Barnston Conservation Area

Barnston Village Conservation Area was designated in December 1983. It is in one of the most rural parts of the Wirral, within a band of largely undeveloped land stretching along the centre of the peninsula to the outskirts of Birkenhead and Chester.

While the original village can be traced back to the Domesday Book, documentary evidence suggests that Barnston existed before the Norman Conquest, archaeological finds in and around the area seem to suggest that it may have been a settlement many centuries before, with Roman and Bronze Age artefacts found.

The earliest remaining buildings in the Village date from the eighteenth century. Still dominated by working farms, the Village retains its essentially rural character and represents a good example of a post medieval nucleated settlement.

The character of Barnston is distinctly one of a small rural village that has gradually grown up over a number of centuries. Barnston has an irregular grain and there is very little repetition of building types. Very few buildings were constructed in the village after 1900 and as such the original layout remains largely unaltered. Historic buildings in Barnston are generally of a simple style and their forms are largely functional, with very little applied detailing.

The appearance of the Village is dominated by two distinctive groups of buildings: the old core of domestic buildings, centred around Old Lane and its junction with Barnston Road; and the Church precincts, framed by imposing sandstone buildings formed in a loose square whose open side is presented to Barnston Road.

The Conservation Area Guidance leaflet explains what a Conservation Area is and how the designation or extension of one affects those who live there. The aim is to provide general guidance and advice on the type of works that normally require planning permission as a result of designation.