Trees and the Public Realm - Westminster City Council

Appendix B - 6
Trees and the Public Realm (Draft)
3 Opportunity Late Victorian artizan housing
History
The Queen’s Park Estate was built between 1874 and 1882 by the Artizans, Labourers and General Dwellings
Company to provide decent accommodation for respectable working families. Built mainly in yellow stock
brick, with some polychromatic brick detailing, the terraces are notable for their modest gothic detail,
decorative turrets, gabled porches, and the distinctive goat head door knockers.
Urban character
The north west part of the city is characterised by two and three storey Victorian terraces in yellow stock brick,
with less ornament than the mid Victorian period. These modest terraces are set on relatively broad streets
which, in combination with low building heights, give a light and airy character to the area. They date from
1870 onwards.
The area can be subdivided into two distinct sections, the Queens Park Estate Conservation Area, and the
undesignated area between Bravington Road and Walterton Road.
Trees
The plentiful street trees in the Queens Park Estate form an essential part of its character. While the Queen’s
Park buildings have small front gardens, most of the planting visible from the street is in the public realm.
London Plane trees are the dominant species, with around 400 pollarded planes in the Queens Park Estate
which are contemporary with the original Queens Park development. At the time of planting and for a few
succeeding decades, these trees would have been in tune with the scale of the housing. However, mature
Plane trees in their natural form would overwhelm the small scale buildings of the estate so pollarding to just
below eaves level has therefore been used to ensure that a balance is maintained. There are varying views on
the appearance of these pollarded trees but it needs to be appreciated that this situation is unlikely to be
changed without removal of the existing trees on a comprehensive street-wide basis. Any replacement would
need to be balanced against the coherency of a single species planting plan and preferences of residents.
The undesignated terraces, centred on Fernhead and Shirland Roads have a greater variety of architecture,
having grown up gradually. Embellishment is still kept to a minimum, with the bay windows and some
distinctive terracotta decoration of Fernhead Road being the most notable. These roads are densely planted
with a wider range of tree species than is found in the Queens Park Estate. Birch, Cherry and Alder are
widespread alongside the London Plane.
The undesignated streets are improved by the existence of street trees. Unlike areas where repetitive
architectural features and the widespread use of stucco ornament make long views important, the modest
character of this part of Westminster means that trees can be accommodated without any harm to the
townscape. In these localities the greatest opportunities exist for more planting with a wider diversity of
species.
Planting principles
1. The London Planes on the Queen’s Park Estate are a speicies original to the
estate design, and as such are historically significant. However, the trees in their
natural mature form are not in keeping with the scale of the buildings and so a
tight management regime is essential to retain the balance. Replacement with an
alternative species would be preferable but only as part of a cohesive approach,
likely on a street by stret basis when the existing trees begin to reach the end of
their life.
2. In the undesignated streets there are significant opportunities for more planting
with a wide diversity of species.