Heritage Statement

Heritage Statement The Site and the canal The site has the Grand Union canal running along its western boundary. This was opened in 1794 and is part of a detour that bypassed a powerful landowner named Palmer in Wanlip Hall; he was a powerful politician at the time and did not want trade boats on the river Soar in front of his stately home. This detour followed part of the river Wreake, then via a man-made cut re-joined the river Soar as it flowed towards Leicester. The rest of the river Wreake was canalised in 1797, and led from the junction of the Grand Union canal through to Melton Mowbray and finally, in 1802, to Oakham. This canal is to the north and north east boundary of the site. When the Melton and Oakham canal was built a toll house was constructed on the junction corner to take the toll payment from boats that wanted to navigate the canal. This toll house forms the basis of the redevelopment of the site. The Melton and Oakham canal ran until 1877 before being abandoned due to cheaper transport methods coming into play. The Grand Union canal kept going commercially until 1937 but traffic was very light; after this time more and more of the boats using it were for pleasure, but it has always been kept open as a waterway. In the heyday of the canal, the site and surrounding area would have been a hive of activity; the canals were the motorways of their day, with the boatyard opposite and the toll house acting as the service stations. Designed to be used primarily for the movement of goods, the paths and tracks along the canal were built for heavy foot and horse traffic. Today this site lends itself to the movement of people and boats for recreational pursuits. The toll house site sits perfectly alongside these pathways, and would enable tourists staying within the development to enjoy and benefit from these historic byways. The Toll House The Toll House Circa 1900 Built around 1800, the toll house was typical of the age with a symmetrical facade reflecting the regency style of the time; a central front door, windows to either side and three windows on the first floor, similar in design approach to the lock house found at Foxton Locks, pictured below. Foxton Lock House With the footings still in situ, and some of the original bricks still within the site, it presents a great opportunity to rebuild this local landmark. As the elevations PO14 show, the design for the rebuilding of the toll house harks back to the original symmetrical form, but given a modern twist to accommodate stylish modern holiday lets. The Isolation Hospital With the closure of the Melton and Oakham canal, the toll house was no longer needed commercially. As far as we know the land was owned by an Oxford college at this stage and in 1901- 2 an isolation hospital was built on the site, the toll house being used for the caretaker. There was an epidemic of Scarlet Fever and Typhoid Fever in the late 1890s, and this is the likely reason for the construction of the hospital. It was a place where fresh air could be taken and infected people could be isolated from the rest of the population. History shows that Lincoln had a huge outbreak in 1904, but it seems that Leicester was not too badly affected and this site was never used to a great extent. The buildings were built out of readily available materials, with a wooden pine interior and corrugated iron external cladding. There were two patient halls with beds ranged along each side, and a small hut outside to house the nurse’s accommodation. The buildings are now falling into a very bad state of repair; they present a risk of further dilapidation and of becoming an eyesore in an area that is becoming busier and more popular. The rebuilding of the isolation hospital presents an opportunity to preserve the structural shapes and reflect their historic uses as temporary accommodation. Using modern corrugated steel cladding the aim is to keep the feel of the old corrugated iron clad structures, without trying to recreate them as they were when they were new. The rusty brown colour of the modern cladding will reflect the way that the buildings have mellowed to their surroundings, enabling the buildings to be brought up to modern building standards without losing the character of the original structures. The nurses’ accommodation building will be rebuilt to create a secure bicycle storage area where residents are encouraged to bring their own bikes, with the possibility of also renting bikes out. Isolation Hospital Buildings Storage Although the site was little used as a hospital the caretaker carried on looking after the buildings until 1924, when the toll house was condemned by the council and demolished, leaving just the foundations and a buttress on the canalside. The site was still owned by an Oxford college, who rented the isolation hospital buildings out for storage for the Civil Defence until 1965. In 1965 Philip Winterton bought the site from the college. The field was then used for grazing and the buildings were let to various people and companies: the Kama Kasi Motorcycle club until 1978; Chris Howard then rented it as a builders yard and workshop; then Kellets used it for a building materials storage yard. Finally Brian Williams has rented it and ran his heavy horse company from the buildings. Present Day With the canal used for pleasure and the isolation hospital used for storage the site has changed a great deal over the years. In 2013 a new Sustrans cycleway bridge was built over the river Wreake junction allowing a cycle way to be developed from Cossington right through to Leicester. The bridge has also given hope to some boat users that the Melton and Oakam Canal may one day be reopened. Impact of the proposed works The proposed plans give an opportunity to keep the historic feeling of the site, with the ability to create much needed self-catering accommodation for the area. The site at present is not visually appealing, much of the heritage of the site being hidden behind overgrown trees, hedges and dilapidated modern prefabricated buildings. The proposed design will renovate the site, giving the isolation hospital buildings a modern use that reflects the architecture of the original 1900’s buildings. The reconstruction of the toll house completes the narrative of the site and replaces a building that stood on the junction for over 120 years. References Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, 38 Long Street, Wigston: Archive of the History of Syston Isolation Hospital Waterway World Magazine: Wreake Dreams Restoration/ Melton Mowbray Navigation, April 2015 The Wreake Valley Way; Melton & Oakham Waterways Society, 2009 .

Load more