Acceptable surface for parking area at Georgian vicarage

[Sue Rose]

Hi,
First time of writing to PPUK so hopefully someone can help me out.

We have purchased a Grade II listed Vicarage built around 1770 which for the past 20+ years has been a nursing home and has since been poorly 'converted' back to a house by a local builder.

The rear of the property has Victorian and then approx 1980s brick extensions added and this has created a kind of courtyard which is now a parking area. The surface has been given a rough covering of large uneven nasty grey gravel by the builders and we would like to clear this off and lay something more suitable - both to walking on and to the period of the property.

As the house is listed we contacted our local Conservation Officer to discuss options as we favoured either laying Victorian bricks as the 'old' option, or flat cobbles (Bradstone etc) as the 'new' option. Both these suggestions were not taken kindly by the Conservation people who said that actually they were not adverse - and actually favoured - black tarmac. We told them that actually we WERE adverse to black tarmac.

So, to the point of this message. Is there anyone out there in a Grade II listed Georgian building who can send me information, and photographs if possible, of what you have at your property. I have been looking in lots of source books but they are only concerned with the fronts of houses and so have drawn a blank.

Any assistance you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in anticipation,
Sue

 

[biffvernon]

Tarmac has got to be one of the worst options (bar concrete) because rainwater will run off causing drainage problems. Make sure that whatever you use allows the water to soak straight in.

Car parking was not much of an issue in 1770 so for something suitable to the period you want a surface that is good for horses hooves.

 

[Peter]

Cobbles!

 

[Moo]

Or, what about those grey bricks with specially indented surfaces that one often sees in old stables and stableyards?

 

[biffvernon]

And make sure you lay them in sand not cement so the water can drain through the cracks.

This website: The Paving Expert, is a pretty amazing source of information for covering the earth.

 

[erusfarley]

Hi
I am nowhere near expecrt on these things but why not try watching a couple of BBC dramas, such as Jane Austens, pride and prejudice, Emma, etc, they were all written around that time and when the adaptations for tv were done the film companies did all the research to make them authentic.

speaking with a love of pride and prejudice(the one with Colin Firth, obviously) there is a part of the film where Lizzie goes to stay with a friend who marries a vicar, there are plenty of scenes around the vicarage,
not saying this will tell you exactly what to do but might give you some ideas?

 

[Ushy M]

Sounds like watching Colin Firth (presumably in the wet breeches?) has given you one or two ideas - possibly unrelated to paving! (me too by the way) :wink:

 

[Peter]

Ours starts off with pennant stone flags which go into the old stables before reducing in size from very large cobbles back to what I would call normal cobble size. Not quite sure why the different sizes unless it's something to do with ease of cleaning.

 

[biffvernon]

Hi
I am nowhere near expecrt on these things but why not try watching a couple of BBC dramas, such as Jane Austens, pride and prejudice, Emma, etc, they were all written around that time and when the adaptations for tv were done the film companies did all the research to make them authentic.

The more recent Pride and Prejudice had a couple of very fine giant redwood trees in front of the Bennet's house. These would have been new imports and just little saplings in Austen's day. But you've got a point - there was no tarmac.

Colin Firth played Vermeer in A Girl with a Pearl Earring. There was a nice scene which showed how a 17th century top hung casement window operated. The film makers made a very faithful copy but then found that the young girl, Griet, (Scarlett Johansson) wasn't strong enough to lift it on her own so they had someone upstairs hauling it up with a bit of string at just the right moment.

You can't believe everything you see in the movies.

 

[erusfarley]

Hi
I am nowhere near expecrt on these things but why not try watching a couple of BBC dramas, such as Jane Austens, pride and prejudice, Emma, etc, they were all written around that time and when the adaptations for tv were done the film companies did all the research to make them authentic.

The more recent Pride and Prejudice had a couple of very fine giant redwood trees in front of the Bennet's house. These would have been new imports and just little saplings in Austen's day. But you've got a point - there was no tarmac.

Colin Firth played Vermeer in A Girl with a Pearl Earring. There was a nice scene which showed how a 17th century top hung casement window operated. The film makers made a very faithful copy but then found that the young girl, Griet, (Scarlett Johansson) wasn't strong enough to lift it on her own so they had someone upstairs hauling it up with a bit of string at just the right moment.

You can't believe everything you see in the movies.

You have just confirmed my theory, the casement window was well researched and true to form, in the old days the wee young lasses, dainty and fair maiden types a) would not have lowered themselves by opening a window or b) would not have had the ability too being delicate and only able to sit and embroider, hence servants would do that sort of stuff, big strapping housekeepers with arms of steel and hands as big as plates.

NOW, can we get back onto Colin Firth in the wet shirt/breeches PLEEAASE ! ! ! !

 

[erusfarley]

have just remembered this place we went to a few weeks back, in west wales, grade II listed, has front pic with pea gravel, looks quite good.
if i find any more i will forward them.
http://www.tymawrmansion.co.uk/

 

[biffvernon]

I thought Ty Mawr were purveyors of fine limes.

 

[Sue Rose]

Thanks for all these replies, I have watched P&P often (BBC version) and more recently the film version (no contest) - but that didn't help much as all they seemed to have in their back yard was mud, pigs and hens.

The link to the hotel with pea gravel is interesting though as I have also been leafing through Country Life (ok the houses for sale in there are much bigger than ours) and most of them seem to have gravel of some sort, so maybe that was the accepted surface and just cobbles into the stables.

Good point also about treating the area as suitable for horses as surely Conservation can't argue with that!

Also, thanks Biff for the link to the Paving Expert website, it'll take me about a fortnight to read all that.

 

[Paul Hopper]

Sue Rose

Son and his partner now live at our old farm, house 1820 buildings from 1775 to 2006 (new stable block)

Sara has horses (hence the stable block!) when they exposed the roadway and courtyard from layers of earth and weeds they have found brick courtyard with drains and herringbone concrete sections. These date we think from about 1880 ish. We had pea gravel over it all but the kids shifted it all cos they did'nt like the crunch!

We did little to it because we fell in love with our 16th Century (listed) village house which we are still doing up after many years

Follow the BBC though, not perfect but sometimes amazingly accurate on period stuff.

Paul