Skelton's homes and plots
Skelton comes from the Old English "scelftun", a settlement on a shelf, which describes the town well: it sits on a terrace of land below the hills, looking north toward the sea. It is recorded in the Domesday Book, and Skelton Castle was built in the 12th century by the de Brus family. The castle, rebuilt as an 18th century Gothic house, still stands in parkland next to Old All Saints' Church, which was mostly rebuilt in 1785. At the 2011 Census the built-up area had 6,535 people.
The town is really a group of villages, including North Skelton, Skelton Green and New Skelton, each with its own mix of homes. The Skelton West ward, covering the old centre, is balanced between terraces (37.6% in the 2021 Census) and semis (37.4%), with 20.7% detached homes and very few flats at 2.6%.
The High Street has brick and stone terraces, many of them 18th and 19th century, with long back gardens running down or up the slope. Mining-era terraces in the surrounding villages have smaller yards. The post-war and modern estates have typical suburban plots, often on a gradient. Across all of them, the common thread is that gardens are rarely flat.
Many Skelton gardens look north over the town toward the sea, or south up to the hills, and the view often decides where the patio should go. On the High Street, back gardens behind the listed houses can be long and narrow, with old stone walls on either side; these walls are worth protecting during the work, and we keep excavation and heavy loads away from their footings. On the estates, owners usually want to replace a small, tilting builder's patio with something wide enough for a table, and to add steps so the rest of the garden is easier to reach.
On the shelf: stone, slope and water
The British Geological Survey records no superficial deposit at the centre of Skelton, with bedrock of the Saltwick and Cloughton Formations, sandstones, siltstones and mudstones, close to the surface. Elsewhere in the town there are patches of glacial till. In practice that means some gardens have stony, fairly free-draining ground and shallow rock, and others have clay.
Shallow rock can be a help, since it gives a firm base, but it can also make digging slower where we need depth for a sub-base or steps. Clay patches need digging out and replacing with compacted stone. We find out which we are dealing with when we dig, and adjust the build-up to suit.
The bigger issue in Skelton is usually the slope. We set the patio level from the house, keep it below the damp-proof course and give it a fall, then deal with the change in height using steps or a retaining wall rather than raising the patio high. Water running off higher ground needs a route past the patio, so a drain at the back of a cut-in patio is common. The Environment Agency does not show Flood Zone 3 within 750 metres of the centre.
Skelton conservation area
Skelton has a conservation area around the historic High Street and around 30 listed buildings and structures, among them several High Street houses, 1 and 2 Church Lane, Castle Lodge, the Church of All Saints, and the gates and walls of Skelton Castle.
A ground-level patio at the back of a house is usually permitted development even inside the conservation area. Front gardens, boundary walls and listed buildings need more care: non-permeable paving over five square metres at the front needs permission, and front walls in a conservation area may need consent to remove. We will tell you at the visit if anything should be checked.
What makes the price
We quote after a visit. In Skelton the main factors are:
- Slope. Steps and retaining walls are the biggest variable.
- Ground. Shallow rock can slow digging; clay patches need replacing.
- Access. High Street terraces may have no rear access.
- Drainage. Run-off from higher ground needs routing.
- Material. Sandstone, porcelain or concrete slabs.
- Removal. Lifting old paving and spoil.
Places next to Skelton
- Brotton patio page: East: a neighbouring village, also with a conservation area.
- Guisborough patio page: West: the market town under Roseberry Topping.
- Saltburn-by-the-Sea patio page: North: the Victorian seaside town.
Useful pages for sloping Skelton gardens: garden paths and steps, indian sandstone patios, garden walls.
All places we cover: areas page.
Asked about patios in Skelton
Our garden climbs steeply behind the house. What are the options?
A level patio by the house with a retaining wall and steps up to the next level is the usual answer. Two terraces can work on longer plots.
We hit rock just under the lawn. Is that a problem?
Not usually. Rock gives a firm base, though it can take longer to dig if we need depth for steps or drainage.
Do I need permission for a patio in the Skelton conservation area?
Normally not for a ground-level patio at the back. Front gardens, front walls and listed buildings need checking.
What stone suits Skelton's older houses?
Buff or grey sandstone suits the brick and stone of the High Street. Porcelain suits newer estate homes.
Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, Skelton West ward (Nomis); Wikipedia: Skelton-in-Cleveland; Planning Data: conservation areas; Planning Data: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.