Replacement windows in Hildenborough, from the London Road frontage to Riding Lane

Hildenborough grew along the old road from Tonbridge to Sevenoaks. The road was turnpiked in 1710, and inns such as the Half Moon grew up beside it. That roadside history still shapes the houses you see from the B245 today.

The conservation area

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council designated the Hildenborough conservation area in December 1990 and adopted its appraisal in February 2011. It runs along the London Road frontage from St John's Church, built in ragstone to Ewan Christian's design in 1844, to the Half Moon, which the appraisal calls the oldest building in the area. It reaches north-east to take in Church Road, Mount Pleasant with its 1887 drinking fountain on the green, and part of Riding Lane.

Red brick is the main material, with yellow and dark grey brick picking out details. Sackville School's lodge has tile-hung gables, and Pembroke Lodge is a white stuccoed villa of the 1830s. Two pairs of listed cottages of around the 1840s stand on London Road.

What the windows were, and what goes back

The appraisal says most original windows in the area were recessed sashes, single-paned or divided, with horns on the upper sash, plus a few casements. It also notes that many have already been replaced. For an unlisted house in the conservation area, a uPVC vertical sliding sash with horns, set back in the opening like the original, is the usual choice and does not normally need planning permission. The listed cottages are a different matter: they need listed building consent, and timber box sash is the starting point.

Beyond the conservation area

The village spreads well past the church, towards Stocks Green, Leigh Road and the station, which is about a mile from the centre on the 1868 direct line to London. Houses there are mostly later and were usually built with casements. A flush casement keeps the look of the originals.

Background on the village: Hildenborough on Wikipedia.