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Main Heading

Henley Conservation Area

Character AppraisalThe conservation area character appraisal - this sets

the context for the proposals contained in Part 2.

Part 1 was adopted by Council in September and

is included for information only.

September 2004

Henley Conservation Area Character Appraisal

The Council first published the Henley Conservation Area Character Appraisal in draft form in July 2004. Following a period of public consultation, including a public meeting held on 3rd August 2004, the Council approved the Character Appraisal on 2nd September 2004.

Prepared by

The Conservation Studio

1 Querns Lane

Cirencester

Gloucestershire

GL7 1RL

Tel: 01285 642428

Fax: 01285 642488

Email: theconservationstudio.co.uk

March 2004

Thanks to Henley Archaeological

and Historical Group who

commented in detail on the draft

document.

Contents

Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part 1 Conservation Area Appraisal

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Statutory background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Planning background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Chapter 2 Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Topography and setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Chapter 3 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Archaeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

The development of Henley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Chapter 4 The character and appearance of the

Henley Conservation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

General description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Activity and uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Noise and quiet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Townscape: morphology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

The effect of historical development on plan form . . . . . . . . . . .9

Boundaries and building plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Trees, landscape and open spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Views and vistas, including focal points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Public realm audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Chapter 5 Character Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Area 1: The Fair Mile and Northfield Road . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Area 2: The northeast: Marlow Road, the playing fields,

riverside and Phyllis Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Area 3: The town centre: Bell Street, part of New Street,

Hart Street, Market Place, Friday Street

and Duke Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Area 4: The western edges: West Street, Gravel Hill,

Kings Road, Hop Gardens and Friar Park . . . . . . . .17

Area 5: The riverside: Wharf Lane, part of New Street,

Henley Bridge,Thames Side

and part of Station Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Area 6: Edwardian suburbs: Greys Road, Albert Road,

Greys Hill, Church Street, Norman Avenue,

part of Duke Street and Queen Street . . . . . . . . . . .19

Area 7: St Mark’s Road, St Mary’s Road, Vicarage Road

and St Andrew’s Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

HENLEY CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

South Oxfordshire District Councili

Part 1

ii HENLEY CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

South Oxfordshire District Council

Chapter 6 The Buildings of the Henley Conservation Area . . . . . . . . .20

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Listed buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Buildings of Townscape Merit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Building style and plan form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Architectural details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Shopfronts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Part 2

Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Conservation Area boundary review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Negative features - sites, buildings and open spaces . . . . . . .30

Pedestrian and traffic management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

New development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Potential development sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Chapter 1 The future management of the Henley Conservation Area .32

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Buildings of Townscape Merit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Article 4 Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

The protection of trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Local Plan policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Chapter 2 Design Guidance for New Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

The need for contextual design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Urban grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Scale and density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Height and massing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Appearance, materials and detailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Boundary treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Extensions to existing buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Site specific recommendations: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Market Place Mews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Improvements to the public realm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Chapter 3 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

How residents and other property owners can help . . . . . . . . .40

Supplementary Planning Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Further information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40


South Oxfordshire District Council1

Executive summary

Henley is an attractive market town

located on the banks of the River

Thames, close to the Chiltern Hills. A

settlement was first established by

Henry II in the late 12th century, when

the principal features of the town were

laid out. These include St Mary's

Church, Market Place, Hart Street and

the long narrow gardens which stretch

out from the backs of the buildings

which now line these streets, referred

to as "burgage plots". Although the

bridge was rebuilt in the late 18th

century, some late 12th century fabric

still remains in the abutments facing

the town.

The town developed as a port for

exporting grain and other produce to

London and by the 15th century Bell

Street, New Street and Friday Street

had been laid out. St Mary's Church

was extended and new timber-framed

buildings were being built along the

principal streets, some of which

remain. Further expansion occurred in

the 18th and 19th centuries, when the

timber buildings were largely refronted

in brick and new, prestigious houses

built for the wealthy brewers and

merchants who lived in the town.

Today, Henley is characterised by its

medieval street plan, by the survival of

its burgage plots, by the continuous

terraces of listed buildings along its

principal streets and by its attractive

riverside setting. The annual Henley

Regatta is a major event on the social

calendar and rowing, boating and other

waterside activities remain an

important part of Henley life.

This appraisal seeks to define what is

special about the conservation area,

including the identification of those

features which make Henley unique.

It also contains advice to property

owners about maintenance and

alterations and includes guidance on

new development. It will be subject to

public consultation and put before the

Council for approval as Supplementary

Planning Guidance. This appraisal will

then be used by the Council when

determining applications for change

within the conservation area.

Henley Thameside

Conservation AreaAppraisal

Chapter 1

Introduction

Statutory background.

The designation of areas (rather than

individual buildings) of special

architectural or historic interest was

first set out in the Civic Amenities Act

1967 and since then over 9,000

conservation areas have been

designated in England and Wales.

More recent legislation has expanded

on these early principles and Section

69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings

and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

obliges local planning authorities to

determine which parts of their areas

are of special architectural or historic

interest and to designate them as

conservation areas. Section 72 of the

same Act also specifies that it is the

general duty of local planning

authorities, in the exercise of their

planning functions, to pay special

attention to the desirability of

preserving or enhancing the character

or appearance of these conservation

areas.

Policies which aim to achieve this are

set out in each Council's Local Plan

and in government guidance including,

most importantly, Planning Policy

Guidance (PPG) 15, Planning and the

Historic Environment.

Planning background.

All local authorities have an approved

Local Plan which sets out each

Council's policies and which is used

extensively for development control

purposes. These plans are almost

permanently under review, as central

government guidance changes rapidly

and local economic and social

conditions require adjustments to the

Council's policies. The relevant

document for the Henley Conservation

Area is the South Oxfordshire Local

Plan adopted in 1997.

South Oxfordshire District Council has

70 conservation areas and about 3,500

listed buildings. Policies which seek

their preservation and enhancement

are set out in the Local Plan in Section

4 - The Historic Environment,

particularly on pages 42-62.

The advice on the control of

conservation areas, including new

development, provided in the Local

Plan is inevitably quite general. In Part

2 of this appraisal can be found more

detailed policy guidance which will be

of interest to owners of buildings and

sites within the Henley Conservation

Area.

Chapter 2

Location

Topography and setting.

Henley is situated on the west bank of

the River Thames, with the Chiltern

Hills rising steeply to the east and

further wooded hills surrounding the

town to the north and west. The town

lies on ancient ridgeway routes across

2

New Street


South Oxfordshire District Council March 2004

these hills, where they crossed a

natural ford. Above Henley, the river is

not easily navigable and this provided

an impetus for development in the late

medieval period as a riverside port,

particularly for the export of grain.

Geology.

Henley lies close to the Chiltern Hills,

notable for their chalk which provides

lime and flint for building materials. To

the north around Oxford can be found a

honey-coloured limestone and also a

friable chalk/limestone stone called

clunch, sometimes used for building.

Local clays, suitable for brick making,

can be found in the river valleys and

these provided the raw material for the

brick and tile-making industries which

developed during the 18th and 19th

centuries.

Chapter 3

History

Archaeology.

The historic core of the town includes

medieval burgage plots, the Parish

Church and the site of the Manor

House. A number of archaeological

excavations that have taken place

within the historic core have confirmed

the intensive occupation of burgage

plots including frontage buildings and

typical backlands, during the 13th to

15th centuries. Evidence from the

redevelopment of Waitrose site also

produced the first evidence from

Henley town centre of a substantial

Roman building. Activity in the Roman

period is also reflected in isolated finds

of Roman coins. The prehistoric period

is poorly represented by current

evidence though stone, bronze and iron

weapons have all been found close to

Henley Bridge where in ancient times a

natural ford over the river provided an

impetus for early settlement. A late

Saxon spearhead and an axe of Viking

type have been found in the Thames.

The development of Henley.

Henley is notable as an example of a

planned medieval town and for the

survival of its burgage plots, which lie

to either side of the main streets.

Thame, located a few miles to the

north-east, is another such town, laid

out by the Bishop of Lincoln, also in the

late 12th century. There was a

medieval manor at Phyllis Court, on the

northern edges of the conservation

area, but there is no mention of a

settlement before 1179 when it is

recorded that Henry II "had bought land

in Henley for making buildings" . It has

been suggested that he created a new

town and that the burgage plots which

can still be plotted off Hart Street and

the Market Place all date from this

period. However, the discovery of the

old bridge in 1984 showed that the

bridge, alongside the present bridge on

the south side, was dated to c.1170.

Since it was not aligned to any main

street it is assumed that the town pre-

dated the bridge. Hart Street leads to

the church not the bridge. So the town

and church may date from c.1130s. On

the south side of the settlement, the

burgage plots terminate in a softly

curving boundary which once marked

the line of the town ditch, still shown as

such on early 20th century maps.

In 1199 King John granted to Robert

Harcourt the manor of Benson and "the

town and manor of Henley". In 1205

the town received a pavage grant and

in 1234 a bridge over the Thames is

first recorded. A market existed by

1269 although the first market charter

which survives is dated 1568. St Mary's

Church was originally a chapelry of

Benson and is first mentioned in 1204



although the standing fabric dates

mainly to the 13th and the 15th

centuries. Its location, centrally

positioned at the head of the main

street, suggests that the church and the

town were established at much the

same time.

By the late 13th century it is probable

that the street pattern of the town was

laid out as we see it today, with a wide

market area which can still be seen in

the layout of the Market Place, Gravel

Hill and West Street. The road north to

south through the town probably pre-

dates the town. New Street, which

marks the northern boundary of the late

12th century burgage plots facing Hart

Street and Friday Street, to the

southern edges, is first mentioned in

deeds of 1305.

Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries

Henley flourished as a market centre

being particularly important for the

export of grain which was grown in the

Upper Thames valley and then moved

on boats down the river to London.

Other goods, including stone from

further west, were also shipped from

Henley and there are records of

warehouses in the town during the 14th

century and later. The merchant guild,

in existence from 1269, was an

important influence within the town,

providing its local government,

superseded by an elected Mayor,

Bridgeman and Burgesses by early

14th century. In 1883 this system was

replaced by an elected corporation.

Several buildings remain in Henley

from this period: the White Hart Hotel,

in Hart Street, with origins which go

back to at least 1428; the Bull Inn in

Bell Street, a timber-framed structure

which probably dates to the 15th

century with 17th century

improvements; and the Red Lion

Hotel, on the corner of Hart Street and

Thameside, which mainly dates to the

18th and 19th centuries but which

retains a much altered early 15th

century wing attached to The Chantry

House. Finally, the Rose and Crown in

the Market Place appears to date from

c.1500. It closed in c.1785 and is now

much altered and occupied by Facy’s

store.

During the Civil War, the owner of

Phyllis Court was Sir Bulstrode

Whitelock, who lived at Fawley Court, a

prestigious house located slightly to the

north of Phyllis Court, also facing the

river. This had been purchased by his

father, Sir James Whitelock, in 1616.

Sir Bulstrode was a leading light in

local politics, supporting the

Roundheads whose soldiers were later

garrisoned at Phyllis Court. Fawley

Court suffered at the hands of these

soldiers, but was rebuilt in the 1680s by

the new owner, Colonel William

Freeman. In 1689 the house was

visited by William and Mary of Orange

and during the 18th century the

gardens were landscaped by Capability

Brown. In 1771 James Wyatt designed

an elegant classical temple on a small

island downstream of the house, now

used as the starting point for the

4 HENLEY CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL


Hart Street

Henley Regatta races. Despite its

close proximity to Henley, Fawley Court

lies within the neighbouring county of

Buckinghamshire.

Phyllis Court was also damaged during

the war and was extensively rebuilt in

1648. During the 18th century the

house changed hands several times,

one owner being the Bradshaw family.

Alderman Bradshaw was responsible

for the demolition of the old Market

Place Guildhall and Gaol in 1795 and

the building of a new Town Hall which

he designed himself. During this period

Phyllis Court always remained an

important element of Henley's social

scene. In 1837 it was demolished

entirely and rebuilt to its present

appearance. More recently, it has been

extended and is now used as a country

club, being particularly important during

the week of the Henley Regatta. Of

special interest is the moat, of

uncertain date, now connected to the

river and used for as a mooring for

boats. This may be a reworked

fragment of a medieval moat or it could

be part of the Civil War defences of the

house or even an 18th or 19th century

landscape feature.

After the conflicts and uncertainties of

the 17th century, the following two

centuries brought periods of intense

growth for Henley. The most important

industries were brewing and the

exporting of goods along the river to

London. Hotels and inns were built to

provide accommodation for the many

travellers who used the coach services

between Oxford and London and new

red brick buildings were built or the old

timber-framed hostelries were refronted

and modernised. The Catherine Wheel

in Hart Street and the former Bell Inn in

Northfield End both have evidence of

building from this period and the Red

Lion in Hart Street was extensively

rebuilt and extended.

In 1786 a new bridge over the Thames

was completed and at about this time

Middle Row, a group of cottages in the

middle of Hart Street, were demolished

to improve the highway. A new

workhouse (now part of Townlands

Hospital) was provided in 1790, under

the supervision of William Bradshaw, a

member of the family who owned

Phyllis Court. Typically, this was built

on the outskirts of the town, in what

was then open fields to the north of the

western end of the Market Place.

Brewing and malting became

increasingly important and during the

early 19th century a number of local

breweries were amalgamated into

Brakspear's Brewery in New Street,

which reached its zenith in the late 19th

century by which time it had become

the most important brewery in the town.

The coming of the railway in 1857 led

to further expansion as a commuter

town, especially to the west and south

of the town and a prestigious new

Town Hall was built at the top of the

Market Place in 1900, replacing

Bradshaw's 18th century building which

was demolished and reconstructed



Town Hall

elsewhere as a private house.

The commencement of the annual

Regatta in 1839 added to Henley's

attractions and by the end of the

century the town was notable for its

many boathouses, rowing clubs and

hotels. This period of intense building

activity has left a very distinct mark on

Henley and has provided the town with

a number of prestigious buildings, such

as the Imperial Hotel in Station Street,

built in 1897. Henley also boasts a

number of attractive Victorian buildings,

usually arranged in long terraces, such

as Albert Road and Queen Street. In the

1890s, the corporation also "improved"

the town centre by demolishing some of

the buildings at the more narrow road

junctions. Duke Street was widened in

1870 when the whole west side was

demolished and rebuilt. 1-7 Greys Road

are the result of similar improvements

dating to 1896. They bear the notation:

"Road Widening Corporation".

In the 1890s more houses were built

beyond the railway station to the west

side of Reading Road. St Mark's Road

and St. Andrew's Road contain a

number of detached or semi-detached,

well-detailed, red brick houses. After

1900, more modest terraces were built

on the east side of the road and

towards Harpsden Road: Niagara Road,

Boston Road, Marmion Road, Grange

Road and Park Road.

More recently, the building of the M4

provided a fast route into London which

led to the construction of new housing

estates on the western and southern

edges of the town in the 1960s and

1970s.

Today, facilities for the Regatta and

other boating events are always evident

along the river: the grandstand in the

grounds of Phyllis Court, the various

rowing boats and pleasure boats which

are moored along the riverside and the

many hotels, restaurants and public

houses throughout the town. On the

Remenham side of the river, facing

Henley, lies the Leander Rowing Club

and the Regatta Clubhouse, adding to

the interest of the riverside.

There is constant pressure for new

commercial development in the town,

particularly for shopping, which has to a

degree been controlled by the

designation of a large conservation

area, covering the historic town centre,

large areas of the surrounding suburbs

and some of the fields to the north.

Chapter 4

The character and

appearance of the Henley

Conservation Area

General description.

Henley is notable for its riverside

location, its many listed buildings, its

medieval street layout and for the

survival of the long narrow plots (the

burgage plots) which stretch out from

the main streets. These create a

unique piece of medieval town

planning although they are generally

only evident from private gardens



Market Place

behind the main street frontages. The

Market Place and its continuation, Hart

Street, are dominated by St Mary's

Church at one end and the late

Victorian Town Hall at the other. The

setting is also significant, with views

out of the town being largely contained

by low wooded hills.

Activity and uses.

Henley's attractive and compact town

centre is well served by a range of

upmarket shops and supermarkets. As

is usual in historic towns, commercial

uses and residential accommodation is

well integrated providing a high level of

activity at all hours. The primary

shopping streets are Hart Street, the

Market Place and the southern end of

Bell Street, with more secondary

shopping in the northern section of Bell

Street and Duke Street. Friday Street,

the southern side of the Market Place,

New Street, Northfield End and

Thameside are mainly residential but

interspersed with commercial uses

such as hotels, public houses and

offices. The principal residential streets

lie slightly further out from the town

centre: the Edwardian suburbs to the

west and south, the Friday Street area

and along The Fair Mile.

Of great importance is the effect of the

riverside setting and the various

activities which are associated with the

Henley Regatta. Boating, walking and

rowing, at all times of the year, provide

Henley's waterside with a unique

character and generate large numbers

of visitors to the town.

Noise and quiet.

During the day, the principal streets in

the town centre are somewhat blighted

by constant traffic noise, although they

are much quieter after the evening rush

hour, when pedestrians can enjoy a

more peaceful environment in the town

centre. The recently relandscaped

Market Place provides a focal point for

relaxation with café and restaurant

seating spilling out into the main open

space. This is always popular with

shoppers and visitors and is attractively

laid out with trees and planting.

Bell Street and New Street, which form

part of the one-way system around the

northern part of the town, are

particularly busy with traffic as the

riverside location has concentrated

traffic flows into the town centre. To the

south, Station Road lies on the edge of

the conservation area and forms

another loop which is somewhat

marred by 20th century development

and road improvements. Duke Street is

probably the most congested street in

Henley and this has had an impact on

the quality of the environment. The

close proximity of continuous traffic

also intrudes upon the riverside walks.

Away from these busy main streets are

areas of peace: St Mary's Churchyard,

with its almshouses; the riverside

walks along the towing path to the

south of Thameside; the graveyard

and immediate environs of Holy Trinity

Church, off Greys Hill; and the fields

and riverside walks to the north of

Phyllis Court.

Townscape : morphology.

The morphology of the Henley

Conservation Area is very varied and

includes the heavily built-up town

centre, the 19th century suburbs and a

number of more open landscaped

areas on the edges of the town. There

are no architectural "set pieces", apart

from a mid-19th century terrace of tall

stuccoed houses in Thameside, facing

the river.

The historic core of Henley (Hart



Street, Market Place, Friday Street, Bell

Street, New Street and Northfield End)

is defined by the rows of properties

which lie on the backs of the

pavements, creating continuous

terraces of mainly listed buildings.

These are varied in height, materials

and detailing, with two or three storeys

predominating. The character is

generally domestic as the majority of

the buildings were built as houses

although they have since been

converted into shops or offices. Many

of these buildings date from the 16th or

17th centuries and are timber-framed.

Their scale is modest and they are

characterised by steeply pitched peg

tiled roofs and substantial brick

chimney stacks. There are also a

number of industrial buildings,

associated mainly with the brewing

industry, such as the late 18th century

former malthouse to the rear of no. 16

Hart Street and the malthouse in the

car park between the Market Place and

Greys Road.

Later buildings, of the 18th and 19th

centuries, are more substantial, with

taller floor-to-ceiling heights and larger,

more spacious rooms. These tend to

be built from brick or are stuccoed,

often with more shallow pitched slate

roofs. Most of these properties have

long, narrow gardens of medieval

origins but these are rarely visible

unless glimpsed through carriage ways

or small alleys, of which there are

many, particularly in Hart Street.

Mature trees are found within some of

these gardens, providing a sylvan

backdrop to the views across the town.

The town centre is also punctuated by

larger buildings in different uses of

which St Mary's Church and the Town

Hall are by far the most prominent. The

complex of buildings comprising

Brakspear's Brewery and its associated

malthouse in New Street dominate this

part of the town centre. The brewery

buildings are currently being converted

to a hotel and the malthouse has been

converted into offices. Facing the river,

the mainly 19th century buildings are

less intensively developed, with some

gardens and open space (Wharf Lane,

Thameside) which relate to the water.

Many of the former boathouses have

been converted into houses and along

Thameside, new housing development

echoes the design and general form of

these earlier examples.

Away from the town centre, the scale

reduces to mainly two storey houses

and cottages, largely still in long

terraces (West Street, Friday Street,

Greys Hill) with some Victorian terraces

of note (Albert Road, Queen Street,



Malthouse to rear of 16 Hart Street

New development along Thameside

Kings Road, Clarence Road, York

Road). More dispersed development,

dating to the early 19th century and

later, can be found along The Fair Mile,

notable for its large building plots and

rural setting.

Included within the conservation area,

but somewhat remote from it, Friar

Park is surrounded by high fencing and

trees so the late Victorian house which

sits within the site is not visible from

the public viewpoint. More accessible

is the land to the north of Phyllis Court,

which is largely used as playing fields

and provides attractive views across

the river from Remenham.

The effect of historical

development on plan form.

It has been suggested that there may

have been a small settlement south of

Phyllis Court, the site of the medieval

manor, but to date there is no firm

evidence of this. What is better

documented is the creation of a new

settlement under the patronage of

Henry II in the late 12th century. The

layout of the principal streets dates

from this period, i.e. Hart Street and the

Market Place and the long narrow

burgage plots which lie to either side.

This created a new settlement close to

the ancient ford over the River Thames

and on the line of existing trackways

across the valleys leading to the

Chilterns.

New Street and Friday Street all appear

to have been laid out some two

hundred years later as the township

grew. These four streets were to remain

the principal streets of Henley until

pressure for new development in the

17th century led to new timber-framed

buildings being erected along what is

now Duke Street and Northfield End,

some of which remain although hidden

behind later façades.

Until the 18th century (Figure 1) Henley

remained a small town, stretching from

Northfield End in the north to the

southern end of Duke Street. In 1751

the then Lord of the Manor of Benson,

Thomas Stapleton, planted a long

avenue of elm trees along The Fair

Mile, marking the entrance to the town

in a more prestigious way than the

former rutted track. Buildings along this

road date mainly to the early 19th

century or later, but some are earlier:

no. 23, a timber-framed building with a

stucco façade and no. 25, 18th century

with a stucco front.

During the later part of the 18th century

local prosperity meant that the town

expanded rapidly with a new

workhouse, town hall, malthouse,

breweries, grain warehouses and

private houses, pushing the limits of

development beyond the previous

boundaries, which until this time had

been fairly constrained within the limits

of the medieval settlement.

Once the railway arrived in 1857 there

was a further impetus to growth, which

led to the development of many new

houses for workers and those travelling

to London. These were provided

slightly beyond the existing boundaries:



The Fair Mile

Grey's Hill, Grey's Road, West Street

and along The Fair Mile. The railway

terminated just to the south of the

town, so the construction of the new

trackway and station was achieved

without any adverse effect on existing

buildings.

However the largest expansion of the

town took place around 1900 when

long terraces or groups of Victorian

and Edwardian houses were built

(Albert Road, Queen Street, York

Road, Clarence Road, King's Road and

Norman Avenue). Expansion to the

west was constrained by Friar Park

(1889) with its large gardens and park

and to the north by Phyllis Lodge and

its lands, but between the 1880s and

1910 many of the fields which

surrounded the town to the south and

west were developed.

More recently, new housing has been

provided to the south and partly to the

west of Henley, but to the north, the

land has remained in agricultural use,

or as playing fields, so this part of

Henley still feels very rural. The river,

to the east, has also provided a natural

limit to expansion.

Boundaries and building plots.

Henley is notable for the survival of its

late 12th century plan form and

burgage plots. These long, narrow

gardens which lie behind most of the

properties which face Hart Street and

the Market Place are a rare and

valuable archaeological feature which

must be preserved though in parts

these have been substantially altered

or lost. They also define the character

of the conservation area as, although

not readily visible from the public

viewpoint, most of the houses in these

two streets still retain their early garden

layout. From some vantage points,

such as the car park behind no.18 Hart

Street, the long parallel lines of flint

walls which mark these historic plots

can very clearly be seen.

This form of development, or "urban

grain", provides a distinctive townscape

which can best be appreciated from St

Mary's Church tower. From here, it can

be seen how the medieval layout has

produced a succession of buildings

with long, parallel ridges at right angles

to the principal buildings along the

street frontage. The line of these rear

extensions is then continued by the

various boundary walls, driveways and

alleys which link the streets with the

rear gardens.

Trees, landscape and open

spaces.

Trees make a major contribution to

views out of the town and are also

significant in town centre gardens,

where they can be glimpsed over the

roofs of buildings or through

carriageways or alleys.

The following groups of trees are of

special merit and are protected by Tree

Preservation Orders, in addition to the

statutory protection which is provided



Norman Avenue

c. 1200

c. 1500

c. 1800

c. 1900

by conservation area status to all trees

in a conservation area:

● Trees in Norman Avenue

● Trees around the Church School in

Greys Hill

● Trees in Friar Park

● Trees in the grounds of Phyllis

Court.

● Trees in Northfield End and to the

south of The Fair Mile

Other notable trees are marked on

Townscape Appraisal map. Of special

importance are the group of mature

trees to the rear of no. 32 Bell

Street/The Old White Hart, Hart Street.

Views and vistas, including focal

points.

The most important views in Henley

are marked on the Townscape

Appraisal maps. Of special note are:

● Views from The Fair Mile across

the surrounding countryside

● Views down New Street to the river

● Views up Gravel Hill westwards

● Views from Henley across the River

Thames to Remenham and the

wooded hill beyond.

● Views from Remenham of the

Henley river frontage.

● Views from Henley Bridge to the

north and south and across to

Remenham.

● Views along Hart Street and the

Market Place, terminating in St

Mary's Church and the Town Hall.

● Views of Holy Trinity Church from

Grey's Hill and Church Street

● Views along Northfield End to The

Fair Mile and beyond.

● Views from Phyllis Court along the

river.

Focal buildings and structures include:

● Henley Bridge

● St Mary's Church

● The Red Lion Hotel, Hart

Street/Thameside

● Barclays Bank, no. 10 Hart Street

● The Town Hall

● Friar Park lodge, Gravel Hill

● Imperial Hotel, Station Road

● Brakspear's Brewery buildings, New

St

● Former malthouse, New St

● Christ Church, Reading Road

● Phyllis Court (in views across the

river from Remenham)

● No. 11 Northfield End

● Holy Trinity Church, Greys Hill

● The Angel Public House,

Thameside

Public realm audit.

Street surfaces.

Henley is notable for the survival of a

number of historic street surfaces,



Red Lion Hotel

although the majority of the pavements

are covered with modern tarmacadam

or concrete paving in various forms.

Examples of natural stone, clay blocks,

granite setts and flint cobbles can all

be found and in several streets the

setted carriageways remain,

sometimes partially hidden by modern

materials (e.g. Large sandstone setts

outside the Rose and Crown Public

House, New Street; sandstone setts at

entrance to no. 32 Bell Street). Many of

the streets in the town centre also

retain their granite or sandstone kerbs,

with a gutter formed by two or three

courses of granite setts (New Street,

Bell Street, Hart Street) although some

of these appear to be a modern

reinstatement. Additionally, the Market

Place was resurfaced in the 1990s

and more comprehensively

relandscaped in 2002/2003, mainly

using York stone.

The most notable historic street

surfaces are the following:

● York stone flags around St Mary's

Church (listed).

● York stone flags outside nos. 2-14

Market Place.

● "Candy" yellow brick paviors (from

Totnes in Devon) in West Street

(listed).

● Stone pavement outside nos. 2-16

West Street (listed).

● Brick paviors with granite kerbs,

from market Place to no. 36 Gravel

Hill (listed).

● York stone flags in Wharf Lane.

● Flint cobbles in Church Avenue,

next to Brakspear's Brewery

(listed).

● Stone paving to courtyard behind

no. 88 New Street (listed).

● Blue/black stable paviors with criss-

cross pattern, alley leading to nos.

32-38 New Street and in the yard to

the back of no. 18 Hart Street.

● York stone and flint cobbles outside

nos. 92-102 Northfield End.

● A strip of York stone paving outside

nos. 1-9 Northfield End.

● A completely cobbled courtyard

using pink and grey sandstone and

small blue clay stable paviors

between nos. 71 and 73 Bell Street.

● Red brick paviors at entrance to

yard behind 11a Reading Road.

● Pink granite setts outside no. 38

Greys Hill.

● Sandstone setts outside the

entrance to Holy Trinity Church,

Church Street

● Large sandstone setts forming a

gutter, with blue/black stone kerbs

in Church Street

● Sandstone kerbs in St Marks Road

and St Andrews Road

● Granite kerbs and sandstone setts,

Bell Street

An interesting feature is provided by

the stone slabs marking the Henley

Heritage Trail, such as the one set into

the pavement outside the Kenton

Theatre, New Street.



Candy paviors in West Street

Street furniture.

There are varied examples of modern

seating, street signs and litter bins

throughout the conservation area,

generally of a unified design, providing

a welcome simplicity. Direction signs

are modern but are similar to historic

finger posts, usually using white letters

on a black background. Generally the

streets are remarkably untouched by

"street clutter" and the absence of

overhead wires and cabling is

particularly noticeable in the town

centre.

In the Market Place, a comprehensive

enhancement scheme completed in

2003 used cast iron bollards, painted

black, smooth sawn Yorkstone paving,

simple "heritage" benches with wooded

slatted seats and cast iron decorative

ends, granite setted crossovers and

green cast iron litter bins. These

materials and details provide an

exemplary scheme which has set the

standards for the rest of the town.

Street lighting.

There is a variety of street lighting in

Henley, all modern:

● Tall, cast iron "heritage" lamps

replicating gas lanterns (Market

Place, Bell Street, Duke Street, Hart

Street).

● Similar "heritage" lamps fixed

directly to the buildings (Market

Place, Bell Street, Gravel Hill).

● Tall, steel light standards with large

shades and glass lights in a "retro"

style (Station Road)

● Tall, steel light standards painted

white or grey with modern fitments

(New Street, The Fair Mile, Hop

Gardens, West Street).

Chapter 5

Character Areas

Henley divides into a number of

character areas according to

topography, landscape, building type

and period of development.

Unsurprisingly, the town centre is the

most intensively developed and also

contains the majority of the oldest

buildings; on the edges, there is

mostly late 19th century development

with more dispersed layouts. Large

parts of the conservation area are

composed of fields and parkland and

the river also makes a major

contribution.

Area 1 :

The Fair Mile and Northfield Road.

These two streets provide a stunning

entrance to the northern side of Henley

from Wallingford. The Fair Mile was

improved in the early 1840s with the

addition of the elm avenue which has

now been replanted. The building plots

are particularly spacious and the

setting, amongst fields and areas of

woodland, is attractive. The wide grass

verges, large gardens, neat hedges

and mainly paired or detached houses,

set back along a common building line,

create a unique townscape. The



Market Place repaving

buildings, many of which are listed,

date to the 18th and early 19th

centuries, with terraces of late 19th

century cottages nearer the town.

Occasionally, an earlier timber-framed

building survives, hidden behind later

refacings. A modern housing estate lies

off the south side of the road but its

impact on the conservation area is

neutral. To the north of The Fair Mile,

representing the boundary to Henley

Park, is a substantial grade II listed

brick and flint wall which is a

particularly notable feature in views

along the road.

Northfield End is more intensively

developed, being nearer the town, with

detached houses, again many of which

are listed, in large gardens, close to

the road. The road terminates in a

village green surrounded by listed

buildings at the northern end of Bell

Street. Trees and private gardens

contribute to a rural quality.

Area 2 :

The northeast : Marlow Road, the

playing fields, riverside and

Phyllis Court.

Between Marlow Road and the river is

a large green area used as playing

fields and as gardens to Phyllis Court.

Views along and over the river are

important although this area is not

open to the public. The many mature

trees add to the sylvan character.

Phyllis Court is a rather squat mid-19th

century stuccoed villa, somewhat

altered and extended. The recently

restored Edwardian grandstand, just on

the river edge, is an important feature,

as is the surviving section of moat, now

connected to the river and used for

mooring boats.

Area 3 :

The town centre : Bell Street, part

of New Street, Hart Street, Market

Place, Friday Street and Duke

Street.

These streets form the historic centre

of Henley and provide the most

intensive concentration of listed

buildings, largely arranged in terraces

on the back of the pavement. Despite

the variety of architectural styles and

materials, this still provides a cohesive

townscape, somewhat marred by the

busy traffic. The soft curve of Bell

Street and the widening and narrowing

of Market Place and Hart Street

confirm the historic nature of the

layout, with notable views of the listed

buildings and the hills beyond.



The Fair Mile

Phyllis Court and the grandstand

Many of these buildings retain their

long, narrow burgage plots, defined by

brick and flint walls, which are still used

as gardens. Sometimes, such as to the

rear of no. 18 Hart Street, these old

boundaries have been removed and

car parking inserted, much to the

detriment of the environment. Modern

development is generally confined to

the area around the Waitrose

Supermarket, where the burgage plots

have also been removed to create car

parking. This land has been excluded

from the conservation area although it

lies very close to the historic core of

the town. Similarly, Radnor Close, a

1980s group of houses, is excluded

from the conservation area. The area

to the rear of 23-31 Bell Street is

visually of poor quality.

The most important buildings are the

parish church of St Mary the Virgin, the

Town Hall, Brakspear's Brewery and

the associated malthouse. The most

important spaces are the Market Place,

the churchyard and to a lesser extent,

the area around the northern end of

Northfield Road, where it widens into a

triangular space.

St Mary's Church dates in part to the

early 13th century although the tower

was not added until 1540, probably by

John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln. It is

particularly noticeable for its use of

brick and flint and for its location at the

end of Hart Street, connecting the town

to the river Thames. To the rear of the

church, facing the churchyard, is the

Chantry House, the oldest secular

building in Henley. It is constructed

from timber and it is said that it was

built for the Chantry priests, who sang

masses for the local inhabitants. It

dates from the late 15th century and

has recently been extensively restored

with the help of a grant from English

Heritage.

Behind the church is a tranquil,

enclosed churchyard around which

cluster two rows of simple almshouses,

initially endowed by the same John

Longland, although the earliest

almshouses were built on a site closer

to Longlands, which can still be seen in

Hart Street. The current Longlands

Almhouses are dated 1830. On the

east side of the churchyard is another

group of almshouses comprising those

endowed by Humphrey Newberry in

1664 and rebuilt in 1844 and a further

four more almshouses next door.

These were originally built in 1669 and

were paid for by a Mrs Anne

Messenger, although they too were

substantially reconstructed in 1846.

By contrast with the small, intimate

scale of the almshouses and the

adjoining Chantry House, the Town

Hall, which terminates the other end of

the Market Place and therefore faces

the church, is a symmetrical, neo-

classical late 19th century red brick

municipal building, brimming with local

pride and importance. It was completed

in 1901 to commemorate Queen

Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and it is

now listed grade II*.

Brakspear's Brewery is composed of

several different buildings from varying



Longlands Almshouses

building periods, representing the

incremental growth of the business

over the centuries. Breweries occupy a

central position in British culture and

history and the striking physical

presence of the brewery, sited in the

middle of the town, has a significant

impact on the townscape. Far from

being purely utilitarian, the buildings

represent a distinct architectural

tradition which emerged in the latter

part of the 19th century in brewery

architecture which expressed the

increasing complexity and

sophistication of these industrial

buildings. Care was clearly taken in the

design of the principal elements of the

front elevations to create significant

landmark buildings, including a date

stone which faces New Street denoting

"WHB and Sons 1897" on the mineral

water factory. These late 19th century

buildings are two or three storeys high

and built from robust red engineering

brick with dark brown brickwork

defining some of the windows, the

arched recesses which face New

Street and some string courses.

Approximately seven bays long, there

are two taller bays with gables and a

longer and lower section which is also

decorated with large signs relating to

the former brewery use. These provide

a strong link with the historic function

of the site and should be retained.

Other typical elements of design can

be seen such as round headed

windows, blank arcading, repetitive

fenestration - all of which are directly

descended from the Georgian

brewhouse. The early use of concrete

is found in the mineral water factory of

1897 which has a concrete floor.

To the east of these buildings are

earlier more domestic buildings which

were built as residences or offices for

the brewery owners. The most

important is no. 86, the Old Brewery

House, an almost detached five bay

Georgian house, listed grade II*. Next

door and now more subsumed within

the brewery complex, are two further

houses, both listed grade II, which date

to the early 19th century. These are

only two storeys high, but their use of

red and blue brick, multi-paned sash

windows, moulded window architraves

and panelled front doors with plain

doorhoods is of note. No. 84 has a

particularly attractive two storey curved

bay, in which, at ground floor level, sits

the front door.

Further buildings of a much earlier date

can be seen along Church Avenue.

These are 16th or 17th century timber-

framed structures, of a more domestic

scale and although the external

elevations are painted white, glimpses

of a massive stone plinth can be seen.

Facing the churchyard, the return

elevation of this building is a pleasing

combination of timber-framing, red

brick nogging and one early leaded-

light casement window. Beyond, most

of the brewery buildings appear to date

to the late 19th century with the tall

brick chimney, rebuilt in the 20th

century, being of particular significance.



Brakspear’s Brewery

To either side of the brewery are long

courtyards, glimpsed from New Street

behind iron gates, the smaller of which

lies between nos. 84 and 86 New

Street. This is notable for the various

architectural features associated with

the lifting and storage of beer and for

the view of the brick chimney beyond.

The larger courtyard, which lies to the

western boundary of the brewery, is

more generously sized, reflecting its

use as a garden to nos. 37 and 39 Hart

Street until at least 1925. The buildings

facing the driveway through to the rear

are also built from the red and blue

brick of the late 19th century frontage

buildings, as is the boundary wall with

no. 76. This courtyard faces a very

interesting row of late medieval

cottages - nos. 58-76 New Street.

This once common form of architecture

is becoming increasingly rare. The

1960s saw the closure of many

breweries and the widespread

indifference to Victorian architecture at

that time meant that many brewery

buildings were simply demolished. This

means that those surviving, such as

Henley Brewery, have important

historical significance.

Also significant within Area 3 are the

several remaining former coaching inns

: the Catherine Wheel, the Red Lion

and the Old White Hart, all in Hart

Street. These are a reminder of the

importance of the town as a stopping

point on one of the main routes to

London from Oxford as well its position

as a main market town in the upper

Thames Valley.

The pedestrian priority area in the

centre of the Market Place provides an

appropriate setting to the Town Hall

and has been carefully landscaped.

This is the most important public open

space in Henley and is surrounded by

various cafes and restaurants, which

give the area a vitality and which is

particularly popular with visitors and

residents alike.

Area 4 :

The western edges : West Street,

Gravel Hill, Kings Road, Hop

Gardens and Friar Park.

To the west of the Market Place the

land rises up Gravel Hill towards Friar

Park, with terraces of listed buildings

on either side. West Street lies parallel

to Gravel Hill, but the buildings are

much smaller. Gravel Hill is notable for

its raised pavement (which is listed),

the quality of its listed buildings and the

recently landscaped area to the west

of the Town Hall. Kings Road and the

two associated streets, Clarence Road

and York Road, which lead up to

Townlands Hospital, are made up of

very good quality Edwardian terraced

houses, largely unaltered.

Townlands Hospital comprises a fairly

open hilly site, a number of modern

buildings of no special interest and a

group of listed buildings in the north-

west corner which once formed part of

the late 18th century workhouse,

although a substantial extension was

added in c.1900. The adjoining former



Gravel Hill

school buildings are of a similar age,

recently listed. Their current neglected

appearance is of concern. The recently

listed pest house dating from the late

19th century, lies in the centre of the

site, isolated from the main buildings.

This is a significant survival

demonstrating an early application of

medical knowledge on the spread of

infectious diseases. The site is

proposed for some redevelopment.

Hop Gardens is a long straight road

defined on its western side by the

boundary of Friar Park. To the east of

Hop Gardens are a number of late 19th

century houses and cottages, mainly

listed, the most significant of which are

the six pairs of cottages, built for Friar

Park estate workers. Fonthill dates to

1881 and forms a group with no. 2 and

Surrey Lodge, all of which are listed.

The gardens are spacious with mature

trees and shrubbery, with good views

eastwards across to the Chiltern hills

beyond the river.

Friar Park is a substantial 19th century

house which is almost invisible from

the public road due to its surrounding

shrubbery and trees. It was built for Sir

Frank Crisp in the 1890s in a highly

decorated Gothic style and the land to

this building once stretched around the

northern edges of Henley as far as

Northfield End. There are several

lodges, the most notable of which

faces Gravel Hill. The house is owned

by the widow of George Harrison, the

former Beatle, so the site is not open to

the public.

Area 5 :

The riverside : Wharfe Lane,

Thameside, Henley Bridge and

part of Station Road.

This area is dominated by the River

Thames, with a variety of views over

the river to the wooded hill beyond.

Public access to the river is possible to

most of the riverside via an

embankment which stretches from New

Street to the south of the conservation

area. This is blocked at one point by

Henley Bridge, making pedestrian

movement around the western end of

the bridge somewhat constrained.

The character is defined by the

riverside location and the various

boating activities along the river bank.

Whilst these activities are now all

purely for pleasure or sport, evidence

of the previous commercial nature of

the area is seen in the many late 19th

century boathouses and warehouses

such as nos. 1-6 Wharf Lane, now

mainly converted into houses. Close to

Phyllis Court, three substantial

Edwardian houses sit back from the

river in large gardens, but further south

in Wharf Lane are a group of former

boathouses in a terrace which sit right

on the river bank. Their decorative

gables, with carved bargeboards, are

typical of this part of Henley.

Thameside continues southwards from

Wharf Lane with a long terrace of



Friar Park Lodge

varied buildings, mainly listed, ending

in the Red Lion Hotel and, just around

the corner, St Mary's Church. Other

important hotels include the Little

White Hart Hotel, an early 20th century

replacement of a much earlier hotel on

the site and the Angel Hotel, an 18th

century hostelry overlooking Henley

Bridge. The histories of these and

other public houses and hotels in

Henley are amply described in Ann

Cottingham's book.

Henley's riverside location also

provided the perfect setting for the

annual Henley Royal Regatta, which

takes place at the end of June. It

started in 1829 when Oxford and

Cambridge Universities held a boat-

race from Hambleden to Henley. The

popularity of the event led to the first

Regatta being held in 1839, with royal

patronage being established in 1851

when Prince Albert attended. Today,

the week-long series of rowing races,

parties and general socialising is a

major part of the social calendar and

brings huge numbers of visitors into the

town.

The second section of Thameside

contains more 18th and 19th century

houses and cottages facing the water.

Nos. 7-19 Thameside are a group of

tall, stuccoed houses, the only

example of a prestigious, purpose-built

terrace in Henley. The enjoyment of

this area is somewhat spoilt by the

busy traffic but the riverside location,

including the walkways next to the river

bank, provides an attractive

environment.

Beyond the turning into Station Road,

there are more Edwardian boathouses,

similar to those on the northern fringes

of this area, but set back from the river

bank with a wide, pedestrian-only

walkway. Modern development has

been successfully provided, marrying-

in extremely well with the existing

buildings.

Area 6 :

Late 19th and early 20th century

suburbs : Greys Road, Albert

Road, Greys Hill, Church Street,

Norman Avenue, Reading Road

and Queen Street.

There was a great deal of residential

development in this part of Henley

between the 1880s and the beginning

of World War I. This development is ,

characterised by long terraces of

modest-sized houses, which

sometimes included unusual and

eclectic details in a unique Henley "Arts

and Crafts" style (e.g. nos. 23-33

Queen Street). Reading Road and

Greys Road, both busy main roads, are

more varied, with a mix of 18th and

early 19th century buildings, some of

which are listed. Holy Trinity Church

opened in 1848 is an important and

attractive local landmark, with cottages

in Greys Hill and the neighbouring

school opened in 1850 all making an

important contribution to this special

character. Norman Avenue, with its



Reading Road

trees and quiet location, provides some

more interesting late 19th century

buildings, also listed. The United

Reformed Church is notable as the

resting place of the brother of the

famous painter Thomas Gainsborough.

Area 7:

St Mark's Road, Hamilton Road,

Vicarage Road and St Andrew's

Road.

These streets lie within a separate

conservation area to the south of the

main Henley Conservation Area which

was developed as a cohesive whole in

the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It is characterised by red brick houses,

with blue brick decoration and slate

roofs. These are mainly semi-detached

(but only just), set back slightly from

the road behind hedges or brick walls.

The roads are laid out on a grid

pattern, with a common building line for

most of the houses and the gardens

are reasonably generous, but long and

narrow. The more substantial houses

are in St Andrew's Road, being

detached with larger gardens. Views of

the surrounding wooded hills are

particularly attractive.

Whilst red brick is the most common

material, some of the houses are built

out of flint, or out of a warm beige-

coloured Cotswold stone, with clay tiled

roofs and carved stone decoration,

some of it somewhat whimsical.

Examples in St Mark's Road (Colston

Villas) include heavy window surrounds

and carved window panels, featuring

various birds in relief. Small gables

breaking through the eaves and canted

bays add to the general confusion.

Some of these houses are dated 1906

and their period of construction

accords with other rather eclectic

buildings in Henley, such as Norman

Avenue and nos. 23-33 Queen Street.

Of note is the survival of many of the

original front doors, heavily decorated

and the original sash windows.

Whilst these buildings are so varied

architecturally, they are united by their

common building line, set back behind

modest front gardens; by their overall

height and bulk (two storeys are the

most common); and by their

relationship with their largely concealed

rear gardens. The historic form of

development - frontage house with

large garden behind, is a significant

local characteristic. Trees and other

more open gardens also make an

important contribution to the character

of the conservation area, as do some

very fine examples of red brick walling,

such as the balustraded brick wall

outside nos. 38/40 Vicarage Road.

Chapter 6

The buildings of the HenleyConservation Area

Introduction.

Henley is notable for the high density

of listed buildings in the main streets,

for the variety of building styles and

materials and for the many unlisted



St Mark's Road

buildings, mainly dating to the late

19th or early 20th centuries, which also

make a very positive contribution to the

character of the conservation area.

These are called "Buildings of

Townscape Merit" and these and all of

the listed buildings are marked on the

Townscape Appraisal maps.

The survival of the medieval street

pattern and adjoining burgage plots

has ensured that development within

the town centre has largely followed

the historic template, so most buildings

are modest in size (two or three

storeys) often with long outshuts to the

back. These are usually accessed by

carriageways through the buildings,

providing glimpses of cobbled

courtyards, as in Hart Street (no. 16,

no. 18, the Catherine Wheel Hotel,

nos. 27-29 and no. 39).

Roofs are invariably fairly steeply

pitched, with local handmade tiles

typical on buildings up to the mid 19th

century. After then, improved

communications provided easier

access to materials from further afield

and Welsh slate can often be found on

buildings dating from the latter part of

the 19th century. Red brick, often

mixed with a silvery-blue brick, was

very popular between 1700 and the

early 19th century. After then the

enthusiasm for Italianate architecture

led to the use of painted stucco, often

lined out to replicate stone. More

recently, timber-framed buildings of the

16th and 17th centuries have been

discovered and in some cases

revealed by removing more modern

refacings. A typical example are nos.

33 and 35 Duke Street, a grade II listed

building with an old peg tiled roof

where the recent removal of the

rendering to the side elevation has

revealed timber frame, possibly dating

from the 16th century.

Listed buildings.

There are approximately 378 listed

buildings in the Henley Conservation

Area. The statutory list was drawn up

in 1974 and it includes a much greater

variety of buildings than is usual,

including many late 19th century

buildings such as the highly decorated

houses in Norman Avenue.

The earliest buildings were mainly

timber-framed, but after about 1700

brick became more fashionable and

cheaper so many of the existing

timber-framed structures were either

refronted or else demolished and

rebuilt. Many of the listed buildings in

Henley's principal streets are therefore

either timber-framed or refaced in

brick, with Georgian details. In the

early 19th century, stucco, often lined

out to imitate stone, was considered to

be the most desirable building material

and examples can be found in Bell

Street particularly.

There is one grade I listed building in

the conservation area, the Chantry

House, which is located behind the

Red Lion Hotel, facing the churchyard.

This is a timber-framed building dating

c.1400-1500. It was said to have

housed the Chantry priests. Later it

became a school until 1846. It was

referred to as ‘The Old School’ until

1920s and is now owned by the church

and used for community purposes and

has recently been extensively restored

with the help of English Heritage.

In addition, there are 13 grade II* listed

buildings, as follows:

● St Mary's Church, Hart Street (13th,

15th and 19th century)

● The Town Hall in the Market Place

(Architect Henry T Hare, completed

1900).



● No. 32 Bell Street (18th century

house).

● Nos. 86 and 88 Bell Street (18th

century house).

● The Old White Hart, nos. 19B, 21

and 23 Hart Street (possibly 13th

century cellar, late 15th or early

16th century timber-framing).

● Nos. 74, 76, 78 Bell Street (which

have been dendrodated to 1406).

● 18 Hart Street (18th century front,

earlier building behind)

● Longlands, no. 39 Hart Street (18th

century front to older house, which

contains magnificent 18th century

staircase)

● Old Brewery House, no. 86 New

Street (18th century)

● Northfield House, no. 11 Northfield

End (18th century)

● Former Bell Inn, now 3 houses (Elm

House, Ruperts Elm and Ruperts

Guard), Northfield End (17th/18th

century coaching inn, later the

Royal Grammar School)

● The Rectory, no. 17 Thameside

(c.1700)

● Phyllis Court Lodge and gates,

Marlow Road (late 18th century,

possibly by James Wyatt)

Henley also retains a great number of

early timber-framed buildings, although

it is very likely that more await to be

discovered behind later façades. Of

note are the several examples dating

to the 15th century, some of which

appear to have contained open halls

(nos. 2 and 4 Reading Road and no.

76 Bell Street). These buildings

represent a building type of the late

medieval period, when halls open to

the roof and heated by a central hearth

were ubiquitous. Changes in social and

cultural values after the mid-16th

century combined with improvements

in housing technology led to a decline

in the open hall. Brick chimneys were

inserted and the open halls were

floored over to create additional

accommodation. Their existence can

sometimes be confirmed by the

evidence of smoke-blackened roof

timbers, resulting from the use of open

fires in the hall below.

Most of the listed buildings in Henley

were built for domestic purposes and

these form the majority of the buildings

in Hart Street, Market Place, Bell Street,

New Street and Friday Street. However,

there are also a number of other listed

buildings of note which were built for

religious, commercial or community

uses. The most important are:

● St Mary's Church, Hart Street (13th

century nave, 15th and 19th

century).

● Drinking fountain, outside St Mary's

Church 1885.

● A 1930s K6 telephone kiosk,

Market Place.



Old Brewery House, 86 New Street

● Henley Bridge was largely rebuilt in

1786 to the designs of William

Hayward alongside the 12th

century bridge, the arches of which

remain on both sides of the river.

This possibly dates to Henry II's

setting out of the new town in the

1170s. Keystones of Thamesis and

Isis carved by sculptress Mrs

Damer at the time of construction.

● Former Workhouse and Pest

House, Townlands Hospital 1790

● Holy Trinity Church, Church Street

1848 by Benjamin Ferrey

● Former school building, Gravel Hill

1879.

● Main building at South Oxfordshire

Technical College. Mid 19th century

Jacobean style using knapped flint,

stone quoins and window dressings

tiled roofs.

● Friar Park 1889. Architect M Clarke

Edwards for Sir Frank Crisp.

● Old School House, Hart Street

1856. Architect James Brooks, now

a house.

● Henley Baptist Church, Market

Place 1878.

● Grandstand in grounds of Phyllis

Court (probably 1913 by G F

Sainsbury).

● Kenton Theatre, nos. 19 and 21

New Street. A rare example of an

early 19th century purpose-built

theatre, still in use. This is the third

oldest working theatre in the

country.

● Malthouse to Henley Brewery, New

Street. A late 19th double

malthouse with two prominent

towers.

● Brakspear's Brewery , New Street.

An extremely interesting former

brewery with some 16th century

timber framed buildings and a

grade II* brewer's house facing the

street.

● Christ Church, Hall and Manse

1907. Architect Hampden Pratt.

● R C Church of the Sacred Heart,

Vicarage Road 1936. Architect A S

G Butler designed to incorporate an

alter, mensa and pulpit by A W

Pugin and a reredos by E W Pugin.

Buildings of Townscape Merit.

Within Henley there are a large number

of unlisted Buildings of Townscape

Merit, which make a positive

contribution to the character and

appearance of the conservation area.

They include 19th century shops

(where they still retain the majority of

their original details) and groups of

good quality late Victorian and

Edwardian houses. These buildings

have been identified as part of the

appraisal process and are marked on

the Townscape Appraisal map.



Philimore Fountain, Hart Street

Materials.

Henley contains a wide variety of

building styles, according to age and

function, and a notably diverse range

of materials, whose popularity altered

as fashions changed. Of note are the

many timber-framed buildings, dating

to the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries,

many of which were refronted in the

18th or early 19th centuries, providing

the "Georgian" townscape for which

Henley is so well known. Therefore,

whilst painted stucco, red or blue brick

appear to be the predominant

materials, in reality many of the

buildings have back and side walls of

timber, infilled with lathe and plaster,

brick or chalk block. There was no

convenient local supply of building

stone although flints found in the chalk

hills nearby did provide a source of

very hard-wearing facing material.

However, flint is more often used in

Henley for boundary walls. Examples

of totally flint buildings include The

Cottage, Bell Lane, an 18th century

building where the flint is dressed with

red brick and nos. 17-29 (odd) Friday

Street, where flint is used to reface

parts of a 17th century timber-frame

range.

When St Mary's Church was first built

in the late 13th century, a honey-

coloured stone, probably from the

Cotswolds, was used to provide the

architectural embellishments to the flint

walls. This flint was first knapped

(broken open and shaped) to create a

flat surface and then used to face thick

rubble walls. Later, stone and flint

panels were used to create a

distinctive chequer-board pattern, one

of the main features of the east

elevation of the church facing Henley

Bridge.

Other early buildings in Henley are all

timber-framed. The Chantry House,

dating to c.1450-1520, is a very good

example of large square timber-

framing. This would, at the time, have

been a high quality, prestigious

building, due to its five-bay plan, jettied

first floor and curved wind braces.

Other examples of timber-framed

buildings are concentrated in the

original streets: Market Place, Hart

Street, Bell Street, Friday Street and

New Street - all of which all have

examples of 15th, 16th and 17th

century timber buildings. The south

side of Hart Street contains a large

number of timber-framed houses, many

of which date back to the 16th century

or even earlier. The most notable of

these is Speaker's House (nos. 44, 46

and 50) which sits opposite the church.



St Mary's Church, Hart Street

Buildings of Townscape Merit, York Road

Here, both first and second floors are

jettied and three gables face the street.

Jetties and gables were elements of

display denoting high status and these

dominant features are important in

views along Hart Street. Oriel windows,

lead-light casements and much painted

lime render provide additional interest.

Less prestigious, but of great local

significance, is a row of late medieval

timber-framed cottages, nos. 58-72

New Street, which stretch back from

the road facing the side access to

Brakspear's Brewery. These date to the

15th, 16th and 17th centuries and

represent the late building up of the

burgage plot behind no. 58.

For all of these buildings, roofs are

covered in plain handmade clay tiles,

usually a rich red colour and made

locally. There is little evidence for the

use of thatch, but it is likely that some

of the more vernacular buildings -

warehouses, outbuildings and cottages

- would have been roofed using this

material.

Chimneys were constructed using

brick, flint or stone. Bricks were not

widely used for walling until improved

methods of production made them, and

clay roof tiles, a more affordable

material from the end of the 17th

century onwards. There are no obvious

examples of entirely brick buildings in

Henley before about 1700, but after

this time, brick was used, mainly to

refront older buildings. This local brick

was red or a grey-blue, often used

together to create dramatic front

elevations, clearly designed for

prestige and "show" and there are

many such buildings in Henley town

centre (e.g. nos. 22/24 and 34/36 Bell

Street and no. 19 Gravel Hill, where

the grey headers create a pattern of

vertical lines on the front façade).

Along the south side of Hart Street are

a number of timber-framed buildings

(nos. 6, 18, 20 and 26/28) which were

refronted with silvery grey brick in the

late18th century early 19th century,

with red brick to the window surrounds

or corners. No. 32 Bell Street, listed

grade II*, has a very fine front elevation

composed of silver grey and red brick,

with red brick quoins and window

surrounds. No. 29 Thameside turns the

corner into New Street with a gentle

curve, where the shiny blue/black

headers are shown off to their best

effect. Longlands, no. 39 Hart Street

(II*), is one of the best examples in the

town of a Georgian front to an earlier

timber-framed building with its yellow

and red stock brick.

Although these buildings had new,

fashionable brick frontages, to the rear

and sides the original timber-framed

structure was left exposed and today

many of Henley's buildings have

sections of timber-framing visible

behind 18th or 19th century façades.

These can be glimpsed from the many

courtyards, carriage entrances or alleys

which are typical of the town centre



Speaker's House, Hart Street

and several examples can be seen on

the south side of Market Place and on

the north side of Hart Street, including

the Catherine Wheel Hotel.

At the beginning of the 19th century,

the use of lime render or "stucco",

often lined out to replicate stone,

became the desirable material and

there are many examples of such

buildings in the conservation area.

These include no. 50 New Street, a

three storey building with a bracketed

eaves cornice, sash windows and a

shallow pitched slate roof, all dating to

c.1840, and nos. 6-14 West Street

(Albion Place), a row of early 19th

century cottages set back slightly from

the street. At about the same time, the

house immediately adjacent, no. 4

West Street (West Hill House), was

refronted using stucco, covering a 17th

century timber-frame.

Throughout the 19th century, the use of

many different materials became

popular. Flint continued to be used,

particularly for prestigious buildings

such as Holy Trinity Church in Greys

Hill, but also for modest artisan

cottages such as nos. 96-100 West

Street (c.1880). Red and grey brick

also continued to be popular and more

notable examples include no. 54 New

Street, nos. 34 and 36 Bell Street and

nos. 17 and 19 Church Street. Red

brick, sometimes decorated with white

brick string courses or limestone

dressings, was very much used for the

vast amount of new housing which

sprung up in the town after the railway

arrived in the 1850s (St Andrew's Road

and St Mark's Road). Usually these

buildings were roofed in slate, made

possible by the provision of cheap

transportation by train from Wales.

Building style and plan form.

For timber-framed buildings dating to

the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, the

style and plan form of the building was

constrained by the use of timber and

the maximum length of structural beam

it could provide. Most timber-framed

buildings in Henley sit on the back line

of the street, usually three or

sometimes four bays wide, each bay

being approximately 5 metres long

(e.g. nos. 2, 4 and 6 New Street). The

earlier buildings are sometimes jettied,

with the first floor oversailing the

ground floor slightly (e.g. nos. 58 and

76 New Street). This was done

principally for show. Roofs are steeply

pitched, sometimes gabled to the street

(e.g. Speaker's House, Hart Street and

the Bull Inn, nos. 57 and 59 Bell

Street), or arranged in a simple

rectangular form parallel to the street,

with thick brick stacks and exposed

rafter ends, sometimes covered with

carved bargeboards. The inside layout

of such buildings tended to be very

simple with a series of inter-connecting

rooms, sometimes linked by a later

corridor at the back of the building,

covered by a catslide roof.

In Henley, the tight urban form of the

town centre has resulted in the

accumulation over the years of a



Stuccoed house in New Street

jumble of back extensions, often of

different building periods. These

usually follow the line of the early

burgage plots, such as nos. 22-30 New

Street. Additionally, the installation of

Georgian fronts, new staircases and

the creation of more comfortable,

heated rooms has left another veneer

of change. Whilst these are inevitably

very varied, they all tell a story about

the development of the building and

alterations to such properties should

respect this evolution over time. In

some cases, the development of the

building can only be determined by an

archaeological assessment.

Georgian brick buildings of the 18th

and early 19th centuries in Henley

town centre are usually constrained by

the earlier burgage plot site and narrow

frontages, creating a terraced form of

development positioned tightly to the

back of the pavement. Most of the

buildings were built as private houses

and are relatively tall - three or four

storeys, although lower on the edges of

the town. Tiled or slated roofs run

parallel to the street, with hipped or

gabled ends and tall brick chimney

stacks. These properties tend to be

three or four windows wide, with a

central front entrance.

From the mid-19th century onwards,

many of the buildings in the town

centre were built for commercial,

institutional or religious purposes so

each building is very different. Friar

Park, a substantial flamboyant Gothic

house not visible from the road and its

lodge in Gravel Hill, are good examples

of the somewhat unusual designs of

the architect M Clarke Edwards.

Henley is also notable for its late 19th

century buildings, often built in the Old

English style using false timber-

framing, red brick, tiled roofs and

mullioned and transomed windows.

The best examples are in commercial

uses: Barclays Bank, no. 10 Hart

Street; the Imperial Hotel, Station

Road; and the National Westminster

Bank, 18 Market Place. Outside the

town centre, there are a number of

streets of good quality mainly terraced

housing of a similar date: Queen

Street, Albert Road and the King's

Road area are the most complete.

Properties in Reading Road provide a

good example of the red and cream

brick work typical of nearby Caversham

bricklayers. Some houses are

particularly well decorated: Norman

Avenue, dating to c.1895, with stone

dressings on red brick façades; nos.

23-33 Queen Street, surprisingly

unlisted; and, more unusually,

properties in St Mark's Road, with

castellated parapets. Many display a

variety of eclectic details (see below),

possibly influenced by similar work at



Imperial Hotel, Station Road

Friar Park. Along the riverside, the

former boathouses, with their gables

defined by ornate carved barge boards,

are an important feature.

Architectural details.

Details on the early timber-framed

buildings are extremely varied and few

are genuinely historic. Windows tend to

be 19th century or later alterations,

sometimes replicating the leaded light

casements which were likely to have

been there originally. The single leaded

light casement in Brakspear's Brewery

may be one of the few 17th century

examples in the town, unaltered due to

"neglect".

Simple wooden casements, sometimes

with a thin central glazing bar (another

19th century improvement) are also

common. Otherwise, Georgian sashes

predominate, to fit in with 18th and

early 19th century refacing work. These

are often well detailed with six-over-six

lights, thin meeting rails and internal

shutters. Good examples can be seen

throughout the town but Longlands (no.

39 Hart Street) has some good quality

18th century sashes.

In the later part of the 19th century,

sashes continued to be popular

although mullion and transomed

windows, with casements, can also be

found. Side opening casements, with or

without glazing bars, can be found in

many of the more artisan cottages in

such streets as Friday Street and

Gravel Hill.

Henley is particularly well endowed

with a variety of very good quality front

doors, mainly on the Georgian façades

in the town centre. Six or four panels

are common, decorated with raised

and fielded panels or simply flush

beaded. The Catherine Wheel Hotel

provides two examples of unusually

well detailed front doors, both six

panelled, one with engaged Doric

columns creating a doorcase and an

original curved fanlight and the other

with a pair of Corinthian pilasters

supporting a moulded head. Other

examples can be found in Bell Street

and New Street, as well as Gravel Hill.

For the older, timber-framed buildings,

a number of modern copies can be

found - ledged and braced oak or

simple painted pine boards.

Shopfronts.

Henley provides a variety of well

detailed historic shopfronts, the best

examples being in Hart Street and Bell

Street. No. 6 Hart Street ("New

Traditions") retains most of its early

19th century shopfront, with shallow

pilasters, moulded panels to the stall

riser and fine mullions. No. 30 Hart

Street ("Jacksons") has another early

19th century example with a canted

bay on one side of the entrance and

four sash windows to the right, creating

a shopfront. On the other side of Hart

Street, no. 17 ("Chancellors") has a

slightly quirky late 19th century

shopfront with a deep frieze supported

on console brackets. By contrast, no.

27 ("Rive Gauche") is a taller, more

elegant 19th century shopfront, with a

well designed canvas sun blind. In Bell

Street, the best shopfront is

undoubtedly no. 52 ("The Bell Street

Bookshop"), where a slightly altered

19th century shopfront extends along



Front door to the CatherineWheel Hotel, Hart Street

No. 6 Hart Street

the full width of the building, being

supported midway by two moulded

cast iron pillars.

Most of the historic shopfronts in

Henley are located in listed buildings

and are therefore protected from

unsympathetic alterations. The least

attractive shopfronts are in Bell Street,

in the unlisted buildings such as nos.

10 and 12 ("Anthony Paul" and

"Franciscos") where the fascia is far

too prominent.



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