Little Badminton was designated as a conservation area on 30th March 1983. A copy of the full statutory conservation area leaflet and maps - the result of a public consultation process, can now be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.
Setting
The Cotswold village of Little Badminton is located in high open countryside on the eastern boundary of South Gloucestershire, just to the north of Great Badminton and lies within the Badminton Estate. There are extensive views towards distant woodland to the north and west whilst the extensive formal parkland of Badminton House adjoins the village to the east.
The village is located within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Badminton Deer Park is listed on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
History
Little Badminton has a rich archaeological heritage which includes the remains of a sunken mediaeval village and probable site of a manor house complex with associated farm buildings and garden earthworks. Further evidence of the mediaeval village is provided by the survival of the mediaeval dovecote (grade II*-listed) - probably the best early dovecote in the county.
Badminton House (grade I-listed), dating from the 1660s, is the ancestral home of the Duke of Beaufort. Little Badminton appears to have been replanned as a result of one of the periodic extensions to Badminton Park. In mediaeval times the park would have been used for hunting deer and hare as well as the raising of horses. Deer are still raised in the park, although the deer house (grade II*-listed), situated to the south-east of Little Badminton, is now converted into a dwelling.
The Church of St Michael and All Angels (grade I-listed) to the north of the village on rising ground, dates from the early 13th century. It was restored in the 14th century and again altered in the 19th century with the insertion of 2 additional windows. Its early origins are evident in the simple round arch to the south door and the overhanging timber bellcote at the west end.
The substantial listed farmhouses and barns dating from the 17th century with extensions in the 18th and 19th centuries, indicate Little Badminton's prominence as an agricultural centre within Badminton Estate over a considerable period. The majority of other buildings within the village are estate worker dwellings which date from the 18th and 19th centuries. These vary in style with thatch being evident as well as the later 19th century plain bargeboards so typical of the Badminton Estate building style of this period.
Character
Little Badminton, although scattered in its layout, retains a sense of cohesion. The existing buildings have developed around the village green, the site of the previous mediaeval village and face each other across this open space, the dovecote providing a focal point. Individual buildings are clearly defined within their own plots and are linked by the circular road. Although the building style has changed over time, the scale of development, plot sizes and materials used creates a varied but unified visual impression.
Little Badminton's parkland setting is evident particularly from the church where one of the rides radiating from the house, marked by an avenue of trees is clearly visible.
The village is essentially rural in character retaining many fine buildings related to its agricultural origins. Little Badminton has been largely unaltered in the 20th century and remains a secluded peaceful settlement within the Cotswolds.