The village and its homes
Hampsthwaite's name is Old Norse, meaning the "clearing of a man named Hamal". In 1304 Edward I granted it a charter for an annual market and fair. Its ancient parish once covered Birstwith, Felliscliffe and other townships that became separate parishes in 1866. Between 1875 and 1951 the village had a station on the Nidd Valley Railway between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge. The parish had 1,083 people at the 2011 Census.
The centre of the village, around the Church of St Thomas a Becket and the old bridge over the Nidd, is a conservation area with gritstone houses and cottages. Around it, roads such as Brookfield Garth, Hollins Lane and Meadow Close hold later detached and semi-detached houses. The wider Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate ward records 38.6% detached homes, 37.1% semi-detached, 15.8% terraced and 5.8% flats in the 2021 Census.
The village lies just outside the Nidderdale National Landscape, and land to the north and west is an Area of Great Landscape Value, so many gardens look out over open country. Plots are often sloping, and owners want a terrace that makes the most of the view.
Clay, slopes and drainage
The British Geological Survey maps the Harrogate Till, a gravelly sandy clay, over Millstone Grit, with river alluvium on the low ground by the Nidd. Till holds water after rain, and on sloping gardens water runs downhill toward the house or across the patio.
We dig out topsoil and soft clay, lay a geotextile where needed, and compact a crushed-stone sub-base under fully bedded slabs. The surface sits below the damp-proof course with a fall away from the house. On sloping plots, a channel drain along the top edge of the patio can stop run-off from higher ground.
The Nidd flows along the north side of the village, and the Environment Agency shows Flood Zone 3 within 750 metres on the riverside land. Its surface water map also marks many low spots within 500 metres, so drainage needs thought even away from the river.
Terraces on sloping ground
A sloping garden is often the best kind for a patio: you get a level terrace by the house with the view beyond it. We cut the terrace into the slope, retain the higher ground with a low gritstone wall and step down to the lawn. Keeping the patio within 300 mm of the ground generally avoids the need for planning permission.
Conservation area and listed buildings
The Hampsthwaite Conservation Area covers the centre of the village. Around nineteen listed buildings and structures are nearby, including the Church of St Thomas a Becket, whose tower dates from the 15th century, Hampsthwaite Bridge over the Nidd, Cockhill packhorse bridge, Grove House and Rowden House, High Stores House, Hollins Hall Farmhouse and old boundary stones. A ground-level back-garden patio is normally permitted development, but listed buildings, front gardens and walls need care.
Views over Nidderdale
Because so many Hampsthwaite gardens look out over open country, we design around the view as well as the sun. A terrace placed at the edge of the slope, rather than tight against the house, can give a better outlook, with planting kept low in front of it. Where a garden is exposed to the wind, a low wall or hedge behind the seating area gives shelter without blocking the view.
Hampsthwaite's stone houses suit natural stone, and the local gritstone walls are a good guide to colour: buffs, browns and soft greys. For newer homes on Brookfield Garth or Meadow Close, a sawn sandstone or porcelain gives a cleaner look, and block paving suits paths and side passages. Steps are a key part of most sloping-garden designs, and we make them wide and shallow so they are comfortable and safe to use, with a sturdy stone edge.
Pricing a Hampsthwaite patio
- Slope. Cutting in, retaining walls and steps.
- Drainage. Channel drains on sloping clay.
- Material. Yorkstone, sandstone, block paving or porcelain.
- Size. Larger plots on the edge of the village.
- Access. Cottages in the centre may have tight access.
- Walls. Gritstone walls to match the house.
More places near Hampsthwaite
- Patio design in Killinghall: East: a commuter village on the A61.
- Patio design in Bilton: South-east: a Harrogate suburb by the Nidd Gorge.
- Patio design in Pannal: South, beyond the town: a village in the Crimple valley.
Patios that work in Hampsthwaite: yorkstone & sandstone, block paved patios, porcelain paving.
The full list of areas: All areas.
Patio FAQs for Hampsthwaite
Our garden slopes toward the view. What do you recommend?
A level terrace cut into the slope by the house, with steps and a low wall down to the lawn.
Water runs down our garden after rain. Can you stop it reaching the house?
Yes. A channel drain at the top edge of the patio catches it and takes it away.
Is the village a conservation area?
The centre is. Back-garden patios rarely need permission.
What stone suits a gritstone cottage?
Riven Yorkstone or a buff sandstone in similar colours.
Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, Killinghall, Hampsthwaite & Saltergate ward (Nomis); Wikipedia: Hampsthwaite; Planning Data: conservation areas; Planning Data: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.