stoneygate newsletter july 2011 conservation area society ... · this distinctive family home with...

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

Conservation Area Society (SCAS)

Newsletter July 2011 Stoneygate

This distinctive family home with its entrance porch cum conservatory, abundant gardens and `Tudorbethan‘ features embodies an ideal of rustic simplicity, order and tradition. It is a cruel irony that it was barely completed before the terrible upheavals of the Great War. You might expect it to be in a rural hamlet or the Home Counties. In fact Thorpe Underwood stood on the corner of Holmfield and London Roads and was so named because it was literally `under wood‘ – set in a tree-covered site that had escaped the attention of Victorian builders.

Like other similar houses in Stoneygate, it was built for the managing director of one of Leicester‘s family-owned manufacturing companies. In this case it was Benjamin Rawson of J. Rawson and Son, bootmakers, Evington Valley Road. Thorpe Underwood was tastefully appointed and, in the Arts and Crafts style, had many fine and intricate wood carvings by pupils of Robert Thompson, the famous `Mouseman‘ of Kilburn, Yorkshire, whose signature motif was a small carved mouse.

The economic uncertainties of the post-war years prematurely ended the Rawsons‘ tenure and in the mid-1920s Thorpe Underwood passed to the proprietors of the Grand Hotel, Mr and Mrs Harvey Westgate. After the Second World War it was owned by a succession of medical specialists who held surgeries there.

Such a beautiful home with its period features intact and a large garden would be much sought-after today. In its original location its asking price might well approach six figures. Moved to within easy commuting distance of London it could be twice that.

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

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


Its fate illustrates how far our sensibilities and values have evolved over the last thirty years and helps explain why the Conservation Area was first created. Standing empty after having been severely damaged by fire in 1977, the house was broken into and suffered a series of arson attacks. The first destroyed its irreplaceable carved staircase. The others left it too badly damaged to be saved. It was demolished later that year and in 1982 Holmfield Court apartments were built on the site.

A local resident who lives nearby says he was reduced to tears when he saw the house after the

fire and said: ―It was one of the loveliest houses on London Road, which is saying quite a lot‖.

The turnout at this year‘s AGM at the Octagon Room of St John‘s Church again had us hunting for extra

seats. Over sixty people were welcomed by SCAS Chair, David Oldershaw including local councillors and

City Council officers. The review of 2010/11 showed a year of continuous activity on the planning front

and several highlights, particularly September‘s excellent Heritage Open Day which attracted nearly

seventy visitors. Reports from Treasurer and Membership Secretary confirmed that the Society is in good

financial health and that the steady growth in membership of the last five years has continued. At the year-

end 146 households were paid-up members.

This year‘s guest speaker was City Council Senior Building Conservation

Officer, Jenny Timothy whose subject was `Climate Change: Adapting

Old Houses Sensitively‘. Draughtproofing and thermal efficiency have

been talked about in Stoneygate for years but the 90s fashion for uPVC

window and door replacement highlighted an area of increasing conflict

between conservation and `modern living‘. Jenny addressed this issue

and many others. People are clearly attracted to both a `green lifestyle‘

and traditional buildings and are keen to learn how to reconcile the two.

There were many questions from the floor, ranging from whether

photovoltaic panels could be installed at conservation area properties to how to obtain free plug-in

domestic power consumption meters. Jenny warmly recommended the website

www.climatechangeandyourhome.org.uk and reminded us that the Council‘s Conservation Team are

always happy to discuss projects and offer advice. Tel: 252-7218 or e-mail [email protected].

Report of the SCAS Annual General Meeting

LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY presents: A New Guided Walk by Stuart Bailey

CITY OF THE DEAD Secrets of the Welford Road Cemetery Saturday 30th July 2011 10.30am to 12.15pm Cemetery Gates, Welford Road.

Leicester’s vast Victorian necropolis is full of fascinating people, their splendid monuments and their humble graves. It is also a wonderful wildlife haven. Join us on this journey of discovery. Cost: £3.00 Advance Booking Essential. Direct to: Stuart Bailey, 48 Meadow Avenue, Loughborough, LE11 1JT. (Cheques made out to “Leicester Civic Society”)

http://www.climatechangeandyourhome.org.uk/


What a great way to spend a Saturday, seeing art on your own

`doorstep‘. I live in Stoneygate and for two days a year I can stroll

around my neighbourhood and see an array of art from ceramic birds

to boiled wool handbags, from classic nudes to funky furniture

collages, from linocuts of Leicester‘s finest buildings to work by an

award-winning artist who paints unusual vegetables and plants.

Art House is now in its 5th year. The strapline says ‗extraordinary art

in ordinary houses‘ but I would dispute the definition of the houses.

Most of them are far from ordinary and that‘s what makes it such a

special day out. Not only do you get the chance to see a diverse

range of art and meet the artists in person, you also have the

opportunity to see inside nine very different houses. You can admire

the beautiful tiled hallways and the ornate cornices and high ceilings.

You can sit in a cobbled courtyard and wonder at the history of the

coach house which has been turned in to an artist‘s studio. You can also take pleasure in walking around

some of the most beautiful gardens and see succulents growing out of large ceramic pebbles, pottery

chickens hiding under trees and if you look carefully there are gargoyles watching over the proceedings,

like an ancient CCTV camera!!

If you didn‘t get the chance to visit Art House this year, make it a priority next year. It really is a great

day out. Janet Bliss

Art House 2011: June 11th & 12th

Hunting out Stoneygate’s Rare Plants & Trees A friend recently pointed out an unusual lily in my garden. She told me

that it is actually a wild variety called the martagon lily. I have always

had them so I‘ll never know how they got here, but it did make me think

about plant hunting.

The Victorians were keen plant hunters and I wonder if members‘

gardens contain any evidence of it? When Victorian businessmen built

their grand houses in Stoneygate and laid out their gardens, did they seek

out rare and exotic species? And if they did, are any specimens still in

existence? It would be fascinating to see photographs, if members have

them. While most of the older

established landscaped gardens

have been lost or much reduced,

it‘s possible that fragments of them

may have survived.

There used to be a very healthy

medlar tree in a front garden on

London Road, for instance, before it fell victim to the (now

discredited) fashion for `total‘ hard landscaping. Are there any

other rare varieties of fruit tree thriving in our gardens, I wonder?

What we can buy in the shops is now so limited that perhaps few of

us would recognise it if we saw it but it‘s worth taking a second

look. And if you do find anything, please let us know!

Jenny Westmoorland


In April plants came to life again with a vengeance—as if to put their tongue out at hard departing Winter. Wonderful then the effects achieved by some “front of house” — elegant lines, curve of stone, tufts and sweeps of green and gold, mad blushings, topiary ...... the architecture of house and plant and street meeting and getting on well together.

Front of House

Alexandra, Sandown

& Stoneygate Roads


In April plants came to life again with a vengeance—as if to put their tongue out at hard departing Winter. Wonderful then the effects achieved by some “front of house” — elegant lines, curve of stone, tufts and sweeps of green and gold, mad blushings, topiary ...... the architecture of house and plant and street meeting and getting on well together.

Front of House

Alexandra, Sandown

& Stoneygate Roads

Caroline Cook

April 2011


Planning Matters (March 2011 to July 2011) Spring has seen residents moving into two interesting new developments in Stoneygate. The luxury apartments that replaced a 1950s detached house at 330a London Road were granted planning

permission nearly four years ago and considerable effort has been made to create a building which reflects neighbouring Victorian houses. The result has, in our view, been a success; a cutting-edge design in such a prominent location would have been very risky. Only one thing now remains to be done – the appropriate soft landscaping of the frontage and boundaries. This was a condition of the planning permission and is an essential conservation area feature, not just a finishing touch. At several recently refurbished apartments it has been either neglected or omitted altogether. We hope this impressive new property will set a higher standard.

The development by David Wilson Homes of a site in Stanley

Road previously occupied by university halls of residence is now complete and has been named Barradale Court. Here too a conscious attempt has been made to reflect Victorian design; in this case echoing the work of nineteenth century Leicester architect Isaac Barradale. The gable-end front balcony and recessed front porch (not normal features of modern housing) are a refreshing surprise. We applaud the way that a major national housebuilder has acknowledged the uniqueness of the Stoneygate setting but we are still a little wistful. It is in sites like this that the City Council‘s promise to consider innovative sustainable modern architecture could become a reality.

We are delighted that the future of College Hall now seems to have been secured. In May Leicester University announced plans to develop the Grade Two-listed former student residence complex designed by Sir Leslie Martin (Royal Festival Hall) and Trevor Dannatt (Jewry Wall Museum) into a high-quality conference centre with 120 en-suite rooms, a 150-seat lecture hall, a restaurant, private dining rooms and lounge/bar areas. The centre will allow the University to develop its links with industry and provide opportunities for student internships and work experience. All being well, it should be complete by 2014. Latimer House, which had been under threat from a previous application, will be retained. Plans for the sympathetic enlargement of the Jewish Progressive Synagogue in Avenue Road which we

discussed with the committee in 2010 have been approved. The single-storey extension will balance the building - with a ridge to both east and west—and plans to remove a redundant outbuilding and landscape the garden will enhance the setting. We particularly like the use of side-hung tiles (including 'fish scale' tiles) following those in the main building and the new windows with their slim profiles and external glazing bars. We would have preferred timber windows and doors but consider aluminium to be a reasonable compromise in this case.

The timber-framed building was created around 1900 as a school for children of the `grand‘ houses nearby. Its large windows were an essential and attractive feature and poorly-designed uPVC units fitted in the 1980s or 90s have had a negative aesthetic impact. We hope that, over time, replacing them with units of a similar design to those proposed for the new extension might restore the building's unity and beauty.


Plans to add a two-storey rear extension, single-storey front and rear extension, first-floor balcony and detached single storey garage to 2

Southernhay Road have been withdrawn. This property was residential until January 2008 when permission (limited to the present owner) was granted to change the use of a small area into a laser and beauty therapy salon. We expected the initial application to be followed by others but were surprised by the scope and nature of the proposed changes which would have had an overwhelmingly negative impact. When commercial use provides a sustainable future for a building that would otherwise remain unoccupied–`The Firs‘ at 223 London Road, for instance – it makes a valuable contribution to the Conservation Area. When it threatens the continuing existence of an attractive historical family home it does the opposite.

There is good news concerning the spinney at the corner of Ratcliffe and London Roads. The newly elected Mayor has emphasized the Council‘s commitment to safeguarding the City‘s green spaces and we are pleased that a more robust approach is now being adopted by planners. An application to fell a protected tree submitted shortly before Christmas was refused and the entire site will be resurveyed to clearly document protected trees. The Council tells us that owners who have felled protected trees and been served a Tree Replacement Notice will not now be able to vary its conditions to suit themselves `by negotiation‘. This is encouraging. However, the Planning Committee is still considering whether to enforce a TRN upheld by a Planning Inspector and first served on the owner two and a half years ago.

Residents‘ good conservation practice continues. In Portland

Road a poorly-built front wall has been replaced by one of superior design and an elegant pathway has been created using reclaimed Victorian tiles. The effect has been to transform a dull frontage into one that beautifully complements the house. Similar care has been taken in Stoneygate Avenue where a new run of capped, close-boarded medium-height timber fencing faces a neatly

trimmed privet hedge and gives a quintessential `suburban‘ quality to a semi-rustic Edwardian family home. Boundary treatments are all too frequently neglected but they are an integral part of any property and these two show what a difference they make when done well.

An application to change 7 large self-contained flats into 14 smaller ones at 29 Stoneygate Road has been approved. The proposals, which include a two-storey rear extension, first-floor side extension and the demolition of two garages, make more intensive use of the interior space but still provide each apartment with its own facilities. We welcome the owners‘ efforts to integrate the additions sensitively; matching tile- and brickwork, using timber-framed sliding sash windows and renewing above-ground drainage in cast iron. We also applaud the intention to use a single central heating system rather than the individual combi boilers whose exhaust flues protrude from many a front wall. However, the size of the units does concern us. The development seems designed to be sustainable but if doubling the number of flats and significantly reducing the size of each one seriously compromises the amenity of future occupants, it will not be; even in the medium-term.

Finally, permission was granted in April to change the use of the Croft Hotel at 3 Stanley Road into a 20-room student hall of residence; to fit a rear dormer and front and rear skylights to Flat 11, Cedars Court

and to fit three rooflights to Flat 13 at Stoneleigh Manor, Stoneygate Road. A retrospective application for three replacement and one new uPVC windows at the side of 11 North Avenue was also approved.

Nick Knight


I/we wish to renew membership of SCAS and enclose a cheque for £5 (per household per year) as from April 1st 2011 Name:……………………………………………………………………………………………..............

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

Contact Phone: ......................................................... email.........................................................................

Send to: Jenny Westmoreland, Membership Secretary, 358 Victoria Park Road, LE2 1XF Phone: 2705828 email: [email protected]

Only two months into 2011/12 and already 105 of you have renewed your memberships. With newcomers that makes 109 – which is higher than last year and equal to the entire total for 2007/08. Will this be yet another record year for SCAS? We hope so. The more members we have, the better we are able to represent the views of everyone who cherishes the Conservation Area. Annual membership remains £5, as it has been for the last five years. If you have not yet renewed, please complete the slip below and send it to our Membership Secretary, Jenny Westmoreland.

Membership News

For the more than forty people who attended the event, Richard Gill's guided walk around `The Lesser Known Stoneygate' on June 6th was, in every sense, an eye-opener. Making our way slowly down St Johns and then Holmfield Roads, Richard treated us to a commentary which covered virtually every property. His command of historical and architectural detail is immense but his gift lies in bringing places and buildings to life; drawing your attention to features you would otherwise have missed, explaining their significance and sharing his passion. Our last stop was the green oasis of Brookfield Bowls Club. Just as we were about to leave, a member appeared from the clubhouse and invited us to take a seat and enjoy an al fresco drink from the bar. What better way of rounding off a thoroughly enjoyable warm summer evening?

The Civic Society is currently lobbying the City Council to incorporate the lower stretch of Holmfield Road and the Brookfield Bowls Club into the Stoneygate Conservation Area. They have our support. Apart from a few aberrations, the buildings between St Johns and Kimberley Roads have at least as much historical interest and architectural merit as those in the already designated northern section and the Bowls Club is, as someone said on the night, a real gem.

Richard Gill’s Guided Walk “The Lesser Known Stoneygate”

Share those Good Ideas

The sharing of good ideas in Stoneygate isn‘t limited to conservation. In 2008 the pupils at the St John the

Baptist School created a series of highly original signs to deter thoughtless and hazardous parking on nearby roads. Walking up Stoneygate Road the other day, I noticed that pupils at the Leicester Islamic Academy have now given this their own distinctive treatment. Hopefully, it will have the same positive result!

stoneygate newsletter july 2011 conservation area society ... · this distinctive family home with...

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