WATLINGTON ROAD CHARACTER ANALYSIS

WATLINGTON ROAD CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Large gable fronted detached houses
© Crown copyright.Harlow District Council Licence No.100019627
Watlington Road Character Area
General Character
10.0 Watlington Road contains a number of large and highly attractive
Edwardian homes laid out in a linear fashion. The character of
Watlington Road is more suburban than much of the conservation
area with homes spaciously set within large plots.
Significance features
10a.) Gable fronted Edwardian homes
10.1 The northern side of Watlington Road contains a colourful set of
gable fronted Edwardian properties. The most attractive of which is
number 9 Watlington Road, which exhibits pargeting and timber
bargeboards.
10b.) Large plot sizes
10.2 The majority of buildings on Watlington Road take up large plot
sizes and contain sizeable front gardens and long back gardens.
This character should be retained along the street. There is a
potential for over-development within plots, through large front
extensions, that would diminish this character. Residential
development to the rear of properties is also a potential threat to the
character of Watlington Road, on those sites where access routes
could be provided.
Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal
Plot sizes in Watlington Road
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10d.) Casement window frames
10.5 A defining characteristic of the street are Edwardian casement
windows, which are typically 8 pane. Particularly well-preserved
sets of original casement window panes are found on number 28
Watlington Road.
10e.) Variation in building materials and colour
10.6 A diverse variation in building materials and colours exists along the
street - from grey pebble-dash, red brick, pargeting, wooden frame,
to pink and white render. This contributes positively to the character
of the area.
10f.) Verandas and open porches
9 Watlington Road
Open porches
9c.) Well-defined front garden boundaries
10.3 Although number 9 Watlington Road has an open-front, the
majority of properties along the street have well-defined front
boundaries. These are typically defined by wooden fences, hedges
and brick walls.
9d.) Greenery and trees
10.7 Number 5 and 4 Watlington Road display attractive Edwardian
open porches which are worthy of preservation. Number 9 also
exhibits a veranda supported by timber beams.
Issues:

There are a number of examples of bulky garages and front
extensions which have a rather dominating and negative effect on
the overall character of a number of homes. There is a significant
danger of over-development in the character area, due to the size of
plots.
10.4 Street trees, garden hedges and grass verges are a significant
feature of the character area. A particularly important tree is the
large cedar tree found outside number 7 Watlington Road.
Well-defined boundary wall and high hedge
Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal
28 Watlington Road
Large cedar tree outside number 7 Watlington Road
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