Stoneygate Newsletter April 2018...Stoneygate April 2018 A Young Architect Makes His Mark SCAS Chair: David Oldershaw SCAS Website: Newsletter: Nita Foale, Nick Knight Printed by:

SCAS Newsletter Contact: Nick Knight [[email protected]] with your ideas Page 1

Conservation Area Society (SCAS)

Newsletter April 2018 Stoneygate

A Young Architect Makes His Mark

SCAS Chair: David Oldershaw SCAS Website: www.stoneygateconservation.org

Newsletter: Nita Foale, Nick Knight Printed by: AVS-Print, University of Leicester

Virtually all Leicester’s leading Victorian and Edwardian architects designed houses in the Stoneygate area, which is hardly surprising as it has always been regarded as the city’s foremost residential suburb;

its spacious streets and avenues provided scope for attractive designs in various styles, from grand houses in their own grounds to substantial terraced villas. Most of these architects had established practices, loyal clients and a known ―track record‖ of achievement but one unknown young man, Arthur Wakerley, was given an important commission at the age of twenty-one – long before he had proved himself in his chosen profession and long before he had become one of Leicester’s leading citizens.

What led wealthy boot and shoe manufacturer James Edward Hyde to employ Wakerley to design Cornbury, the handsome villa at 83 Clarendon Park Road, when he already owned Rockleigh, the house next door? That

house was built to a design by the renowned Isaac Barradale, then at the height of his powers, as part of a terraced group of four houses extending to and round the corner of Central Avenue. We can only assume that there was a connection

between architect and client and it is quite possible that this commission, dated on the plans to 1883, was Wakerley’s first. It’s almost certain that when he received it, Wakerley was still articled to James Bird, in whose well-established practice he had been learning his trade since 1878. It wasn’t until 1884 that he set up on his own. It’s possible that Mr. Hyde went initially to James Bird and that Bird handed the commission to Wakerley as a sort of ―graduation‖ project; but this seems unlikely as on the beautifully drawn plans, there is no name other than Wakerley’s own.

Externally, Cornbury is a handsome house; well-proportioned and distinctive. Its lavish use of stone in the canted bay windows and top floor balustrade gives an air of solidity and permanence. The decorated name cartouche above the ground floor bay and the attractive polychromatic brick detailing of the gable, topped by a stone finial, add a touch of refinement. Interestingly, the entrance area, with its unusual stone detailing and matching front doors, is shared with Rockleigh, even though

there is a building line between the two houses. It would be nice to think this was architectural good manners on the part of the young Wakerley.


Beyond the front door with its leaded and stained glass, Cornbury makes an immediate impression. This is a Victorian villa on a grand scale; built to last. The entrance hall is wide and high; an impressive plaster arch punctuates the space just before the staircase and the deep skirting boards, heavy panelled doors and plaster cornice all add to the air of opulence. The main reception room faces the road and catches the sunlight. On the ground floor there is a spacious, well-proportioned dining room measuring a little over 16 by 17 feet into the bay. It retains many original features such as an ornately decorated ceiling rose, superb original fireplace and striking and highly distinctive stained glass panels in the upper sections of the bay window which have a surprisingly contemporary look about them.

The breakfast room is a little over fifteen feet square and has an intriguing floor-length three-section sash window, the central part of which recedes into a concealed compartment above the window frame allowing access to the garden—an unusual original feature. The ground floor accommodation is completed by a large kitchen and scullery, now converted into an open-plan living, eating and cooking area. There was also a rear service staircase, which was removed some years ago.

The main landing features another stained glass window of striking design depicting a dramatic sunrise. The upper floors contain five bedrooms and Cornbury’s piece de resistance – a magnificent first-floor drawing room measuring 22 by 16 feet which features stained glass of a similar (but not identical) design to the dining room but executed in different colours: green and blue for dining, deep red and yellow for withdrawing. A smaller window also has an upper section of the same glass design. The deep plaster cornice is complemented by a richly decorated ceiling rose of impressive proportions. There is also a finely carved wooden fire surround complete with inset marquetry panels.

The principal bedroom of equally impressive proportions is also on the first floor behind the drawing room and overlooks the walled garden. The front top floor bedroom has a large window opening onto the stone balustrade above the drawing room bay. The upper sections of the window contain panels of leaded and coloured glass. What were the servants’ quarters at the back of the house would have been reached by a second staircase near the kitchen door. Today all rooms are accessed by the main staircase.

Later residents of Cornbury included hosiery manufacturer Arthur Smith whose family firm (C. Smith and Bros) had factories in Rutland and Halford Streets. In 1934 the house was sold to a Mr & Mrs March for £675 – only about half its original cost - and let to Mr Harold Thurley for many years. It was sold again in 1963 to the Status Property Company and bought by the present owners a decade later.


The December newsletter featured the first of what we hope will be a regular series of opinion pieces written by SCAS members under the heading À Point of View’. As starts go, it was eventful.

Some members appreciated the article’s humour and satire but others objected to it; suggesting that the content, tone and language were inappropriate. While the SCAS committee (in effect, the editorial board) concluded that the content was suitable for our newsletter, we accept that some aspects of its expression may not have been and we have reviewed our editorial arrangements accordingly. We would like to thank everyone who took the trouble to comment and hope that the new venture will be the better for it.

Onwards and upwards. Please let us have your `points of view’ on anything conservation area-related via

the e-mail addresses given in this issue or the SCAS website! David Oldershaw, SCAS Chair

Your Points of View…..

Arthur Hart

The Architect: Arthur Wakerley was born in 1862 into a well-established Melton Mowbray family. His father was a successful brick and tile manufacturer and at the age of 14 Arthur began to work for him. He developed a love of architecture and became a pupil of the Leicester architect James Bird. By the time he was twenty-two he had set up on his own and that year won first prize in an architectural competition for a new school in South Wigston which was built at a cost of £6,000. A year later he moved into an office in Imperial Buildings in central Leicester and took on his first pupil and clerk. By this time he had been elected a councillor for the Middle St. Margaret’s Ward and was buying pockets of land in what was to become his self-contained suburb of North Evington.

In 1886 Arthur married Bertha Gunn of The Lodge, Stoneygate, daughter of hosiery manufacturer Thomas Gunn and grand-daughter of William Rushin who designed and built Rushin Terrace on London Road and several houses in New Walk, including what is now the Belmont Hotel. In 1890 the family moved to 58 London Road (recently demolished) and six years later he also purchased Gedding Hall in Suffolk. The following

year Wakerley became Leicester’s youngest ever mayor. In addition to his architectural and civic duties, Wakerley was a lifelong member of Bishop Street Methodist Church and a leading figure in the Temperance movement. He also chaired Leicester’s first Housing and Town Planning Committee.

Some of Leicester’s most distinctive buildings are Wakerley designs. These include the Turkey Café on Granby Street, the Coronation Buildings in High Street, the orthodox synagogue on Highfield Street, the former Liberal Club (now the Chinese Christian Church) on Clarendon Park Road and the former Belgrave Hall Methodist Church on Belgrave Road. He created the residential and industrial suburb of North Evington and designed many of its houses, chapels, factories and shops along with its market hall, fire and police stations. He gave land for charitable purposes such as the Wycliffe Society for the Blind, whose premises on Gedding Road he designed free of charge. He also designed an innovative £299 council house which can be seen in many parts of the city and further afield and his own country house Crown Hill, at the top of Gwendolen Road, (named after his eldest daughter) in several acres of his own land. All these buildings are still standing and are a testament to his versatility and individuality, without which Leicester would have been a great deal poorer. Neil Crutchley

Clarendon Park Community Arts Festival


Engaging Conversations

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As well as receiving requests for historic information (many from old Stoneygate residents) via the SCAS website, we are increasingly being asked for our opinions on prospective planning applications within the area. Whilst we cannot speak for the conservation or planning departments, we are always happy to

provide a `Society view’ and whatever advice we can. At a domestic level, we have spoken to new owners about subjects as small as the variation of an existing planning permission and as large as the complete remodelling of an existing house. At an institutional level, we have recently been talking with both the University of Leicester Estates Department over their plans for Brookfield and the Diocese of Leicester over their plans for St John the Baptist Church.

Following an initial meeting with the Estates Department last July, Matt, David, Jill, Nita and Nick were given a guided tour of Brookfield by Matt Flint and Harriet Knowles in January. Old age and the lack of recent use have taken

their toll. Exterior stone sills and timber work have both deteriorated badly and damp is (inevitably) an issue but many original interior features are in a good state of repair and the main staircase, lantern window and front doors, with their stained glass panels, remain as impressive as ever. The cellars are truly astonishing; providing enough food storage space for a small army. The original architects’ plans are part of the Goddard archive now held by ISKCON (based at the old HSBC Bank on Granby Street) who have kindly made copies available to the University. They make intriguing reading and clearly show how the original 1844 house was extended and remodelled in 1869-70. There is a great deal of work to do and we are very much looking forward to visiting the building again as it progresses.

We were approached by Adam Simmonds, Head of Buildings Development at the Diocese of Leicester, in May last year to discuss plans to develop St John the Baptist as a centre for the local community, as well as a place of worship. The church, built in 1885 (and, like Brookfield, designed by Goddard & Co) is Grade II star listed and we discussed outline plans for internal and external changes including pew removal, the addition of a cafeteria and the remodelling of the garden and car park. St Johns is a beautiful building and an asset to the conservation area. We said that we would be delighted to see more use made of it, subject to details. We met again in September to look over drawings and these have now been collected into a public consultation booklet called What If? Subject to planning consent and

the availability of funding, the Diocese plans to carry out work in three phases. The first, scheduled for later this year, involves landscaping the gardens to create more

This year’s events will feature the work of over 50 artists and take place over one evening and two full days;

Friday June 8th 6.00—8.30pm Saturday/Sunday June 9th/10th 11.00am—6.00pm

http://www.stjohnthebaptistleicester.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/StJohns-Brochure-Outlined.pdf

http://www.stjohnthebaptistleicester.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/StJohns-Brochure-Outlined.pdf


At our December meeting at the Regency Hotel we welcomed Jill Reville onto the

SCAS committee. Jill has been a member since 2006 and has been helping the SCAS

planning team assess new planning applications for the last couple of years. Having

seen what she could do, we had been cajoling Jill to apply her talents more broadly

and become a full committee member. Like many people with a busy social life and a

varied range of commitments, she had been reluctant. We are delighted that she has

finally accepted.

The midwinter get-together that we had planned for our volunteer newsletter

deliverers took place on Wednesday February 28th at 2 Clarendon Park Road. As the icy Siberian winds

blew across Leicestershire, committee members and guests warmed themselves in front of an open fire and

enjoyed drinks, nibbles and an evening of animated conversation on all things Stoneygate (and beyond).

Thanks to Nita for her generous hospitality, Gordon for co-ordinating and Andy, Aubrey, Janet, Bill and

Jan for their efforts on our behalf, which are much appreciated. Also to Paul, Alan and Glen who couldn’t

make it but who we hope to see at a future gathering.

We have been told that an information board bearing a dedication in memory of our ex-treasurer, Henry

Evans, was installed at the Attenborough Arboretum in February. When Spring finally arrives and the

trees are coming back into life, we will be arranging a small celebration of the event which will be reported

in the August newsletter.

Guided Walks

LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY Leicester, Capital of Nonconformity Saturday 5th May 10.30am Expert guided tour of four of Leicester’s historic Nonconformist chapels (2hrs 15mins). Assemble: Great Meeting, East Bond Street. Cost: £4.50

Radical Leicester Saturday 16th June 10.30am A tour of landmarks associated with the struggle between Tory/Anglican borough councillors and the Liberal Nonconformist manufacturers who supplanted them after the electoral and local government reforms of the 1830s (approx 2h) led by Cynthia Brown. Meet: Clock Tower. Cost: £4.50

(Booking essential: Stuart Bailey 01509-266818)

LEICESTER VICTORIAN SOCIETY Greyfriars Tuesday 10th July 7.00pm Sophie Noon, project officer for the city’s `Townscape Heritage’ regeneration scheme, will highlight what has already been achieved in this area of mainly Georgian housing and outline future plans. Conservation expert Mike Taylor will illustrate the area’s changing fortunes through a number of ‘House Histories’. Meet: Richard III statue, Cathedral Yard Cost £5.00

(Bookings: Carole Face 0116-267-5946. Closing date Friday 16th June)

SCAS Committee News

welcoming, usable spaces (including seating) and to develop the car park into a childrens’ play area. The second phase, scheduled for 2019, involves the replacement of the Òctagon’ with a new parish centre with improved facilities (toilets, heating, catering to support a full range of events), more space for meetings and groups and a community café. The final phase consists of changes to the inside of the church itself. It is heartening that owners are continuing to find imaginative new uses for Stoneygate’s historic buildings and that, more and more, they are seeking to share their ideas in advance.


Planning Matters (January to April 2018)

The large three-storey red brick Victorian building on the corner of Stoneygate and Aber Roads was purpose-built in 1881 as the Home for Penitent Females. A model institution whose patron was the Duke of

Rutland, the Home was managed by a board of local philanthropists and religious leaders and financed through charitable subscriptions and income generated by taking in laundry. Its residents (thirty girls mainly in their teens and early twenties) were cared for by a resident matron, a visiting physician, dentist and chaplain and a list of lady visitors which included the wives of prominent industrialists and the daughter of Canon Vaughan. By 1936 the premises had become an approved school for teenage girls and from the late 1950s to the 1990s they were an NHS rehabilitation facility for the learning disabled. Most recently they were the independent fee-paying Montessori Grammar School.

A few days before Christmas, an application was made to reconfigure part of the ground floor and the first and second floors into a 23-bedroom HMO for up to 39 people with a single shared kitchen, laundry and common room and shared shower rooms/wcs on all floors. Rooms were to be lettable by the week. The proposed use would have resembled Youth Hostels Association premises which provide unsupervised temporary accommodation for passing walkers and casual tourists; the staff being essentially caretakers and keyholders. Along with many residents, we objected. We welcome any attempt to breathe new life into empty heritage buildings but new uses should be genuinely sustainable. If sheltered accommodation for the vulnerable is what is intended, the design and concept would need to be of a much higher quality. We were relieved when the proposals were eventually withdrawn in January and look forward to seeing the more sympathetic scheme promised by the applicant.

Proposals to build a 72-bed care home on the site of Ashfield, the 1930s house at 11 Elmfield Avenue (featured on the cover of the April 2017 newsletter) were approved by the planning committee in December. The plans were amended to retain an original Victorian outbuilding and a further application to reduce the number of rooms to 68 and make external alterations is pending. The care home will include lounges, hairdressers’ salons, activity rooms, a café and cinema and there will be parking for 20 vehicles (including two disabled spaces) and separate cycle parking.

Residents were most concerned about the size of the development, the loss of trees and the expected impact from increased on-street parking and traffic. We were satisfied on these issues but queried the window design and landscaping. On the first, the officer concluded that the foil-wrapped uPVC windows were `not ideal in the conservation area’ but acceptable because `the building is set back and they would be well hidden’. On the second, the hard surfacing was covered by a `pre-commencement condition’ and so will need to be agreed with officers before work begins. The building will have a mix of gable and pitched roofs, dormer windows and chimneys to mirror neighbouring architecture and virtually all the protected trees will be retained. As we said earlier, we believe this to be a very good outcome for the site and have been impressed by the developers’ willingness to consult with residents.

`What are the rules concerning solar panel roof installations in the conservation area?’ we were asked recently. The simple answer is that, since December 2011, they have been permitted development as long as their effect on the appearance of the building is minimized, they don’t exceed the highest part of the roof and they don’t protrude more than 20cm from the plane of the roof—but there are other requirements. For a full explanation, check with planners and conservation officers.


We strongly object to a recent application to demolish 19 St John’s Road and build a pair of 4-bed semi-detached houses with designs ìnspired by the architectural styles of the existing buildings’ on the site. Originally named Whitelands, the house was built in the late 1890s as a family home. Its soft yellow brick contrasts with its neighbours and, while being more modest and homely than Isaac Barradale’s red-brick townhouses with their stepped Flemish gables, it makes an important contribution to the street’s mixed architectural character.

The application claims that demolition would remove ìncongruous and unsympathetic’ single-storey extensions which have àn awkward relationship’ with the main house. This is true – and we would enthusiastically support their removal as part of a plan to restore the house and front garden (now just a parking area) - but the presence of unsightly additions does not provide a case for clearing the entire site. We do not believe that `preserving or enhancing the character and appearance of the conservation area’ is best achieved by demolishing a perfectly good Victorian house to allow more profitable infilling of the space with modern houses whose design is a poor imitation of the one they replace. Nor do we believe that this `strengthens residential character’. That can be achieved much more simply by changing the existing business use. Consent was given last year to replace the bijou dwelling at 2 St Johns Road (built in the early `70s before the conservation area had been designated) with a larger house of better design. While having a certain charm, that building had little architectural significance. Whitelands, by contrast, would be a serious loss.

In Brief: 8 Ratcliffe Rd Retrospective application for front dormer and rooflights; 1st floor rear extension; rear dormer extension; balcony; remove rear chimney (amended plans) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 28 Southernhay Rd 1 storey front extension; 1 & 2-storey side/rear extensions; alterations WITHDRAWN 26 Southernhay Rd Fit 4x a/c units to side elevations (3x gr-floor level, 1x 1st fl level) PENDING

16 Burlington Rd Works to 5 (beech) trees TPO 536 CONDITIONALLY APPROVED Brookfield, 266 London Rd Demolish part of existing building; 1- and 3-storey side extensions; pedestrian access; associated landscaping; removal of 12 trees (amended plans) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 257 London Rd alterations/extensions to coach house (amended plans) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 327 London Rd Fell 1 (sycamore) tree; works to 2 trees protected by TPO REFUSED 26 Elms Rd, Stoneygate Grange Works to 1 (plane) tree TPO 461 REFUSED Dukes Dr Fell 1 (birch) tree TREE PRESERVATION ORDER 13 Toller Rd Bin store at front of care home (amended plans) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 6 Springfield Rd Construction of natural swimming pool and 0.2m raised platform at rear; alterations CONDITIONALLY APPROVED

13 North Ave Replace windows front, side, rear (10 units) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED

Membership News SCAS membership has continued to creep steadily upwards and we end the year with 235 member

households. Many thanks to you all. It is tremendously encouraging to the SCAS committee who work on

your behalf—and great to see that, while other things in the world seem increasingly uncertain, care for

our historical buildings and conservation areas remains an important part of our community life.

Membership subscriptions for 2018/19 are due on April 1st 2018. Our treasurer tells us that 140 are now

paid by standing order and he warmly recommends those who haven’t already done so to consider paying

by this method next year. You have a whole twelve months to get around to doing this, so there’s plenty

of time! Just fill in your details, send the completed form to your bank or building society and they will

ensure that your subscription is paid. Standing orders are a safe, reliable and time-saving way to make

regular payments and you can terminate the arrangement whenever you wish. Once you’ve

automated your SCAS membership renewal, you’ll wonder why you spent so long doing it the old way!


I/we wish to maintain my/our membership /become a member of SCAS and enclose a cheque

for £6 (per household per year) as from April 1st 2018

Name:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...................

Address:.…………………………………………………………............................... Postcode…………………

Contact Phone: .............................................................. e-mail...............................................................................

Send to: Nita Foale, Membership Secretary, 2 Clarendon Park Road, Leicester LE2 3AD.

Phone: 244 8438 email: [email protected]

Clarendon Park Congregational Church

Review of the Year’s Activities

Elections to the Committee

Any Other Business

Guest Speaker: Colin Hyde well-known

University of Leicester local historian, researcher &

outreach officer for the East Midlands Oral History

Archive will speak on

’Memories of Stoneygate and Clarendon Park'

Colin's involvement with oral history goes back to the original Leicester Archive which was set up in 1983. He has worked on a number of community projects, including the book `Walnut Street: Past, Present and Future’ (1995) and has recorded hundreds of hours of personal memories of Leicester for the East Midlands Oral History Archive. This evening he will share some of those relating to Stoneygate and Clarendon Park.

Refreshments will be available. Non-members are welcome.

SCAS AGM Monday 21st May 2018 7.30pm

Congregational Church, London Road

(between Clarendon Park & Springfield Roads)

Summer Botanic Garden Visit —Sunday June 17th 2.30pm To celebrate Fathers’ Day (and belatedly celebrate Mothers’ Day), you are all cordially invited to a guided tour of the University of Leicester’s lovely Botanic Garden and a talk on the history of its houses. Refreshments (tea, coffee and cake) will be served at the end of the tour.

Founded with the assistance of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, the Garden was established in Oadby in 1947 in the grounds of four Edwardian houses: Beaumont, Southmeade, The Knoll and Hastings which are now used as student residences. The four separate gardens have been merged into a single

entity - 16 acres of lovingly cultivated grounds and greenhouses with a wide variety of features and environments. The formal planting centres around a restored Edwardian garden.

The cost will be £5.00 per person including tea.

Please book in advance by sending £5.00 (cheques made out to SCAS) to:

Nita Foale, 2 Clarendon Park Road, LE2 3AD. Or signify your intention to attend by emailing her at: [email protected].

Documents

Stoneygate Newsletter April 2018...Stoneygate April 2018 A Young Architect Makes His Mark SCAS Chair: David Oldershaw SCAS Website: Newsletter: Nita Foale, Nick Knight Printed by: