Reading tell-tale signs of Olton home's Edwardian origins

EDITH'S HOUSE: Gowan Bank, in Olton, was formerly
home to a well-known local resident.

SOME of Solihull's historic buildings immediately leap out at you while others stand almost unnoticed.

Gowan Bank, in Olton, is a fine old property but it's fair to say that people passing on their way to the nearby railway station, for instance, wouldn't think it looked all that different from the houses either side.
A lot of its heritage value comes from the fact it was once the home of one of the borough's most celebrated residents.
More than a century ago, the Kineton Green Road abode was the residence of Edith Holden - the amateur naturalist and artist who blazed something of a trail for environmentalism.
Decades after her death, the school teacher's illustrated journals would be posthumously published in what would become a global best-seller - The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.
While the idea of Edith as an early eco-warrior is a somewhat colourful take on the past - she was never Greta Thunberg in a bonnet - her obvious attachment to the natural world undoubtedly feels very prescient today.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Kineton Green Road is
part of Olton's conservation area, created in 1980.

As with the Old Hall, which we looked at last month, Gowan Bank is one of those properties which has received a lot more attention than it otherwise would have done because of its historic connections.
When the premises went up for sale two years ago there was a flurry of interest that house-hunters had a chance to buy the address where an international bestseller was written.
But even without these ties, the three-storey home is a very fetching example of the rather grand buildings which define one of Solihull's so-called mature suburbs.

Built in 1904, for the sum of just £500, it was then among just a handful of properties nearby. Indeed, an Ordinance Survey map from the turn of the century shows the area surrounded by countryside. 
A quick glance at the Trevor Yorke book British Architectural Styles shows how the home retains some of the signature features of the early 20th century.
In particular there are several flourishes which are obvious hallmarks of the Arts and Crafts movement, a rather romantic artistic style which was seen as a deliberate pushback against the dehumanising impact of industrialisation. 
In the case of Gowan Bank the influences can be seen in its stained glass windows, the protruding wooden frames and partly pebble-dashed frontage.
Picking out these details from the roadside offers an insight into how is it possible to place a building within a certain timeframe even when there isn't something as helpful as a date-stone. Styles of chimney, shapes of windows, even the number of panels on a front door might all offer clues.
Of course it is important to remember there is no "perfect" example of an Edwardian property; styles varied around the country and buildings haven't survived entirely unchanged given the century or so that has since passed.
But as time went by there was a growing emphasis on preserving the character of neighbourhoods which are evocative of a particular era.
If listing a landmark was about preserving individual buildings or groups of buildings, the role of conservation areas was rather further reaching. In some ways they recognised that the individual charm of buildings was magnified by having many clustered together.

So if Gowan Bank doesn't necessarily stand-out from the street scene, it might be because the street scene itself is worth paying more attention to. 

• An exhibition on local history is running at Olton Library until Saturday, October 21.

Farmhouse is a classic case of historic building dilemmas

RED BRICK SURVIVOR: Wharf Farm was built alongside
the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal. Solihull Council

HOW best to protect historic sites which are valued as local landmarks but have fallen into disuse?

Old farm buildings in Dickens Heath, built beside the canal in the 18th or 19th century, are currently at the centre of this debate.

A little over 18 months ago Wharf Farm became one of the newest additions to Solihull Council's "Local List" of heritage assets, amid fears the site was being scoped out for development.

The move approved in February 2022 was just about the best option open to conservationists at the time; it had been deemed "an interesting example" of agricultural buildings of this period and type, and deserving of protection. 

But it wasn't unusual or precious enough to meet the higher bar for a national listing.

Fast forward to this autumn and councillors are weighing up a scheme which will see outbuildings pulled down to make way for eight new houses and the farmhouse itself, apparently empty for five years or so, extended.

While being treated as two separate applications, the fact that decisions on both were deferred at last night's planning committee meeting confirms they are largely being treated as one connected package.

In terms of the outbuildings the council papers note the development (pictured right) would mean the "total loss" of their significance - local authority speak for "they wouldn't be there anymore".

Although heritage experts felt there were benefits to the changes to the main farmhouse; while due to be enlarged the refurbishment would mean the core building's future was secure.

This shows the balancing act officials face when considering schemes like this. When old buildings fall out of use they are at greater risk of vandalism, arson or decay. Locals will note that an ageing barn pulled down during HS2 works near Coleshill was falling in on itself long before the bulldozers moved in.

Putting such sites back into use might improve their prospects in the long-term, but may well mean changes that dispose or alter aspects of a site. The key question is how much change is too much?

Developers argue that while the site is "attractive", a good number of similar buildings exist across the country. Although the fact remains that in Dickens Heath premises which pre-date the mass expansion of the village in recent decades are rather rare.

Council officers apparently feel that enough of the farmhouse exterior - which hasn't seen a great many alterations over the years - will be kept and preserved to justify some of the losses elsewhere on the site.

Although as is always the case, other considerations - such as road safety and access - will weigh on the final judgement of Solihull Council. With decisions deferred this week, the next possible meeting for the scheme to be considered will be Wednesday, November 8.