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Locals slam plans to tarmac historic cobbled town square which is favourite for period drama film sets

Stamford, Lincs, has 600 listed buildings and was the set for Pride and Prejudice in 2005

LOCALS have slammed plans to tarmac a cobbled square in a favourite town for period dramas.

Stamford, in Lincs, is billed as England’s finest stone town and was the setting for BBC’s Middlemarch and the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice.

Stamford's historic cobbled town square and streets may be paved over in new plans to save money
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Stamford's historic cobbled town square and streets may be paved over in new plans to save moneyCredit: Getty - Contributor

But Yorkstone cobbles in its market square could be replaced with asphalt to help drivers and save cash.

Retired nurse Carol Popple, 73, said: “I was born in Stamford. A solution has to be found that maintains the character.”

Educational advisor St-John Burkett, 58, warned: “The square will look awful.”

And Sandra Wissen Dring posted online: “Tarmac! You’ve got to be kidding! This is a beautiful Georgian town with beautiful buildings. To tarmac the square would be disastrous.”

The town has 600 listed buildings and became the first designated conservation area in England and Wales in 1967.

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Middlemarch, starring Patrick Malahide and Juliet Aubrey, was filmed in the town in 1994, followed by Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Rosamund Pike. Part of The Da Vinci Code was also shot there.

The cobbles in Red Lion square were only relaid in 2006 but there are claims the county council cannot afford to maintain them.

Last night Tory David Brailsford insisted: “There are no firm plans at this stage.”

Local Carol Popple thinks there must be a way to solve the problem and 'maintain the character' of the town
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Local Carol Popple thinks there must be a way to solve the problem and 'maintain the character' of the townCredit: Stephen Daniels/DANPICS
Keira Knightly and Rosamund Pike stroll around the hold town square in 1994's Pride and Prejudice
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Keira Knightly and Rosamund Pike stroll around the old town square in 2005's Pride and PrejudiceCredit: Alamy
Middlemarch's Patrick Malahide and Juliet Aubrey also visit the square for filming
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Middlemarch's Patrick Malahide and Juliet Aubrey also visit the square for filmingCredit: BBC
The late Ben Whitrow stars as Mr Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
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