Stoneygate
Encyclopedia
Stoneygate is part of the City of Leicester
, England
.
Situated on the south-east side of the city some two miles from the centre, Stoneygate is a mainly residential suburb characterised by its large Victorian houses. It straddles the London Road which connects Leicester with the town of Market Harborough and was formerly the main route for horse-drawn carriages between Leicester and London.
leading South-West from Stoneygate on the A6 towards Little Stretton, Medbourne and Corby.
Stoneygate's historical significance was recognised when it was designated a conservation area
by the City Council in 1978. The Stoneygate Conservation Area (which also includes properties in the adjacent suburb of Clarendon Park
) is bounded by Victoria Park
Road to the north, Queens Road
to the west, Stoneygate Road to the east and Shirley Road to the south. A map is available on the Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
website (see external links below).
There are many examples of well-preserved Victorian family homes in Stoneygate as well as slightly later Edwardian buildings and -in the southern section- homes built after the Great War of 1914-18 and influenced by more modern architectural styles, notably Art Deco. Particularly worthy of note are `Brookfield' and `The Firs' on London Road; two remaining examples of the oldest and grandest homes built by wealthy commercial families to imitate the country estates of the local gentry. There are no less than ten Grade II listed residential properties. These include `The White House' in North Avenue designed in a variation of the Arts & Crafts
style by Ernest Gimson
in 1898 and 22 Avenue Road, designed in the modernist style by Fello Atkinson and Brenda Walker of James Cubitt and Partners in 1953. The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
, a group of local volunteers with a current membership of just under 150 households, exists to inform the public about the Conservation Area, its history and proposed developments that will affect its future.
The original plans are dated July 23, 1880 and appear to have been submitted for approval on August 21st that year and include a section of building up to No. 60 Stoneygate Road, which was never completed. The main three storey component provided a kitchen, dining room and matron's office on the ground floor, with two floors of dormitories, individual bedrooms and bathrooms above. In an 'L'shaped single storey projection to the rear was the laundry and associated out buildings. A coal yard, carriage house and stable were added in 1882, also to designs by Beaumont-Smith.
William Beaumont-Smith (WBS) appears to have begun his career working for Parsons & Dain who were quite a successful firm of local architects in the early Victorian period, William Parsons being responsible for some of Leicester's grand civic buildings including the Leicestershire County Lunatic Asylum (later part of the University of Leicester
) and the Theatre Royal (now demolished). They were also responsible for early parts of the Leicester Royal Infirmary. By 1855 Parsons seems to have disappeared from the partnership and WBS has taken his place; the firm now being called Dain & Smith. They are recorded in local directories as practising from 21 St. Martins in Leicester and during this time WBS was resident in London Rd (Stockdale Terrace and 51 London Rd - next to the Hind Hotel, opposite the railway station).
By 1876 WBS was on his own - not sure what happened to Dain - and was practising from Greyfriars Chambers, 7 Friar Lane, Leicester, where he continued to work until his death in 1899. He was also Leics. County Surveyor from this time until his death. His private residences during this time may say something about his fortunes as a sole practitioner: in the early years (1876–77) he was resident at No. 2 New Walk - the town end of a fashionable residential pedestrian thoroughfare. By 1878 he was at 'Trentham Villa' in Granville Road and remained here until 1881. This suggests he was doing very well indeed - they were (and some remain) grand houses overlooking Victoria Park at the southern end of New Walk. However by 1889 he had moved to 61 Evington Rd - still nice houses but nothing like as grand and Granville Rd. He remained in Evington Rd until the late 1890s - in 1899 he was living at 11 Alexandra Road in Stoneygate. The property was called 'Campsie'.
By the 1930s No. 58 Stoneygate Road had become 'The Home School' and some alterations were made including the addition of the single storey recreation room adjoining No.60 and the conversion of part of the outbuildings to a chapel. In 1942 a further single storey building was added to the rear of the recreation room as an air raid shelter. In the late 1950s the building changed hands again, this time passing to the NHS for use as a new community-based rehabilitation facility for women (later mixed) with learning disabilities. The facility, known as the Stoneygate Hostel, formed part of the Glenfrith group of hospitals along with Stretton Hall hospital. The Hostel was closed by the NHS in the mid-1990s and the property was marketed for sale by Innes England of 12 De Montfort Street, Leicester. Following further adaptations to suit its needs, the building is now occupied by the Leicester Montessori Grammar School.
AVENUE ROAD: No 22 Garden Room (Grade: II; Reference: 469642)
CLARENDON PARK ROAD: Church of St. John the Baptist (Grade: II star; Reference: 188621)
LONDON ROAD: Clarendon Park Congregational Church (Grade: II; Reference: 188697)
LONDON ROAD: No 1-4 Scholars Walk, listed as No. 254 Stoneygate School (Grade: II; Reference: 188694)
LONDON ROAD: No. 223 (Listed as the The Firs) (Grade: II; Reference: 188696)
NORTH AVENUE: No12 The White House
RATCLIFFE ROAD: 34-38 (Grade: II; Reference: 489933)
RATCLIFFE ROAD: No 56 Ratcliffe Lodge (Grade: II; Reference: 469448)
RATCLIFFE ROAD: No. 32 Inglewood (Grade: II star; Reference: 188782
SPRINGFIELD ROAD: Nos. 4 & 6 (Grade: II; Reference: 188809)
STANLEY ROAD: Eastfield (Grade: II; Reference: 490908)
and Highfields. It is part of the Leicester South parliamentary constituency
whose MP is currently Jon Ashworth (Labour).
For Conservation Areas in Leicester see Leicester City Council website "http://leicester.gov.uk/conservation areas"
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Situated on the south-east side of the city some two miles from the centre, Stoneygate is a mainly residential suburb characterised by its large Victorian houses. It straddles the London Road which connects Leicester with the town of Market Harborough and was formerly the main route for horse-drawn carriages between Leicester and London.
History
The name `Stoneygate' originates in Old English as "stone road", and Ordnance Survey maps show the former route of an unnamed Roman roadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
leading South-West from Stoneygate on the A6 towards Little Stretton, Medbourne and Corby.
Stoneygate's historical significance was recognised when it was designated a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
by the City Council in 1978. The Stoneygate Conservation Area (which also includes properties in the adjacent suburb of Clarendon Park
Clarendon Park
Clarendon Park may refer to:*Clarendon Park, Jamaica*Clarendon Park, Leicester*Clarendon Park, Wiltshire...
) is bounded by Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Leicester
Victoria Park in Leicester, England is a public park of 69 acres . It is in the south-east, just outside the city centre, backing on to the University of Leicester and close to the Leicester railway station....
Road to the north, Queens Road
Queens Road
Queens Road may refer to:*Queens Road, Leicester, England.*Queens Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, England.*Queens Road, Richmond-upon-Thames, England.*Queens Road, Peckham, England.*Queens Road Peckham railway station, England....
to the west, Stoneygate Road to the east and Shirley Road to the south. A map is available on the Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society is a voluntary organisation based in Stoneygate, Leicester, England. The Society was created in 1978 and exists to inform the public about the Stoneygate Conservation Area, the history of its buildings and streetscapes and to publicize proposed changes that...
website (see external links below).
There are many examples of well-preserved Victorian family homes in Stoneygate as well as slightly later Edwardian buildings and -in the southern section- homes built after the Great War of 1914-18 and influenced by more modern architectural styles, notably Art Deco. Particularly worthy of note are `Brookfield' and `The Firs' on London Road; two remaining examples of the oldest and grandest homes built by wealthy commercial families to imitate the country estates of the local gentry. There are no less than ten Grade II listed residential properties. These include `The White House' in North Avenue designed in a variation of the Arts & Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
style by Ernest Gimson
Ernest Gimson
Ernest William Gimson was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers"...
in 1898 and 22 Avenue Road, designed in the modernist style by Fello Atkinson and Brenda Walker of James Cubitt and Partners in 1953. The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society is a voluntary organisation based in Stoneygate, Leicester, England. The Society was created in 1978 and exists to inform the public about the Stoneygate Conservation Area, the history of its buildings and streetscapes and to publicize proposed changes that...
, a group of local volunteers with a current membership of just under 150 households, exists to inform the public about the Conservation Area, its history and proposed developments that will affect its future.
Profile of one Stoneygate house
In Stoneygate Road (No. 58), on the corner of Aber Road, is a large three storey red brick Victorian building in the gothic style. This was built in 1880 to plans by local architect William Beaumont Smith to relocate the 'Home for Penitent Females' from its previous premises at 16 Blue Boar Lane in Leicester. 'The Home', as it was known, was a charity run by a Committee of local philanthropists and religious leaders to provide welfare and reform for unmarried mothers (oftern referred to as 'fallen women'). It is assumed that the women's children would have been taken from their mothers and would be treated as orphans or adopted soon after birth. The charity would generate income by taking in washing which would be done by the inmates.The original plans are dated July 23, 1880 and appear to have been submitted for approval on August 21st that year and include a section of building up to No. 60 Stoneygate Road, which was never completed. The main three storey component provided a kitchen, dining room and matron's office on the ground floor, with two floors of dormitories, individual bedrooms and bathrooms above. In an 'L'shaped single storey projection to the rear was the laundry and associated out buildings. A coal yard, carriage house and stable were added in 1882, also to designs by Beaumont-Smith.
William Beaumont-Smith (WBS) appears to have begun his career working for Parsons & Dain who were quite a successful firm of local architects in the early Victorian period, William Parsons being responsible for some of Leicester's grand civic buildings including the Leicestershire County Lunatic Asylum (later part of the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
) and the Theatre Royal (now demolished). They were also responsible for early parts of the Leicester Royal Infirmary. By 1855 Parsons seems to have disappeared from the partnership and WBS has taken his place; the firm now being called Dain & Smith. They are recorded in local directories as practising from 21 St. Martins in Leicester and during this time WBS was resident in London Rd (Stockdale Terrace and 51 London Rd - next to the Hind Hotel, opposite the railway station).
By 1876 WBS was on his own - not sure what happened to Dain - and was practising from Greyfriars Chambers, 7 Friar Lane, Leicester, where he continued to work until his death in 1899. He was also Leics. County Surveyor from this time until his death. His private residences during this time may say something about his fortunes as a sole practitioner: in the early years (1876–77) he was resident at No. 2 New Walk - the town end of a fashionable residential pedestrian thoroughfare. By 1878 he was at 'Trentham Villa' in Granville Road and remained here until 1881. This suggests he was doing very well indeed - they were (and some remain) grand houses overlooking Victoria Park at the southern end of New Walk. However by 1889 he had moved to 61 Evington Rd - still nice houses but nothing like as grand and Granville Rd. He remained in Evington Rd until the late 1890s - in 1899 he was living at 11 Alexandra Road in Stoneygate. The property was called 'Campsie'.
By the 1930s No. 58 Stoneygate Road had become 'The Home School' and some alterations were made including the addition of the single storey recreation room adjoining No.60 and the conversion of part of the outbuildings to a chapel. In 1942 a further single storey building was added to the rear of the recreation room as an air raid shelter. In the late 1950s the building changed hands again, this time passing to the NHS for use as a new community-based rehabilitation facility for women (later mixed) with learning disabilities. The facility, known as the Stoneygate Hostel, formed part of the Glenfrith group of hospitals along with Stretton Hall hospital. The Hostel was closed by the NHS in the mid-1990s and the property was marketed for sale by Innes England of 12 De Montfort Street, Leicester. Following further adaptations to suit its needs, the building is now occupied by the Leicester Montessori Grammar School.
Listed Buildings in Stoneygate
AVENUE ROAD: No 22 (Grade: II; Reference: 469641)AVENUE ROAD: No 22 Garden Room (Grade: II; Reference: 469642)
CLARENDON PARK ROAD: Church of St. John the Baptist (Grade: II star; Reference: 188621)
LONDON ROAD: Clarendon Park Congregational Church (Grade: II; Reference: 188697)
LONDON ROAD: No 1-4 Scholars Walk, listed as No. 254 Stoneygate School (Grade: II; Reference: 188694)
LONDON ROAD: No. 223 (Listed as the The Firs) (Grade: II; Reference: 188696)
NORTH AVENUE: No12 The White House
RATCLIFFE ROAD: 34-38 (Grade: II; Reference: 489933)
RATCLIFFE ROAD: No 56 Ratcliffe Lodge (Grade: II; Reference: 469448)
RATCLIFFE ROAD: No. 32 Inglewood (Grade: II star; Reference: 188782
SPRINGFIELD ROAD: Nos. 4 & 6 (Grade: II; Reference: 188809)
STANLEY ROAD: Eastfield (Grade: II; Reference: 490908)
Amenities
Stoneygate is well-provided with its own local amenities. In addition to the medical practice on Springfield Road and the St John the Baptist Primary School on East Avenue, there are several private schools (including Montessori), nurseries and dental practices. Stoneygate also has a wide variety of fashionable shops and boutiques on Allandale Road and Francis Street. Details of these can be found on the following website http://www.stoneygateshops.com.Transport links
Stoneygate has two very frequent bus services operated by Arriva Fox County routes 31 and 31A also Centrebus operate UHL Hospital Hopper that only stops on stoughton road south. Leicester's London Road railway station is a ten to fifteen minute journey by bus, car or taxi.Political
Stoneygate gives its name to a Leicester City Council ward that also includes parts of Evington ValleyEvington Valley
Evington Valley is an area in Leicester, England. It is roughly bounded by East Park Road to the west , Chesterfield/Ethel Road to the north , Wakerly Road to the east and to the south borders Stoneygate....
and Highfields. It is part of the Leicester South parliamentary constituency
Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , by the first past the post voting system...
whose MP is currently Jon Ashworth (Labour).
External links
Stoneygate Conservation Area Society website "http://stoneygateconservation.org"For Conservation Areas in Leicester see Leicester City Council website "http://leicester.gov.uk/conservation areas"