Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Medbourne Conservation Area

Medbourne is a comparatively large village loosely clustered around the large Church of St. Giles set in a near circular churchyard in the centre of the village. Six roads converge on the village which was a small settlement in Roman times. The line of the Roman road is not now discernible. Included in the Conservation Area is the site of a Roman villa whose remains have been variously excavated over the last 150 years.

The Medbourne Brook flows prominently through the village centre. The juxtaposition of the brook with roads and open space is a characteristic of the village, notably where it flows alongside the western edge of the churchyard and is crossed by a high 5 arched medieval packhouse bridge; where it crosses the Hallaton Road by a ford; where it flows by tree lined paths from the ford to the Nevill Arms Public House; where it flows through an important open area between the Main Street and the Nevill Arms and is crossed by a footbridge and enhanced by a post dovecote; and where it runs alongside the Drayton Road. The spaces and trees within the village centre are significant and numerous. Dominating is the central circular Churchyard with its many mature Oak, Sycamore and Lime trees. Trees in the grounds of the adjacent Old Rectory and Old Hall are subject to Tree Preservation Orders as are other groups in the village and alongside the Medbourne Brook. The Horse Chestnut in the small triangle of green at the junction of Main Street with Drayton Road and another in front of Brook Terrace are important.  

The many open spaces of Medbourne contribute to its character; there are spaces within and alongside the road system as well as open spaces between development. Amongst the former are the spaces between the Drayton Road and Brook Terrace (a row of cottages) in the south; the land either side of the Medbourne Brook between the Nevill Arms and Main Street; the brook with its grass banks and footpath between the Nevill Arms and the packhorse bridge; the land by the ford and packhorse bridge in the Hallaton Road; and the space between Main Street, Spring Bank and the churchyard. Other significant spaces include that between Manor Road and the Horse and Trumpet Public House (part of which forms the bowling green); the gardens and paddocks to the Old Hall, Manor House and the Old Rectory; and the land (former play area) to the south of the former Village School. The majority of the traditional buildings are in ironstone, many still retaining Collyweston slates, others now have Welsh slates or tiles. Many of the buildings are substantial, and date from the 17/18th Century, these include four Grade II* Listed Buildings and Manor Farmhouse. Between these and the other stone buildings are a number of 19th century red brick buildings. These include the former chapel in Main Street, the former village school and school house both by H Goddard of 1858 and some picturesque estate cottages in Manor Road in wealden style with decorative woodwork and hung tiles, and the former Fernie Hunt stables in the Ashley Road. There are many stone walls within the village impacting a special character, notable are those in Rectory Lane and Main Road and by the riverside walk. Within these walls and others are water conduits. Views across to the village from the Slawston/Market Harborough Road and to the village across the valley from the Hallaton Road are important as are those looking down from the road to Nevill Holt. 

Medbourne Conservation Area map