Guisborough's houses
Guisborough appears in the Domesday Book, and its name has puzzled scholars: the second part may mean a fortified town or a stream, and the first may be a Norse personal name. The town grew around Gisborough Priory, founded by the de Brus family, and later became the market centre for the farms around the hills. At the 2011 Census the parish had 17,777 people, 16,979 of them in the built-up town.
The Guisborough ward covering the centre and older streets has a lot of terraced housing: 40.7% of homes in the 2021 Census, with 29.3% semi-detached, 15.3% detached and 11.1% flats. Away from the centre, the town's other wards are dominated by post-war and modern estates of semis and detached houses.
That gives a wide range of gardens. On and behind Westgate and Belmangate there are long, narrow plots and walled yards behind 18th and 19th century houses. The terraces have small back yards. The estates have standard rear gardens, often with a view of the hills, where owners want a larger patio to sit out and enjoy it.
The setting also shapes what people want. Many Guisborough gardens look south to the Cleveland Hills and the wooded slopes above the town, so owners often ask for the patio to be placed where it catches that view as well as the sun, which is not always right outside the back door. On the larger estate plots, a patio part-way down the garden with a path back to the house is a popular layout. In the older centre, walled gardens are sheltered and private, and a patio there is often about tidying an uneven mix of old flags, brick and concrete into one surface.
Sand, gravel and the becks
Much of Guisborough is built on glaciofluvial deposits: sand and gravel washed out by meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age, according to the British Geological Survey. Underneath is Redcar Mudstone. Sand and gravel drain far better than the clay found in most of the borough, which makes for an easier base.
Easier is not the same as no base. Sandy ground still needs compacting, and where the gravel gives way to clay or made ground, the bearing can change within one garden. We dig to a consistent formation, compact it, lay a geotextile where needed and build a crushed-stone sub-base, then lay the stone with a fall away from the house.
The Environment Agency shows Flood Zone 3 within 750 metres of the centre, following Chapel Beck and other streams that run down from the hills, and surface water mapping shows many low points in the town. Gardens near the becks or at the foot of a slope are worth a closer look at drainage.
Westgate conservation area
Guisborough has a conservation area covering the historic centre and around 100 listed buildings and structures, most of them along Westgate and Belmangate, including the Buck Hotel and the market cross. Gisborough Priory is also protected.
Even inside the conservation area, a ground-level patio in a back garden is usually permitted development. What does need thought is anything at the front, boundary walls, and any work to a listed building or within its setting. Front-garden paving over five square metres must be permeable or drain to a soft area anywhere in England. We point out anything that should be checked with the council when we visit.
What shapes the price
We quote after seeing the garden. In Guisborough, these matter most:
- Plot shape. Long town-centre plots and walled yards take more planning.
- Ground. Sand and gravel help; patches of clay or made ground need extra work.
- Access. Terraces on Westgate may have no rear access.
- Walls. Repairing or building low stone or brick walls.
- Material. Sandstone suits older houses; porcelain suits modern homes.
- Removal. Lifting old slabs, concrete or gravel.
Places next to Guisborough
- Skelton patio page: East: a market town with a castle and conservation area.
- New Marske patio page: North: a hillside former mining village.
- Eston patio page: West, over the Eston Hills: a former ironstone town.
Guisborough owners often read: indian sandstone patios, patio slabs and paving, garden walls.
All places we cover: areas page.
Asked about patios in Guisborough
Does the sandy ground in Guisborough mean we can skip a sub-base?
No. Sand drains well but still needs compacting and a stone sub-base. It does tend to need less excavation than heavy clay.
Is my house in the Guisborough conservation area?
The conservation area covers the historic centre around Westgate. If you are unsure, we can check the boundary when we visit.
What stone suits an old Westgate house?
Riven sandstone in buff or grey tones sits well with older stone and brick. Some owners prefer reclaimed-look slabs. We bring samples.
Our garden backs onto a beck. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily, but we check levels and drainage carefully and keep the patio clear of the bank.
Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, Guisborough ward (Nomis); Wikipedia: Guisborough; Planning Data: conservation areas; Planning Data: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.