Washington Village Conservation Area

Designated in 1975. The Conservation Area is based on the historic village of Washington (HER 352). At the heart of the village is The Green. Buildings of note include Washington Old Hall (HER 354), Dame Margaret Hall (HER 5667) and Holy Trinity Church (HER 7044). By the 1960s Spout Lane had become a busy through road, but the New Town works included the curtailment of the street. The Sunderland Highway dual carriageway now forms the northernmost boundary of the Conservation Area. The works prevented the village from being a through route, which was on balance a significant positive effect on the character of the village. The declaration of the CA in 1975 was partly in response to the designation of Washington as a New Town. The village became an oasis in the heart of a planned conurbation. The layout of the village has not changed significantly in the last 200 years. The streetscape has altered little, apart from recent residential development west of Spout Lane, and on the Borough Council site in the grounds of the former rectory. Infill developments in gap sites are somewhat unsympathetic. The majority of properties are sandstone with Welsh slate roofs and timber windows. A number of original windows have been replaced in uPVC. The oldest properties have red pantile roofs. Recent development has been in brick. Later 20th century houses on the edge of The Green and Spout Lane are a mixture of brick, pebble dash render and tile hung panels. Washington Village is set in the midst of intense mature greenery. There is a commercial core with small shops, pubs, a library, community centre and two churches.