Thornbury was designated as a conservation area on 30th July 1975.
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 town of Thornbury is situated in the Severn Vale, approximately 3 miles east of the River Severn. It has two distinctive parts, the main market town to the south and the highly attractive open setting of the church and castle to the north.
As one enters Thornbury from the south, the prominent Rosemount House forms an impressive entranceway into the town. Built in the early 19th century with its decorative cast iron verandah, Rosemount House is one of Thornbury's notable landmarks.
History
The original settlement of Thornbury was probably on the lower ground by the church. This was developed southwards by Robert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester as a new town between 1243 and 1262. The alignment of the streets reveals the history of the town with the three streets of Castle Street, High Street and The Plain (St Johns Street) converging on a large market place. Thornbury's market history stretches back to Domesday. The town for a time belonged to Queen Mathilda and the royal patronage stimulated trade and urban growth.
In mediaeval times Thornbury had a flourishing cloth industry but as this died out the town survived mainly as a market centre. The original market up until 1911 was held in the street. Thornbury still retains its ties with the past, having a market day every Thursday and Saturday.
Thornbury Castle was built on the site of a mediaeval fortified manor house and in 1507 Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, began rebuilding the castle. That which survives is in fact unfinished, for in 1521 Henry VIII had the duke executed on the grounds of high treason.
The castle is primarily a castellated tudor manor house and is of national importance. Indeed Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn stayed at the castle in 1535. In 1720 the castle was partly restored and completed in 1854 by Anthony Salvin for Mr Henry Howard. During the time of the Duke of Buckingham, three large deer parks existed close to the castle, one of which was 1,500 acres in area.
A fine embattled wall space with mullioned bay windows separates the castle and churchyard. Churches were often built away from villages and close to the manor house and this is true of Thornbury with the church adjacent to the castle. Although a Norman church once stood on the site, the only traces of Norman work are the transitional Norman north and south doorways, no doubt salvaged from the older church. The restored chancel dates from the mid-14th century whilst the south aisle was added later. The Stafford Chapel displays the Stafford Knot.
On the roof corbels the arms of the lords of the manor are clearly visible, including William Rufus, Fitzhammon, de Clare, Stafford and Howard. The church displays a superb western tower with pierced battlements and the size and grandeur of the church illustrates the past importance of Thornbury.
Character
The town of Thornbury has greatly expanded over recent years, with much new residential and commercial development taking place. However, Thornbury still retains its special historic character.
The town centre contains a wide range of historic buildings, the earliest being of the 15th century. The mixture of periods and styles has also produced interesting street frontages such as Victorian revival styles, including the neo-Georgian former fire station, a neo-gothic methodist chapel and a neo-renaissance bank.
The wide High Street and Castle Street provide a contrast to the sense of enclosure afforded by the largely unbroken facades on either side of the street. Magnificent views northwards can be seen over the rooftops of the town to the countryside beyond. At the southern end of the High Street the building of the Britannia Building Society juts forward of the building line to form a visual focal point and sense of enclosure, further accentuated by the overhanging first floor.
Further interest is created by varied design features including bay windows, recessed doorways, porches, changes in roof height, pitch and irregular building lines. Other features of particular importance include the traditional house style of two, two-and-a-half and three storeys with steeply pitched roofs.
The majority of buildings are faced either in stucco or roughcast with many painted in pastel shades of cream, brown, pink, green and white. Added distinction is given to the High Street and The Plain by the design of individual shop fronts which blend harmoniously with the character of the area.
The scale and design of the shopping arcade to the east of the High Street, including the Somerfield complex and the pedestrianised part of St Mary's Street complements the architectural interest to the street scene through its sensitive design.
Two well known landmarks of Thornbury are the imposing Swan and Lion pubs set upon two fine ornamental porches of public houses on either side of the High Street.
North of Castle Street lies the prominent and eye-catching St Marys Church, its splendid tower providing the focus for many views in and around Thornbury. Thornbury Castle, adjacent to the church, shares the magnificent woodland setting. There is a great sense of openness and tranquillity which contrasts to the sense of enclosure experienced in the main part of the town.
Thornbury walls
The walls are quite complex in origin and development. The simplest way of classifying then is under three headings:-
- Burgage walls
- Town walls
- Borough walls
Any wall could be all three but there are differences between them.
Burgage walls
These divide mediaeval building plots, called burgages together with walls at the ends of plots and other internal divisions.
Town walls
These are the external linked 'defensive' walls surrounding the town. They tend to be much higher than the burgage walls. They are mediaeval in origin and tend to contain conglomerate in their construction. They were probably rebuilt during the English Civil War. The linked map shows their known extent. Until recently it was thought that the wall ran along the western side of Rock Street by the congregational church, but recent work at the cattle market site has shown the town wall in this area is further out.
Borough walls
Virtually everything else outside the core of the town comes into this category. These walls are mainly eighteenth and nineteenth century in origin. They tend to be constructed from limestone but very often stone from earlier walls is recycled.
A full survey of the walls, in all their forms, is being carried out by Thornbury Museum. It holds the photographic archive and if you want to view this material please contact the museum directly on 01454 857774 or email enquiries@thornburymuseum.org.uk