Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Allesley Park and Coundon Wedge Character Area HLC Area 18 Location and Context This Character Area includes the medieval village of Allesley, Allesley Park, the earthwork remains of Allesley Castle and fields located next to the village. The area is located to the west of the city centre. An arterial route to the city centre runs through the village so despite being a rural location, it has good access to the city centre. The Character Area is surrounded by housing, with some fields to the northwest. Heritage Designations in the Character Area Scheduled Ancient Monuments: 1 Archaeological Constraint Areas: 23 Listed Buildings: 33 Locally Listed Buildings: 8 Conservation Areas: 1 Registered Parks and Gardens: 0 Historic Development Apart from the possible Iron Age defended enclosure situated to the west of Staircase Lane, this is a landscape of predominantly medieval and post-medieval date, with many features from this period still present today. Allesley Park, for instance, was originally part of a much larger medieval deer park which is believed to date from the 12th or 13th century when hunting was a fashionable pastime amongst the Norman aristocracy. The park was surrounded by a large bank and ditch, or park pale, in order stop the deer escaping. The boundaries of the park have changed considerably – for example, the medieval deer park originally extended much further south to Broad Lane – however, evidence of the park pale remains. The northern boundary of the medieval park broadly follows today's Pickford Way and the earthworks of the park pale are still present in places. The park was probably returned to agricultural use by the 15th century and the corrugated landscaping known as ‘ridge and furrow’, caused by ploughing, is still visible in today's park. A more obscure medieval feature located in the park is the earthwork of Allesley Castle. There is no documentary evidence for the castle and no archaeological work has been carried out on the site, but it is thought to pre-date the medieval park. It may have been built in the 1140s as an illegally built fortification associated with the civil war between King Stephen and Empress 83 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Matilda. The park is segregated from Allesley Village, located to the north, by the course of the Pickford Brook. The deer park may have been laid out in such a way that the brook deliberately segregated the Norman aristocracy and the medieval villagers. Allesley village itself has its origins in the medieval or even Anglo-Saxon period. The settlement comprises cottages and houses along Birmingham Road of 16th to 19th Century date, most of which are listed buildings. There is a development of 20th century housing, including small detached houses, to the north of the Birmingham Road. One of the oldest houses in the village is the Stone House (Grade II* Listed) which is believed to date from before 1557. The medieval All Saint's Church is located on a promontory overlooking the main road through the village. A medieval pathway, or holloway, leads from the graveyard to fields behind the church. Many of the fields contain ridge and furrow earthworks and some are bounded by hedgerows with reverse ‘S’ profiles, reflecting the former cultivation ridges in the medieval open fields prior to their enclosure. The 1654 Inclosure Award confirms that this area was within one of Allesley’s open fields during the medieval period. The present field pattern in this area dates to around 1654 with a number of the hedgerows qualifying as being ‘Ancient’ under the 1997 Hedgerow Regulations. In the north of the Character Area some areas of the current field pattern are even earlier. Their irregular shape, sinuous boundaries along with documentary evidence suggests that they are medieval assarts. A good example of this is the area to the south of Brownshill Green Road. Other remnants of the medieval landscape are the probable remains of a medieval moat and fishpond located to the rear of Coundon Lodge, to the west of Coundon Green. Although there is no documentary evidence to confirm the date of Staircase Lane, the sunken level of the road strongly indicates that this is an ancient route. North Brook Road is recorded in the 1410-11 Cartulary of St. Mary's Priory, although it was then known as Le Pokelane. The Coundon Wedge Drive was developed in the 1980s for improved access to the former Browns Lane Jaguar plant located outside the Character 84 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Area to the west, which has subsequently been scaled back and is subject to on-going mixed-use redevelopment. Modern Character Allesley Park is a popular public open space. It is enjoyed by young families in particular who benefit from a children's play area. There is also a small public golf course, toilets, a large car park, wildlife gardens and a walled garden associated with Allesley Hall. Despite the popularity of the park some areas are surprisingly secluded including the walled garden and the castle earthworks which are hidden by trees. Activity is focused to the east side of the park where the public facilities are located. This area is highly valued by local residents who have formed community groups for the park, although many members of the public are not aware of the castle remains. The park was originally set apart from Allesley Village by the brook and today it is also segregated by the Pickford Way dual carriage way. The park is almost entirely surrounded by arterial roads so despite the proximity of the park to housing, it is mostly accessed by car. The historic core of Allesley Village is protected as a Conservation Area reflecting its status as the best preserved historic village within the Coventry City boundary. Attractive cottages are present along the Birmingham Road and are overlooked by All Saint's Church, located on an elevated promontory. Two narrow lanes called Rectory Close and Butcher's Lane lead off Birmingham Road onto mid-20th century housing developments also included in the Conservation Area. The 1950s housing comprises small detached dwellings with small gardens to the front and rear. To the north east of the village are small, enclosed agricultural fields. They are easily accessible by public footpaths. Fields closest to the village are small and narrow with distinctive curving hedgerows. Overall, the fields in the Coundon Wedge are small, bounded by ancient hedgerows and divided by winding lanes. Much of the current field pattern dates to the mid-17th Century with a remaining area of medieval assarts in the north of the Character Area. The area has a quiet, tranquil atmosphere despite the presence of the Coundon Wedge Drive which is well hidden. 85 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  A view of Allesley Village along Birmingham Road Geology and Topography The Character Area overlies sandstone with alluvium deposits of sand with clay and gravel. It has an undulating topography which overall rises from 90m above sea level to the south to 125m to the north. 86 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Allesley Village Character Area HLC Area 19 Location and Context The Character Area is located to the northwest of the city centre and is surrounded by fields with some residential areas to the south and a golf course to the south west. This is predominantly a residential area with a former car plant to the east. The industrial site has recently been scaled back and is subject to mixed- use redevelopment. The River Sherbourne passes through the Character Area. Heritage Designations in the Character Area Scheduled Ancient Monuments: 0 Archaeological Constraint Areas: 4 Listed Buildings: 0 Locally Listed Buildings: 5 Conservation Areas: 0 Registered Parks and Gardens: 0 Historic Development In the medieval period the majority of the Character Area was included in the Allesley open field system. St. Mary’s Priory Cartulary of 1410-11 records a road called Le Brounselane which follows the alignment of the current Brown's Lane. The vast medieval open fields were enclosed after 1654 and the landscape became dominated by small enclosed fields. The 1654 Award also mentions a road called Park Lane which is thought to be the present day Park Hill Lane. The 1808 Allesley Sketch Maps, 1841 Tithe Map and the 1888 Ordnance Survey all depict the same small, enclosed fields throughout the Character Area with the exception of Meigh's Wood and Hawkes End Wood in the north. The woods survived until they were developed for housing in the mid 20th century. The Tithe Map also records a Turnpike Road, the current Birmingham Road. It depicts two other unnamed roads which follow the alignments of the 87 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  current Butt Lane and Hawkes Mill Lane. In the south of the Character Area there is a more recent area of expansion of the medieval village. In the 1930s, ribbon development occurred along Brown's Lane and Butt Lane. There was further development in the mid 20th century with more housing and the Browns Lane Jaguar car factory in the east of the Character Area. The car factory was originally a World War II 'Shadow' factory deliberately located away from the city centre to avoid air raid damage. The industrial buildings were demolished around 2005 - 2010 leaving a brown field site. In the late 20th century a further pocket of houses was built in the southwest part of the Character Area. Modern Character The Character Area encompasses of a mixture of architecture and road design which reflects the gradual development of housing from the 1930s to the end of the 20th century. In general, all of the houses have front gardens with driveways and gardens to the rear. Most of the properties have garages. The size of gardens tends to become smaller as development progresses. The 1930s ribbon development along Butt Lane comprises very large front gardens with a variety of boundaries including hedgerows, brick walls and dressed stones. Housing along Brown's Lane is much more uniform. Houses of a similar architectural style overlook the street with front gardens that have low boundary walls or bushes. The 1930s development also includes housing built around cul de sacs. The architecture of these houses is homogenised with all of the front gardens bounded by low brick walls, creating narrow, channelled views. Mid to late 20th century houses, particularly in the south of the Character Area, are arranged along long curving streets with pavements and roads which are wider than the 1930s cul de sacs. Each street has a different architectural style but the housing within the street is very similar. Later housing tends to have trees planted along the streets but without front boundaries walls. The changing views created by the curve of the road, the wider streets and the lack of front boundaries create a feeling of more open space in the later developments. A primary school is present within the Character Area and there is also a small parade of shops along the Birmingham Road. However, overall there are very few amenities. 88 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Geology and Topography The Character Area overlies sandstone with an alluvium deposit of sandstone, gravel and clay along the River Sherbourne. The land gradually rises from about 100m above sea level to the south to 135m to the north. Browns Lane Agricultural land northeast of Townfields Close 89 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Windmill Hill Character Area HLC Area 20 Location and Context A Character Area located to the west of the city centre along the A45 Birmingham Road dual carriage way. It predominantly comprises a golf course but also includes a commercial/business estate to the north. A residential area borders the Character Area to the east, Otherwise it is surrounded by agricultural fields. The Pickford Brook and the Ash Brook run through the Character Area, although their courses have been altered by landscaping for the golf course. Heritage Designations in the Character Area Scheduled Ancient Monuments: 0 Archaeological Constraint Areas: 3 Listed Buildings: 3 Locally Listed Buildings: 1 Conservation Areas: 0 Registered Parks and Gardens: 0 Historic Development Documentary evidence tells us that this area fell within Allesley’s medieval open field system; this is corroborated by ridge and furrow earthworks that are visible on aerial photographs taken before the development of the golf course. In 1654 the open fields of Allesley Parish were enclosed. The enclosures were large but were subdivided in subsequent centuries. Throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries there were few changes to the field pattern recorded on the 1841 Allesley Tithe Map and the 1888 Ordnance Survey Map but by 1809 Windmill Farm had been built on the southern side of the Birmingham Road. The inter-war period saw the development of the area north of Birmingham Road with some housing and an engineering works was also built. The area was redeveloped into the mixed-use Windmill Industrial Estate. The golf course, along with a hotel was built in the late 20th century. 90 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  Some hedgerow boundaries that exist around the perimeter of the Character Area can be dated back to the mid-17th Century but all other internal boundaries were removed when the golf course was landscaped. Modern Character The Character Area predominantly comprises a heavily landscaped golf course. Part of the golf course complex includes a hotel with leisure facilities. Another hotel is located in the Windmill Industrial Estate, along with commercial offices. Although the Character Area has a rural setting its location along the dual carriage way makes it easily accessible from the city centre. The arterial roads, leisure facilities and business/industrial areas found in the Character Area create a noisy, active, car dominated environment. 91 Coventry Historic Landscape Assessment Project 5927  View looking east along the A45 92