Property description
The subject building is a mid-terrace residential property that has previously been extended at the rear with a part single storey addition and part modern glazed conservatory. The property is not listed but considered a non-designated heritage asset which is further augmented by its inclusion in the Abington Park Conservation Area. Accommodation over three floors comprises of six bedrooms, two reception rooms, kitchen, dining room and basement area. At the end of the rear garden is a detached garage.
Historic / aesthetic / communal value
Abington Park, Northampton is a remarkable survival of an 18th century parkland landscape that evolved into one of the town’s main public parks. It was the magnet which attracted high quality residential development to the area in the first decades of the 20th century. There was a huge demand for large homes for the prosperous upper working classes that were close to railway stations for an easy commute to the city. The Edwardians built big, solid homes with light, airy rooms and the detailing was a cut above what anyone was used to at the time.
Evidential Value
Nos 411-425 Wellingborough Road are a distinguished series of early 20th century houses that display classic Victorian and Edwardian features. Although essentially a terrace, the ‘handing’ of each adjacent house is reversed so that repeating elements (gables, bay windows, porches, etc) are staggered. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Bedford Park Style’, after the widely influential London suburb, the architecture relies on a balanced asymmetry and the detailing of a few elements for effect.
A simple palette of red brick and tiles is used, with white render on the upper storeys and ‘half-timbering’ to the gables. Other notable features include two storey bay windows, projecting porch canopies and tall sash windows. Each property has a street frontage enclosed by a low dwarf brick wall with black painted iron railing.
Proposal
The property owners sought permission to dismantle the conservatory and improve the internal layout by making some internal alterations. We proposed moving both the kitchen and dining spaces to the rear of the property to increase views and enjoyment of the rear garden from inside the house. With large glazed exterior doors for easier access and natural light. Amalgamating the rooms at the rear of the house required the insertion of large steel beams to support the upper floors of the house.
Changes also included reconfiguring the first floor layout to include an ensuite for the master bedroom and family bathroom. The cellar area would be re-purposed for additional storage and as a gym / room for hobbies. Basement works consisted of removing the old brick floor and replacing it with a natural hydraulic limecrete floor screed laid on foam glass aggregate. Exposed bare brick walls were lined with wood fibre insulation boards and finished with lime plaster.
The council's conservation officer raised no issues with the proposed development given the extension will be at the rear of the property and overall would have a neutral impact on the character and appearance of the streetscape or conservation area.
Guidance consulted when approaching the retrofit design
National Planning Policy Framework (2023)
West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (2014)
Northampton Local Plan Policies
