Bitteswell Conservation Area

5.0 Character Location and Uses

5.1 Bitteswell lies in the southwestern corner of Leicestershire, approximately 14 miles from Market Harborough, 13 miles from Leicester and one mile from Lutterworth. The Conservation Area embraces the compact village core located around the crossroads in the centre of the village greens and includes The Nook, Manor Road and Valley Lane. It also extends into Ashby Lane, along Ullesthorpe Road to the western edge of the settlement and east along Lutterworth Road to include the Tollgate Cottage and the pastures to the east which are seen from the east and form a foreground to the village core (see Map of Bitteswell Conservation Area).

5.2 The medieval settlement pattern is evident with the village clustered around the medieval church of St Mary. Bitteswell is a traditional farming village which consists of mainly residential properties in a rural setting, reflecting the history of agricultural land use in the village. Much of its historic character comes from the relationship of farms and fields to the housing and other buildings which form the settlement. It is located amid attractive countryside in south Leicestershire. Although only a mile from Lutterworth, Bitteswell retains a 'more rural feel' attributed to the southern part of the Leicestershire Vales in Natural England's National Character Area 94.^[1] The trees and hedges leading into the village, as well as those within it, contribute to the feeling for rural tranquillity and close proximity to nature.

5.3 The eastern boundary of the conservation area includes the Tollgate Cottage on the Lutterworth Road and the pastures to the east which mark the foreground to the village core. Although Tollgate Cottage is in the Parish of Lutterworth it relates to Bitteswell and has historic links to Turnpike Cottage at the western end of conservation area. Turning from the urban road of Bill Crane Way to enter the conservation area at the eastern boundary on Lutterworth Road highlights the sharp contrast between neighbouring Lutterworth and the rural conservation area of Bitteswell. This is enhanced in the spring by the daffodils planted in the grass verges along the side of Lutterworth Road.

5.4 Just before Lutterworth Road reaches the main crossroads at the heart of the village, two small roads lead off it – The Nook and Manor Road. The Nook is a short, narrow, cul-de-sac which winds around the east of the church and contains a small grouping of eighteenth and nineteenth-century properties, including the Grade II-listed Russett Cottage. Manor Road is a short road running parallel to Lutterworth Road which includes a terrace of Victorian artisan cottages. Manor Road also contains a Grade II listed K6 telephone kiosk at one end and a George V pillar box in the wall of Clifton House at the other end of the road, both of which contribute to the character of the conservation area.

5.5 The spacious, picturesque village green is central to village life in Bitteswell. The green comprises of four open spaces which surround the main crossroads at the centre of the village. Buildings, a number of which are listed, are grouped around the large central green and extend along the Lutterworth Road and the cul-de-sac Valley Lane. There are several mature trees on the green and a number of wooden benches dotted around this green space to provide the opportunity to quietly reflect and take in different views of the village.

5.6 The mature trees on the greens are a prominent feature of the conservation area and provide a visual reminder of the changing seasons. The character of the village greens also changes during the day. This is particularly noticeable around the timings of the school day as the village school sits in the south eastern corner of The Green. Parents congregate on the village greens to collect children from the school or pupils alighting from the school bus which stops near to the crossroads and children play in small groups or seek shelter under the mature trees.

5.7 In addition to the central role of The Green in everyday life it has always been a place for village celebration, with events such as 'The Bitteswell Mop' or Whitsuntide dancing and it is also the focal point for local celebration of national events such as royal coronations and jubilees from the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 to the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Although the greens are well used they are all also well maintained and respected by its users as there was no evidence of litter problems or damage as a result of irresponsible parking.

5.8 Location at the centre of a crossroads can result in periodic interruptions to the rural tranquillity of the space, especially by traffic on the old turnpike road between Ullesthorpe and Lutterworth, although the loudest noise tends to be from agricultural vehicles which pass through from time to time.

5.9 From The Green the conservation area extends north down Ashby Lane to incorporate Corner Cottage to the west and Newstead House and Ashby House to the eastern side of the road. Another George V pillar box is situated in one of the gate piers of Ashby House. There are a few further dwellings along Ashby Road before open countryside is reached but they are outside the conservation area.

5.10 Heading west from the central crossroads the conservation area extends along Ullesthorpe Road where buildings range in date from the Grade II listed Almshouses of Powell Row (1847) to twentieth-century buildings including the 1930s Man at Arms Pub and the 2013 properties of Deacon Close.

5.11 Valley Lane is the remaining road to lead off the central crossroads on The Green. This is a long, narrow, attractive cul-de-sac which includes the village school, the early nineteenth-century Grade II listed Royal Oak pub and Dowell House (formerly Valley Farmhouse). It also includes Bitteswell House (1800) and properties from throughout the twentieth century. There has been considerable development in Valley Lane over the last forty years, some of which is of higher density and more suburban in character, however, the quality of the lane remains. There are two footpaths leading directly from Valley Lane into surrounding open countryside within and outside the conservation area boundary, both of which are well used.