CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - Stroud District Council

CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - Stroud District Council CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - Stroud District Council

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12 CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - Conservation Area No7: FRAMPTON ON SEVERN The Enclosure Acts of the 18th century created a patchwork of meadows and small fields, yet there is little sense of constraint. Because of the lack of stone in the Vale, the fields are not divided by prominent walls, but rather by soft, low hedgerows, often hawthorn, punctuated by larger trees. Quiet, grass verged, lanes, tracks and paths, free from brash coloured signage and markings, often run alongside the historic field boundaries. The hedgerows give a strong shape and pattern to the landscape, but do not break up the wider views of the distant Cotswold escarpment, and, on the other side of the River Severn, the Forest of Dean and beyond. Trees are one of the most important elements in Frampton on Severn. The grand statement specimen trees in the manicured grounds of the Court’s parkland, echoed by artfully planted groupings on the Green, contrast with the many low key, naturalistic orchards. The tunnel of trees along the Perry Way makes the huge, open expanse of the Green all the more impressive. The chestnut avenue, known as the Narles, which leads through open ground and past orchards, to the church, is high among Frampton’s treasures. Water is another defining characteristic of the village. Rivers aside, much of the waterscape of Frampton on Severn is entirely manmade. Most famous are the three ponds on The Green, a result of extensive 18th century drainage works. Frampton Court's ornamental canal was created out of pure frivolity, whilst the Berkeley- Gloucester canal emerged out of necessity. The canal is strident in the landscape. It cuts a straight, highly engineered, line between the village and the river. At certain points it is raised on an embankment, and provides one of Frampton’s many quirky sights- boats floating along against the skyline.By contrast, over 40 hectares of the former gravel works have now been flooded into lakes, looking as though they have always been there. Stroud District Council

Approach routes and views CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT - Conservation Area No7: FRAMPTON ON SEVERN Frampton on Severn, being set away from the main transport routes of the M5 and the A38, retains an air of timeless remoteness. The main approach route to the village is now the Perry Way, a lane that the Romans once marched along on their way to the Severn. The tree-lined road allows no long- range views into the village, therefore the sudden appearance of the imposing Bell Inn straight ahead is something of a surprise. It is a change in the quality of light, as much as anything, that takes the eye away from the road and towards the wideopen space of the Green. Its expansiveness is almost a shock after the constrained, high hedged, tree-lined Perry Way. The view down the Green is perhaps one of Frampton’s finest. At first, it is difficult to take in anything other than the field- like space, punctuated by groups of mature trees and, in the change of vegetation, the hint of the ponds. The road, being unmarked, scarcely intrudes on the view other than as vanishing line, almost like an artist's exercise in perspective. The start of the Street becomes clear in the distance and then the eye can begin to encompass the individual buildings that edge the Green. The view from the southern Street end perhaps allows a greater appreciation of the set- piece built environment. The grouping of Nastfield and Parks Cottages, and the walls of Frampton Court, with their elaborate gate piers, attract attention. Stroud District Council 13

12<br />

<strong>CONSERVATION</strong> <strong>AREA</strong> <strong>STATEMENT</strong> - Conservation Area No7: FRAMPTON ON SEVERN<br />

The Enclosure Acts of the 18th century created a patchwork of meadows and small fields, yet there is little sense of<br />

constraint. Because of the lack of stone in the Vale, the fields are not divided by prominent walls, but rather by soft,<br />

low hedgerows, often hawthorn, punctuated by larger trees. Quiet, grass verged, lanes, tracks and paths, free from<br />

brash coloured signage and markings, often run alongside the historic field boundaries. The hedgerows give a strong<br />

shape and pattern to the landscape, but do not break up the wider views of the distant Cotswold escarpment, and,<br />

on the other side of the River Severn, the Forest of Dean and beyond.<br />

Trees are one of the most important elements in Frampton on Severn. The grand statement specimen trees in the<br />

manicured grounds of the Court’s parkland, echoed by artfully planted groupings on the Green, contrast with the many<br />

low key, naturalistic orchards. The tunnel of trees along the Perry Way makes the huge, open expanse of the Green<br />

all the more impressive. The chestnut avenue, known as the Narles, which leads through open ground and past<br />

orchards, to the church, is high among Frampton’s treasures.<br />

Water is another defining characteristic of the village. Rivers aside, much of the waterscape of Frampton on Severn<br />

is entirely manmade.<br />

Most famous are the three ponds on The Green, a result of extensive 18th century drainage works. Frampton Court's<br />

ornamental canal was created out of pure frivolity, whilst the Berkeley- Gloucester canal emerged out of necessity.<br />

The canal is strident in the landscape. It cuts a straight, highly engineered, line between the village and the river. At<br />

certain points it is raised on an embankment, and provides one of Frampton’s many quirky sights- boats floating along<br />

against the skyline.By contrast, over 40 hectares of the former gravel works have now been flooded into lakes, looking<br />

as though they have always been there.<br />

<strong>Stroud</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>

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