stoneygate newsletter august · pdf filestoneygate august 2014 ... neighbour, arthur hardy,...

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

Conservation Area Society (SCAS)

Newsletter August 2014 Stoneygate

Where Past and Future meet You may recognise this house in Knighton Drive. Originally named `Cloverbank’, it began life in 1879 as the family home of Patrick Mackennal, an accountant, stockbroker and land agent with offices in Horsefair

Street. It was one of only six properties and was built on land acquired from a neighbour, Arthur Hardy, better known as one of the founding partners of the nationwide shoe retailer Freeman, Hardy & Willis.

As Stoneygate expanded during the 1880s and `90s and finally became absorbed into the Borough of Leicester, `Cloverbank’ typified the new Victorian middle-class suburban residence. After the departure of the Mackennals it was home to the family of solicitor Charles Kendrick and later the family of cap and hat manufacturer Thomas Webster.

The outbreak of the Great War and the uncertainty, social changes and economic pressures that followed marked a turning point. The house (now simply number 58) needed to pay for its upkeep and in the 1920s it was enlarged, modernized and subdivided to provide first-floor accommodation for a succession of professional gentlemen and respectable lady tenants while the owner, a Miss Harrison, lived on the ground floor. After the 1939-45 war a second Miss Harrison (a niece, perhaps?) continued this arrangement until it changed hands again in the late 1960s. In the spirit of the times, the new owners enlarged their ground floor apartments, added a double garage and turned the upper floor into bedsits for Leicester University medical students.

By 2012 it was in desperate need of refurbishment. The first floor had not been used for nearly a decade and the residents wanted to sell. The challenge, as with so many similar houses in Stoneygate, was to find someone with the vision, sensitivity and financial resources to reinvent it as a family home while retaining its Victorian character and external appearance. Step forward its present owners. Not only have they succeeded admirably; they have done so by embracing the future as well as the past. Turn to page two to find out how they did it.

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

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


THE LEGACY Extensive alterations had been carried out between the wars when the house was divided into 2 self-contained units and the original staircase boxed in. The rear part had been enlarged, the roof remodelled and a two-storey bay added, together with a garden terrace. A window above the original front door had once been a separate entrance to the upstairs flat (there was a doormat well in the floorboards underneath it) but this was later relocated to the rear; accessed via a new external steel staircase. At the same time a single-storey rear extension was added and – coal fires no longer being used – the chimneys were lowered and capped. Most of the original timber sash windows were replaced and several new window openings created.

THE PLAN convert the house back into a single family home

comprehensively refurbish it internally and externally

improve thermal performance and sustainability

create extra living and workspace by adding modern extensions

retain the house’s Victorian character and external appearance

EXTERNALLY Externally, the most obvious changes are the replacement of the 1970s additions and garage by two high spec rectangular modern extensions. The rear office extension sits within the footprint of its predecessor and is invisible from the street. The new side extension (which contains a kitchen, pantry and a cycle store)

is highly visible but it has been faced with attractive timber panels and stepped back to preserve the view of the west wall. Both extensions are deliberately designed as ancilliary buildings – they complement rather than compete with the main house – and their rendered walls form a distinct contrast to its brickwork. They are fully glazed and offer spectacular garden views. There is a new front entrance door and canopy while the existing chimneys have been re-built to their original height to re-create the silhouette of the property. All windows have been painstakingly replaced with traditional timber sliding sashes, including the

front oriel window which has been exactly reproduced. After the new roof structure had been installed, the roof was refelted and rebattened and the old clay roof tiles were relaid and replaced where necessary.

INTERNALLY On the ground floor, main living and working areas now look onto the garden with the new kitchen extension as the hub. The old street-facing kitchen is now a playroom, the scullery has become a downstairs toilet/shower room (an underfloor rainwater tank having been filled and capped off) and the old front reception or dining room has become a music room. While there is a contemporary `feel’ throughout, the character of the original house has been respected. Ceiling roses have been painstakingly restored in some rooms and added in others, together with new cornices and skirtings based on templates of the originals.


Old doors and doorknobs have been retained. The main staircase has been beautifully restored; the original balustrading repaired, restained and polished. Meticulously refurbished floorboards are on display in most rooms and the only major casualty has been the tiled hall floor which was beyond saving. Most of the first floor work has been refurbishment to create

four bedrooms and a new bathroom. The second floor is a remarkable achievement. Accessed by a new staircase, it contains a further bedroom and two storage spaces that could become bedrooms in what used to be the attic. Ample space has been created by the simple expedient of lowering the first floor ceilings and replacing the Victorian roof structure. This meant spending a nail-biting week at the mercy of the elements but the owners believe it was well worth it.

SUSTAINABILITY & INNOVATION From a conservation point of view, perhaps the most exciting aspect of this project is the way in which it demonstrates that Victorian construction is not a barrier to creating a twenty first century home and that even the most challenging property can be `retrofitted’ to become sustainable – if you have the materials and the know-how. Energy efficiency, the optimal use of free natural resources (light, air, views) and flexibility were, according to the owner, key design elements.

Energy efficiency was particularly important. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows an improvement from 33 (F rating) to 70 (C rating) and there is potential for even more (to 82). Most of that

was achieved by raising the thermal performance of walls, roof, and windows. The internal walls of the main house have been fitted with 100mm thermal insulation throughout and the rendered external walls not visible from the street have also been insulated. The new extensions have highly insulated and airtight walls, floors and roofs, use south-facing glazing for passive solar gain and have underfloor heating. In the main house, heat is generated by a log burning

stove in the main downstairs circulation space and a highly efficient gas boiler and radiators. Solar panels provide hot water.

There’s much more. The new extensions have green sedum roofs (see right). There is rainwater harvesting for garden use and wild flower borders to encourage biodiversity. There is cycle storage and off-street parking for two cars on a gravelled frontage. The owners have created an online photo diary of the project and the whole fascinating story is there. We warmly recommend you copy http://www.feldmanns.net/knightondrive/ into your browser and take a look.

PLANNING & CONSTRUCTION NOTES The house was purchased in August 2012. Consent was obtained in December 2012 for single-storey side and rear extensions, alterations to roof and chimneys and replacement windows. The renovation (using main contractor Rockingham Construction, local subcontractors and locally sourced materials wherever possible) took just over 11 months.

Read about SCAS on a new

lifestyle blog

www.clarendonspark.co.uk

http://www.feldmanns.net/pagesprojects/knighton-drive.html


Arranging more social activities for members has been on the committee agenda for some time and this year we began what we hope will be a regular event in the SCAS calendar. We decided on a coach trip to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Winterbourne House and Gardens, both in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston. Our Treasurer, Arthur Stafford, who took charge of the organisation, reports;

`If you build it, they will come’, goes the saying. Well, they weren’t wrong.

Once the flyer had been distributed to members, we sat and waited and we were astonished at the demand. I had to change the size of the bus – twice – to accommodate the swelling numbers, eventually filling all 52 seats.

Everyone arrived very promptly, the sun shone as ordered and a smooth journey ensured an early arrival. Our first port of call, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, was created in 1932 by Lady Hattie Barber in memory of her late husband, Sir Henry, to encourage the study of art and music and it now houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculpture and other objects. Coffee and biscuits were laid

out ready for us and subsequently we were split into two groups of equal size. The guide in our group, Malcolm, who lived and breathed art, led us upstairs into a series of four large rooms, each having different coloured walls to indicate the period and style of the paintings in each room.

Personally, I had not been looking forward to this part of the day but Malcolm was a wonderful guide; the relevant parts of each collection and the subliminal messages were not only fully explained but by his enthusiasm brought to life. It was so inspiring that many of us (me included) lingered in the excellent gift shop before moving on. A 250 yard walk was next into Winterbourne House Gardens, a 20 minute break to rest and catch our breath before we were led to a freshly made buffet lunch which everyone thought just right for the occasion. Two o`clock and once again we were split into two groups and shown masses of colour, specialist greenhouses and many specimen trees. Most impressive of all, however, was their success with 6 or 7 diarama (angel’s fishing rods). As a regular garden visitor, they were easily the most numerous and the best I had ever seen. After the garden tour we were free to visit Winterbourne House, built in the arts and crafts style in 1903 for the family of John and Margaret Nettlefold and recently restored after use as a University of Birmingham hall of residence. Members were able to wander around

rooms decorated and furnished in the Edwardian style and follow a series of informative storyboards before relaxing on a wonderfully large terrace afterwards with tea and cake. Our bus duly picked us up and by 16.30 we were headed for Leicester, returning right on time at 17.45.

Such a good time was had by all I have already been informed I’m to organise another trip but I wonder, could next year’s be as good? Of course it can!

www.winterbourne.org.uk www.barber.org.uk

The SCAS Summer Coach Trip to Edgbaston—July 2nd

Arthur Stafford

http://www.winterbourne.org.uk/

http://www.barber.org.uk/


Victorian Society Autumn Lectures

Tuesday 7th October 2014

Will Victorian Churches survive the Twenty-first Century? Tom Ashley - Senior Conservation Adviser - Victorian Society

Drawing on his experience as a caseworker for the Victorian Society, Tom Ashley will discuss the challenges facing

Victorian churches and church furnishings as their custodians struggle to make them 'fit for purpose' in the 21st

century. Many churches are no longer central to the life of the communities in which they stand and stark choices

have to be made: diversify the uses to which the building can be put, develop more attractive styles of worship, or

close. In many of our sacred buildings, the Victorian layer remains the most recent, but they are now facing

widespread alteration. Will they survive in the hands of those who find pews inconvenient, wooden doors uninviting,

tiled floors inhospitable, pulpits intimidating and rood screens simply unholy?

Tom Ashley is responsible for all casework affecting places of worship in England and Wales. Before joining the

Society he was pursuing a doctorate at Yale, studying Victorian literature and visual culture.

Tuesday 4th November 2014

Tanky Smith and the Winstanley Mystery Michael Robinson

Michael Robinson will share his recent research into the disappearance in the 1860s of James Beaumont Winstanley

of Braunstone Hall and the role played by Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith, the Leicester detective hired by the Winstanley

family to find their son. It seems that the conventional view of this incident, famous in Leicester folklore, may not be

entirely accurate!

Tuesday 2nd December 2014

Joseph Rogers - A Grocer of Distinction Brian Johnson

Joseph Rogers was born in 1806, came to Leicester to work as a grocer and founded the largest wholesale grocery

business in the Midlands. Had he been born a hundred years later he would probably have opened a chain of

supermarkets. Noted for his benevolence, Rogers was a family man but sadly his plans for the business did not

continue after his death.

All lectures take place, unless otherwise stated, in the Small Hall (Room 3) of The Leicester Adult Education

College, Wellington Street, Leicester at 7.30 pm. Our meetings are open to all, but we ask all attendees, whether or

not they are members, to register in order to comply with Fire Regulations, and to make a contribution of £2.50 per

person towards the costs of room hire and other expenses


Planning Matters (May to August 2014)

Earlier in the year we were invited by representatives of McCarthy and Stone Retirement Lifestyles to discuss outline plans to develop the cleared site at 22 Knighton Park Road.

We think that a retirement community would be an excellent use for the site. The accommodation (for around 30 people, mostly in 2-bed flats) would be a significant improvement on the previous application for student housing and the building layout is based on an existing consent; two blocks, one behind the other, a long, single-storey connecting building; car parking areas in between and gardens at front and rear. Our concerns relate to the design - particularly the

highly visible Knighton Park Road elevations and front boundary - and the ratio of car parking to garden.

M&S modified their original proposals and a formal application was submitted in May. We remain concerned about the front boundary and the shallowness of the roofs which give the new complex a rather odd appearance. Hopefully, these shortcomings can be put right. It would be a shame if they were to derail what is otherwise an excellent scheme.

We are relieved that an application to add four more flats to the rear of 73 Clarendon Park Road has been refused. The drawings suggested that, rather than raising the quality of the house in line with its neighbours and the conservation area generally, the aim was solely to create extra rentable space. There is no off-street parking and residents’ amenity would have been adversely affected. We disagree that changes which can’t be seen from the street have no impact on the conservation area. Reducing the green spaces between properties by adding further mass does have an impact - and if additions are unsympathetic to the existing building, it can only be negative.

An application to convert the family dwelling at 39 Springfield Road into an HMO for seven people raises similar concerns. The adjoining properties are already in multiple occupation and their appearance has noticeably deteriorated since we drew attention to the unauthorised removal of their leaded timber windows in 2010. Neighbours have sought the assistance of councillors in addressing a variety of issues and if No39 is converted to multi-occupation we fear that it will also deteriorate and existing challenges

will be joined by new ones.

Last December, attractive timber sash windows at the tenanted property at 1 Portland Road were replaced – without the necessary consent - by particularly ugly uPVC units (see left). We notified the Council’s Compliance & Enforcement Team who received assurances that windows identical to the originals would be reinstated `within the next three months'. They weren’t but thanks to the C&E Team’s patience, persistence and – we imagine – gentle persuasion, remedial work was finally completed in July. The results are impressive. Things have clearly improved since 2006 when officers alerted to the unauthorised fitting of uPVC windows decided to take no action.

Proposals to add two single-storey rear extensions to the residential care home at 15 Pendene Road were approved by the Planning Committee last year. Councillors were persuaded by a site visit that the additions wouldn’t adversely affect neighbours and they might not have done - if they had been built according to the approved plans . However, window positions were altered and a door and steps added. In June the owners tried to convince planners that these were `non-material amendments’. We are pleased that they have been required to submit a retrospective application for the unauthorised changes.

73 Clarendon Park Road

22 Knighton Park Road

1 Portland Road


We are worried by proposals to build a pair of 2-storey semi-detached properties in the rear garden of `Woodville’, a large Victorian house on the corner of Knighton Park Road and The Avenue which, together with its attractive brick perimeter wall, makes a significant contribution to the northern part of the Conservation Area.

`Woodville’ was designed and built in 1883 as a family home by John Breedon Everard, a partner in the firm of Ellis & Everard, who was born in Market Bosworth and whose family had mining and quarrying interests in North-West Leicestershire. Originally trained as an engineer, Everard worked on the extension of the Midland mainline railway from Bedford into St Pancras and the building of Sir George Gilbert Scott’s now world-famous Midland Grand Hotel and reinvented himself as an architect. In 1887 he was elected a FRIBA and was also President of the Leicestershire Society of Architects. The house was built using distinctive red bricks from South

Derbyshire (hence the name) and the motto (`East, West, home is best’) on the rear wall suggests that it was something of a labour of love. It has a wealth of features and decorations which attest to its quality.

The new houses would look onto The Avenue which was created as a link road between the relatively high density Clarendon Park estate and the large detached houses of Knighton Park and St Mary’s Roads. The nearby grounds of `The White House', `North House', `Woodville' and `The Hawthorns' give it a sense of openness and space and besides the low-lying modern bungalow at No8 North Avenue (built in Woodville’s garden some time during the 1960s or `70s), there is no other infill housing in the immediate area built after the 1930s. We question whether any development of this site is appropriate. It will affect the setting of Woodville and will have a significant impact on the streetscene. However, if it is unavoidable, we believe that a higher quality design is called for. This site offers a unique opportunity which would – frankly - be wasted on anything less.

Finally, an internally illuminated sign has appeared on the side wall of 1 Francis Street. No planning consent has been sought and neighbours believe that it should be removed. We agree. Conditions attached to previous planning decisions at No2 (directly opposite) restrict display advertising to Francis Street and forbid it on Stoneygate Road-facing walls. The owner has been approached but seems unwilling to comply without formal action. We hope this isn’t necessary. Over the years the Society has actively supported the businesses in Francis Street and Allandale Road and we would like to think that our relationship is based on mutual respect and a recognition that our goals are complementary.

In brief; 18 Woodland Avenue 3rd floor extension to form new flat; new external staircase PENDING 2 Victoria Park Road Single-storey detached building at rear CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 11 Elms Road 1st floor front extension with side dormer; single-storey side extension; alterations to house; replacement windows and doors CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 72 Knighton Drive Single-storey front, side and rear extensions; alterations to roof CONDITIONALLY APPROVED (amended plans) 1 St Johns Road Externally illuminated freestanding sign & access ramp CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 14 Woodland Avenue Works to 2 trees protected by TPO PART APPROVAL, PART REFUSAL Land adjacent to 7 Burlington Road 1x 4-bed house CONDITIONALLY APPROVED (amended plans) 10 Stoneygate Road Variation of Condition 2 attached to Planning Permission 20140180 (to extend opening hours from 0900-1700 daily to 0900-2000 hours daily) CONDITIONALLY APPROVED 26 Southernhay Road Alterations and increase in height of main roof; single-storey rear extension WITHDRAWN

Woodville

1 Francis Street


Forthcoming SCAS events

`The Avenues’ A Guided Walk with Richard Gill

Taking in East, Central, West and North Avenues and—time permitting—Orlando and Howard Roads

Saturday October 4th at 2.30pm

Free to SCAS members (£6 to non-members) Meet at the Octagon Room, St John’s Church,

Clarendon Park Road

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 2014

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

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

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

Send to: Jenny Westmoreland, Membership Secretary, 358 Victoria Park Road, LE2 1XF

Phone: 2705828 email: [email protected]

Other events open to SCAS Members

It was great to see so many members among the hundreds of people on our local festival trail in June. The weather was glorious (after a rocky start), the art enjoyable, the music and “tarthouse” tea and cakes su-perb. Thanks again to fellow SCAS colleagues (Jenny, Bill, Nick, Jennifer, Janet and Diane) who helped to run our stall in Pendene Rd where we signed up a record 45 new members. And then it was followed by a week of Artbeat activities and music.

If you missed it, watch out for next year’s programme and, for the first time, a house devoted to “Upstarts” - a group of local artists with two SCAS members including yours truly…..

What a splendid community we live in! David Oldershaw

Art House and Art Beat

Leicester Secular Society Presents a Coach Trip to:

Kelmscott Manor Saturday 20th September 2014

Depart Secular Hall, Humberstone Gate at 8.30am Return at 7.00pm

Price £15 (£12 Concessions) plus entrance fee of £9

Details: Mike Burden 07722-782727 or 0116-2703335

The summer Cotswold retreat of William Morris, his family and Arts & Crafts associates, Kelmscott is a Grade 1 listed 17th Cen-tury Manor on the River Thames which houses an outstanding collection of works and artefacts and also has a beautiful garden

stoneygate newsletter august · pdf filestoneygate august 2014 ... neighbour, arthur hardy,...

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