Conservation Area Appraisal
Bedford Conservation Area
9.11
Bedford Borough Council
Sub Area 11: Goldington Road (see Figure 21)
Introduction
9.11.1 The west end of Goldington Road was developed in the C19, with large, three
storey terraced houses at its west end and imposing, fashionable houses set in
sizeable gardens further east. On the north side of Goldington Road only two of
the 19C buildings now remain and both are statutorily listed (Nos 2/4). The
townscape has remained rather more legible on the south side of the road, where
Victorian properties bear witness to the rising prosperity of the town at the
coming of the railway. Today, Goldington Road is a busy road carrying traffic to
and from the town centre and there is a prominent car park at its west end.
General Character: layout, built form, townscape and landuses.
9.11.2 Running from east into the town centre the whole of the south side of Goldington
Road is made up of wide plots in which sizeable 19C villas were built. The villas
vary in detail, but are predominantly red brick east of the Cricketer’s Arms and
yellow/soft grey stock brick to the west. All are three storey, with the top storey
often penetrating the roof and sometimes set in tall, front facing gables. Many of
the houses are double fronted.
9.11.3 The use of many buildings has changed over the years, with many residential
properties converted into offices.
9.11.4 Trees within the public realm are few and are confined to the north side of the
road. Any trees on the south side are found within front gardens, which are
commonly used for car parking to service the non-residential uses that occupy the
buildings. However, trees play an important role in the townscape, softening what
is otherwise a predominantly hard landscape.
Architectural Qualities and Public Realm.
9.11.5 The architectural legacy in the 19C buildings that remain is impressive: imposing
front porches, with pillastered architraves and decorative heads, though often
painted; vertically proportioned sash windows, bay windows to ground floors,
others reaching to eaves height and upper storeys running into facing gables.
There is a wide variety of detailing in string courses and the pediments to ground
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Conservation Area Appraisal
Bedford Conservation Area
Bedford Borough Council
floor bay windows. Chimneys are tall and roofs are slated. Of particular note is 55
Goldington Road, built in neo-Gothic style.
Plate 68: Goldington Road
Plate 69: Goldington Road
9.11.6 West of the Cricketer’s Arms, a two storey public house with rendered front, the
adjacent historic buildings that remain are attractively simple and the terrace at
the west end of the sub-area is an imposing, three storey Victorian terrace, with a
façade more reminiscent of the Georgian period, dominated by tall casement
windows and with the eaves marked by a parapet that runs the whole width of
the terrace. The third storey has shorter casement windows than the lower floors
and the ground floor is stuccoed. The entire façade of No. 17 is painted stucco.
9.11.7 The public realm is
dominated by modern street lighting and concrete
paviors/tarmac on the footways. No concession is made to the fact that a
Conservation Area exists here. The car parking areas introduced into the
frontages of properties on the south side of Goldington Road are utilitarian and
lack appropriate surfacing and enclosure.
9.11.8 The survival of street trees and trees that impinge on the street scene do much to
complement the historic buildings and go some way to mitigating the adverse
impact of modern development.
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Conservation Area Appraisal
Bedford Conservation Area
Bedford Borough Council
Specific Heritage Assets
9.11.9 Only Nos 2 and 4 Goldington Road (1830-40) currently appear on the statutory
list, at Grade II. However, the Victorian villas and the early 19C stucco terrace are
significant buildings that form and frame this boundary to the Conservation Area,
all the more so since the south side of Goldington Road has been harmed both by
the demolition of at least five original buildings and also by very unsympathetic
redevelopment. No 55 Goldington Road is especially fine.
Buildings recommended for statutory/local listing.
9.11.10 Statutory list:
•
55 Goldington Road
9.11.11 Local List:
•
The above until issue of potential statutory listing resolved
•
Odd Nos 7–17 and 63-65, Goldington Road.
General condition, including negative features and capacity for change
9.11.12 The non-residential uses of most of the buildings along Goldington Road
has
been accompanied by the development of their front gardens to create space for
car parking. This has greatly reduced the elegance of the road frontage as a
whole and the villas in particular. Their faded glory may have accounted for the
acceptance of redevelopment rather than finding new ways to enhance the street
scene and give new life to the buildings themselves. Future works along this
frontage should be concerned with enhancing the value of the Conservation Area
by the careful and sympathetic design of all development and the mitigation of
the harm already done.
9.11.13 Unsympathetic repair accounts for some erosion of character, such as the removal
of original railings or sash windows or changing the proportions of glazing bars as
in 65 Goldington Road, but by far the most severe damage has been done to the
overall tenor of the townscape by the very unsympathetic redevelopment of at
least five plots for offices in the last 40 years. The overall massing of four, five or
more storeys, a strong horizontal emphasis that runs counter to the vertical
emphasis of the Victorian buildings, windows that are not rebated into the façade,
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Conservation Area Appraisal
Bedford Conservation Area
Bedford Borough Council
the brutal squared functionality of these modern constructions all stand out as
wholly contrary to the style and beauty of the older buildings and do great harm
to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
9.11.14 Given the location of Goldington Road and the predominance of office use now
established in this area, there could be strong pressure to continue the
unsympathetic redevelopment of this boundary of the Conservation Area.
Reasserting its heritage and architectural significance will be necessary not only
to retain residual significance but also to ensure that future change is sensitively
handled, particularly where opportunities arise to revisit the office blocks that
currently detract from the area.
Plate 70: Goldington Road
9.11.15 The public realm needs urgent attention and serious attention should be given to
a programme of structured maintenance/reinstatement to benefit the character of
this once gracious street.
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