Barnes Green Conservation Area

The Barnes Green Conservation Area was designated on 14 January 1969, making it one of the earliest conservation areas in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It covers the historic core of Barnes – the village green, the High Street, Church Road, Station Road, and The Terrace along the riverside – together with later nineteenth- and early twentieth-century residential streets to the east and west.

Designation and Extensions

The conservation area was created under the Civic Amenities Act 1967 by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It has been extended four times, with minor boundary rationalisations in 2024:

The most recent Conservation Area Appraisal was adopted on 8 February 2024, following public consultation between September and October 2023.

Character

Barnes sits within the meander of the Thames on flat, low-lying floodplain. Mill Hill on Barnes Common is the highest point at just twenty-seven feet above sea level. The flat terrain allows long views along Church Road and the High Street wherever the road does not bend.

The appraisal identifies four elements that define the area’s character:

1. The river – the Thames and The Terrace
2. Historic thoroughfares – the High Street, Church Road, and the shopping centre
3. Barnes Green – the open space and pond at the heart of the village
4. Residential streets – the surrounding Victorian and Edwardian housing

Listed Buildings

The principal listed building is St Mary’s Church (Grade II*), with Norman origins, rebuilt in 1984 by Edward Cullinan. Numerous other properties carry Grade II listing, particularly along The Terrace. The conservation area also falls within a Tier 2 Archaeological Priority Area.

Buildings of Townscape Merit

Beyond the formally listed buildings, the Council identifies Buildings of Townscape Merit (BTMs) – locally listed heritage assets of considerable importance. These include properties along Barnes High Street, Archway Street, and Barnes Primary School. BTMs receive planning protection under the Council’s Supplementary Planning Document (adopted May 2015), with a presumption against demolition.

Architectural Diversity

Barnes’s long history of development has created a townscape of great variety:

• Seventeenth–eighteenth century: Early buildings along Church Road and the High Street
• Victorian era: Brick terraced housing with slate roofs and prominent chimneys, notably along Cedars Road
• Edwardian period: Larger houses with bay windows, decorative porches, and gabled roofs along Rectory Road, Bellevue Road, and Elm Grove Road

Materials range from yellow stock brick to red brick, with slate roofing throughout. Decorative brick bridges over Beverley Brook add further character.

Planning Controls

Within the conservation area:

• Planning permission is required for demolition of buildings
• Six weeks’ notice must be given before works to trees
• Permitted development rights are restricted
• Barnes Green is designated as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL)

The Barnes Village Planning Guidance (adopted January 2016) provides additional design and development guidance for the area.

Other Conservation Areas in Barnes

Barnes Green is one of several conservation areas in the neighbourhood:

• Mill Hill, Barnes (designated 14 January 1969)
• Castelnau (adjoins Barnes Green CA to the north)
• Barnes Common (designated 7 September 1982)

Together they make Barnes one of the most heritage-rich areas in the borough, which has eighty-five conservation areas in total.

Sources

1. Barnes Green Conservation Area Appraisal – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
2. Conservation Areas – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
3. Buildings of Townscape Merit SPD – Richmond Council
4. Barnes Village Planning Guidance SPD – Richmond Council