St Faith's Road & Clausentum Road
These terraced houses date mostly from circa 1900 and are of the type known as "Bye-Law"; for many years they have been maintained much as they were built. Recent trends have resulted in numerous changes to front doors, windows and other details, leading to the spoliation of the general appearance of the terraces. It is recommended that Article 4(2) Directions be applied to these houses, as they will remain in use for many years yet. Also in St Faith's Road is St Faith's School, a picturesque building in flint with brick dressings with a recent successful extension, interestingly using prefabricated flint blocks.
Back Street & Cripstead Lane
On the corner at 1 Back Street is The Old Farmhouse, a mediaeval hall house. On the west side of the roof is a small hip above the ridge, the probable location of the smoke vent for the central hearth; a fine brick and stone chimney has been added to this side. The north façade has much, probably original, timbering modified by later window insertion, carved barge boards and a jetty; a first floor has been inserted into the "hall", giving low ceilings. This building, and 3-10 Back Street are Listed Buildings. 10 Back Street has a large and pretty garden open to view from the road, and of a size that makes it vulnerable to future development; provided it is set well back and is of simple unobtrusive design, a new house should not harm the street scene.
Back Street, with part of Cripstead Lane, forms a very picturesque group despite the intrusion of five modern bungalows. 19-24 Back Street are a row of slate-roofed cottages with flint walls and brick dressings, and have un spoilt white painted windows and doors. 15-22 Cripstead Lane have tiled roofs and a variety of materials for their walls; the backs of these cottages contribute to the Back Street grouping and should be listed for group value. This row also provides good examples of how to install modern-design roof-lights for loft conversions, by siting them well away from other roof features such as hips and chimneys, and, although of varying size, the roof-lights are roughly aligned on their centre lines. The uneven surface of the roof disguises the slightly off-centred nature of the roof lights.
St Cross Road, the "Village"
On the east side the odd numbers 53-63 and 75-79, and the Bell Inn are Listed Buildings; Nos 55-73 form a group of which 65-73 and 81 are not listed, though they still contribute to the character of the village group. No 71 is a weird house which, if it were altered might destroy its idiosyncrasy; incidental but important features such as chimney stacks, dormer windows and porches could easily be lost with only conservation area protection and greater protection for it is needed.
On the west side of the road the complementary group of houses is much shorter: Nos 106, 108, 110, 116, 118 (Bindon House and its picturesque yellow brick and flint Lodge the latter having no number of its own). The Listed Nos 118 and 116 are followed by two undistinguished houses that are set well back from the pavement and then by the Listed Nos 110, 108 and 106. These latter houses stand at the back of the pavement, which helps to give the close-knit village effect that is so important to this district.
The south end of St Cross Road
On the west side stand the Listed Nos 132, 134 and 136, all at the back of the pavement, and Grange at the left forming a group with the lodge to The Grange. Although only three houses, there are five distinct frontages in different styles; together they make a pleasing group. On the east side stand two short terraces each of three cottages; all are in the ownership of the Hospital and are well conserved. Nos 91-95 are both older and simpler, with characteristic small windows, there is a recent extension at the south end carefully designed in the same style; Nos 85-89 date from about 1900.
St Cross Road between Stanmore Lane & Ranelagh Road
The west side consists of large detached and semi-detached houses, mostly undistinguished, although No 42, Rosenheim, has some interesting features and much fine brass and stained glass work inside. At present detrimental alterations are not evident, though No 90 has an unfortunate and ill-proportioned flats extension; and further alterations and replacements to these houses are now proceeding. There are three pairs of semi-detached four story houses, each with a wide full height brick bow with straight sash windows; which form an impressive group.
On the east side of the road are No 53, Goodworth House, a distinguished late 18th or early 19th century house with a three-centred rubbed-brick arched doorway with reverse honeysuckle fanlight, and No 51, Mithril, an unusually attractive Victorian house in flint with brick dressings and an original door with casement windows in original openings, all to a well-balanced asymmetrical design.
Tourism
The Hospital and Church of St Cross is one of the main attractions of the City; the Hospital offers guided or personal tours and has a café. It is possible to follow the walk that John Keats made in 1819 when he wrote an ode To Autumn. This takes the visitor from The Close, past Winchester College through Ridding Meads to reach the Hospital entrance from the fields, which would be the preferred approach for many people; the bus service is an alternative.
Another tourist attraction would be a brief look at the village, but this will not have much appeal except in the unlikely event of traffic being reduced.
The Clarendon Way, from Winchester to Farley Mount and Salisbury, follows Keats' walk from the city to St Cross Hospital and then turns west to Salisbury.
St Catherine's Hill and Bushfield Camp are fully discussed in the next section.
Conservation Area
The Winchester conservation area was designated in 1967, and since then the motorway has been completed. This has opened the door to pressure for commercial development on greenfield sites near motorway junctions, such as Bar End and Compton. Another change has been railway electrification, which has brought Winchester from the edge to well within the London commuter belt. These improvements in access to London have increased the pressure for residential development in the district. The motorway and its junctions are built to a scale much larger than Winchester's street infrastructure and its radiating Roman roads, or the railway.
A case can be made for extending the conservation area to include undeveloped spaces to the west of the motorway. The land between the River Itchen and the canal is a valuable open space but, being former water meadow, is wetland and largely inaccessible to the public; there are however pleasant views across it, and it is a tranquil place to be near. When walking along Five Bridges Road the drop in noise level from the motorway after passing through a break in the railway embankment is very noticeable. If the viaduct were removed, given a south wind, the noise impact on St Cross Village might be considerable. This issue makes a very strong case for an extension of the conservation area to control conditions in the one already existing. The viaduct is an example of an early reinforced-concrete structure encased in brickwork. The early (1710) Itchen Navigation still exists to the first lock, below which the bed has recently been drained leaving it dry. The straight section by Palmer Field is impressive when viewed from St Catherine's Hill.
St Catherine's Hill
This is a recreational area of long standing, and the top of the hill is a very worthwhile objective for both the tourist and resident walker, giving a sense of fulfilment when it is reached. Its historical interest lies in the iron-age fort, the visible remains of which are the rings of ditch fortifications and the old turf maze. The site of the mediaeval St Catherine's Chapel is no longer visible. On the south side of the hill is Plague Pits Valley, where victims of the 1666 plague were buried.
As one walks round the top of the hill there is a succession of fine views, the Hospital of St Cross and the Cathedral being in the first rank. These views are of breath-taking quality, giving the opportunity to appreciate these buildings in some detail from an unusual angle. It is a particularly good place to appreciate the jewel of St Cross Church from a viewpoint that changes as one walks along. There is also a panoramic view of the city that includes the tree-covered slopes of Sleepers Hill and West Hill, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, the prison watch tower, the intrusive Police Headquarters and the spire of St Thomas's Church. From this vantage point it can be appreciated that the Cathedral is still the most dominant building in the city; and on a clear day the Isle of Wight may be seen to the south.
St Catherine's Hill is in the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It has now been severed from the rest of the AONB by the M3. The closure, removal and landscaping of the by-pass site has achieved a reunification of the hill with Winchester, and it would now seem logical that the hill should be included in the Winchester conservation area, for it is a part of Winchester's history and is a landmark to be seen from many places in and around the city. It belongs to Winchester College and is leased to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, who wish to maintain it as chalk downland to encourage a flora and fauna typical of this habitat. This policy requires that the scrub (thorns, brambles, hazel etc) should be removed to prevent the enrichment of the soil, with a further requirement to keep the grass short by grazing. Sheep and cattle are grazed here, so the Warden has to pursue a policy of educating the public into keeping their dogs under control.
The Beech clump gives the hill its special significance as a landmark and it is regrettable that the trees appear to be in poor condition. Until recently the maze has been maintained by a volunteer group who knew how to repair the raised turf strips maintained the maze turf. Sadly, since then these are breaking up as a result of people walking straight across the maze. The dugout paths are now overgrown with grass in parts.
Bushfield Camp
To the west of the Hospital and the railway lies a triangular piece of land consisting of the former army camp at Bushfield and its three attendant fields to the west, south, and north, of which the last two fields and the camp should be included in the conservation area. This control is necessary to preserve the incomparable setting of St Cross as seen from St Catherine's Hill, although this may not be sufficient because of the long-teina pressure from the Church Commissioners, owners of much of the land, for a large residential development on the site. The main objection to building on the north and south fields is that it would disturb the green and gold backcloth to the view of the Hospital from St Catherine's Hill by replacing it with distracting buildings which would seriously damage a scene that has changed little since Norman times. The very satisfying composition of the Church is particularly vulnerable to competition from any new buildings to its west. The long abandoned army camp site, which has given its name to the area, is being considered by the City Council for development as a sports and hotel complex. Although this would be partially shielded by trees and the lie of the land, there are grave worries about the impact the roofs and floodlighting would have on the local environment. Whether coupled with these proposals or as an independent development, the prospect of a major Park-and-Ride on this site raises similar concerns.
The north field could be utilised as an informal recreational and possible grazing area, with the benefit of certain views of the Hospital, the College chapel tower, the Cathedral and the beautiful range of hills to the east. These buildings are enhanced by the whitish grey colour of their finish and by their neighbours being hidden by the trees. With the sun in the west and maybe dark clouds to the north, the buildings have a remarkably luminous quality, a dramatic effect that can be marvellous under almost any weather conditions. Scrub clearance in the foreground will be important to ensure the future of this view; because of the low angle of view resulting from existing trees in the College grounds where their growth could become a hindrance. As a viewing point the north field is second only to St Catherine's Hill and, if preserved, might compensate to some extent for the steady erosion of amenity land in North Walls Park at the other side of the city; it is certainly more picturesque than North Walls because it is free of buildings, cars and other paraphernalia. If any development or amenity improvement is envisaged at Bushfield, it is critical that its existing characteristics should be preserved as much as possible. The conservation of the field may need some improvement, but it is essential that its sense of naturalness should be retained.
Conclusion
The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty is a unique monument of national importance, set in surroundings that are largely unchanged since its inauguration. The buildings are safe enough, but its attractive setting is under threat from possible development to the south-west. It is essential that tight control is kept over land such as the north field of Bushfield Camp to protect the nationally important St Cross Church from the distracting competition that structures built there would have on its setting when seen from St Catherine's Hill.
Some trees near the conservation area need to be better protected. The conservation area itself needs further protection by extending it east and south to the motorway, and south-west to include Bushfield Camp. The district has so far survived without serious damage from modern development, and new development should be discouraged or very carefully controlled. Some buildings standing near Listed Buildings need to "listed for group value" to protect the street scene, and if possible traffic in the St Cross Road should be reduced.
