Catisfield Conservation Area Character Assessment
Character Assessment
Settlement Pattern and Building Form
The older core of the village remains relatively free from intrusive modern development and still possesses a rural feel and character that contrasts with the later development surrounding it.
The pattern of development in the conservation area is noticeably different from that of nearby modern development. The buildings range in size from small houses, including terraced properties, to a few larger properties set in substantial plots. On the south side of Catisfield Road this historic character extends eastwards to the junction with Highlands Road. The character of Catisfield Lane becomes more rural in nature as it leads west, the pavements narrowing and kerbs reducing in height on the north side of the road. At the junction with Fishers Hill there are no pavements and the road takes the form of a country lane as it starts to descend Fishers Hill. The absence of pavements makes a significant contribution to the character of the lane at this point. The tall wall on the inside of the bend, tight to the road, also contributes to character. Accesses to backland plots on the south side of Catisfield Lane are low key and informal gravel tracks.
The smaller houses on the street frontage,
particularly the two rows of terraces that front Catisfield Lane,
are set close to the edge of the road following a traditional
urban form with front doors facing directly to the street.
Buildings are set close to the front boundary of the plot, often
with long narrow gardens to the rear. The houses do not directly
abut the pavement edge as they do in nearby Titchfield village
but are separated from it by small front gardens. The only
exception is the Post Office which directly fronts the road on
the corner of Fishers Hill.
A sense of enclosure to the street is maintained by the brick walls that directly abut the road or the back edge of the pavement. These create small semi-private gardens at the front of many of the houses. The pedestrian gates to these properties open directly onto the road or pavement forming a close relationship with the street. This older character differs from the modern development outside the conservation area, such as those properties on the north side of Catisfield Lane, where the houses are set significantly back on their plots, reducing their relationship with the street.
There are four large older houses in the
conservation area which, with the exception of Catisfield House,
are set in large gardens that flank the street. Catisfield House
has been closely surrounded by later infill and has lost its
garden setting. Where these large gardens adjoin the street a
sense of enclosure is retained with continuous walls and hedges
of varying heights abutting the road or pavement.
The close relationship of buildings and walls to the street is essential to the established character of the conservation area. It should be preserved and encouraged in any new development that affects the character of the conservation area.
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