Spring 1996
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A quarterly review of current a rch itectu ra l, u rba n ist a nd environmental issues in the Cambridge area produced by the Ca m b ri d!tre Associ ati o n of Architects. The views in this gazette are those of the i n d ivi d u a I co ntri buto rs a n d not of the Association.
New Square
FLYING THE KITE It is twenty five years since the Department
of Architecture and Planning published Cambridge Townscape, an appraisal of the character of the historic core. ln the interval
the Kite area, in the angle between
Newmarket Road and East Road, has been economically transformed. With its bright new yahooville environment firmly embedded in the City fabric, time indeed to remember and resuscitate the hegemony of conservation and to gift-wrap the Grafton Centre in the sanitised historic remains of the Kite. Outside the first City Conservation area, but on its boundary, the Kite has been prioritised by a fresh generation of planners, as the first of a series of studies looking at the character of the increased number of conser-
vation areas in the City which, thankfully, enables a more inclusive recording of the vernacular architecture and urban topos of Cambridge as a city, rather than tourist enclave. Like its progenitor, the studies now in draft promise to add to the stock of documented detailed knowledge of the built environment of Cambridge. And like Cambridge Townscape, it profers anodyne visual appraisal operating under the restricted codes of its adjectival lexicon (good, best, fine, notable, potential for improvement). But its own remit extends beyond that of recording, to form a guideline brief for property owners and developers; and in so doing raises the spectre of methodology. Notwithstanding, this proactive initiative by the Gity Planners is to be warmly welcomed, and in this article CA has invited Jon Burgess, senior planner (conservation) to outline the ideas and concepts of the partnership scheme with English Heritage for conservation area appraisal.
The streets around the Grafton Centre contain some of the most characterful residential properties in the City. Even the name the Kite (so called because of the configuration of the perimeter streets) evokes an image of quiet gentility. Much of the early development was by an architect / speculator / banker I mayor called Charles Humfry. His buildings ranged from the grand Dolls Close to the more vernacular Orchard Street. The latter was apparenlly built for the workers on his estate with a windowless mansard roof to avoid overlooking the private grounds of St Catherines Olose, his own house. By 1846, Humfry was in financial difficulties and his house. was sold to be developed as Victoria Street and Earl Street. The layout of other streets are in many cases just as
interesting. New Square was developed by Jesus College front t825 - 1835; Eden Street was developed from 1835 and several streets off Newmarket Road
sprang up after the Christ Church was built in 1839. Peterhouse controlled the release of land on Melbourne Place and the frontage to Parkers Piece from the 1840s all of which influenced the pattern of development. The rest of the area was largely market garden - The Garden
of Eden - until the later 1840s when pressure for development became irresistible and City Road and the neighbouring streets were buili.
Peierhouse allowed the development of Warkworth Street and Terrace in the later nineteenth century. Since then, the major pressure has been for demolition and redevelopment - partlcularly for the Grafton Centre and in the area around East Road. Although uncertainty over
the future of the Grafton Centre development blighted the area from the 1950s into the 1970s, the Kite reiuvenated itself largely through the efforts of pioneering local
residents. The character of the area has largely survived. Against this background, the City Council found itself twenty years later with a unique opportunity to give the area a further fillip. The first Conservation Area in Cambridge was designated in 1969 - and included part of the Kite area. The most recent designation (in 1993) was ihe extension of the huge Conservation Area No 1 (The Central Area) which included the rest of the Kite area. ln early 1970s, the City Council's Cambridge Townscape successfully appraised the unique character of Cambridge's historic core. Similar background guidance was however not generally provided as other worthy Conservation Areas were designated in the 1970s and 1980s.