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 following the link at the end of each profile. The villages included on this page include: Ravenscar, Rievaulx, Robin Hood’s Bay, Robin Hoods Bay Top, Rosedale Abbey, Runswick Bay, Runswick Bay Top, Sawdon, Scalby, Scawton, Silpho, Sinnington, Sleights, Sneaton, Spaunton, Stainsacre, Staintondale, Staithes (Bank Top), Staithes, Suffield, and Swainby.
Ravenscar
Ravenscar is positioned on a 600 foot high headland, offering exhilarating views as your gaze follows the sweep of coastline towards Robin Hood’s Bay. In the 1700s Ravenscar, or Peak as it was then known, was the site of one of Britain’s earliest chemical works, filled with the sounds and smells of locally quarried shale being processed to create alum, a chemical used to fix dyes in the cloth industry.
It is a dispersed coastal settlement. Its buildings are not clustered around a particular point or feature but instead are more randomly scattered across a larger area - this openness forms a key feature of the village. The railway came in 1885, with the station known then as Peak Station. At the turn of the 20th century, plans were made to turn the village into a holiday resort to rival nearby Scarborough. The name ‘Ravenscar’ has only been used since Victorian times when the station was renamed in 1897 (it closed in 1965). 'Scar' means 'cliff' or 'rocky outcrop' in Old Norse. You can see these 'scars' – hard layers of rock stretching out to sea – from the top of the moorland. Due to the long trek to its rocky beach, Ravenscar never achieved popularity, and the development was left unfinished. The result is a town with streets and sewers but few houses, leaving a sense of openness.
The main core includes detached or semi-detached dwellings fronting Raven Hall Road, with further scattered developments along Robin Hood Road, Pollard Road, and Crag Hill Road. The cluster of buildings at Church Road junction arrived at a later date from the late nineteenth century. Most of the village is made up of post war developments, but the historic buildings of Raven Hall, Peak Hill, and Crag Hall form some of the oldest buildings in the village. Historic buildings are constructed of sandstone while later infill developments bring in render as well as brick. Roof coverings form a mixture of slate, clay pantile and concrete pantile. Dwellings are generally set back from the highway behind small gardens, bounded by dry stone walls and stone copings with small single width driveways. Grass verges contribute to the streetscape. A particularly notable feature is the view across the bay to Robin Hood’s Bay.
Negative factors: Overhead wires and poles. Limited areas of grass verge erosion. Modern street light columns.
Rievaulx is a small dispersed, historic settlement built to the south of Rievaulx Abbey. The name derives from the French translation of ‘Ryedale’. The village lies to the southwest of the National Park, near Helmsley. Many properties are used only seasonally as holiday cottages and second homes, used, giving a quiet ‘sleepy’ nature to the village. The Abbey dominates views and can be seen over gardens and allotments. Few houses face the roadside with many behind well-tended gardens.
Very little modern development has taken place, apart from the Abbey tearoom in a striking modernist form (the tearoom won a RIBA Yorkshire Award in 2017). A small K6 telephone box and red post box are tucked away neatly off the roadside marking the centre of the village. Houses are mainly pantile, but some thatch survives. Some of the oldest vernacular style properties are seen at Rievaulx Abbey. The Grade II Listed 17th century Swiss Cottage, with its thatched roof and steep pitched gables, was once a common feature of dwelling throughout the North York Moors. The whole village is included as a Scheduled Monument to Rievaulx Abbey, and archaeology is plentiful throughout the area. To the south of the village is the Grade II Listed Rye House with a traditional stone sheep wash to the roadside. Houses are picturesque with little ornamentation or modern extensions. Boundary treatments are low dry stone walls with picket fences and gates or mature hedgerows. Next to the former converted mill is a small linear stable block to the centre of the village, still in agricultural use. This adds to the traditional setting of the rural conservation area and adds to its historic charm and character.
Negative factors: Mature hedgerows need to be retained as they add greatly to the ‘greening’ of the settlement. Any loss of historic windows and doors will be seen as a negative.
Robin Hood’s Bay is located on the eastern coast five miles south of Whitby. Robin Hood’s Bay was home to a thriving smuggling industry between the early 17th Century to the mid-19th. Secret passageways still run below the village.
The bottom part of the village is situated in a deep ravine. The main street of the bay is steep and cobbled and writhes its way down to the Kings Beck ravine. A jumble of tightly packed houses are threaded through, accompanied by a network of small moss or cobble covered steps, paths, and alleys. Distinctive pantile roofscapes (there are few in slate) with varying roof heights add greatly to the charm and character. Gardens are small and random as ‘land grabbing’ became more common due to the lack of space.
Distinctive timber porches and ornate historic doors are a common feature. Windows are mainly vertical sliding sashes with cylinder glass. Shop fronts are historic late 19th century. Small details contribute to character - fingerposts, standpipes, door knockers, boot scrapers, glazed tile shop front, hanging shop signs, flowerpots, wall mounted lanterns, finials, worn steps, cast iron drainpipes, chamfered corners, lobster pots, mooring rings, exterior stone steps, timber panelling, access doors to cellars. Small water pumps from the village wells are found at the end of most rows. Properties are distinctively Georgian in character when the village was once an affluent fishing community and port. The village even had its own coroner’s office, now a museum. Little modern development has taken place and any that has is sympathetic to the character of the village.
Negative factors: Loss of historic sash windows. Loss of traditional timber porches.
Coast Landscape Character Type
Share your thoughts on Robin Hood's Bay (lower)
Robin Hood’s Bay (Bank Top)
The settlement form of Robin Hoods Bay Bank Top was in place by the late 19th century. Large grand Victorian and Edwardian villas dominate, interspersed with some low level 1930-50s housing and bungalows. At 3-4 storeys in height, the Victorian/Edwardian properties are larger than more recent development.
The village is characteristic of a Victorian/Edwardian seaside destination. 20th century development, spread towards St Stephens Church, dominates the village and can be seen across many key views.
Houses are mainly of machine made red brick under a pantile roof, there are a number of slate roof properties however with the emergence of the railway. Boundary treatments are mainly low with low brick walls with wrought iron railings. Properties are separated from the roadside with small formal gardens.
Large bay windows afford extensive the views across the bay. The Victorian four pane sash window is in evidence as well as the late Victorian / Edwardian sash window with the upper pane divided into small panes and the lower ones as large panes. Doors are mainly historic with a formality of style. Those from the 19th to 20th century are a mix of timber panelled doors, some with coloured glasswork and fanlights above. The names of the villas are sign written on these margin lights.
Negative factors: Some modern infill development does not respect the character of the area. Loss of Victorian architectural features. Loss of boundary walls and gardens for parking.
Coastal Hinterland Landscape Character Type
Share your thoughts on Robin Hood's Bay (Bank Top)
Rosedale Abbey
Rosedale Abbey lies to the centre south of the National Park. Rosedale Abbey is a nucleated settlement with buildings in the historic core arranged in a clustered form around a central feature. A large village green marks the centre of the village surrounded by a picket and rail fence. The large green to the church marks a polite gap in development and houses the last remains of the former nunnery which helped create the village.
The name Rosedale is likely to have come from the Viking word for horse and, despite the reference to an abbey, it was a small Cistercian nunnery originally present, of which only a stone turret or belfry remains in the village churchyard. The village was once a centre for ironworking and processing and employed 3,000 people at its peak. Spoil tips from the quarrying of ironstone, coal and jet as well as trackways used to transport quarried material can be seen in local dales, as well as the buildings used by 19th Century miners and their families: terraced houses, chapels, schools, and pubs.
Slate is a feature of many buildings at Rosedale Abbey (brought in from the railway). Houses in Rosedale Abbey often feature wall dormers and Cistercian arch doorways. Painted timber windows of vertical or horizontal sliding sashes are common. Of particular note are the numerous examples of gothic arched or one-centred arched windows in the village. The high proportion of gothic features is likely to result from Victorian sensibilities prevalent at the time. Timber boarded doors are a prevailing feature. Examples of dark brick quoins (masonry blocks at the corners of walls) are a feature on some buildings. Gutters are cast iron supported with metal brackets or fixings attached directly to the stonework without fascia boards. Traditional shop signage is a feature at Rosedale Abbey. A ‘G.R’ wall mounted post box with metal signage is also notable (installed circa 1850).
Negative factors: Cluttering of street signage, hard landscaping of gardens
Rosedale East lies approximately one mile northwest of Rosedale Abbey along the side of Swine Stye Hill. Historically there were two farms in this area, Hill Houses and Craven Garth Farm, before the settlement developed significantly in the late 19th century as it became a centre for iron ore mining. This mining legacy is still very apparent in the surrounding landscape with both the buried and standing remains of the railway line, calcining kilns, mines, ventilation chimney and other mining related structures. The two storey miners’ terraces of School Row and Hill Cottages make up the majority of the settlement, along with the old school and the Reading Room.
School Row contains 16 cottages situated to the north of Alders Road set behind long gardens which are bounded by small dry stone walls. In contrast, Hill Cottages forms two rows of terraces to both sides of Alders Road, with 20 cottages to the south and 11 cottages to the north. These front directly onto the highway verge. Building materials are entirely sandstone with slate roofs, brick chimney stacks (most now rendered) and simple mortared verges. Rooflines are slightly stepped, following the contours of the land. Each cottage is a single bay wide with a front door to the side of an upper and lower window which gives a repetitive appearance to these terraces. Painted stone lintels and cills are a noticeable feature and windows and doors are predominantly of uPVC construction with small fanlights above doors. Porches are not a common feature but where they exist, they are of small scale and lightweight appearance but do cut across the stone lintels. Away from the terraces, pantile is a more common roof covering, with stone water tabling. Development is more ad-hoc in its form, particularly around Craven Garth Farm as former agricultural buildings have been converted along with small scale infill.
Negative factors: Loss of grass verges at Hill Cottages. Satellite dishes. Overhead wires and poles. Loss of traditional window proportions as some windows have been widened. General loss of the traditional sash window design.
Runswick Bay (Bank Top) is a small, late Victorian/Early Edwardian settlement situated on the top of the cliff above the original bay village. There was no development here until the Runswick Bay Hotel and Albert Terrace were constructed around the mid-19th century. The old clay pits now form a camping and caravan park. Small expansion occurred throughout the turn of the century along Runswick Lane and Ellerby Lane before further expansion along these roads in the 1950s. The cul-de-sac development of Nettledale Close dates from the late 20th century with further 21st century development along Hinderwell Lane.
Development is generally linear in form situated along the main highways, set back from the road behind small gardens bounded by native hedging, interspersed with picket fences or stone walls. Development is generally detached or semi-detached. Brick is a common building material, many white rendered, with a combination of red clay pantile, slate, and concrete pantile roofs. Architectural features such as the painted stone window hoods, stone mullions, dentil detailing along the eaves and decorative barge boarding still exist on some of the earlier buildings. While most windows are doors are now modern uPVC, some traditional vertical sashes and 1930’s doors survive. Where these period features survive, they contribute to the character of the streetscape.
Negative factors: New development has eroded the original character of the village, particularly at its entrance along Runswick Lane. Mismatch of architectural designs. Loss of Arts and Crafts and Art Deco features. Loss of boundaries, particularly at Albert Terrace, and paving over of front garden areas to provide parking.
Runswick Bay is a picture postcard coastal village, boasting a mile of secluded bay and a spectacular beach. Situated 9 miles north of Whitby, it nestles in between Sandsend and Staithes. The Cleveland Way long distance footpath runs along the beach. It is part of the Jurassic coast and is known for its fossils. A former fishermen’s village, it is now a sleepy second home enclave. The original fishing village was almost destroyed by a landslide in 1682 and was rebuilt slightly further to the south. The whole of the village and surrounding woodland forms the Conservation Area which was designated in 1974.
The village is characterised by its densely packed layout with narrow winding streets and steps where houses are perched on the side of the cliffs. The village is largely inaccessible to traffic as access is only by a 1 in 4 gradient road but because of this, the roofscape is a particularly important feature. Properties have very few gardens, often fronting directly onto the narrow paths but there are larger grassy areas where the land is too steep to develop. The tree covered cliff top provides a natural backdrop to the village.
Buildings are generally of two or three storeys high of sandstone construction, some white rendered. Roof pitches are noticeably steep and covered with red clay pantile roofs with stone or brick chimney stacks. Slate and thatch are also evident along with brick elevations, but the use of these materials is not common. Stone water tabling is a feature mainly limited to those dwellings which have exposed stonework, while the verges of rendered dwellings are finished with barge boarding, sometimes painted in a contrasting colour. Windows and doors are a mixture of timber and uPVC but are mainly white in colour. Other features include dormers, bay or bow windows and timber balconies. Key buildings include the old lifeboat station which sits on the edge of the beach, and the Grade II Listed thatched cottage which was once the Coastguard’s cottage.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional window proportions. New development with elaborate modernist extensions. Glass balconies. Hipped roof lines.
Sawdon lies to the southeast of the National Park. A split village, the main street forms the boundary where developments to the north-eastern side of the road fall within the National Park. The village has a quiet agricultural character with several working farms within the village itself. Sawdon is linear in form and buildings generally face directly out onto the footpath with no front gardens. Stone boundary walls line the highway between buildings, interspersed with some timber 5-bar gates. The northern end of the village is an exception to this and Manor Farm sits at right angles to the highway, set behind front and side gardens which provides a more open feel to the village.
Limestone and sandstone are the main building materials although brick is evident on both Dale View and Grove Farm, both of which are listed buildings. Roofs are mostly red clay pantile with brick chimney stacks. Stone water tabling is generally limited to the larger farmhouses. Slate is evident but only to Vale View, Wesleyan Chapel, and Dale View. White painted timber vertical sashes are the predominant window styles although uPVC is evident in modern infill developments. Doors are generally of timber boarded or panelled design with a painted, coloured finish. Porches are evident in some places, but they are not an architectural feature of the village. The wide verges and tree-lined boundaries provide an attractive entrance to the village.
Negative factors: Overhead poles and wires. Loss of traditional window styles and proportions.
Scalby is a large settlement on the edge of Scarborough. Only a small proportion of the settlement, the western side of Hackness Road, is within the National Park. Groups of mature trees along Hackness Road and Hay Lane create a natural setting, adding to the street scene. The rendered buildings of Low Hall Cottages and the brick constructed Coach House are the oldest buildings in this part of Scalby. Other buildings such as Low Hall, Ryefield, Brentwood and Greenways are also of brick construction with rosemary tiles but were clearly influenced by the Arts and Crafts style. Later infill development is not of the same architectural quality, but being set behind mature native hedging helps to integrate them into the street scene and maintain the overall natural appearance.
The Sea Cut is a prominent feature providing a natural open green corridor separating Scalby from Newby. In Newby, the allotments allow views out to the surrounding Raincliffe Woods, strengthening this open character. The rendered terraces of numbers 71 – 101 Hackness Road date from the early 20th century and form part of the early expansion of Newby.
Negative factors: Modern street light columns. Some loss of traditional window styles. Loss of front gardens and boundaries in Newby.
Scawton lies to the southwest of the National Park, close to Rievaulx. It was listed in the Domesday Book as belonging to Count Robert of Mortain. The name was recorded as Scaltun and has been written in documents as Scalton, Scaltona, Skalton and Scaulton, with Scawton first recorded in 1536. The name Scawton means ‘farm in the hollow,’ and the buildings and surroundings of Pond Farm are still a central feature in the street scene.
The village is linear in form, with buildings a range of sizes and set in individual plots between the curvature of the main road and Back Lane. This suggests a link to an earlier tofts and crofts medieval layout with many monuments and buildings relating to this period. Although farms are still active and agricultural character is abundant, one former occupation of the villagers was operating local bleachfields (open areas used for spreading cloth on the ground to be purified and whitened by the action of the sunlight.) The village is also triangulated by three historic quarries with a few lime kilns, which may have influenced the prominent limestone construction material. Scawton is set within the Limestone Hills on a slightly elevated but shielded position, providing pockets of views on the peripheries to the surrounding moor and farmlands.
Buildings are mostly of a long linear form, many with extensions or outbuildings of a diminishing height and there is a range of slate and pantile roofs with brick chimneys. Nearly all boundaries are low-level dry-stone walls with diagonally stacked coping stones and timber gates. Although many buildings have uPVC windows, the historic listed buildings appear to have maintained some very small openings whilst more recent grander cottages and dwellings have some high-quality examples of traditional timber sash windows. A small triangular village green sits in the centre of the village with a prominent tree and red phone box, near the site of a former village cross. Of note is the Grade I Listed St Mary’s Church with 12th century origins, built by the monks who occupied Byland Abbey, and to contrast, the corrugated iron reading room/village hall. The Hare Inn (now restaurant), present on historic maps, still occupies the entrance to the village.
Negative factors: Overhead wires, crumbling boundaries, intrusive roof lights, poor quality replacement windows, broken seating in the village green and decaying phone box
Silpho is a small rural hamlet located on an elevated plateau north of Hackness. It has a dispersed character, with buildings scattered along the highway, separated by large open fields and paddocks which provide far-reaching views to the surrounding hills. Along with its wide grassy verges with small dry-stone walls, interspersed by mature trees dotted along the highway, Silpho has a very open and remote character. Silpho’s built character varies from large traditional farmhouses which bookend each end of the village, to pairs of two-storey gabled semis, to the vernacular 1 ½ longhouse of Pond Cottage - one of the oldest buildings in the village.
Sandstone is the predominant building material with natural red clay pantile to the older buildings. Slate is limited to the converted chapel as well as the later gabled semis which are adorned with stone hood mould detailing to the windows. Decorative barge boarding is evident across all building styles. Where traditional timber windows remain, these are generally white painted of side hung or horizontal design with vertical sashes to the farmhouses. White uPVC is also evident. Doors are also generally white painted or white coloured uPVC. Dormers are a feature of single storey buildings. Properties are set back from the highway verge behind gardens bounded by dry stone walls and timber gates. The 10m high water tower, red K6 telephone box and post box are focal points.
Negative factors: Widened accesses and erosion of grass verges. Loss of traditional window styles. Overhead wires and poles.
Sinnington, whilst predominantly a linear settlement along the main street has expanded in more recent times to the west, around the primary school, which creates a more polyfocal nature. The A170 lies to the south of the village, and it sits on the southern edge of the National Park within the Limestone Hills. The village is split, with the southern end outside of the National Park and there is a shared conservation area. Large central grassed greens, mature trees and the River Seven have a large presence within the village, effectively shaping the form of the settlement and providing a tranquil and picturesque atmosphere. Whilst the views are expansive across the greens, they are mostly contained within the village itself, as the varied orientation of buildings and shaping around landscape features has resulted in characterful undulating roofscapes and surprising narrow passages.
There are records of the settlement in the 1301 lay subsidy and a range of information on the village including chapel, bridges, and mills. The historic core follows the village green, spanning from the main bridge and following the curve of the river, where most of the buildings are listed, including two bridges. Sinnington bridge is a fairly large sandstone structure which spans the river Seven with an inset sundial dated 1769, whereas the ‘Green Bridge’ is a miniature footbridge set into the village green that was historically used during floods. Due to the expansion of the village, there is a wide range of buildings in terms of architecture and age. There are several public buildings, still in use such as the village hall and school, and whilst there are many modest rows of traditional cottages in the historic areas. There are several modern houses and large detached dwellings on the outer edges, set back in garden plots characterised by grander architectural features and boundaries. Similarly, boundaries typically comprise timber picket or stone. Many of the stone boundaries are unusually taller than the low-level stone walls typically seen in the National Park, with clay pantiles toping the walls to dispel water. There are some agricultural outbuildings and farmhouses interspersed throughout the village. Buildings are constructed of sandstone, limestone and brick, tall chimneys and slate and pantile roofs with a wide variety of detailing and boundaries. Despite the variety in character, the uniting feature is the abundance of greenery and nature throughout, with rows of mature trees, elevated grassed verges, walkways, lawns, orchards, and hedges.
Negative factors: Poor quality modern renders, uPVC door and window replacements, neglected outbuildings, large flues, cars parked on the green
Located to the northeast of the National Park and in the Esk Valley, Sleights lies at the foot of Blue Bank, a steep 1 in 4 incline, and overlooks the River Esk and the Esk Valley Railway line which lie in the valley bottom below the village. Sleights is a large village influenced by the 18th century ironstone mining and as such, its historic core contains many high status properties. The majority of the village however lies outside of the National Park with development to the south side of Eskdaleside and Iburndale Lane, as well as the areas of Low Dale and Woodlands, falling within.
Despite the built-up and urban character of Sleights village, the rural and wooded areas of Low Dale and Woodlands provide a soft and natural setting to the northern end of the village. Within these areas stand two elegant country houses – the substantial 18th century Grade II* Listed Woodlands Hall (with later remodelling carried out by Walter Brierley) sat within its own picturesque, landscaped garden, and the late 18th century Grade II Listed small country house of Lowdale Hall. While Woodlands Hall falls within Aislaby Parish, it relates more with Sleights, hence its mention here. In addition to these houses, Esk Hall, another 18th century Grade II Listed small country house lies to the west of the village but outside of the National Park.
Most of the development along Eskdaleside and Iburndale Lane is almost entirely 20th and 21st century, built around the historic buildings of The Plough and St John’s Church. Two storey dwellings sit within decent sized plots facing the highway. Iburndale Lane has a distinctly linear layout with plots of single depth and smaller boundaries which makes the built form more evident. Properties along Eskdaleside are sat on slightly elevated land and further back in their plots behind high mature hedging which, along with the wider grass verges, has a much softer appearance. Hermitage Way, a modern cul-de-sac development to the western edge of Eskdaleside, sits behind the building line and is relatively hidden from the street scene. Buildings are a mixture of styles and periods, but the older buildings are generally sandstone with later infill development being of brick construction. Red clay pantiles are the predominant roof covering across all buildings. A new affordable housing development – Alum Drive – has been tucked in at the western end of Eskdaleside
Negative factors: Overhead electricity wires and poles. Modern street light columns. Introduction of dormers in historic buildings. Poor detailing to modern infill developments with urbanising highway layout. Some loss of boundaries.
Sneaton lies three miles south of Whitby. It is a linear settlement, with development along Sneaton Lane and Beacon View. Development along Beacon View is generally set back from the highway behind small gardens resulting in a soft rural streetscape, enhanced by the tree belt, some of which is protected with a Tree Preservation Order. In contrast, development along Sneaton Lane is situated much closer to the road with less natural vegetation along the street edge. The village evolved little until post war development infilled around the junction and along Beacon Way resulting in two clear building styles. What remains clear are the several historic farmsteads which would have formed the core of the village and are important in illustrating the history and evolution of the village.
The traditional cottages are generally linear in form, semi-detached and of modest 1 ½ storey height and the Grade II Listed 2 Sea View reflects this historic form of development. These historic buildings are constructed of sandstone under red clay pantile roofs with stone water tabling and brick chimney stacks, some rendered or limewashed. Later infill development is characterised by larger detached 2-storey houses situated on larger plot sizes with individual driveways. Where boundaries exist, they are generally small dry stone walls or hedging. Traditional white painted vertical and horizontal sash windows are a feature of the village and includes the locally distinctive Whitby Composite sash. Doors are generally 4 or 6-panel painted doors. Upvc is also common.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional window proportions and styles. Loss of boundaries. Condition of some traditional farm buildings. Overhead wires and poles.
Spaunton sits on a hilltop between Hutton le Hole and Lastingham in the central southern part of the North York Moors. It is a linear, one street village with buildings mostly set back from the road and separated by greens, lending a wide, spaced out feel. Building materials are usually limestone or sandstone, as the village lies on varying geology. Later buildings take their design cues from earlier buildings, including the few built in the 20th century. Roofs are often natural red clay pantiles with one example of slate with dormer windows. Woodman’s Cottage in the centre of the village is Grade II Listed. Built in 1695 (as inscribed on the lintel) it is a coursed rubble limestone structure, with roughly tooled quoins, a slate roof half with gabled dormers (probably added as part of renovations once slate could be brought in by rail) and brick stacks.
Hill Top Farmhouse, dating from around 1760 is also Grade II Listed. This is sandstone construction with a pantile roof. Windows in the village are typically wooden sliding sash designs, although some have been replaced with more modern styles using non-traditional materials. A village pinfold - used for holding stray animals until they were claimed by their owners and released on payment of a fine – is a prominent feature. Near the pinfold are the remains of a former chapel, the building now used as a farm store. It retains a Victorian letter box and the red ‘Gilbert Scott’ designed telephone box. Spaunton Manor House stands at the eastern end of the village and has been rebuilt several times. The Court Leet still meets annually at the Manor. In October 1943, a British bomber crashed over the village and destroyed a blacksmith's shop and a cottage.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional window styles. Overhead wires and poles.
Stainsacre lies to the southeast of Whitby. The village which has evolved considerably over time; however, its modest origins are still evident and would have centred around the Corn Mill, dismantled in the 1940s. Stainsacre was on the Scarborough & Whitby Railway Line and its two bridges are prominent features at its entrances. The two sandstone terraces located at the end of Summerfield Lane along with Stainsacre Hall, Hall Farm and Windmill Inn form the basis of the settlement before more recent infill in the 20th and 21st century. This historic cluster of properties are generally modest 1 ½ storey cottages with red clay pantile roofs, stone water tabling and brick chimney stacks. Windows form a mix of horizontal and vertical sliding sashes. Some have been substantially altered with the addition of bay windows and dormers.
A curved stone wall with rounded copings is a prominent feature, providing the entrance to Stainsacre Hall and extending down the length of Stainsacre Lane. Otherwise, boundaries are generally small stone walls, picket fences or hedging. Later infill is generally of brick construction or render, with red clay or concrete pantile roofs, fascia boarding and uPVC fenestration reflecting a more suburban form and appearance of development. The Larches is also of interest, built at the turn of the 20th century probably as a result of the railway, with its stone hood and mullion detailing contrasting against its brick construction. Properties generally face the highway although gable facing dwellings are also common, both set back behind small gardens.
Negative factors: Overhead wires and poles. Loss of traditional window styles in traditional properties. Loss of boundaries and widened driveways. Hard surfacing of front garden areas.
Staintondale is a small settlement located inland from the North Sea coast, south of Whitby. The land falls gently towards the coast which affords views out over the grazed fields towards the sea, providing an open landscape. Staintondale is very dispersed in its layout and buildings are generally located in isolated clusters along the main highway. The group of buildings at the junction with Prior Wath Road form the only sense of core to the village. Buildings located along the western side of the road sit facing the highway in contrast to those to the eastern side which are generally set further back on lower ground and are less prominent in the landscape. This is an area which is dominated by agriculture and farms make up the historic core of the settlement along with the school, smithy, public house, and the Quaker meeting house, all now converted into houses.
Sandstone and red clay pantile are the predominant building materials, interspersed with slate, with stone water tabling and brick chimneys. Windows and doors are generally white painted timber or uPVC casements. There are few listed buildings but where they exist, they retain their traditional sash windows and panel doors. Dormers are not a feature of the historic building stock but are evident in more recent developments. Porches tend to be lightweight timber construction. Trees and hedges line the field boundaries and along with the patchwork patterns of fields, woodlands, and grassland areas provide a natural pastoral street scene. Small stone walls are also common. The old red telephone kiosk is a prominent feature in the street scene.
Negative factors: Overhead wires and poles. Loss of traditional window styles.
Staithes is best known as a picturesque tight-knit historic fishing village nestling into the coastline. Houses, varying in colour run down narrow valleys to the beaches. The character is distinctively Victorian, with a higher concentration of red and gault brick with slate roof dwellings than surrounding villages. There is a visible break in character to the newer (or top part) part of the village on the cliff tops. Constant awareness of the sea, whether that’s as a source of food, a means of travel, a source of pleasure, or a source of danger.
The origins of Staithes lie in alum mining, with the material mined from the latter part of the 1600s until the latter part of the 1800s, which also prompted a thriving port over this period. There was a later period of ironstone mining between the mid to late 1800s. The advent of steam and iron and increased trawling by Scottish boats caused over supply and Staithes declined as a fishing port in the late 1880s. A strong artistic connection is common to all three villages, including through the Staithes Art School.
Coastal village settlement patterns are determined by the often steep topography and limited space resulting in a tightly packed, irregular built form accessed by an intricate pattern of narrow roads and walkways. From upper viewpoints, the irregular arrangement of roof lines provides an interesting and visually pleasing roofscape. The lower parts of Staithes are characterised by a sense of enclosure and intimacy, the result of the verticality of the surrounding landform. Different areas of Staithes lie at different levels. Roads are very steep and narrow. Some properties are accessed only by alleyways or steps. Dog Loup, at only 18 inches wide is the narrowest street in England. There are very few open or green spaces within the lower parts of villages (other than the beach) but there are many enclosed spaces and narrow passageways.
Houses have been rebuilt over the years, but most appear to be 18th Century. Doors are of a variety of styles and designs but characteristically 6 panelled or boarded. Homes were often named after boats, and doors were painted in the boat’s colours, leading to a variety of colour palettes. Some 1930s doors exhibit stained glass or glazed panels in the doors or in fanlights above. Many have small porch canopies over to provide additional shelter. Door knockers are elaborate and historic with many on a coastal theme with fishes, anchors, and ships. Small details contribute to character - fingerposts, standpipes, door knockers, boot scrapers, glazed tile shop front, hanging shop signs, flowerpots, wall mounted lanterns, finials, worn steps, cast iron drainpipes, chamfered corners, lobster pots, mooring rings, exterior stone steps, timber panelling, access doors to cellars.
Negative factors: Loss of historic timber doors. Unsympathetic hard landscaping to small cottage gardens. Inappropriate scale dormer/Velux windows. Loss of cast iron rainwater goods which are sometimes replaced by grey plastic.
Upper Staithes sits on an elevated plateau just inland from the coast providing wide and open views out over the surrounding countryside. Staithes Beck sits in a steep sided ravine providing a natural feature limiting development to the east and Boulby Potash Mine sits in longer distance views out towards Boulby Bank. The upper part of Staithes did not exist until the turn of the 19th century when the arrival of the North Eastern Railway opened in 1883. The Station House and railway sheds, the Station Hotel, St Mary’s Chapel, and the terrace to the western side of Staithes Lane all date from this period. Further development occurred at the turn of the century and through to the 1930s with the development of the eastern side of Staithes Lane and the construction of The Palmer Memorial Hospital (Palmer Memorial Miners’ Accident Hospital) located opposite the Staithes Lane junction.
With the exception of the workers’ terrace which is constructed of sandstone, development here is entirely of brick construction with slate or concrete roofs, brick chimney stacks and includes attractive architectural details such as stone window hoods, some painted, painted central key stones, decorative barge boarding to porches and dormer fascias and dentilated cornice detailing at the eaves. Some properties have bay or bow windows. Windows are generally white uPVC but, in some instances, porches have retained the decorative Edwardian small pane coloured glass detail. Buildings here are generally set back from the highway behind a low brick wall with painted copings under well maintained privet hedges, interrupted by small pedestrian paths with brick gateposts, topped with ornate pier caps. In contrast, the workers’ terraces front directly onto the footpath creating a much harder streetscape. Some of the terraces have had external render added in the early 21st century but where stone and brick remains exposed this contributes to the character of the area and the street scene. During the mid-20th century, the village extended substantially, mainly clustering around the cricket ground but also extended the village to the south side of Whitby Road. Here, buildings generally reflect the post-war local authority estate housing of two storey brick and render semi-detached or terraced interspersed with bungalows. The new affordable housing scheme of Endeavour Close sits at the entrance to the village. There are several large grass verges around the village which add to the greenery of the street scene.
Negative factors: 20th and 21st century development has diluted the historic character. Lack of off street parking. Lack of green space. Cluttering of street signage. Loss of traditional window styles and proportions. Overhead wires and poles. Loss of boundaries and garden areas for parking.
Suffield is a small rural hamlet located on an elevated plateau close to Scarborough. It has a dispersed character with wide open spaces between buildings which are positioned in a scattered form along the highway. Three farms make up most of the settlement interspersed with pairs of dwellings. Suffield’s form has changed little since the mid-19thcentury. Sandstone is the local building materials along with natural red clay pantiles and stone water tabling to the older, more vernacular buildings. The gabled semi-detached properties are a distinctive feature with their white painted decorative barge boards, stone hood mould detailing and slate roofs. Dormers are also seen throughout the village.
Buildings generally face the highway, set back behind small gardens - Northfield Farm and Suffield Farm being the two exceptions with their gables facing the highway. Dwellings are generally of 2-storey height except Ivy and Box Tree Cottage which reflect the more traditional 1 ½ storey cottages. Where traditional windows exist, these tend to be horizontal sashes with vertical sashes that seem limited to Northfield Farm. Windows are generally white painted or white uPVC with coloured doors and painted lintels and cills. Boundaries are entirely of low dry stone wall construction and timber five bar gates which reinforces its agricultural character. Wide grass verges and mature trees are also important features.
Negative factors: Loss of traditional window styles. Overhead wires and poles.
Swainby is a larger village located within the Western Escarpment of the National Park, close to the A172/A19. The village has origins as a linear settlement, with the central hub running perpendicular to the Crook Beck, which flows down from the Cleveland Hills and along Church Lane. There is a central historic core which is designated as a Conservation Area, in which most buildings are constructed of sandstone (sometimes finely tooled with herringbone patterns) and pantile roofs, but there are also some brick and/or rendered properties, particularly towards the northern end of the village, which appear to date from the 19th Century. Buildings are near-continuous on the western side of the stream and are generally close together, creating a dense feel. Mature trees and green edges also line the beck. In the northern part of the village (north of Church Street), there are roads on both sides of the stream, creating a symmetrical pattern of stream, roads, and buildings. Crook Beck is crossed by road and foot bridges which form distinctive features in the main street. One of the road bridges is located next to the church, close to the junction with Church Lane, which leads to the neighbouring hamlet of Whorlton.
In the 20th Century, the village expanded on the western side, behind the historic linear form. There is some 1930s housing along Black Horse Lane, mid-20th Century housing at Garbutt Lane and Emerson Lane, and slightly later 20th Century housing at Claver Close. The latter also contains a school constructed in the 1960s but is now derelict and awaiting redevelopment for housing and a car park. A caravan park is also located on the eastern side of Crook Beck, to the south of Church Lane. Notable buildings include the medieval Whorlton Castle, which is situated within the Swainby Conservation Area, Church Farm and the Victorian school building and adjacent cottages along Church Lane.
Negative factors: Presence of uPVC windows and doors and large areas of tarmac (mostly for parking).