Conservation Area

Gerrards Cross was, so many years ago, a crossroads (where the old road from Chalfont St Peter to Fulmer met the Oxford Road) known as Jarratts Cross in the seventeenth century or thereabouts.  There were some small inns, two large estates and very little else. Gerrards Cross has never been a traditional village with picturesque cottages clustered round an ancient church.  Today it is an extensive area of pleasant houses in leafy roads most of which were built in the early twentieth century when the Central Railway came to the village.

So what makes Gerrards Cross so special, so different from many other similar pleasant communities set around London?  The answer is that we have (in a resident’s phrase) a “green heart”, or even a “jewel “ in our crown in the centre of our village; the 32 hectares of natural woodland, ponds and grassland known now as Gerrards Cross Common.  Around the Common are scattered a number of delightful cottages, with some larger and more elegant houses clustered round Latchmoor Pond. 

As the Common derives so much of its character from the buildings which surround it, they were designated as a Conservation Area in 1987. This means “an area of special architectural or historical interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”.

Designation as a Conservation Area means that no new development will be permitted if it involves the demolition or loss of  “buildings, walls, open spaces trees and views which contribute to its character”.  Any new buildings must be “in sympathy with the character of the area” and  infilling and backfilling must be carefully controlled.  It is important also that special care is taken to ensure that “views from and into the Conservation Area will remain unspoiled”.  Further more detailed information, especially about the planning implications of the Conservation Area may be obtained from the Directorate of Planning Services at South Bucks District Council.

There is more detail about the Common itself on this website. What about the buildings themselves?

Hartley Court, with its amazing ‘Victorian Tudor’ chimneys is one of the listed buildings (i.e. requiring special protection) on East Common. The Memorial Centre (built from 1821) is also listed as is Berkeley Cottage (originally linked with the Berkeley Hunt), Heatherside (18^th century), Gerrards Cross Cottage and Wood Bank, as well as the delightful row of small cottages (known now as St. Hubert’s Cottages) near the junction of East Common and the Oxford Road.

The cluster of listed buildings around Latchmoor Pond includes Walpole House, Waterside and Latchmoor House; these were built in the 18^th century.  The Georgian facade of Walpole House was added to a much earlier farm cottage.  Latchmoor Flats, the first Gerrards Cross vicarage, date from the 19^th century.  Also facing West Common are several interesting cottages, including West End Cottages, described as a “most attractive pair of gothic villas”.

Residents of Gerrards Cross today may not realize how lucky they are that the Common escaped enclosure (i.e. becoming agricultural land) in the mid 19^th century.  This was possibly because the owners of Bulstrode Park wished to maintain the open appearance of their country estate.

The Gerrards Cross Parish Council, and, especially, South Bucks District Council will ensure that our green heart and its surroundings will  be conserved in its entirety for generations to come.

The Parish Council is hoping to devise a ‘trail’ around the Common.  This will include much more detail about individual buildings.