Classic English Hill Towns: Ways of Looking at the External Appearance of Settlements

Abstract

Developing earlier publications on the external appearance of English hill towns, this paper examines in depth three such towns. The discussion focuses on four features that give rise to the distinct identity of ‘classic’ English hill towns in the landscape: the shape of the underlying landform; the way that the built form of the town has responded to that landform; the influence of this relationship on the external appearance of the town; and the visibility of the town in the wider landscape. A model is offered to explain the relationship between these four features, with particular attention being paid to the need for a realistic appraisal of what people can actually see of the town from surrounding viewpoints. The analysis reveals significant similarities between the towns but also crucial differences that mark out their individual, unique identities. More broadly, the analysis is relevant to appraising the external appearance of a wider range of settlement types, whether in England or internationally, that might in turn inform planning design policies.