Page 16 - Ickford NP Sustainability Heritage Assessment

16 VISION FOR ICKFORD : BUILT HERITAGE ASSESSMENT : ICKFORD

Local Note Buildings. with the use of coursed stone, and decorative mouldings
over the windows. It sits in the middle of its plot, and has
With the exception of Hunters House these lie within the associated barns and outbuildings close by (currently
four conservation area zones and are described therein. A derelict)
full list with brief description is appended to this document. Church Farmhouse (II), one of the former farm
complexes in the village, is a timber framed 17th century
building, remodelled in the 18 century. Rubblestone,
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Church Road Area:
white painted, it has irregular window openings, and
Church Road is a gently curving lane, with watercourses remnant timber framing. Gabled dormers rise at eaves level.
to either side. The lane terminates in a cluster of historic The former farmyard includes a cluster of substantial brick
buildings. To the west lies the churchyard and open fields. built buildings to the rear, now in domestic use. Buildings
The buildings in this area are set on large plots of irregular have simple plan forms extended over time.
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size. They are set some way back from the roadside in Church Farm Cottage(II), 17 century, is timber
comparison to other areas in the village, but the framed with white painted infill panels and later bays to
characteristic sense of enclosure is maintained by the walls either side. (Originally two cottages) There are regularly
enclosing the garden spaces. spaced dormer windows enlivening the tiled roof, although
The Parish Church of St Nicholas is the oldest the steepness of the roof pitches indicate the building may
building in the village and is listed Grade I commensurate have once been thatched. Gable widths are narrow, and
with its architectural importance. Historically it was the the building has a substantial chimney stack in its front roof
main focus of the spiritual and social life of the village. The slope. Visually it relates to Church Farm.
church is set away from the main route through the village, Later development along both sides of Church Road is
and somewhat isolated from the heart of the settlement, on irregular sized plots, and aligned to the roadside. This is
although originally it would have been tied to the remnants not included in the conservation area and the dwellings
of the deserted village area to the south. Constructed of exhibit a wide range of styles and materials. None are more
rubblestone, under a tile roof, it dates from the 12 and than two storeys high.
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early 13 century, and is an imposing building. The tower
has a saddleback roof, the nave and chancel roofed in old Little Ickford Area
tile. The aisles were added in about 1230, and the porch
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dates from the 15 century, remodelled in the 16 . Pevsner Ickford Road forks south at the village pond and becomes
describes the building as delightful and sensitively restored. a no through track, although a footpath continues linking
The Churchyard is enclosed by low stone walling to three it to the lower end of Bridge Road. The main lane curves
sides, and a field hedge to the west, and provides a peaceful slightly then runs straight and narrow. Bull Lanes curves
setting to the listed church. away to the south east and terminates at Little Ickford Farm,
The Old Rectory (II), lies close to the Church and which is somewhat isolated from the built up area.
is historically associated with it. It is medieval in date, timber The conservation area boundary is drawn around the
framed with later stone and brick remodelling. The older buildings in Little Ickford
impressive main frontage is not visible from without the The plot pattern in Little Ickford is markedly different
site, enclosed as it is by later outbuildings and garden but from the rest of the village. The exception is 5 Bulls Lane
the western frontage plays a key role facing the churchyard. and the adjacent Smithy cottages which have long narrow
A thatched and weatherboarded barn is located close to plots. On Bulls Lane development has been constrained to
the main house, visible from the churchyard. A brick out the northern side of the road, by land ownership patterns
building, believed to have been a village reading room, Plot sizes in Little Ickford are large and irregular in
fronts hard to the roadside by the churchyard entrance. shape. Buildings are set close to the roadsides with
The patterns of gables is echoed in the detailing of the newer substantial gardens behind. Where there are gaps between
brick house at The Old Rectory Cottage. buildings, hedges create a soft edge to the lane. This pattern
The Grange is a substantial late Victorian dwelling, of of built form and linking walls and vegetation plays a key
two storeys and attics under a steeply pitched tiled roof role in the area’s intimate and rural character.
with imposing gables. It differs from the vernacular New Manor House/ The Manor (II*) is a
buildings around it both in terms of detailing, size and substantial house, two storey with attics. It has a 16 century
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appearance, being in a pared back ecclesiological gothic core. The north wing is 17 century, (date stone 1675)
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style. It echoes details from the much older church, namely both under old tile roofs. The building soars above the
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