B. Sunnymead
General Overview
The Sunnymead area provides a harmonious transition from the more individual houses of the Seven Roads area to the more regimented order of the Cutteslowe estate.
There is a mix of semi-detached and terraced early 19th Century houses, with an infill of post Second World War houses of various designs. Some of the newer buildings are interesting, but not all.
Hernes Crescent, adjoining the Banbury Road, contains a mix of apartment blocks and retirement homes.
Hernes, Harpes and Islip Roads feature attractive terraced and semi-detached houses with modest front gardens that are well looked after. In significant sections of these three roads we find unspoiled late Victorian and Edwardian architecture in a harmony which should be protected. Water Eaton Road has two distinctly different sides. To the West: Victorian terraces and some characterful larger houses; To the East: more recently built and very bland apartment buildings, and some detached houses.
Carlton, Southdale, Cavendish, Wentworth Roads and Salisbury Crescent are a distinct estate featuring very similar semidetached 1930s houses.
The sense of leafy greenness is mainly created by front garden planting. As in many other areas of North Oxford, driveway parking is on the increase reducing the attractiveness of the street scene.
Again, as in many other sections of North Oxford, a great many houses have been extended although, and this is to be welcomed, the original facades have been preserved.
History
This area comprises two parts; the Edwardian and Victorian terraces at Harpes, Hernes and Islip and the 1930s development which was conceived in a garden/orchard setting and has many of the hallmarks of the Garden City movement. This resulted in generous back gardens that still contain some of the original fruit trees. As is often the case with locations near the Banbury Road, there are also some magnificent old trees here.
A dividing and divisive wall was erected along the border with the Cutteslowe estate in the 1930s, which highlighted the social contrasts of the era. The wall was not demolished until1959, and is an infamous chapter in local memory.
Issues
– The increased housing density has led to more on-street parking issues. Where parking on both sides of the street is permitted to meet residents’ needs, single file traffic results.
– Front drive parking reduces the leafy attractiveness of the area
-The future of utilitarian garage blocks in Southdale and Cavendish Roads should be looked at
– The proliferation of buy-to-let properties and houses in multiple occupation needs to be considered
Assets
– Generally a very quiet and resident-friendly atmosphere
– Access, via a footbridge, to the Sunnymead Meadows on the banks of the Cherwell is a very positive asset
Guidance for new development
– The harmony existing between Late Victorian and Edwardian buildings in the southern part of the area
– Various mature trees deserve protection, and the retention of front gardens should be encouraged
– The recent infills in Hernes Crescent and, in particular, the Tattersalls Eco houses are good examples of successful new developments
– The policy of protecting original facades during the frequent housing improvements should be maintained
– Green spaces to be protected always
– Restrictions on further loss of front gardens and garden walls
Download this Character Assessment as a pdf
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