Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Great Easton Conservation Area

Great Easton is one of the larger villages of the Welland Valley. It is compact in shape around a rectangle of roads, linked through by jitties (alleyways). In addition there are three roads to adjacent villages with lanes or jitties leading outwards. The Conservation Area embraces all these roads with the exception of Clarkes Dale, the block of l960s housing development at the southern entrance to the village.

From a distance the size of the village is obscured, as most of it lies in the low flat land of the Welland Valley. But the spire of the Church of St. Andrews stands up above the village trees. The Church itself is on an eminence some 15 metres higher than the nodes at either end of Cross Bank. It is flanked by farm-building complexes and looks south down the green of Church Bank towards the High Street and Cross Bank. The prominent building material of Great Easton is ironstone with roof materials of thatch, or of Collyweston slate, or of Welsh slate. Barnsdale in particular has such stone and thatched cottages fronting the street. Some buildings, as Brookside Farmhouse, show a characteristic local ffeature of the Welland Valley of striped stonework in alternating bands of brown ironstone and Weldon stone. Some subsidiary outbuildings and lean-tos within the village retain pink corrugated pantiles.  

Characteristic are the farmsteads and former farmsteads within the village; two flank the Church, others are scattered along the principal roads. The varied walls of Great Easton are an interesting feature adding much to the village scene and character; they and are of mud, stone or red brick. They have a great variety of copings including stone, pantiles, rounded terra cotta and blue saddle copings.

The village, because of the road pattern, has two special characteristics; first a number of open spaces between and behind the roads and jitties, two such being behind Barnsdale to the north west and between High Street and Brook Lane, this containing a fine Ash tree. Second, the location of larger houses and cottages away from the principal roads up smaller lanes such as Banbury Lane, Deepdale or Little London.

The north western end of the Conservation Area has infill of various closes or of ribbon development within the village pattern. Otherwise the settlement pattern is of sporadic lining of the principal roads by farm buildings, cottages or larger houses with large gardens. The number of roads and jitties together with the many traditional stone buildings gives rise to many attractive groupings and vistas. These include Barnsdale, with the triangular junction of Barnsdale, Brook Lane with a stream running alongside, and Cross Bank; the two triangles in the High Street, one with the small green and War Memorial at the south, the other at the bifurcation of High Street and Church Bank having a K6 red telephone call box at the apex. The vista up Church Bank to the church with its spire is especially fine. Between the telephone call box and the church is an intimate enclosed green on Church Bank which opens out upwards to the church and churchyard. The entrance to the village Conservation Area from each of the two southern roads is marked by a notable early 19th century building, facing outwards along the road, rather than fronting the road : Barnsdale House looking towards Bringhurst, and No. 28 Caldicott Road looking towards Caldicott.

Great Easton Conservation Area map