Page 14 - Ickford NP Sustainability Heritage Assessment

14 VISION FOR ICKFORD : BUILT HERITAGE ASSESSMENT : ICKFORD

into Worminghall Road, and Church Road runs off to the Plot Form
south west. This is the historic heart of the village, originally
mostly farms with open fields behind. Worminghall Road The layout of building plots in Ickford follows the road
runs north to another enclave of historic buildings close to pattern and reinforces the linearity of the village. Buildings
the pub, then becomes open countryside before joining tend to be aligned to the road. In the older parts of the
with the main Shabbington to Worminghall Road. This road settlement building plots are more irregular in size and
forms part of the National Cycle Route 57, although traffic orientation.
speeds are not restricted. Later development is constrained to regimented plots
Running off Sheldon Road and Worminghall Road are of similar size. Generally, buildings are located closer to
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cul-de-sacs serving 20 century housing developments – the front of their plots. In some cases, where development
Turnfields, Field Close, School Close, Golders Close and has occurred on tight sites, buildings are central to their
Farm Close. Of these Golders Close is by far the largest, plots with minimal gardens. This is particularly true on the
serving some 43 houses. southern side of Sheldon Road.
Towards the centre of the village the three main roads Ickford School lies at the heart of the village on a
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have a pavement to one side of the carriageway. 20 century substantial plot, and is adjacent to the Recreation ground.
housing developments also tend to have areas of pedestrian Originally the school was backed by open farmland but
pavements. Pavements do not extend to the edge of the later development has enclosed the school grounds into
built up area, and there are none in Church Road or Little the built up area. It has been much extended but the original
Ickford. The village roads are narrow in places. 1921 gable faces onto Sheldon Road, articulated by a triple
As a result of its linear form, and the narrowness of window.
the approach roads, permeability in Ickford is relatively The Village Hall and tennis court lie to the west of
restricted. There are however a number of footpath links Bridge Road, their plot boundary aligned with the rear
both within the newer estates and around the periphery of gardens of the housing to either side.
the settlement, some of which may be old drove routes,
and are shown on 19 century maps. It is possible to Building Form
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circumnavigate the village on these older routes, mostly
behind the built edge of the settlement. There are a number Larger historic houses sit in large plots. The buildings
of public footpaths which run out to the surrounding have either been extended over time, or constructed to
villages of Worminghall, Shabbington and Waterstock. These a complex plan form. They tend to be two or more
footpaths provide important links to the countryside. storeys in height. They exhibit a varied palette of building
Pedestrian permeability around the village is therefore materials which adds to the visual interest particularly
good. when juxtaposed against the vernacular.
Former farmhouses and associated buildings lie in
larger plots, and range from one and a half to two storeys
Plot form and building form and share a commonality of building materials. They tend
to have simple plan forms extended over time. Roofs
Ickford is an example of a polyfocal settlement, with are mostly tiled, although the steepness of the roof
the Church and Ickford Manor at one end, and Little pitches indicate they may have once been thatched.
Ickford Manor at the other. Two other areas of early Gable widths are narrow, and the fenestration patterns
irregular development are located around the Bridge are irregular, with small window openings. These
Road/ Sheldon Road junction and around the Rising buildings have a strong solid to void ratio. Where
Sun Public House. The varied plot layout in these agricultural buildings have been retained (often now
locations is a reflection of the early settlement form. converted) they share a common theme in terms of
Ickford contains an eclectic mixture of buildings shape, materials and form. They include barns and
st
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dating from the 12 to the 21 century. The majority of outbuildings, and a granary, and where windows have
the listed buildings date from the 17 century. Buildings been inserted, these are small.
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of similar ages tend to share consistencies in scale, form, Vernacular cottages tend to be of simple original
materials and detailing. Ickford, historically an isolated plan, single depth, of one and a half to two storeys, and
community, saw much less significant 18 and 19 th thatch is a more common roofing material.
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century development than areas closer to main transport 19 century buildings range from large detached
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routes. houses to humbler workers cottages. The former are
VISION FOR ICKFORD – NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN
www.visionforickford.co.uk