Kennet Conservation Area

The miners' row of some 20 houses built in 1804 is the focus of the Kennet Conservation Area. Mining was established in the area as early as 1519 and although slavery in mines was officially abolished in 1755, some Scottish miners still wore metal collars stamped with their owner's name as late as 1800. The survival of this typical Scottish miners' row is therefore an important part of our social history, quite apart from its picturesque qualities, thanks to the sensitive restoration carried out in 1978 when the Kennet outstanding conservation area was designated.

The more recent conservation area appraisal and management review by Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation identified ways in which the character of the row was in danger of being eroded, and proposed boundary changes, but underlined its survival and restoration as a significant conservation achievement. Conservation area character appraisals can play an important part in education, maintaining local awareness of heritage assets which can otherwise be diminished by familiarity.