Summary
Terraced housing of 1872 with outbuildings to the rear.
Reasons for Designation
Nos. 5, 7 and 9 Anchor Hill, a terrace of 1872 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: despite some alterations, the buildings retain a characterful facade with simple detailing and contemporary windows;
* Group value: with numerous buildings in the immediate vicinity listed at Grade II, contributing to its special interest.
History
Wivenhoe has Saxon origins; the Domesday Book of 1086 records a small settlement of fewer than thirty adults, livestock and a mill.
In the early C15, the town was owned by the Earls of Oxford, passing to Roger Townshend in the late C16. It seems probable that riverine trade and fishing played a significant economic role in the early development of the town. Ship building is documented from the late-C16 and continued to be an important activity throughout the post-medieval period producing both commercial and military craft near to the quayside up until the mid-C20. A vibrant port had developed by the C18. Shipbuilding continued to dominate and associated buildings such as public houses, maltings and housing, grew in number. A bath-house was built in 1750 by local doctor, Horace Flack, and a workhouse was constructed at The Cross. Racing vessels were built from the early-C19, and continued to be produced throughout the century. The town expanded with the coming of the railways, when its fishery could reach wider audiences, but until the mid-C20 shipbuilding still dominated the economic fortunes of the town. Military vessels and sections of the mulberry harbour, crucial to the success of the D-day landings, were built here, but both of the principal shipyards went out of business in the late-C20.
The draft Conservation Area Appraisal of 2007 describes Wivenhoe as an attractive small port which retains its maritime character along the Quay and Anchor Hill. Its historic core, nestling beside the river Colne and framed to the north by the C14 Church of St. Mary, is visually distinctive and maintains the vibrancy of its historic past.
Nos. 5, 7 and 9 Anchor Hill are a terrace of cottages built in 1872 with single storey outbuildings to the rear. The original plan-form comprised a main entrance to a pair with individual cottages accessed from the pair's central hall. Nos. 9 and 11 were knocked through to form one dwelling (known as no.9). The window to no. 5 was enlarged to form a separate entrance to that cottage. The outbuildings have been altered.
Details
MATERIALS.
Red brick laid in Flemish bond with gault brick details and slate-covered roofs.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
421487
Legacy System:
LBS
Sources
Websites www.wivenhoe.gov.uk Other
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
End of official list entry
