on the west side. This surface probably dates to the early 20th century. The area along the northern riverside around the lower basins is grassed, with modern brick paths across them. The modern brick and stone pavements make a positive contribution to the conservation area.

5.6.7       Lighting

Many of the streets are lit using modern lighting columns, for example, in York Street and Mart Lane. These are not of interest. However in Bridge Street there are modern but traditional street lighting columns which make positive contribution to the conservation area. These give an even illumination of the pavement level and also illuminate the building facades. This is beneficial as the lights also illuminate the shopfront, reducing the need for individually illuminated signage. After closing time the shops are generally lit by subtle, low level internal lights, if at all.

There are also traditional street lighting columns in the grassy area between the Tontine Hotel and the riverside, and on the path east of Engine Lane. The car park on the south side of Upper Old Basin, north of the Tontine Hotel, is lit by modern street lighting columns with projecting booms which have a light industrial appearance appropriate for the location.

There are traditional lighting columns on the bridge over the River Severn. Some are free standing on the causeway but six are attached to the bridge itself. These are painted blue, to match the colour of the bridge. These are of significance.

The lighting is generally subdued within the conservation area. Most buildings are only illuminated by street lights, although the Bridge Inn and the Port House, at the southern end of Bridge Street, both have their own facade lighting which emphasises their gateway landmark qualities as one enters the town from the south.

The basin area is less illuminated, with fewer street lamps are more spread out along the footpaths. The amusement park forms a concentrated area of bright illumination, but it does not over dominate the area due to its small size. The upper basin area is not illumination and is a large dark space at night.

The south and north banks of the river are largely unlit, except for Severnside. The bridge is lit by from below deck level light enhancing its landmark quality at night.

5.6.8       Street furniture

The conservation area is generally free of other items of street furniture. There are few items such as bollards, bins and public seating facilities. There are wayfinding signs mounted on black painted columns. These are outside nos. 7, 11 and 29 Bridge Street, the east end of Lichfield Street and southern end of Severn Side. There are also some black cylindrical litter bins in Bridge Street.

In the lower basin area south of Tontine Hotel there are traditional metal bollards, low brick walls, brick steps up the terraces with modern handrails. There is a modern bridge with metal rod balustrade and robust timer handrail, south of the lock between the Upper Old Basin and the Old Lower Basin. There are also traditional metal railings, with horizontal rails black painted. These contribute positively to the conservation area. [Plate 5.30].

There is a modern black painted bus shelter on the south side of York Street adjacent to Waterfront Views. There are light controlled pedestrian crossings at the west end of York Street and half way along Bridge Street to the west of that. These are neutral in terms of their impact on the conservation area. The traffic light control boxes adjacent to the crossings are obtrusive elements which cause some harm to the streetscape. 

5.6.9       Traffic signs

There relatively few traffic signs in the conservation area. The main signs are at the west end of York Street, the north end of Bridge Street and the east end of York Street, at Lion Hill. There is a small sign at the west end of Lichfield Street. These are slightly harmful to the street scape.

5.6.10     Sounds and Smells

In some cases sounds and smells within a conservation area can be part of its character, for example, the smells associated with certain industries such as brewing. However, there are no particularly distinctive sounds or smells within this conservation area, other than possibly the subtle smell of water in the river and canal basins, the sounds of the fair ground, and the fumes and noise of vehicular traffic. These do not contribute positively to its significance.