About Woodhouses
Woodhouses is a village with approximately 900 residents, located on the northern slopes of the Medlock valley between Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. The conservation area covers 20.32 hectares, includes most of the village and was first designated by Oldham MBC in 1975. It was extended to its present size in 1989 to include areas of adjacent undeveloped land not included within the Green Belt. The extent of the conservation area is shown on the attached map and the aim of the designation is to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of this area of special architectural and historic interest.
What is a Character Appraisal?
All conservation areas have specific architectural or historic interest which was identified when the areas were designated. The Oldham Unitary Development Plan (UDP), which guides development in the Borough, recognises that the aim of conservation area designation is more likely to be fulfilled if there is detailed agreement and understanding of the particular characteristics of an area which contribute to its special identity. The Council has therefore undertaken, as resources permit, to draw up character appraisals for all the conservation areas in the Borough. Character appraisals are of particular importance for development control purposes and will be a key component of any bid for external funding as well as in the formulation of conservation area enhancement schemes.
An assessment of the character or distinctiveness of an area may come from much more than its appearance. It may draw on other senses and experiences such as sounds, uses, open spaces, historical associations and views. Protecting and enhancing the varied physical elements of a place’s character can help promote the activities and uses which occur within it. Even quite small conservation areas may include several overlapping and contrasting characteristics.
Historic Significance
The name of Woodhouses is probably derived from ‘woodheys’, meaning ‘an enclosure surrounded by woods’. The original settlement had developed by the late Middle Ages as a hamlet surrounded by scattered farms which were connected by a complex pattern of lanes. Woodhouses grew significantly during the early C19 as the construction of the canal network and growth of nearby towns provided alternative sources of work in and near the village, and by the late C19 the local economy was based around both agricultural and industrial employment. The growth in population prompted the establishment of basic village facilities, including a church, two schools, pubs and a cricket ground.
Woodhouses grew much more slowly from the late C19 due to the lack of major roads or a railway through the village. The relative inaccessibility of the village limited growth until car ownership levels began to rise rapidly in the 1960s, when Woodhouses became increasingly seen as a suitable location for workers commuting to the surrounding towns. This phase of village expansion has continued to the present day.
Setting
Woodhouses has developed on a shallow east-west ridge between the river Medlock and Lord’s Brook, which is a small tributary of the Medlock. There are extensive views from the village across the surrounding fields, north to Failsworth and Hollinwood, and south towards Ashton-under-Lyne and the hills beyond, although these can only be glimpsed in a few places between breaks in the Medlock/Ashton Road frontages. The M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road is in a cutting immediately east of the village. Despite the proximity of Oldham and Ashton, the setting of Woodhouses is still semi-rural.
Layout
The most important feature of Woodhouses is its predominantly linear form, which it has retained despite the residential extensions of the 1960s and 1990s. There are two significant areas of recent residential development in the village. The Stamford Drive/Hartshead Crescent area, to the south of Medlock Road, was largely developed during the 1960s and is excluded from the conservation area. Three additional residential developments in the village were built during the 1980s/90s: Barnside Way/Farmstead Close and Marston Close, accessed from Failsworth Road, and Atherton Close at the west end of the village. Of these, only Marston Close is included within the conservation area, due to its predominantly terraced layout.
Medlock Road and Ashton Road form the spine of the conservation area, and virtually all the pre-C20 properties front onto this route. The conservation area includes fields and new housing around Ashton Road and Failsworth Road, but the only other exceptions to the linear form are the outbuildings of Within Hall Farm, and the bowling green and playground to the rear of the Dog & Partridge.
Uses
The uses within the village are important elements in the character of the area. The majority of the buildings are residential properties, but the other uses are essential in conserving the character of a village rather than a detached suburb. There are two types of non-residential uses: community facilities and employment sources.
The community facilities comprise the cricket and working men’s clubs, the two pubs (including the bowling green and playground behind the Dog & Partridge), the primary school and the church. Any shops in the village should also be regarded as community facilities, although the post office has unfortunately recently closed. All these uses are characteristic of a self-supporting village and should be retained or enhanced where possible.
The employment sources are those businesses which have no community function other than providing employment. The most evident of these are the three largest farms (Diamond Hall, Within Hall and Brick Hall), all of which date from at least the C17, the stables at Meadow Croft Farm, and several smaller light industrial uses along Medlock Road. Like the community facilities, these businesses are symptoms of a self-supporting village, as well as providing an important link to the agricultural and industrial origins of Woodhouses.
Spatial Qualities
One of the most important characteristics of the conservation area is the strong sense of enclosure along most of Medlock Road, particularly around the Woodhouse Gardens pub where there are also a number of mature trees. This sense of enclosure is created by the mainly terraced C19 houses which predominate along the road, with narrow gaps between blocks and generally short front gardens. This element is balanced by the long views along Medlock Road which emphasise the linear form of the village, illustrated by photo 1.
West of Stamford Road and east of Failsworth Road the spaces are far more open and the sense of enclosure reduced as more of the buildings are set back from the road. Apart from the Woodhouse Gardens car park, the cricket ground and bowling green are the only significant breaks in the Medlock Road frontage through which the surrounding landscape can be seen.
The strongly defined curtilages associated with the C19 buildings are also an important element in defining the spatial quality of the area. This is clearly illustrated by photos 2 and 3. The boundary walls and hedges clearly separate the front gardens from each other and from the road, privatising the space between the houses and the road whilst creating additional visual interest.
Architectural Qualities
There is one listed building in the conservation area: Diamond Hall Farm on Medlock Road (Grade II, listing number 279).
There are three other buildings which although unlisted and not of great architectural interest have importance in historic terms and make significant contributions to the character of the area. The former National School on Medlock Road is now Woodhouses Church and provides a gateway role at the eastern end of the village, whilst the entrance to the area from the north is marked by Brick Hall Farm. The former British School on Medlock Road, now converted to light industrial use, is also of historic interest since the construction and rebuilding of both schools marked an important phase in the rapid C19 development of Woodhouses.
There are a number of C20 infill properties, but the C19 terraced properties which characterise the conservation area were originally built in a relatively plain style, with no projections beyond the front of the property. The dominant material of buildings and boundary walls is red brick, although many properties have been rendered. Many of these older properties still retain some of their original features, although most have been extensively modified by the addition of modern features such as porches, garages and bay windows. Photo 2 shows two houses on Medlock Road which still retain most of the original features and characteristics of C19 terraced properties in the area.
Roofs are generally slate with a 45 degree pitch, and there are few eaves overhangs, fascias or bargeboards. Dormer windows are very uncommon and are visually intrusive. As virtually all buildings are two storeys or less in height, the chimneys are important features. They punctuate the ridgeline and provide visual interest, as shown on photo 3, although many have already been removed. Gutters tend to be supported on stone corbels and there are examples of detailing in the brickwork around the eaves.
Windows were originally a type of sliding sash, or Georgian bow windows in the older properties. Projecting stone cills were standard on almost all properties, but the lintels are more varied. Single stone, arched or splayed brick lintels are common, as well as combinations of brick with decorative keystones. The character of many buildings has already been detrimentally affected by the replacement of original windows with unsympathetic bow or bay windows.
Although many properties have had porches added, most doorways were originally recessed with relatively plain brick surrounds. Ornamentation is usually restricted to the lintel and the window above, which may be rectangular or arched (see photo 2).
Hard & Soft Landscape Features
There are no informal open spaces in Woodhouses, and the only areas of formal open space in the village are the cricket ground and the bowling green/playground. Development of these sites should therefore be resisted. The front gardens along Medlock and Ashton Road are of particular importance to the local character, although many have been replaced by hardstanding parking areas. The majority of trees in the village are relatively small specimens in private gardens. However, there are several groups around Brick Hall Farm, Woodhouse Church and the cricket club which provide greater definition to the entrances of the conservation area, whilst the group near the Woodhouse Gardens heightens the sense of enclosure at this point.
The most significant hard landscape features are the boundary walls. These are relatively low, laid in regular courses of brick and are traditionally finished by a soldier course, with gateways defined by low brick pillars. The floorscape in the conservation area is unremarkable, being generally tarmac. An unsympathetic traffic calming feature has been installed at the west end of the village.
Objectives
1. The primary objective is to protect, restore and enhance the character of Woodhouses conservation area.
2. Regard will be given to maintaining and enhancing the linear form of the historic core of Woodhouses.
3. The Council will seek the use of traditional materials, styles and proportions when considering proposals for the restoration or alteration of existing, or the erection of new, buildings in the conservation area.
4. Landscape features such as walls and trees which are important to the character of Woodhouses should be retained and the Council will exercise its powers to protect these.
5. The purpose of conservation area designation is not to prevent all change, but to ensure that any alterations occur in a manner which enhances the character of the area. In this context, the Council will continue to fully consider the economic well being and development needs of Woodhouses in managing future change.
It is the intention of the Council to progress these objectives and the identified enhancements in liaison with property owners, amenity groups and other interested parties. This will be done mainly through the processes of statutory development control and the Council’s own maintenance programmes but additional improvements will be encouraged by grants, where these are available.
Policies
The policies which control development within the conservation area are contained in the Oldham Unitary Development Plan. Copies are held by all local libraries and are also available directly from the Council’s Department of Environmental Services.
Enhancement Opportunities
The principal elements which detract from the character and appearance of the conservation area are some of the C20 buildings, such as the primary school, which are unsympathetic in terms of design and materials. Many of the modern features added to C19 properties also make little reference to local styles or materials. Overall, the following improvements would help to enhance the conservation area:
1. Undergrounding of overhead wires and poles.
2. Repair and replacement of poorly maintained or uncharacteristic buildings.
3. Dissuading householders from the use of inappropriate materials or features when altering their properties.
4. Encouraging householders to retain front gardens, or at least to retain the boundary walls if creating a parking area.
5. Creating a stronger front boundary to the Dog & Partridge car park, to reduce the open plan character of this area.
This document has been reproduced with the permission of Oldham MBC Environmental Services Department
What is a Character Appraisal?
All conservation areas have specific architectural or historic interest which was identified when the areas were designated. The Oldham Unitary Development Plan (UDP), which guides development in the Borough, recognises that the aim of conservation area designation is more likely to be fulfilled if there is detailed agreement and understanding of the particular characteristics of an area which contribute to its special identity. The Council has therefore undertaken, as resources permit, to draw up character appraisals for all the conservation areas in the Borough. Character appraisals are of particular importance for development control purposes and will be a key component of any bid for external funding as well as in the formulation of conservation area enhancement schemes.
An assessment of the character or distinctiveness of an area may come from much more than its appearance. It may draw on other senses and experiences such as sounds, uses, open spaces, historical associations and views. Protecting and enhancing the varied physical elements of a place’s character can help promote the activities and uses which occur within it. Even quite small conservation areas may include several overlapping and contrasting characteristics.
Historic Significance
The name of Woodhouses is probably derived from ‘woodheys’, meaning ‘an enclosure surrounded by woods’. The original settlement had developed by the late Middle Ages as a hamlet surrounded by scattered farms which were connected by a complex pattern of lanes. Woodhouses grew significantly during the early C19 as the construction of the canal network and growth of nearby towns provided alternative sources of work in and near the village, and by the late C19 the local economy was based around both agricultural and industrial employment. The growth in population prompted the establishment of basic village facilities, including a church, two schools, pubs and a cricket ground.
Woodhouses grew much more slowly from the late C19 due to the lack of major roads or a railway through the village. The relative inaccessibility of the village limited growth until car ownership levels began to rise rapidly in the 1960s, when Woodhouses became increasingly seen as a suitable location for workers commuting to the surrounding towns. This phase of village expansion has continued to the present day.
Setting
Woodhouses has developed on a shallow east-west ridge between the river Medlock and Lord’s Brook, which is a small tributary of the Medlock. There are extensive views from the village across the surrounding fields, north to Failsworth and Hollinwood, and south towards Ashton-under-Lyne and the hills beyond, although these can only be glimpsed in a few places between breaks in the Medlock/Ashton Road frontages. The M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road is in a cutting immediately east of the village. Despite the proximity of Oldham and Ashton, the setting of Woodhouses is still semi-rural.
Layout
The most important feature of Woodhouses is its predominantly linear form, which it has retained despite the residential extensions of the 1960s and 1990s. There are two significant areas of recent residential development in the village. The Stamford Drive/Hartshead Crescent area, to the south of Medlock Road, was largely developed during the 1960s and is excluded from the conservation area. Three additional residential developments in the village were built during the 1980s/90s: Barnside Way/Farmstead Close and Marston Close, accessed from Failsworth Road, and Atherton Close at the west end of the village. Of these, only Marston Close is included within the conservation area, due to its predominantly terraced layout.
Medlock Road and Ashton Road form the spine of the conservation area, and virtually all the pre-C20 properties front onto this route. The conservation area includes fields and new housing around Ashton Road and Failsworth Road, but the only other exceptions to the linear form are the outbuildings of Within Hall Farm, and the bowling green and playground to the rear of the Dog & Partridge.
Uses
The uses within the village are important elements in the character of the area. The majority of the buildings are residential properties, but the other uses are essential in conserving the character of a village rather than a detached suburb. There are two types of non-residential uses: community facilities and employment sources.
The community facilities comprise the cricket and working men’s clubs, the two pubs (including the bowling green and playground behind the Dog & Partridge), the primary school and the church. Any shops in the village should also be regarded as community facilities, although the post office has unfortunately recently closed. All these uses are characteristic of a self-supporting village and should be retained or enhanced where possible.
The employment sources are those businesses which have no community function other than providing employment. The most evident of these are the three largest farms (Diamond Hall, Within Hall and Brick Hall), all of which date from at least the C17, the stables at Meadow Croft Farm, and several smaller light industrial uses along Medlock Road. Like the community facilities, these businesses are symptoms of a self-supporting village, as well as providing an important link to the agricultural and industrial origins of Woodhouses.
Spatial Qualities
One of the most important characteristics of the conservation area is the strong sense of enclosure along most of Medlock Road, particularly around the Woodhouse Gardens pub where there are also a number of mature trees. This sense of enclosure is created by the mainly terraced C19 houses which predominate along the road, with narrow gaps between blocks and generally short front gardens. This element is balanced by the long views along Medlock Road which emphasise the linear form of the village, illustrated by photo 1.
West of Stamford Road and east of Failsworth Road the spaces are far more open and the sense of enclosure reduced as more of the buildings are set back from the road. Apart from the Woodhouse Gardens car park, the cricket ground and bowling green are the only significant breaks in the Medlock Road frontage through which the surrounding landscape can be seen.
The strongly defined curtilages associated with the C19 buildings are also an important element in defining the spatial quality of the area. This is clearly illustrated by photos 2 and 3. The boundary walls and hedges clearly separate the front gardens from each other and from the road, privatising the space between the houses and the road whilst creating additional visual interest.
Architectural Qualities
There is one listed building in the conservation area: Diamond Hall Farm on Medlock Road (Grade II, listing number 279).
There are three other buildings which although unlisted and not of great architectural interest have importance in historic terms and make significant contributions to the character of the area. The former National School on Medlock Road is now Woodhouses Church and provides a gateway role at the eastern end of the village, whilst the entrance to the area from the north is marked by Brick Hall Farm. The former British School on Medlock Road, now converted to light industrial use, is also of historic interest since the construction and rebuilding of both schools marked an important phase in the rapid C19 development of Woodhouses.
There are a number of C20 infill properties, but the C19 terraced properties which characterise the conservation area were originally built in a relatively plain style, with no projections beyond the front of the property. The dominant material of buildings and boundary walls is red brick, although many properties have been rendered. Many of these older properties still retain some of their original features, although most have been extensively modified by the addition of modern features such as porches, garages and bay windows. Photo 2 shows two houses on Medlock Road which still retain most of the original features and characteristics of C19 terraced properties in the area.
Roofs are generally slate with a 45 degree pitch, and there are few eaves overhangs, fascias or bargeboards. Dormer windows are very uncommon and are visually intrusive. As virtually all buildings are two storeys or less in height, the chimneys are important features. They punctuate the ridgeline and provide visual interest, as shown on photo 3, although many have already been removed. Gutters tend to be supported on stone corbels and there are examples of detailing in the brickwork around the eaves.
Windows were originally a type of sliding sash, or Georgian bow windows in the older properties. Projecting stone cills were standard on almost all properties, but the lintels are more varied. Single stone, arched or splayed brick lintels are common, as well as combinations of brick with decorative keystones. The character of many buildings has already been detrimentally affected by the replacement of original windows with unsympathetic bow or bay windows.
Although many properties have had porches added, most doorways were originally recessed with relatively plain brick surrounds. Ornamentation is usually restricted to the lintel and the window above, which may be rectangular or arched (see photo 2).
Hard & Soft Landscape Features
There are no informal open spaces in Woodhouses, and the only areas of formal open space in the village are the cricket ground and the bowling green/playground. Development of these sites should therefore be resisted. The front gardens along Medlock and Ashton Road are of particular importance to the local character, although many have been replaced by hardstanding parking areas. The majority of trees in the village are relatively small specimens in private gardens. However, there are several groups around Brick Hall Farm, Woodhouse Church and the cricket club which provide greater definition to the entrances of the conservation area, whilst the group near the Woodhouse Gardens heightens the sense of enclosure at this point.
The most significant hard landscape features are the boundary walls. These are relatively low, laid in regular courses of brick and are traditionally finished by a soldier course, with gateways defined by low brick pillars. The floorscape in the conservation area is unremarkable, being generally tarmac. An unsympathetic traffic calming feature has been installed at the west end of the village.
Objectives
1. The primary objective is to protect, restore and enhance the character of Woodhouses conservation area.
2. Regard will be given to maintaining and enhancing the linear form of the historic core of Woodhouses.
3. The Council will seek the use of traditional materials, styles and proportions when considering proposals for the restoration or alteration of existing, or the erection of new, buildings in the conservation area.
4. Landscape features such as walls and trees which are important to the character of Woodhouses should be retained and the Council will exercise its powers to protect these.
5. The purpose of conservation area designation is not to prevent all change, but to ensure that any alterations occur in a manner which enhances the character of the area. In this context, the Council will continue to fully consider the economic well being and development needs of Woodhouses in managing future change.
It is the intention of the Council to progress these objectives and the identified enhancements in liaison with property owners, amenity groups and other interested parties. This will be done mainly through the processes of statutory development control and the Council’s own maintenance programmes but additional improvements will be encouraged by grants, where these are available.
Policies
The policies which control development within the conservation area are contained in the Oldham Unitary Development Plan. Copies are held by all local libraries and are also available directly from the Council’s Department of Environmental Services.
Enhancement Opportunities
The principal elements which detract from the character and appearance of the conservation area are some of the C20 buildings, such as the primary school, which are unsympathetic in terms of design and materials. Many of the modern features added to C19 properties also make little reference to local styles or materials. Overall, the following improvements would help to enhance the conservation area:
1. Undergrounding of overhead wires and poles.
2. Repair and replacement of poorly maintained or uncharacteristic buildings.
3. Dissuading householders from the use of inappropriate materials or features when altering their properties.
4. Encouraging householders to retain front gardens, or at least to retain the boundary walls if creating a parking area.
5. Creating a stronger front boundary to the Dog & Partridge car park, to reduce the open plan character of this area.
This document has been reproduced with the permission of Oldham MBC Environmental Services Department
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