West Wiltshire District Council’s Warminster Town Centre Conservation Area Character Assessment, Informative Document, Consultation Draft/Cabinet Draft, of December 2006, includes the following notes:
THE ORIGINAL SETTLEMENT
This area comprises primarily of Church Street incorporating The Minster, the Parish Church of St. Denys and Warminster School; two major establishments in the town and Vicarage Street. Historically, it is thought that Church Street was once the focus of a Saxon settlement complete with a church, before the establishment of the Norman Minster church. Vicarage Street is not as old but has links with Warminster School, and with the character influenced by the position of other schools to the south is incorporated into this section as a logical extension of the functions in Church Street.
USES
There are a variety of functions associated with the different buildings in this part of the town, primarily religious and educational, uses that are often compatible. Foremost of these is the main town church that commands the northern end of this part of the town. Other ecclesiastical establishments were also founded in Church Street including a community for women, St. Denys and a mission college for men known as St. Boniface’s. These are all attributed to the 19th century vicar of Warminster, the Rev. James Erasmus Philipps.
St. Denys, currently housed in Ivy House, continues to operate as a religious conference and retreat centre. St Boniface, however, opened in 1860 and closed in 1943, has, since 1969, formed part of Lord Weymouth School, later to become Warminster School.
The most dominant use in Church Street is Warminster School, formed from Lord Weymouth and St Monica schools in 1973 when the two establishments were merged. This would explain the multiple numbers of different buildings that make up the buildings of the school, manifesting itself along each side of Church Street. The open spaces and land associated with the school, again on both sides of the street, provide playing fields and on the western side are bounded by the River Were. Thomas Thynne, first Viscount Weymouth, who was responsible for the fine Queen Anne style building, stables and outbuildings, originally established the Lord Weymouth Grammar School in 1707. It was referred to as a grammar school as it taught Greek and Latin but this term was dropped in 1955. Since the late 1960’s the school has developed and expanded taking over other religious and educational establishments, and
supplementing these with new buildings.
Currently the school attracts pupils on an international basis.
The junior or Preparatory School to the Senior School, together with the Minster Church of England Junior School are both located on the southern side of Vicarage Street, adding further to the educational institutions in this part of the town so that children’s voices can often be heard during play and recreation time.
The schools and church, when in use, are a hub of activity with pupils and worshippers going to and throw between buildings and car parks, or using the many sports pitches behind the school buildings. Warminster School does provide some living accommodation for students, but many day pupils arrive by bus and car to this and the other schools, so that at times this area can be very busy. At other times, however, especially at weekends, it has an air of tranquillity in contrast to the main
commercial parts of the town.
In between the school and ecclesiastical buildings are a small number of terraced cottages and larger houses. Providing housing for staff or privately owned, they add a different layer of visual interest to the area. Outbuildings, such as stables and malthouses are also present. Once serving the principle buildings, these buildings mainly survive in converted forms and are used for storage and workshops for the schools and larger houses.
LAYOUT
Church Street
The main focus of this part of the conservation area is on Church Street, a long sinuous road running north-south meeting the junction of Silver Street and Vicarage Street where the obelisk is located.
Along the length of the street is an almost continuous frontage of development, although there are some gaps, especially at the northern end around the Minster. Most of the buildings front directly onto the street pavements, whilst a few are set back with small gardens bounded by formal wall and railings. In between the buildings are views and glimpses of trees and land mainly belonging to Warminster School that serves to provide a perception of spacious open land form and allows this area to naturally flow into the rural land beyond the conservation area’s boundaries.
Views towards the west from Church Street take in the mature trees and meadowland of the River Were, with Norridge Wood forming a backdrop and in the distance Cley Hill being visible. To the north are the occasional views of Arn Hill with its
electronic mast standing proud. There are few open views to the east and south, apart from of other parts of the town.
Church Street, at its northern end, curves around the churchyard to The Minster with strong stonewalls lining its eastern side and trees and hedgerow to the west, providing a semi-rural feel. Further south, however, the characteristics of the street alter to a more sub-urban feel by the houses and larger buildings fronting onto it. Cars parked on the road and a pelican crossing further down the road add to this character. The road appears to narrow nearer its junction with Silver Street and this is exaggerated by the higher density and heights of the buildings at this point and the lack of outward views.
Ash Walk and Dorothy Walk
To the east of the main street area, are two smaller lanes that are narrow and partly free from vehicular access, thereby allowing the free flow of pedestrians. Historically, Ash Walk would have served as the main access to the Manor House, that no longer exists but that would have been closely associated to the Minster Church. The large house known as Warminster Court, now surrounded by a late 20th century housing estate [Manor Gardens], is also accessed from the lane.
Whilst it also allows limited traffic into the rear of Warminster School the lane is a no-through road and is therefore a peaceful footpath for users between the Church and School and the junction of Silver Street and George Street. Hedgerow and some stonewalling mark much of its route along the school’s curtilage.
Dorothy Walk runs along the eastern side of the churchyard to the Minster, taking pedestrians further a field and eventually linking up to the top end of Portway Lane via another footpath. It is an attractive tree lined track at this end, dominated by the stone walling of the churchyard with glimpses between the trees on its eastern side towards open fields and water meadows associated with the Were’s water course.
Vicarage Street
Vicarage Street is an extension of West Street that runs into the town from the west and is historically associated with the later growth of the town. Although this road is visually separated from Church Street by the meeting of a series of other roads, terraced houses and buildings of a slightly different characteristic to those in Church Street, the unifying characteristic between to two areas is the presence of the school that owns most of the larger individual buildings that front onto the both sides of Vicarage Street. The purchase of the convent building from the Community of St. Denys was carried out in 1994, thus allowing a visual link between this part of the senior school and the Preparatory School that is separately based on the south side of Vicarage Street. Immediately to the east of this is the Minster CE primary school that also fronts onto part of Emwell Street.
ARCHITECTURAL FORM
At the north end of Church Street stands the grand 11th century parish church that has already featured in this section. It has a dramatic presence in the street due to its scale and orientation, although this is softened by the location of a large yew tree that conceals much of the churches southern elevation. This extensive stone church and tower, although covering a large area, does not visually intrude due to the building being set back from the road and in a slightly raised position together with the characteristic crenelated parapets that allow the roofs to be screened from public views. The central square tower is also quite squat and relatively free from decorative embellishment. The major restoration of the 1880’s may have altered much of the original Norman and medieval fabric.
Around the church is a traditional churchyard with older monuments and tombs in the immediate vicinity and criss-crossed with a number of footpaths many of which are still lined with the pitched stone cobble surfaces.
Surrounding the churchyard is a traditional rubble stonewall with stone copings, and, along the roadside, a line of coppiced trees reinforces this.
Interspersing the larger, “institutional†buildings are a series of discreet groups of small-scale cottages and terraces, displaying the vernacular stonewalls, plain clay tiled and pantiled gable roofs with a mixture of timber casement and sash windows. Some of the casements still indicate earlier stone mullion frames. It is known that the group immediately adjacent to the Church have earlier medieval origins than their 18th century exteriors indicate. Others may also be later frontages to earlier structures.
Lord Weymouth’s School, built in 1707, is a fine example of the Queen Anne architectural fashion, with a symmetrical frontage of 2 ½ storeys. Although set back from the road, it still has a striking presence, with other outbuildings and later structures forming a courtyard plan around the front garden. The school doorway was, apparently, designed by Sir Christopher Wren for Longleat House. Built in the local stone, the main feature of this building is the wealth of sash windows subdivided with slim glazing bars evenly spaced on the façade with little masonry in-between and the horizontal stringcourse between the floors.
Within the grounds to the main school building are a number of interesting original features and later additions. A stable block and walled garden, mainly intact, feature to the rear. The walled garden with a surviving garden house built into one side of it, now acts as one of the entrances into the recently constructed refectory that is attached to another part of the wall. There are also a number of fine tree specimens within its walls and beyond in the grounds to the school. Many of these have individual Tree Preservation Orders on them.
On the opposite (southern) side of the walled garden, are a group of relatively modern school buildings of varying sizes and quality. The best of these is the library and science block completed in 2004 that is built off the south eastern corner of the wall and creates a visually strong block to the rear of the school site backing onto Ash Walk.
Another interesting feature in this part of the school is the Fives Court; a tall section of wall that towers above the ground attached to the end on one of the cottages immediately behind the group that front onto Church Street.
The 18th century school building sets the tone for other development in the street, other later 18th century buildings of similar architectural quality with symmetrical faces and large sash windows. Byne House and Teddington House are a few of the best examples in Church Street in this style.
Many of the gentile houses from this period are complimented with stonewalls and metal railings to their curtilages and modest stable blocks. Examples of stable courtyards with the original cobbles of pitched paving till survive.
Wren House in Vicarage Street is a very good example of a Georgian house with strong classical features dominating road with an ancillary coach house now converted to a separate dwelling.
The nineteenth century brought further development to this part of the town. There was a growth in the malting industry at this time and many malthouses, with the characteristic long 2-storey form and associated buildings, were constructed. There are two examples off Church Street, the one immediately opposite the Lord Weymouth Grammar School building being
the most recognisable. Built in stone rubble, this structure appears to be quite an early example, with the gable end onto the street still with an intact 19th century shop front, once the HQ of Culverhouse Bros Ltd.
In Vicarage Street there is a similar group of dwellings, to the Warminster Brewery row, in a malting building behind the buildings on the south side of the road.
There was also an expansion in the religious organisations that were established in this area. St. Boniface Missionary College is part neo-Jacobean style, part gothic, built in a series of phases from the late 18th through to the 1920’s. The latter section is a stark white painted and rendered building that towers over the road on the west side of Church Street. The only clue to its original use is the gothic style windows that occasionally interrupt the walls. The whole structure appears on the street at an intimidating height compared with all the buildings around it.
Public Houses, numerous in other parts of the town, are not very common possibly due to the other activities in this area. The only one, now redundant but recognisable externally, is the 19th century 2 storey building on the corner of Church Street and Silver Street facing the obelisk. Once known as the “Ship and Punchbowlâ€, this was the site for one of the earliest inns in Warminster pre-dating 1710. The original thatched building burnt down in 1880 and was replaced with the current brick and tiled building with distinctive dog-tooth cornice details at the eaves. The alley by the side of this inn was the entrance to Warminster Brewery, now apparently converted to a row of houses known as Obelisk Terrace.
Three quirky structures are also worth mentioning in this section. All are situated in the vicinity of the junction between Church Street and Vicarage Street. One is the stone built circular town Lockup now concealed behind later buildings and the
second a 1913 memorial clock to John W. Hall, a major influence in the formation of the Tariff Reform Movement.
The third is one of Warminster’s main landmarks the stone obelisk set upon its own island at the configuration of the three streets; Church, Silver and Vicarage. Dated to 1783, it commemorates the inclosure of the parish. It is a most distinctive feature of fine proportions and an important landmark in the town.
LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND FEATURES
The Minster- the Parish Church of St. Denys and churchyard walls.
Lord Weymouth Grammar School Building, walled garden and associated outbuildings.
Byne House and front railings.
Malthouse building on west side of Church Street, now belonging to Warminster School, which was once the base for the building contractors Culverhouse Brothers.
New Library, Maths and Science Block to Warminster School, off Ash Walk.
St. Boniface Buildings.
Memorial Clock on No 1, Church Street.
Obelisk at the junction of Church Street, Vicarage Street and Silver Street.
St. Denys Convent- now part of Warminster School- and walls, Vicarage Street.
The main school building to the Junior School, Vicarage Street.
The Minster CE, Primary School Building, Vicarage Street.
Wren House, Vicarage Street.
BUILDING MATERIALS
Walls: Stone, brick and render are the most common forms of walling materials, although there appears to be little example of mixing them in individual developments. 19th century brickwork has some ornate details such as dog-toothing at eaves.
Roofs: Plain clay and pantiles predominate with slate primarily on later Victorian buildings. Most buildings have stone and brick end chimneys.
Fenestration: Timber Georgian and Victorian sashes. Earlier timber casements, some within stone mullions frames.
STREETSCAPE
Many properties in this area have still got intact garden walls and railings. The best examples, from two different periods, are the ornate railings and low stonewall to Byne House and the later decorative brick wall to St. Denys Convent, now part of Warminster School. Other plainer stonewalls, especially to the Churchyard perimeter and along Ash Walk, form strong boundary treatments in the public domain.
Small stable courtyards to larger houses and the footpaths within the churchyard still have the original stone pitched paving surviving.
LANDSCAPE
There are some fine examples of individual trees in this part of the conservation area. They have been mainly identified on the accompanying map. They are most prolific around the Churchyard to The Minster and dotted around Warminster School grounds. The main species are beech and oak but there are also special individual trees such as the large Yew in front of the Minster and two large Wellingtonia to the south of Furneaux House.
The presence of the River Were dictates the form of landscape to the north and west of this part of the town. Water meadows and clumps of trees offering good pasture for farming provide the backdrop to the conservation area.
In parts the school’s playing fields have encroached upon this landscape but do not appear to have harmed the overall character of the river course. The sports pitches appear to merge into this landscape without imposing many man-made structures onto it other than the inevitable goal posts or white lines.
Closer to the school buildings, on the west side of Church Street, are some low walls that break up the expanses on land providing a transition between the rural hinterland and the immediate setting to the school buildings. Car parking in this area is reasonably discreet being closely related to the buildings and an access road that divides the school from the rest of the site including the pitches.
OPPORTUNITIES
Removal of vegetation and repairs to the churchyard wall are identified and initial discussions have been on-going with the town council and Church parishioners to compile a management plan for the site. This would also assist with any works needed to trees and footpaths. Discussions with Warminster School need to identify scope for new development and removal of harmful existing buildings. The formulation of a management plan for a future strategy to both schools is encouraged, encompassing development aspirations and management of existing land and buildings.
SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES
Street and Building Layout
Many buildings are set back from the street edges with small walled gardens. Other buildings are constructed directly on the road side.
Roads are generally long and wide apart from at certain pinch points such as in front of St. Boniface’s Buildings. The street has to also bend around the churchyard around the Minster.
Building Types
Individually designed buildings of varying heights, many detached and within their own grounds. 2-3 storey in height in general although some buildings like the Church and St. Bonifaces are much taller adding variety to this part of the conservation area and the skyline.
Materials
Ashlar stone and render are used most frequently in this area, but locally manufactured brick and rubble stone can also be found. The more notable buildings have more polite architectural detailing with symmetrical frontages and high quality stone.
Landscape Features
Very urban and hard landscape in character, this part of the town centre relies on its green backdrop to give reference to its rural setting.
Parking
On street.
Rear courtyards and old coach house buildings.
Some car parking within the school site.
Streetscape
A number of the courtyards and stable yards, have retained pitched paving stones that are important to the conservation area, as the only remaining historic ground surface treatment.
Skyline
The detached buildings allow long distance views of the steeply rising landscape setting. This is especially the case for the Warminster School playing fields where gaps formed by driveways and paths between buildings allow long distance views into rural landscape. The heights of buildings in this area are high and stop views, apart from through these gaps.