Conservation Area: Desborough conservation area (DNN12396)

The special character of the proposed Desborough Conservation Area is derived from the appearance, layout and use of the buildings found within its boundary. The area is a discernible industrial suburb, containing a disused boot and shoe factory site and related worker housing, which represents the first planned estate in Desborough, which was a direct result of the boot and shoe industry. The boot and shoe industry has had a strong influence in shaping the character of the area and forming a sense of place. The form and layout of the buildings in this area remain intact, providing documentary evidence as to how the industry developed within a relatively short time. The town of Desborough is situated approximately 9.7kms (6 miles) north-west of Kettering and approximately 29kms (18 miles) north of the county town of Northampton. The 2001 Census results inform that there were 8073 people residing within the town at that time. The proposed Desborough Conservation Area is located to the north of the town, within the town centre. It is partly bounded by the railway-line to the north and the B576 (former A6 trunk-road) to the west. A plan showing the proposed boundary of the conservation area is contained in Appendix A. Although the former boot and Shoe factory site to the west and related residential area to the east form the majority of the conservation area, the conservation area also encloses the properties of Station Road (now the towns main shopping street), including the Station House, as well as a section of the remaining historic core of the town to the south of the conservation area in the High Street. The bulk of the proposed conservation area is made up of workers’ housing. These houses are characterised by their grouping in terraced rows along New Street, Mansefield Close and Burghley Close and along the southern side of Gladstone Street. The houses are tightly spaced creating a high density, late Victorian domestic townscape. Reference to the 1:50,000 scale Published British Geological Survey (BGS) Map Sheet 170 ‘Market Harborough‘ solid and drift edition, indicates the site to be underlain by strata from the Northampton Sand Formation which is overlying Upper Lias Clay. This geology has resulted in a relatively flat, undulating landscape. The nearest surface watercourse is the River Ise, which is located approximately 900m to the south of the area. The site does not lie within the Fluvial Flood Plain of the river, as designated by the Environment Agency.

Record last edited

Sep 23 2009 4:59PM