Hatfield - High Street conservation area

Hatfield High Street was designated a conservation area on 21 December 1970. A full appraisal has yet to be carried out.

To view the location of the conservation area please go to the Heritage Map.

Hatfield has a long history dating back to the Saxon period where it was first mentioned as the site of a battle between rival Saxon kings (about 633 AD). The name derives from 'Heathfield' meaning a tract of open uncultivated land as it lay on a small gravel island in the middle of the peat moors, marshes and bogs. In the time of the Domesday Book (1086) it was recorded as part of the large estate of Conisbrough and there is also a reference to a church at Hatfield.

In the medieval period the focus of the settlement was the Grade I Listed Manor Hall where there was a 12th Century royal hunting lodge of which slight traces may survive. Also Grade I Listed is the Church of St Lawrence which dates mainly from the 12th and 15th Centuries.

The village to the north is a classic example of a medieval street village with a high street off which there are long thin plots which would have been connected at the rear by 'back' lanes. This layout is of particular historical interest. The focal point of the village is the junction of Manor Road and High Street where the shops would originally have been timber-framed buildings renovated in the 18th Century and encased in brick. Many of the traditional buildings off the high street are of handmade brick dating from this period and have clay pantile roofs with agricultural buildings and modest dwellings originally having 'Yorkshire' (horizontal) sliding sash windows. The village is also characterised by high brick walls which are the remnants of farm properties and contributes to a sense of enclosure to the properties.

The eastern end of the conservation area has been heavily altered by the construction of the M18 junction, though this now affords a strong view of the church tower across the long high street on descending into the village. The area around the Manor Hall and to the east is likely to be of high archaeological interest.

Within the conservation area there are 12 listed structures. These can be viewed on the Heritage Map which gives the address, grade and reference number of the listed building. The reference number can be used to find the listing description for any individual listed building using the Historic England database. To the south of this conservation area lies Hatfield - Manor Road Conservation Area.

The above description of the conservation area is only a brief overview subject to a full appraisal that will consider in more depth the features that make up the significance of the area.

Further Information

Further Information about Conservation Areas can be found at Conservation Areas in Doncaster.

If you have any queries about the conservation area contact: conservation@doncaster.gov.uk
Doncaster Council, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU
Tel: 01302 734922 or 735199

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