The village
Brompton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bruntone, from Old English words meaning "broom farm". The traditional site of the Battle of the Standard, fought between English and Scottish armies in 1138, lies just north-west of the village on Standard Hill. In the 18th and 19th centuries Brompton was an important centre of linen making, with eight mills at its peak in 1820, before the industry faded in the early 20th century. Linen Way now stands where the John Pattison Yeomans mill was, and bricks from the chimney of another mill form a memorial to the linen workers on Water End Green. Today Brompton is largely residential.
Brompton shares a ward with the north of Northallerton, where the 2021 Census records 30.9% detached homes, 30.6% semi-detached, 26.8% terraced and 9.7% flats. In the village itself, brick cottages and terraces line Water End, Lead Lane, Cockpit Hill and the greens, while Linen Way, Mill Hill Drive and other later roads hold newer family homes.
Cottage gardens are often long and narrow, sometimes walled, and some run down toward the beck. Newer homes have more regular plots. Requests include a sandstone terrace behind a cottage, a patio outside new doors and a well-drained yard.
Clay and the beck
The British Geological Survey maps the Vale of York Formation as a gravelly sandy clay here, over Mercia Mudstone. It holds water after rain and softens when wet, so a patio needs a proper base.
We dig out topsoil and soft clay, lay a geotextile, and compact a crushed-stone sub-base. Slabs are bedded on mortar, at least 150 mm below the damp-proof course with a fall away from the house. On clay, water is usually taken to a gully or channel drain.
Brompton Beck runs through the village, and the Environment Agency shows areas of Flood Zone 3 within 750 metres of the centre, on the low ground along it. Gardens close to the beck need careful levels.
Village heritage
The Brompton Conservation Area was designated in 1987. About 13 buildings near the centre are listed, including the Grade I Church of St Thomas, Chapel House, Little Close and houses on Northallerton Road, Lead Lane, Church View, Cockpit Hill and The Green. A ground-level patio at the back of a house is usually permitted development. Listed buildings, front gardens, walls and trees in the conservation area need more care, and some works need consent.
Choosing a patio
Brick cottages suit warm sandstone or a buff limestone, laid with simple, even joints. Clay pavers or setts are a good choice for small yards with drains and corners to work around, and they suit the village's brick. On newer homes, porcelain gives a crisp, easy-clean finish. Where a cottage garden is long and narrow, a terrace across the width by the house with a path beyond often works best.
Old walls and long plots
Many cottage gardens are bounded by old brick walls. We keep new paving clear of their footings and leave weep gaps open so the walls can dry. If a wall is leaning or needs repointing, we will mention it at the visit, as it is easier to deal with before the patio goes down.
Newer homes on Linen Way and Mill Hill Drive
Not every Brompton garden is a cottage plot. The newer roads built on former mill land, such as Linen Way and Mill Hill Drive, have family gardens with regular shapes and good side access. Here the usual request is a patio across the back of the house, sized for a table and chairs, with a path to a shed or gate. Porcelain or sawn sandstone suits the modern brick, and a raised bed or low wall at the patio's edge gives extra seating. On this clay, a channel drain along the patio edge is often the simplest way to keep the lawn and paving dry.
Things that change the price
- Access. Cottages may need materials carried through.
- Clay. Soft ground replaced with compacted stone.
- Drainage. Gullies or channel drains on clay.
- Walls. Working beside old brick walls.
- Material. Sandstone, limestone, pavers or porcelain.
- Levels. Gardens falling toward the beck.
Other villages near Brompton
- Patios in Romanby: South, beyond the town: a large village with a green.
- Patios in Osmotherley: North-east: a stone village in the Hambleton Hills.
- Patios in Appleton Wiske: North: a village in the Vale on the River Wiske.
Patios that suit Brompton: sandstone & limestone, block patios, porcelain patios.
Everywhere we cover: See all towns and villages.
Patio FAQs: Brompton
What suits an old Brompton cottage?
Warm sandstone or buff limestone, or clay pavers in a small yard.
Is Brompton a conservation area?
Yes. A ground-level back-garden patio usually needs no permission.
Our garden runs down to the beck. Can we have a patio?
Yes. We set it at a sensible level and plan where the water goes.
Do you need a drain on clay?
Usually. Water is taken to a gully or channel drain.
Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, Northallerton North & Brompton ward (Nomis); Wikipedia: Brompton, Hambleton; Planning Data: conservation areas; Planning Data: listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.