Winchester and its Setting
Winchester and growth
Winchester has evolved and grown over a period of 2,260 years. Beginning with the Iron Age settlements on St Catherine’s Hill and Oram’s Arbour (c. 250BC), followed by the Roman city from 43 to 410AD, Winchester grew slowly until the 19th century, when the City expanded in all four directions from the city walls. The 20th century saw major expansion to the west and to a lesser extent to the east, which more than doubled the urban area. So far this expansion to the west and to a lesser extent to the east, which more than doubled the urban area. So far this expansion has caused less harm than might be expected, due to the landform, the great preponderance of trees and the ‘green wedge’ that characterize the principal apoproach roads.
To maintain the valued setting of Winchester, planning policies responding to the need for growth will have to steer a sensitive course that avoids both unsightly peripheral spread and damage to the assets of the City. Policies will have to very carefully manage ‘the China Cabinet problem’.
Growth of Winchester
The China Cabinet problem
The cabinet has the capacity to store and display precious china securely and safely. If china continues to be acquired, the capacity of the cabinet will be exceeded. China within the cabinet may then become damaged from overloading, and the elegance of the cabinet suffer from external storage.