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Area twelve
(6 & 7)
Visitors
Romsey
and
District
Society
contact
Phoebe Merrick
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Look at Romsey
Town Design Statement for Romsey
Crampmoor and Highwood
Prepared by a team of volunteers in the area under the auspices of the
Romsey and District Society.
Streets and Street Furniture
There is no prevailing building form in Crampmoor and Highwood. The various houses reflect the fashions and aspirations of their owners. There were few houses here in 1800.
| As is to be expected in this diverse area, the roads are all very different. What they have in common however is their rural feel: they are very definitely country roads in appearance |
The Romsey end of The Straight Mile
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Milestone at the start of the Straight Mile
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Traffic management has resulted in many signs being placed along the roads, including those warning of the bend in Highwood Lane, those warning of the level crossing in Halterworth Lane and speed cameras on the A3090 in Winchester Road, amongst others. Their presence, while largely essential, reduces the ‘unspoiled’ rural feel of the area. However the milestone at the western end of Straight Mile is a charming survival of a by-gone age. |
The only formal footways are found in or near Halterworth Lane and in the nearby stretch of Highwood Lane. There are also footways behind St Swithun’s church and in either direction along Winchester Road. The surfaces of all the roads and footways are tarmac. There are no decorative features, such as paving stones or brick setts.
| There are grass verges where people can walk alongside some but not all the roads. These include some typical country verges that are cut by the highway authority from time to time and in Crampmoor Lane, a stretch of grass managed as lawn. Where paths go through woodland, grass is largely absent.
There are no street lights in this area apart from the rear of St Swithun’s church, and opinion is divided about whether any would be desirable. |
Crampmoor Lane
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Bus shelter at Crampmoor
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There are bus stops along the A3090, one unprotected, one with a modern bus shelter the appearance of which is not wholly liked, and a brick built shelter that is a feature of the New Pond area. The nearby telephone box and pillar box are appreciated, as is the pillar box in Highwood Lane. |
| There are overhead cables in most of the area except for Straight Mile and Groveley Way. These spoil the views of individual roads. Even more obtrusive are the high voltage overhead power lines that march across the valley from Highwood to Woodley. |
Cables and signs in Halterworth Lane
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Design Recommendations
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If possible, overhead power lines should be removed, especially the high voltage ones. |
Trees/Hedges & other Landscape Features
Service road alongside the Straight Mile
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The A3090 cuts through woodland in Straight Mile thereby forming a splendid approach to Romsey for which the area is renowned. The predominant species are beech and oak.
At the western end of this avenue, the road opens up and is decorated with a number of ornamental trees including a Lombardy poplar and several flowering prunus, thus continuing the sylvan theme. |
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There are woodland trees along Highwood Lane and Crampmoor Lane, including some fine mature oak trees. There is a notable stand of silver birch in Groveley Way. In addition within the large gardens there are many unusual and ornamental trees. |
Skyline Groveley Way
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A stream runs down the side of Crampmoor Lane into Tadburn Lake. Tadburn Lake can be seen in both Crampmoor Lane where there is a ford and footbridge, and in Halterworth Lane where the road crosses it in such a way that most drivers do not appreciate that there is a bridge.
Highwood Lane
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The presence of so much woodland, and the waterways means that the area is rich in wildlife, with a wide range of British mammals, reptiles and amphibia being seen frequently by local people. Water voles, a species under threat, live in Tadburn Lake and its feeder streams. In addition, the area has plentiful birdlife and many species are seen regularly |
Boundary Features
In keeping with the diverse nature of this area, there is no prevailing style of enclosing land. Thus the big houses in Straight Mile rely on the trees and shrubs on their land to give them privacy, although they have fences that are fairly inconspicuous. They are further shielded from public gaze by being set back not only from the main road, but also from the service roads.
The bungalows in the New Pond area are likewise much sheltered by trees especially at the eastern end while the individual bungalows have a mixture of low walls and low hedges. The houses west of Halterworth Lane have fairly high hedges.
| In Crampmoor Lane, low hedging is the common mode of creating a front boundary marker, although one or two houses have quite tall hedges. By contrast Groveley Way is largely open plan with low walls at the fronts of properties.
St Swithun’s Close, Halterworth Lane and Highwood Lane similarly exhibit a mixture of low walls and hedges. |
Gate in Crampmoor
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There are some examples of high wooden fences that are unscreened by plants and are visually intrusive in this rural landscape. There are one or two brick walls and some of them are topped with hedges.
Fencing in Highwood Lane
Gate to Stroud School
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In addition on the corner of Highwood Lane there is a set of railings of a style found on nineteenth century parkland.
Stroud School has an ornamental gate which with its logo which makes a pleasant entrance there.
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Design Recommendations
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boundary features e.g. fences, should respect the style prevalent in the area. |
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