Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Blaston Conservation Area

Blaston is a very small settlement of dispersed buildings and gardens along some 300m of straight street. Most of the buildings are in stone with thatched, slate, or collyweston roofs.

Most of the buildings are on the north side of the street; the stone garden walls and gatepiers are especially notable. Part of the foot pavement is in granite sets, and there are granite kerbs which complement the stone of the buildings. On the south side the dominant characteristic is the parkland pasture land leading down to the stream which is a tributary of the Medbourne Brook. Beyond the stream, is a steep ridge which frames the village. The stream valley is well wooded and within the village it widens into lakes beside which are the ruins of the single cell stone Church of St. Michael. A stone wall with steep stone coping links the pasture land to Manor Farm and another high stone wall opposite, to the garden of Stone House, links to other stone dwellings. The house attached to the modern Manor farmyard is an important feature of the village as it has an 18thC brick tower on the corner of the yard facing east along the main street with a 19thdoor carved in 15thC style.

The main street vista is closed at the west end by the small 19th Century Romanesque style Church of St. Giles with an apse. At the eastern end of the street is Manor Farm with prominent clock tower and weather vane. The Conservation Area extends from the meadows east of the church of St. Giles and the 19thC agricultural cottages with gothick features to the area of former gardens incorporating the remains of a mud cottage to the east of Manor Farm. It includes the parkland pasture and valley to the south and in the north incorporates the extensive grounds and gatepiers to the Stone House.

Blaston Conservation Area map