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About Our Conservation Area: Geographical/ Historical Background
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The ancient town of Otley (see the 1851 plan above, with the conservation area boundary overlaid on it), with a population of over 14,000, lies on the south bank of the River Wharfe, eleven miles north-west of Leeds and a similar distance to the north-east of Bradford and west of Harrogate, and older than all three. Compared with other market towns, Otley has been considerably more industrial, no doubt influenced by the proximity of the Leeds-Bradford conurbation to the south.
The origins of the town date from Saxon times, when it seems plausible that the River Wharfe was capable of being forded at Otley. It is probably no coincidence that a settlement developed where it did, being beside the fording point but slightly elevated over the flood plain (one can appreciate this near Otley Parish Church), and with fertile valley soils extending both east- and westwards from the town. With the geology of the wider district (particularly the steep Chevin ridge to the south) providing the hard sandstone (“Millstone Grit”) for erecting buildings and paving streets, it was inevitable that the settlement should develop into the town we see today. Since the thirteenth century, there has almost continuously been a stone bridge across the river – first constructed at about the time Otley first recorded its market status. It would appear that wealth brought by market trade paid for the bridge, and that the bridge would have been seen as essential for the town to flourish and develop further.
It was not until the discovery of coal further south that insignificant settlements there suddenly acquired huge importance, with the onslaught of the Industrial Revolution. Otley had no coal, and just as importantly, there was no ironstone. It could not compete, and like other towns remote from the Coal Measures, growth was not as intensive. It therefore remained primarily an independent market town.
The arrival of the railway in 1865, however, went some of the way to redress the situation. The new railhead provided the capacity to deliver coal, iron, brick, timber and slate – all of which had an influence not only on the growth of industry (at last) in the town, but also on its buildings. At this time, for example, large buildings to service existing and expanding industries started to appear – like the several mills that still survive – which, like the houses erected from that time onwards, were increasingly built with slate roofs instead of stone ones. The use of a finer grained sandstone from the Coal Measures more suitable for carving into the intricate shapes loved by Victorian architects, was also made possible by the railway. But the prevailing style of building and the predominant building material, Millstone Grit, seem to have endured to perpetuate the architecture of an earlier age. |
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Our Perception of the Townscape
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Today, it is clear there is more interest in the older parts of the town than just the academic, historic one in the mediaeval boundary as it was when the conservation area was created, important though that is. There are plenty of other links with the past. To most people these are visual, and are primarily in the town’s post-mediaeval buildings (and not just those in the centre), of which the sheer number sustains the timeless feel envied by many a town whose complement of buildings has not remained so complete. These buildings are all of stone: commonly the stone was squared and laid in regular courses (note the long terraces of houses, for example on Manor Street). Others were fashioned from ashlar (the Black Horse hotel is a good example from 1901), and quite a few were given a date-stone (like the National Infant School in Wharfe Street, 1891). The older buildings, like the recently restored Manor House Stables (see the above photograph, taken just after restoration), have roofs of stone, and almost all of the remainder are roofed in slate. The better roofs were laid with diminishing courses: large slates at the eaves then reducing towards the ridge, giving a most pleasing effect, shown well in all the old schools and churches of the town as well as in the roofs of several terraces.
The persistence of kneelers and other vernacular details in construction right to the end of the nineteenth century is quite remarkable – look for these in streets such as Bondgate and Kirkgate. Together with the humble window dressings and lintels in the terraces and the unexpected elaborate creations in masonry using fine-grained Coal Measures sandstone such as at the Liberal Club in Wesley Street (1880), these things stand in abundance as visual pointers to “traditional Otley” and its past. These physical details are not just restricted to those buildings whose perimeters happen to perpetuate a street/ field pattern harking back to the Middle Ages which only the historian or the trained eye might find. They are everywhere, and are ripe for preservation and enhancement, the main objectives of conservation.
The development of Otley’s buildings, streets and yards, built and paved by hand from materials obtained within a radius of about ten miles, related to the agricultural and industrial functions that evolved during the many centuries of the town’s existence. There are also community functions, relating for example to Christianity and education. Stone masonry in the form of the Parish Church records styles from as early as the eleventh century. Development of this particular building can be traced in its walls up to the end of the nineteenth century; the year 2005 saw, incidentally, saw the restoration of the splendid East Window. School buildings exist from around 1610 (the old grammar school on Clapgate, refurbished in 2003), recording in their stonework how education developed from the founding of Prince Henry’s Grammar School, through the National School movement (Cross Green area, 1846-1891), the Board School (North Parade, 1879 but closed in 2002 and later converted to housing) and into the twentieth century.
We must not forget the settings to these buildings. Probably the most enchanting places are the many yards, ginnels and alleys. Of great antiquity, several are no longer in full use. Although some have no name (for example the yard behind 4 Bondgate and the alley opposite Lloyds TSB), others have adopted the name of an adjacent public house (for example New Inn Yard and Bay Horse Yard, noting both have been erroneously and deceivingly renamed “court” instead of “yard”). Several have recently been made into most attractive retreats. This has been achieved either through sympathetic refurbishment (New Inn Yard) or by the actions of perceptive landlords who have seized the initiative (Bay Horse Yard and the area behind the Black Bull have become delightful oases of calm within the bustle of the town centre). On a fine summer’s day, these really are places of first class quality. |
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The Threat to “Traditional Otley”
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Changes in building techniques during the period 1918-1950 from these locally led methods employing natural, mostly local materials, to the adoption of modern economic British Standard mediocrity and the use of cheaper nationally available materials manufactured by machine, spelled the end of centuries-old “traditional” building. Otley’s older buildings, together with the streets, yards and other spaces around them and the local history and tradition recorded in their fabric, have therefore become an irreplaceable resource.
If the method of construction has changed, then it seems that perpetuation of tradition will be dependent on how Otley’s pre-1950 buildings, streets and yards are preserved and enhanced for the future. But significant parts of the stone-built area are now also under threat from disfigurement (often well-meaning but misguided), in the form of removing original details such as ironwork or adding false and inappropriate features. There are still, for example, good Victorian houses being snapped up by purchasers, who strip them bare of their components, then put back mock-Victorian fittings and “Olde Worlde” kitchen units bought, hermetically-sealed, from “d.i.y.” stores. Other parts are threatened by outright demolition, in the name of promoting developers’ financial interests rather than the continued well-being of the town and its people. With modern machines and techniques, it is incredibly easy to do immense damage in a very short time through demolition then install contrived pastiche using banal, machined units, without sufficient thought to the future. Yet other areas are at risk of dereliction, through apathy, lack of encouragement to find a use, and no doubt lack of finance. But for each of these scenarios, exactly the same applies: once a stone building or its setting is lost, a bit more of the spirit of Otley has gone forever. |
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What Can be Done?
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What differentiates a brownfield site fit only for clearance, from one of historic or architectural interest that ought to be preserved and brought back into use? This appears to be the question that we must address by means of Otley Conservation Area Appraisal (adopted in December 2003), before unsympathetic developers and their advisers address it. It is rarely effective to wait for the blight of threatened destruction to germinate as befell Gay Lane Tannery (destroyed by fire in September 2003), and then to become interested in conserving a fine building or preserving its setting, often a familiar greenspace or a yard, or even just a fine shop front.
It is crucial that we recognise the values not only of the traditional buildings (particularly the local stone, which provides the unique character and distinctiveness as we have seen), but also the spaces around them. To this end, it must be the responsibility of local government to continue to prepare appropriate policy encouraging enhancement and conservation, and then enforce it once in place. We are beginning to understand the history of Otley and to appreciate its effect on the present and future. We must use this knowledge and understanding to promote good guardianship and stewardship of Otley Conservation Area, thus ensuring that the character of the town so much admired by today’s residents and visitors survives for the enjoyment of many future generations.
Otley Conservation Area Appraisal (follow the link below) has raised the profile of our irreplaceable resource – Oltey’s distinctive stone buildings and all that goes with them. Our work now is to spread the message inside the covers of Otley Conservation Area Appraisal, and to ensure its meaning is upheld.
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OCTF and Otley Conservation Area Appraisal
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Otley initiative
Otley Conservation Task Force, in conjunction with the Conservation Officer from Leeds City Council, Otley Museum, local councillors and many others, studied Otley between 1999 and 2003 with a view to assisting Leeds City Council in formally appraising Otley Conservation Area, last appraised in 1978. Guidance on appraisals by English Heritage current at the time identified that, ideally, existing appraisals should be reviewed every five years – clearly, Otley Conservation Area was long overdue for appraisal. Our contribution to the appraisal process was to prepare study reports on the buildings and spaces we believed should be within Otley Conservation Area, during 1999 and 2000. The potential conservation area boundary that we identified closely followed the edge of the area dominated by buildings of stone masonry. It was, however, recognised that there were some excellent stone buildings outside our proposed boundary; conversely, the area inside the boundary included several sites of poor quality – influenced by alien architecture (mainly in modern replacement buildings) and derelict industrial areas. The latter, however, were seen as opportunities for enhancement within the potential conservation area. Our study work also established that there were threats to the integrity of Otley’s stone buildings, an irreplaceable resource, both inside and outside the pre-existing Conservation Area boundary of 1978. It was decided, therefore, that the pre-existing boundary should be completely ignored during our review.
Leeds City Council initiative
Leeds City Council in 2002 recognised that Otley Conservation Area had been designated a long time before, and that there was no up-to-date assessment of its qualities which could help to shape its development. There was therefore a need, accepted in the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) that Leeds City Council should review Otley Conservation Area (amongst other conservation areas) and bring forward proposals for its protection and enhancement. The emphasis was on producing an appraisal which would assess the character of the conservation area as it then existed and extend this assessment to any suggested additional areas indicating why they have been chosen. Leeds City Council also would, within the revised boundary, carry out a building-by-building assessment showing those properties which were thought to make a strong and positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area and for which there was therefore the presumption that they will remain. Other notable features such as important open spaces, trees or landmark structures were to be similarly treated. In contrast, Leeds City Council’s appraisal was to show those buildings, spaces or features which were felt to be out of character with the conservation area and where there could be an opportunity for enhancement. The appraisals were not intended to attempt to replicate existing policies or strategies for these areas but to complement them, nor were the appraisals to be taken to imply that enhancement work would be programmed by Leeds City Council. In practice, it was accepted that much of the enhancement that could take place was likely to be as a result of private sector development, and the appraisal would help to focus attention on opportunities.
Otley Conservation Area Appraisal adopted in 2003
Otley Conservation Task Force welcomed the publication of the draft Otley Conservation Area Appraisal by Leeds City Council February 2003, which identified a new boundary for Otley Conservation Area that was very close to the one we had identified in 1999. The formal appraisal process involved consultation with those who were living and working in Otley, and Leeds City Council agreed the final version of the appraisal only after it had been shaped by dialogue with the local community. Following this consultation, the finalised appraisal was adopted on 15 December 2003 by Leeds City Council, and is now formally part of supplementary planning guidance, as document referenced SPG29. Otley Conservation Area Appraisal can be downloaded from the environment section of Leeds City Council’s web-site, www.leeds.gov.uk, or via the link above.
Otley Conservation Area Appraisal: the future?
Unfortunately, there is not yet a Conservation Maintenance Plan directly supporting Otley Conservation Area Appraisal, but the document is theoretically due for appraisal again in 2008. |
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