Hurworth Patios and Garden Paving

Houses and gardens in Hurworth

People have lived at Hurworth since at least the 12th century. The village's darkest chapter came in 1665, when the Great Plague reduced a population of around 750 to about 75; three dips in the village green are said to mark lime pits where victims, including people ferried across the Tees from other villages, were buried. The mathematician William Emerson was born here in 1701, died here in 1782 and is commemorated in All Saints' Church, which stands mid-village and was rebuilt in the 1830s and again in 1871.

National listing records show more than thirty listed entries in and around the village, from houses such as 34 and 35, 41, 42 and 51 The Green, Eden House and Beech Cottage to curiosities like a dovecote and pigsty, a fountain and trough and the Emerson table tomb in the churchyard. Most are Grade II.

The 2021 Census shows Hurworth as one of the more spacious wards in Darlington: 42.4% of households live in a detached house, 31.1% in a semi and 19.3% in a terrace. Away from The Green, later 20th century houses fill in the streets towards the river and the village edge.

Gardens in the old village are often long and walled, running back from the street in narrow strips, a layout typical of linear green villages in this part of County Durham. A patio here is usually a terrace by the house, sometimes with a path through to a lower garden or orchard. On the newer streets, owners tend to want a wider, more open patio across the back of the house.

What lies under Hurworth gardens

Much of Hurworth sits on river terrace deposits, the British Geological Survey's name for sand and gravel left by the Tees when it flowed at a higher level, with Sherwood Sandstone beneath. This is some of the most forgiving patio ground in the Darlington area: it drains freely and is far less prone to the seasonal movement that troubles clay soils elsewhere in the borough.

That does not mean the base can be skipped. Loose sand and gravel need compacting, and long-cultivated village gardens often contain deep, soft topsoil, old paths and buried brick. We dig out to a firm formation, use a membrane where the ground is mixed, and compact a crushed-stone sub-base in layers. Falls still run away from the house, but on free-draining ground water can often go straight into a border or lawn rather than needing a drain.

The Environment Agency does not place the village centre in Flood Zone 2 or 3. Flood Zone 3 lies within 750 metres along the Tees and the Skerne, so gardens on the lowest ground by the river deserve a check of the flood map before a patio is designed.

Planning checks for Hurworth

The Hurworth Conservation Area is one of eighteen in Darlington Borough. The council publishes its boundary map and original designation document, though it notes that no character appraisal has yet been written for Hurworth.

A back-garden patio at or near ground level is normally permitted development, even inside a conservation area. Three things deserve a second look in Hurworth. First, trees: most trees in a conservation area cannot be felled or heavily pruned without six weeks' notice to the council. Second, listed buildings: work that affects the character of a listed house, which can include paving tight against it or changes to a historic garden wall, may need listed building consent. Third, front gardens: paving more than five square metres must be permeable or drain to a soft area, a rule that applies everywhere in England.

Budget factors

There is no price list; we quote once we have seen the garden and measured up. In Hurworth, these are the things that tend to move the figure:

• Stone. Natural sandstone in keeping with old brick costs more than concrete slabs.
• Access. Many houses on The Green have no side passage, so materials and spoil go through the house.
• Garden length. Long walled plots mean barrowing further.
• Hidden features. Old paths, footings and walls slow digging.
• Extras. Steps, edging, lighting ducts and walls.
• Old paving. Lifting and removing existing surfaces.

Also near Hurworth

• Patios in Blackwell: North-west along the river: 1930s homes and the Blackwell Grange estate.
• Patios in Middleton St George: East: a growing commuter village with two small conservation areas.

Where to read more for a Hurworth garden: indian sandstone patios, garden walls, garden paths and steps.

All places we cover: areas page.

Hurworth: common patio questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Hurworth-on-Tees; Darlington Borough Council: conservation areas; ONS Census 2021 TS044, Hurworth ward (Nomis); planning.data.gov.uk: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.