North West Manual

The front cover of Streets for All: North West which shows the Albert Dock in Liverpool The North West’s landscape can be divided into three distinct areas: the uplands of Cumbria and the Pennines; the lowland plains of West Lancashire and Cheshire; and the urban areas of Greater Manchester and other industrial towns. These three areas have distinctive geologies, reflected in the materials used in historic streets.  The industrial towns have great civic monuments, reflecting their key role in England’s Victorian prosperity, built of stones from a wide range of sources.  The compact, walled cities of Carlisle and Chester have comparable plans of ancient origin, but their buildings are very different: red sandstone in Carlisle and black and white timber framing in Chester.  The upland towns and villages were founded on hard rocks that went on to become the local building material, creating a visual harmony between landscape and built form.  These distinct characters have to be thoroughly understood if they are to be properly conserved.