As we look to develop a new Design Code - a tool that will shape future development within the National Park - we want to get your thoughts on the below profiles and short films that we have created based on our villages.
Within these we have tried to identify the aspects of design that create a village’s ‘sense of place’ and are asking you to think about places in the same way. We are inviting you to look around a village and tell us what you like about the area, and what you notice. What are the 'design cues' which make a place distinctive? What is good design within the context your local area?
You can submit your thoughts via the link at the end of each profile. The villages included on this page include: Kepwick, Kettleness, Kilburn, Kildale, Kirby Knowle, Langdale End, Lastingham, Lealholm, Levisham Station, Levisham, Littlebeck, Lockton, Low Dalby, Low Mill and Lythe.
Kepwick
Kepwick is a small linear settlement and conservation area on the western edge of the National Park, set on a slightly elevated topography. The National Park boundary runs down the main road, with only half of the village being within it. This includes the late 19th century Grade II Listed Kepwick Hall which is the focal point of the eastern end of the village. The front lodge and entrance to the hall is prominent, suggesting the village would largely have been in service to the estate, especially farmsteads and workers’ dwellings. The slightly elevated position and separated plots provide rich views across the valley and grazed landscapes, mature trees and dense woodland surrounding the hall and set the tone for the village. Individual dwellings are set back from the main street behind grassed verges in individual plots with large sloping front gardens, low level stone boundaries and timber picket gates and fences.
There are primarily vernacular sandstone houses, with either pantile or slate roofs and stone chimneys, water tabling, timber boarded doors and multi-paned sash windows. Several dwellings have long single storey outbuildings attached with no openings and a cart shed timber opening at the end which provides a distinct hierarchy, linear form and characterful roofscapes. This suggests that many tenants lived and worked locally on surrounding agricultural plots. As part of the local estate, the deep barge boards were traditionally painted in the estate grey, which is still seen on dwellings such as Rose Cottage. Although not included in the National Park, the other half of the village is equally characterful, including a row of well-detailed old almshouses, an old chapel and Kepwick Church.
Negative factors: Loss of cast iron downpipes, some change to window style (sash to casement)
Kettleness lies on the coastal hinterland and is accessed by a small road through Goldsborough. Kettleness used to be a larger settlement, until 1829 when houses on the headland slipped into the sea due to instability caused by quarrying for the alum industry. The road stops in the hamlet, giving Kettleness a quiet, tranquil feel. Kettleness sits over a steep cliff top, giving elevated views over the North Sea, with fine views over the bay to Runswick Bay. The Cleveland Way runs along the coast past the hamlet. Green spaces between the houses and cliff tops together with a gently rolling patchwork of farmland to the south lend an open, spacious feel. Buildings are a mixture of sandstone and brick, the former typically with a rough herringbone or pick tooled finish and traditional red pantiles and coped gables, often with roof lights.
Most walls remain as unrendered and exposed. Windows are typically early 19th century sash windows with glazing bars. Rainwater goods are cast iron gutters on rise and fall brackets. A particular feature of the brick built slate roofed disused rail station and associated brick buildings at the entrance of the hamlet. The station, open from 1883 to 1958 was a stop on the Whitby to Middlesbrough rail line. The Grade II Listed Kettleness Farmhouse sits on the western edge.
Negative factors: Some newer features such as roof lights, and modern windows. Prominent telegraph poles and wires. Overhead wires and poles.
Kilburn lies on the western edge of the National Park, with the boundary following the main village street. It is home to the Mouseman master furniture maker. The Grade II* Church of St Mary to the heart of Low Kilburn contains many examples of Mouseman furniture, with the logo of a little carved timber mouse. To the centre of Low Kilburn is the village pub and church with a large (almost) market type square. To the top of this is the Grade II war memorial built into a stone wall and a Grade II listed stone mounting block. A straight beck runs through Low Kilburn, with a small bridge giving access to cottages. Low Kilburn is split between North Yorkshire Council and the National Park as Conservation Areas.
Almost all agricultural outbuildings have been converted into homes, with one large working farm left in the centre of the village. High Kilburn is accessed via a small steep single storey road surrounded by woodland. At the top of this top High Kilburn opens up into a large village green with a Grade II Listed water pump. Houses are arranged around this green and all have large gardens and well-kept properties. The handmade brick Grade II Listed Temple House stands out on the green with its overly ornate design and red brickwork walls. The rest of the village is in stone, with several late 20th century developments. Houses in High Kilburn are larger compared to the smaller cottages that can be seen in Low Kilburn. The 314-foot-long ‘White Horse’ is a notable feature sitting above the village on Roulston Scar. It was designed and financed by Thomas Taylor, a Victorian businessman and native of Kilburn, It was cut and covered in six tonnes of lime by 31 men from the village in 1857.
Negative factors: Erosion of grass verges, lack of upkeep to boundaries. Historic windows need repairing. Unsympathetic infill development in key views and spaces
Kildale sits in the northwestern part of the National Park, close to Captain Cook’s monument. It sits in the largest dale on the western escarpment. Magnificent views across the dale can be seen from its surrounding area, but as Kildale sits in a small dip the central part of the village has a more enclosed feel. The village is linear, and it is an estate village, which is reflected in its layout and design. Large stone walls were built as boundaries to enclose fields and are a notable boundary feature, particularly along the road to the northeast. A small village green sits at its centre, on which a stone stands marking the site of a tree under which Methodist John Wesley is said to have preached in 1772. Mature trees, sculpted bushes and a bench bring a welcoming, manicured feel. A working farm in the centre of the village is a noticeable feature, and overall, the village has a peaceful, open feel. The village is located on the Esk Valley rail line and Cleveland Way, with railway development and the imposing St Cuthbert’s Church, separated from the main village by a small lane. A bridge runs over the line to access the church.
Buildings are typically limestone and sandstone with pantile roofs, with some examples of coursed squared herringbone tooled stone and pantile. There are some examples of 20th Century development at the northern entrance, with some rendered buildings. There are also some examples of slate roofs, often with bays. Windows are typically sliding sash. Low stone walls are a typical feature with buildings set back by front gardens, of varying depth. Cecilia Cottage and the School House on the main road are converted from a former schoolhouse, built in 1836 have a slate roof and are built from course squared stone. There are examples of former longhouses such as Lounsdale Farm, a result of the village’s agricultural background.
Negative factors: Some loss of traditional stone boundaries. Modern street lighting.
Kirby Knowle is split across the western boundary of the National Park boundary, with only the south-eastern edge residing in the park. The lower position of the village, particularly set below the former castle hill, provides an enclosed nature although the vast soft landscaping amongst properties provides a strong visual relationship with the surrounding landscape. Although not within the National Park, the centrally prominent and elevated St Wilfred’s Church is striking with far-reaching views across the dale.
Although relatively small and mostly unaltered, the village has a rich history, perhaps related to the nearby castle and small quarrying works, with 14 households recorded as taxed in the 1301 Lay Subsidy. This historic pattern is still visible as very few dwellings are dispersed along this short linear form, set back behind a low iron rail fence and front garden in clear individual plots. Activity has clearly developed around Middle Farm to the eastern end of the village which includes a few varied architectural styles including workers’ cottages and the former schoolhouse. It is suggested the village has experienced some shrinkage, with some evidence of previous medieval tofts and crofts, possibly associated with the former mill and fishponds.
Despite relatively few dwellings, the three main houses along the road are listed, and share a similar style, with stone, pantile, slate and horizontal and vertical sash sliding timber windows and panelled doors. These properties have outbuildings of an agricultural nature, some larger than others where farming is still carried out on surrounding fields. There is a clear hierarchy between the houses and their outbuildings, which are typically stone and pantile with lots of lovely agricultural detailing including ventilation slits, troughs, boarded doors, glazed pantiles and conservation roof lights with some evidence of surface finishes. Middle Farm appears to have several brick outbuildings, one with a decorative pigeon loft on the gable. Only one property in the village is rendered which offers a stark contrast and possible insight into former finishes.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional windows, replacement of handmade clay pantiles
Langdale End lies to the southeast of the National Park, close to Hackness. A small, quiet rural hamlet surrounded by open fields; its character is strongly influenced by farming with the buildings at Howden Farm forming a key focal point at the entrance to the village. Langdale End is linear in form and properties generally face the highway but are set back behind grassy verges which gives an open and natural feel to the village. The predominant building material is sandstone with natural red clay pantile roof coverings and brick chimney stacks. Howden Farm is an exception to this being rendered (but presumably sandstone underneath) with a slate roof, and the old chapel which is also slate.
Like many villages across the National Park, Langdale End has a corrugated metal village hall which sits behind the building line. Due to the open character of the village, there are few boundary treatments, but where they do exist they are dry-stone walls and timber gates with hedging and metal stock fencing to the fields. The listed K6 red telephone box is a feature.
Negative factors: Overhead wires and poles. Erosion of grassy verges.
Lastingham is a small linear village on the southern part of the North York Moors that can trace its origins to the founding of a monastery in the 7th century. Sitting in a hollow in the ridge between Rosedale and Farndale there is a sense of it feeling ‘tucked away.’ A moorland-fed stream gently tumbles between the small greens and cottages. The imposing St Mary’s Church forms the central point of the village, which is nucleated in form, with buildings stretching out along the lanes. An earlier church on site was where Anglo-Saxon monk, Cedd of Lindisfarne (later St Cedd), was laid to rest in 664. William I set about restoring the abbey in 1078 and the crypt today probably dates from that time. The crypt itself is thought to be the oldest Norman crypt in the world and the only crypt in England with a nave, aisles and an apisidal chancel.
The (Darley Memorial) Village Hall is another prominent feature and was once the schoolhouse. Cottages are then typically traditional sandstone with red pantile roofs. Windows are a mix of styles with many replacements, yet the majority retain a traditional feel. They include Whitby sash (and some examples of a gothic arch) with some converted to a cantered rather than bow style. Some more modern buildings sit along Ings Lane; however, these take design cues from more traditional stock. Stone walls mark out boundaries in the centre of the village and Ellers Beck runs through the village below Front Street. There are numerous examples of ornate or shaped kneelers on roofs. Wooden door porticos are a feature on some cottages, and doors are typically wood panelled with upper glazing and coloured white. A traditional ‘Gilbert Scott’ red telephone box, King George era post box and wooden village notice board are clustered together on the corner of High and Front Streets. The Blacksmith's Arms, opposite the church, has not changed much since the 18th Century, when it was kept by the curate's wife and their 13 children.
Another notable feature of the villages is that it contains four ‘holy wells’ or ‘sacred springs,’ the most prominent being St. Cedd’s Well, a drinking water fountain next to the beck provides an unusual feature and was built in the Georgian era from stone taken from the ruined Rosedale Abbey.
Negative factors: Some overhead wires and poles. Some doors and windows are modern examples but generally little detract from village character.
Lealholm is a larger, densely populated village in the northeast part of the North York Moors National Park. It is an early settlement and is mentioned (with its current spelling) in the Domesday Book of 1086. The village’s name means ‘the settlement by the willow trees’ and it developed as a handy point for crossing the River Esk downstream from the ravine. It is a Conservation Area and is set within the lower Esk Valley landscape character type. Lealholm is characterised by a broad valley form and historic glacial deposits, resulting in a complex topography with steep winding gradients, rivers, woodlands and surrounding moorland. As such, the varied levels of the village provide undulating and characterful views of buildings and gardens set into the landscape, providing a strong sense of place and connection to the surrounding landscape. The village owes much of its present charm to the management of the estate by Sir Francis Ley First Baronet of Whitby (1846-1916), under whose guidance much of the development took place and colourful trees were planted.
It is nucleated in form and is set around the crossing of the River Esk with a Grade II listed sandstone bridge. Other crossings are served by stepping stones. The elevated views are also prominent from the centrally prominent church which is set above the village greens and bridge junction although shielded by grand mature trees. Given the grandeur of the river at this point, it features heavily throughout the village, with minor tranquil streams and becks branching off, through gardens and in some cases under dwellings. This is due to the utilisation of water for previous industries such as corn and oat milling. One stream feeds into the Mill Race. Although many buildings have gradually been converted, some farmsteads and agricultural outbuildings remain, still in their traditional form and use, with inset troughs, ventilation slits, wall ties and timber boarded openings.
Unlike some of the smaller unchanged villages, although many buildings are traditional sandstone and pantile, there is more variation in form, materials, detailing, style, and boundaries, a result of consistent expansion, varied industries and the arrival of the railway and station. There are noticeable building alterations and a wide variety of former building types, including mills, chapel, and lodge, through to existing local services which include the pub, school, village shop and service station.
Other notable features include drinking fountains, river stepping stones, flood markings on the Wesleyan Chapel, a plaque marking the ‘Loyal Order of the Ancient Shepherds’ above the Shepherds Hall team room, a Quaker burial ground and a plaque marking the site of the crash of a US Phantom Jet in 1979.
Negative factors: Flues, loss of timber windows, unsympathetic dormers, flood risks, commercial bins.
Levisham is an excellent example of a linear village, located on a limestone plateau to the south of the National Park. This slightly elevated position results in vast views when leaving the village, particularly along the public footpaths to the north and south. To the south, dense forests spread across the glacial valleys, and to the north is a vast area of moorland, known as Levisham moor. Views are largely insular as all properties overlook the large village greens and grassed verges with minimal boundaries. The greens are edged by buildings set parallel on either side of a central ‘drove road’, historically used for livestock. To the northern end of the village sits a triangular village green and junction, where a few key community buildings are sited, including St John the Baptist Church and Horseshoe Inn which create a hive of activity. Levisham Mill and Mill Cottage, which are in residential use, sit in the valley between Levisham and Lockton beside the beck.
Houses in Levisham are typically larger, detached dwellings rather than a continuous frontage, many with outbuildings that have the side or gable elevation fronting the greens. Buildings are mostly rubble limestone and pantile with brick chimneys and some evidence of surface finishes, influenced by the local geology. Dormers are not a common feature, but some houses have narrow porches which match the main dwelling and there are some good quality examples of traditional timber sash windows, boarded doors, and gates.
Levisham is recorded as having 11th century origins with a mention in the Domesday Book. Most building plots appear narrow and regular, often with single level outbuildings to the rear, showing a continual progression of rear extension and possible household industries. There is also intermittent agricultural character throughout, with some farms in active use. As such, there are high-quality examples of outbuildings with recessed openings, boarded doors, ventilation slits and pigeon lofts.
Negative factors: Higher boundaries, loss of traditional timber windows, no car parking space risking damage to the grass verges.
Levisham Station is a range of isolated buildings sited deep down in the valley created by glacial meltwater. The erosive power of water over millennia has forged dramatic landforms such as the glacial valley in which the station sits. The railway serving Levisham Station was originally opened by the Whitby and Pickering Railway in 1836 and was restored to the NER condition in approximately 1912. The heritage railway continues to run on the line and during peak season will complete the full journey from Pickering to Whitby. The range of buildings includes the station itself, station house, signal box, workers cottages and several railway features such as lamps engraved with the station’s name and inset clock.
Numerous small details contribute to a quintessentially rural station. There are some fine examples of timber sash windows and detailing and given minimal use of the railway, the external face of the stone has naturally cleaned, having previously been stained soot black from the steam trains. Throughout, the ‘Blood and Custard’ original livery colour is present, contrasting with others on the line which have been restored in colours reflecting their own histories.
The position of the station within the valley means that it is surrounded by steep valley sides, largely covered in dense woodland, which provides a sense of enclosure and remoteness. Many of these surrounding landscapes have special ecological value. Although the station buildings are timber (often ordered from a railway catalogue), the main buildings are formed with sandstone and slate, influenced by materials brought in on the railway.
The cottages historically housed railway workers, some on the line specify occupation, such as stoker or platelayers. Some of the buildings have since been sold off for private residential use although the character remains. Around the cottages are ample gardens, with characterful outbuildings and evidence of the beck at the rear. Only one house within this cluster is not railway related, which is Grove House set on the eastern side of the station, before the sharp incline up and out of this location.
Negative factors: Cumulative build-up of non-sympathetic outbuildings and paraphernalia on the periphery of the station, lack of parking often results in crowded lanes.
Littlebeck is a small hamlet situated in a sheltered and secluded valley close to Sleights. Little Beck Bank and Little Beck Lane wind their way down the valley sides crossing Little Beck, a minor tributary of the River Esk. The Nature Reserve of Little Beck Wood lines the valley and is dissected in two by the hamlet. Sandstone is the only building material with red clay pantile roofing and stone water tabling. Houses are simple vernacular modest 1 ½ storey cottages. Bracken Hill however is unique in its appearance with its gothic revival style detailing of decorative barge boards, overhanging eaves, architectural window hoods, shaped window mullions, decorative ridge tiles and finials and its distinctive decorative roof design of plain red clay rosemary tile and black bull nose rosemary tile.
Properties are positioned along the valley edge and generally face east-west which, due to the winding road, results in some properties facing the highway and others gable facing. Window styles are a mixture of styles, both painted timber and uPVC. Boundaries are made up of native hawthorn hedges interspersed with dry stone walls.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional window styles.
Lockton is in the southern part of the National Park close to the A170. Lockton appears as ‘Lochetun’ in the 1086 Domesday Survey and is home to the Lockton Artists group. The former school now hosts the Dalby Forest Youth Hostel. Lockton has the appearance of a long linear settlement; however, historic maps show it has always been more nucleated with a loop round road past St Giles Church. One of the most significant features of Lockton is the varying roof heights. Houses are double fronted with single storey outshoots. Houses are beautifully presented with gardens and large grass verges to the front and are well maintained. Double fronted houses sit behind dry stone walls or ornate iron railings with a central pathway leading up to timber panel doors. Stone cottages sit behind grass verges with tumbling roses and hollyhocks. Windows are mainly historic or have retained their historic joinery pattern in the new windows. Porches around doors are not a common feature, however bow and bay windows to the ground floors are.
Running through the centre of the village is a collection of large mature trees dominating the green, next to this is the pinfold which has been well restored. Most barns and agricultural outbuildings have been restored to dwellings. The vast majority have been done sympathetically to the character of the Conservation Area. Houses are of a sandstone construction under a pantile roof, most have brick chimney stacks. A bright red K6 telephone box makes a positive contribution to the street scene, as does the popular village cafe.
Negative factors: Hard landscaping to gardens erodes the green character of the village Parking on grass verges.
Low Dalby is a small but busy hamlet located in Dalby Forest. It evolved from a single dwelling (possibly a farmstead) called Low Dalby House which survives today. Its outbuilding now forms Dalby Courtyard. The area evolved in the 1930s when a work camp, one of several so-called Instructional Centres run by the Ministry of Labour, formed just to the south of Low Dalby House. The work camp included 10 or so Nissan Huts where inmates worked on the surrounding land clearing scrubland and rough pasture in readiness for afforestation. After 1939 the huts housed prisoners of war. Dalby Cottage also appears to date from this time. A sculpture, ‘Nissen Hut,’ by Turner prize winning artist Racheal Whiteread sits in the forest and was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of the Forestry Commission in 2019.
The area was developed in the 1950s in the form of five pairs of semi-detached dwellings located around a central green. Low Dalby House and Dalby Cottage are both constructed from sandstone with pantile roofs whilst the semis are white-rendered elevations under concrete pantile roofs, and all have brick chimney stacks. Boundaries are generally mature beech hedging and small dry stone walls, interspersed with timber fencing and hawthorn hedging. Porches are a feature of the semis and uPVC is common for windows and doors. The use of timber for extensions is also a feature, particularly in Dalby Courtyard and in the nearby Visitor Centre.
Negative factors: Rooflights to front facing roof slopes.
Low Mill is a small rural hamlet nestled within Farndale and is surrounded by moor-topped pastures and fields. Due to the lack of roads in and out of the dale, Low Mill has a strong rural character that feels tranquil and secluded. A nucleated settlement, it is set around the bridge, telephone box and three road junctions. Low Mill has more of an enclosed character where buildings are located close to one another and close to the highway, interspersed with traditional stone and timber outbuildings. While gaps between buildings provide views of the surrounding moorland hilltops, the hamlet itself has few open spaces within it.
Buildings are generally modest two storey houses built almost entirely of sandstone with natural red clay pantile roofs, stone chimney stacks and stone water tabling. There are two exceptions - the Band Room, a quirky 100-seat corrugated iron-clad community building which has been described as “the greatest small venue on earth" and East View, the former school, is also of corrugated iron design. Windows are mainly white, or cream painted timber horizontal sliding sashes or side hung casements, although painted vertical sashes are evident at Mill Farmhouse. Estate-owned properties are evident by their green painted doors, but elsewhere a variety of different colours are typical, mostly of planked design. Porches are also evident. Dry stone walling is the predominant boundary material, with some incorporating metal railings.
Negative factors: Overhead wires and poles. Widened accesses and hard landscaping. Large rooflights.
Lythe is a small, nucleated village on the northeast edge of the National Park, close to the coast. The surrounding landscape is a patchwork of arable fields to the north and the Grade II* Designated gardens and parklands of the Mulgrave Estate to the south, alongside Mulgrave Castle. The lack of outlying properties along the approach to the village means that there is a strong sense of arrival into Lythe. The village includes farms, houses and village facilities including a pub, school, and sports ground, with the southeastern part containing several larger houses within large plots, including Lythe Hall, which dates from 1660. The historic core is designated as a Conservation Area and is characterised by its rich traditional building stock and dark green estate colours, as seen on the numerous timber 4 and 6 panelled doors.
The majority of the buildings are two storey, constructed from local sandstone under pantiles with some buildings featuring slate roofs. Some listed buildings retain rare features such as Whitby composite timber windows and Yorkshire sliding windows. Others contain small catslide or dual pitched dormer windows, although these are not a feature of the more historic stock. The buildings on the northern side of the historic core are typically set back from the highway with front curtilages bounded by sandstone walling, picket fencing or low hedges. The buildings on the southern side of the historic core directly front onto the highway. The Grade I Listed St. Oswald’s Church lies on the outskirts of the village to the east on the top of Lythe Bank. It has a distinctive spire which can be seen over a considerable distance and acts as a day mark for shipping. Whilst there has been a church on this site since the Viking period, the church today mostly dates from the 1910 restoration.
Negative factors: Visible roof lights on some properties. Overhead wires and poles. Non-traditional lighting and too much hard landscaping in areas.