Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Claybrooke Parva Conservation Area

Claybrooke Parva (formerly Over Claybrooke) is a small settlement set in flat agricultural countryside. The form of the village is a large tapering rectangular open core surrounded by roads and a track, with houses on the outside of two sides. The Conservation Area comprises the central open space containing the church together with the land surrounding it. It excludes the village school and adjacent housing as these are physically detached from the central area.

The core is a large square area of open land consisting of the church and churchyard to the west, an area of paddock east of the churchyard, and an area of public open copse and grassed foreyard to the north of the churchyard. The church, the only building in the open space, is a large building of red sandstone and granite with west tower; its long 14th century chancel with three large decorated windows either side and one at the east end dominates the open space. The churchyard to the south has cherry trees and a fine beech tree. To the north is the churchyard and a recently planted grassed area or fore-yard linking the churchyard and the road. Alongside this is the open area of copse with young hardwood trees and shrubs. It is bounded to the road by a low ha-ha wall of granite. West of the churchyard and copse is the former Vicarage with new parsonage in its walled kitchen garden and an area of paddock.

This open central area is unusual in the district; around it is the settlement. The B577 road enters the Conservation Area abruptly from the east by 2 pairs of late 19th century villas then turns sharply around two sides of the open space. The main cottages of the settlement, many of them colour washed, are on this road facing west and on the corner, giving a sweep of buildings with a variety of sizes and rooflines. The south side of the open space is bounded by a lane which continues the line of the B577 at its entry into the Conservation Area and ends at the cemetery. On the south side of this lane the Conservation Area includes Claybrooke House - an 18th century house with many outbuildings and wooded grounds - together with the cemetery.

North of the B577 is Claybrooke Hall and its grounds. These, opposite the open space, are bounded by a low red brick wall and are wooded. There is a fine cedar of Lebanon close to the road, but opposite the former vicarage grounds there are the kitchen gardens to Claybrooke Hall with tall red brick walls capped with limestone and having the outbuildings set back.

The open space in the middle of the Conservation Areas forms half of a tapering oblong of land bounded by roads and the lane to the cemetery and its continuation. The second half comprises the former vicarage in wooded grounds and its kitchen garden with high red brick walls adjacent to the churchyard. Beyond is a moated site of a former hall, together with a paddock which are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The church, former vicarage and moated site thus make the centre to the core of the Conservation Area.

A further characteristic of the Conservation Area is the hedgerows and trees. These include much holly. The open space has elm hedges around it. The grounds of Claybrooke House, Claybrooke Hall and the former vicarage have many coniferous trees.

Claybrooke Parva Conservation Area map