Neighbourhood Studies
No. 2 - St Cross & its Surroundings
2 Land Use
a Residential
The built-up area is low-lying, with a pleasant one-mile level walk into central Winchester that makes it attractive to the elderly. The main group of smaller terraced houses are in St Faith's Road, Clausentum Road and Cripstead Lane. A picturesque district of mixed housing fronts both sides of St Cross Road, Cripstead Lane and Back Street; much of this is at the back of the pavement. It is this housing that retains the "village" feel in spite of the traffic.
b Sheltered Housing
Hospital of St Cross & Almshouse of Noble Poverty
The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty has provided sheltered accommodation since about 1130, but with a markedly different character to other institutions. The Hospital is a major medieval national monument of distinction and its attraction to tourists is to some extent in conflict with the privacy of the brothers. Other nearby residential institutions and sheltered housing include St Cross Mede and The Grange; these are both conversions of large houses with substantial extensions. The main front of St Cross Mede has a bow fitted with curved sash windows with curved glass; this unusual feature closes the view along the lane called "The Gravels" when leaving the Hospital. This house is undistinguished but pleasant and it is fortunate that the development of this large site was restricted to the Mead Road frontage because this left some wooded land at a key point facing the entrance to the Hospital.
c Apartment Housing
The large size of a number of houses has led to some flat conversions, a process that is preferable to demolition, especially where a large garden and the front of the house can be kept as existing. A large 3-storey block of thirty flats of banal design has been built in Norman Road; these back onto a commercial garage and there is unfortunately no room for a tree screen between the two. Fifty-four dreary-looking flats have been built near The Grange; these have the merit of being screened from the road by trees. There are twelve flats on the corner of Stanmore Lane and a further ten in Cripstead Lane.
d Shop
The shop at St Cross has recently re-opened. In the past complaints were made about advertising on and around the building, but this is something that must surely be accepted for a shop in this position.
e Other Land Uses
On St Cross Road there is The Bell public house; there is a primary school, St Faith's, in St Faith's Road, and St Faith's church hall in Back Street. These and St Cross Church form the social nucleus of the village. In Gamier Road there is the sewage pumping station; built in 1875, this is an industrial building of some distinction but unfortunately it has lost its chimney; it has now been converted for office use, and one of the pump wheels now makes a distinctive external exhibit. A refuse reclamation depot is at the back; the City Council aim to move it to a more spacious site, which would reduce the present traffic congestion on Gamier Road. There is a builders' yard between the main road and the Hospital, and a petrol station and car dealer further north on St Cross Road. The latter has been smartened up, but the site has potential for residential development. The small commercial garage in Cripstead Lane is very much in scale with the neighbourhood and is to be encouraged.
f Change of Use
On the corner of Cripstead Lane and St Cross Road the White Horse public house has been sympathetically converted to residential use, with a new hanging sign showing a white horse as a background to domestic activities. Opposite the one-time pub the then wine shop is now a house with a new house built on its previous parking area; this might have looked better if a simpler design had been chosen.