Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Ashby Parva Conservation Area

Ashby Parva is a village whose integrity ahs been maintained by having so many of its buildings being in one caring ownership. It is essentially a linear settlement along a twisting main street of 0.75 kilometres. The southern entrance is defined by the prominent south facing (lime washed) White House, and by the Garretts Farm; the northern entrance by the Church of St. Peter and Paul’s Farm. Many of its early traditional buildings have survived close to the street front. There are some dozen farmhouses or former farmhouses along the street, which with their farmyards give a special character to the street. These farmhouses are important examples of strong vernacular architecture and include 16th or 17th Century timber framed buildings as well as 17th and 18th Century red brick houses. Thatch has been replaced by slate. Some buildings have Swithland slate roofs. The concentration of farms along the main street of the village centre and the grouping of farm buildings around the yards attached to the farmhouses and the survival of river cobbles in the yards are significant characteristics.

The long curving main street repeatedly reveals more interesting buildings of redbrick, timberframing, Swithland slates and clay tiles which predominate in the traditional buildings. Many farmsteads front directly onto the Main Street. Behind the buildings are pasturelands. This sinuous road has between the traditional buildings and farmsteads a variety of 20th buildings. The village is surrounded by pasture land to which there are several important vistas, but in general there are not important vistas as from the surrounding land across the pastures to the village. There are important vistas out of the village by Manor croft, by Manor Farmyard, as well as opposite The Firs. There are important vistas into the village from Frolesworth road and the Ullesthorpe Road.

The buildings of the village are varied in age and style, but are predominately in red brick; a row of 8 Almshouses of 1832 is now painted white, their length emphasising the linear nature of the village. The Firs is an interesting unlisted building probably dating form the 17th with interesting leaded windows and brickwork. The most significant is the Swithland slated Manor farmhouse with its garden walls. The Conservation Area comprises the linear core of the settlement but excludes the more recent 20th housing development to the west.

Ashby Parva Conservation Area map