Stoneywell Cottage,

Stables Alterations

Heritage Impact Statement

February and December 2013 Version v.iv. 23.12.13 CONTENTS

1.0 GENERAL 1

2.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1

3.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSALS AND THEIR IMPACT 3

Rodney Melville & Partners Ltd 10 Euston Place Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 4LJ

Tel: 01926 881311 Fax: 01926 451766 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.rmpuk.com

Job No. 6571 1.0 GENERAL

1.1 This Statement has been prepared to accompany applications for listed building consent and variation to conditions to planning permission for alterations to the Stables at Cottage, Lea Lane, Ulverscroft, Markfield, Leicestershire on behalf of the National Trust.

1.2 Following the grants of Planning Permission (ref. P/13/0607/2) and Listed Building Consent (ref. P/13/0608/2) on 12th September 2013 some modest changes are now proposed as a result of further consideration of the detailed scheme and in particular the desire to take a less intrusive approach in respect of the works to the Stables.

1.3 The way the Stables are to be used has been amended to suit the revised approach. It remains the proposal that Stoneywell Cottage is opened to the public as a small museum, with limited access guided tours only. Visitors would enter a new car park located away from the property and would then approach the property via a minibus in small groups to suit timed ticket entry. Visitors would be welcomed at the Stables where there would be a small exhibition, WCs and a small tea room offering drinks, soup, sandwiches, cakes and suchlike.

1.4 Pre-application consultation has taken place with both the local authority (14th November 2013). Comments from this meeting have informed the proposals now submitted.

2.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Stoneywell owes its origins to the Gimson family. Josiah Gimson (1818-1883) was a self-made man who set up the Vulcan Works making heavy machinery in in the 1850s. He became a man of considerable wealth and influence in the city and his large family followed his interests.

2.2 In 1884, Josiah’s fourth son, Ernest William (1864-1919), then articled to a local architect, was inspired by a visit from to Leicester. This influenced Ernest’s career to become one of the most celebrated architect-craftsmen of the . He trained under J.D. Sedding in , meeting many of the Movements rising stars, such as W.R. Lethaby, and with the Barnsley brothers, moved to the in 1892 to practice designing and making furniture, , metalwork and needlework as well as continuing to work as an architect.

2.3 Ernest designed a series of summer cottages for his family in the , north-west of Leicester, a rugged and remote area, using local materials. The first of these was a pair of cottages for the landowner James Bilson. Stoneywell followed in 1898 for his brother Sydney Ansell Gimson (1860-1938), then Lea Cottage for his brother Josiah Mentor Gimson (1851-1925) in 1899. Rockyfield was built in 1908 for his sister Margaret Gimson (1871-1967). The itinerant architect-mason (1867-1939) acted as Gimson’s clerk-of-works for Bilson’s cottages, Stoneywell and Lea Cottage, whilst fulfilled this role at Rockyfield.

2.4 Stoneywell Cottage was altered to the designs of the architect Humphrey Gimson, a pupil of Lutyens, in 1935 (living room window enlarged, and gable added over front door for new bathroom) and in 1940 (following a fire in 1939, when the thatch was replaced with Swithland slates, a new attic bedroom was formed, and lead gutters installed). Alterations took place in the kitchen in 1954. More recent interventions have been the introduction of mains water in

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 1 1967, central heating in 1969, a wood burning stove in the dining room in 1976 (replaced with a night storage heater in 1994), rewiring in 2001 and a new glazed outer front door in 2007. The Cottage is listed grade II*.

2.5 Stoneywell Cottage is celebrated as one of the most extreme examples of the Arts and Crafts approach to site-specific design. The plan is a cranked Z shape, following the contours of the site (but also referencing The Old Post Office, Tintagel, a medieval house repaired by Detmar Blow in 1896 on behalf of the SPAB, and now a property of the National Trust). Local rubble stone was used for the walls and originally thatch was used for the roof. The disused Swithland slate quarries nearby were the source of the massive lintels.

2.6 Sydney Gimson’s son Basil inherited Stoneywell in 1938 and retired to live there in 1947. His brother, the architect Humphrey Gimson, carried out alterations in the 1930s. Basil’s son Donald Gimson inherited in 1953 and was the owner who passed the property to the National Trust in 2012.

2.7 The Stables serving Stoneywell Cottage were built in 1902 to the design of . The building housed a laundry as well as stable, harness room and carriage room, although it was soon used for motor cars after Sydney Gimson bought his first car in 1908. The two lead clad apex windows are a striking feature, which do not seem to have been pursued in Gimson’s later work.

2.8 The Stables are of one storey plus a small attic. Walls are of local Charnwood igneous syenite rubblestone at the base with timber framing clad in timber boards over. The roof is covered in Swithland slates, reslated and felted in 2000 when the garage doors were replaced and repairs carried out. Windows are of painted timber. Rainwater goods are in timber.

2.9 Internally, there are few painted or plastered finishes. Upper floors are gypsum on lath (ie. ‘limeash’) and laths are visible from below in places. The modern white felt used in reroofing is also visible. Some horse furniture survives as does the laundry copper. The Stables were rewired in 2001.

2.10 The Stables are listed grade II.

2.11 Ernest Gimson’s working drawings for the Stables survive.

2.12 References :

i. Annette Carruthers, Ernest Gimson and the Cotswold Group of Craftsmen , Leicester, 1978 ii. Annette Carruthers, Gimson and Barnsley: Designs and Drawings in Art Gallery and Museums , Cheltenham, 1984 iii. Mary Comino, Gimson and the Barnsleys: Wonderful furniture of a commonplace kind , Evans, 1980 iv. Michael Drury, Wandering Architects , Shaun Tyas, 2000 v. Donald Gimson, Stoneywell Chronology , unpublished notes, March 2011 vi. Richard Holder, Gimson Day June 4 th 2005 , Victorian Society, 2005 vii. Nikolaus Pevsner and Elizabeth Williamson, The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland , Penguin, 1998 viii. Lawrence Weaver, Small Country Houses of To-Day , Country Life, 1919

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 2

3.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSALS AND THEIR IMPACT

3.1 General : It is important to note that the works form part of a scheme to open up Stoneywell Cottage (a Grade II* listed building) to the public. Therefore, any changes to the Stables contribute to this major heritage gain. Stoneywell Cottage is a seminal work of the Arts and Crafts Movement and the product of one of its principal designers.

3.2 Vehicle Access : It is important to provide a dropping off and collection point for visitors from the minibus which is off the road. Rather than driving into the main part of the yard, the minibus will drive forward and then reverse into a newly created vehicle bay in the southern corner of the yard. The modern gates will be rehung, which has no impact. However the creation of the vehicle bay involves the removal of part of the stone wall bounding the yard, and thus some loss of historic fabric, albeit of a minor nature. It is proposed that the old wall will be recorded as it is dismantled and the new wall will be constructed using the same form, reusing old materials and sourcing new local stone to match. The result will therefore be as seamless as possible, with the old work fully recorded. Note that this work already has consent under the previous proposals.

3.3 External Repairs : The exterior of the Stables will be virtually unchanged by the proposals. There will be some modest improvements and repairs, arising from the Quinquennial Inspection 2012 carried out by this Practice. This includes some work of good housekeeping such as repointing, redecoration and maintenance of the wooden rainwater disposal goods, as well as some reversal of modern changes such as the Georgian wired dormers and the modern gate leading towards the Cottage. The latter will be based on surviving fragments of the original Gimson gate. All of these are heritage gains. Level access to the Stable itself will be required and so the concrete paving here will be removed and raised level with the floor, and a short ramp added – this will have minimal impact and provides access for all visitors. Note that this work already has consent under the previous proposals.

Dormer Old Gate

3.4 External Stairs : The first floor is at present accessed via a steep timber ladder-stair. This is a modern replacement, presumably to a similar design to the original. The original landing and posts survives. The stair is unsafe for general use, but as the first floor will not be occupied, it is proposed that the modern ladder-stair is retained as it is, with some minor repairs to stone and timbers. This is now a lesser intervention than previously proposed as use of the first floor as an

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 3 office as originally intended would have required replacement of the staircase to an amended design with a shallower pitch.

External Stair

3.5 WCs : At present, the Stables has a single earth closet in the south-western part of the building, set back from the eaves in an area of open-fronted shed space. There is a timber screen with 2 doors (to the earth closet and a store) which is part of the primary build. In order to bring the Stables back into a beneficial use, it is proposed to record and carefully remove the screen, to add a new third door and alter another, and to refix it so that it sits further forward, in line with the ridge. This will allow the area behind to be converted to 3 WCs (one disabled). A ceiling will be applied over the WCs at the level of the top of the screen. The alterations proposed will affect this part of the building, which is a minor but characterful one. The pronounced saw marks on the timbers will be reproduced in the new work and changes will be kept to a minimum. This work is therefore considered acceptable as part of revitalising the Stables and the site. It was originally planned to create composting toilets here, as there is no mains drainage at the Stables, but this would involve major excavation and thus underpinning which was felt to be unjustified. The WCs will therefore require a new drain outlet to a new sewage treatment plant with soakaway outlet. The exact size of the soakaway needs to be agreed, subject to a percolation test. The treatment plant will serve both the WCs and new catering facility (see below). The existing rainwater harvesting tanks under the yard will be reused to provide grey water for flushing the toilets. Note that this work already has consent under the previous proposals. The only change to the scope of the proposals is the removal of the modern white felt over the rafters which is a woven quilt which can harm bats. This will be replaced with standard black roofing felt secured from the underside, to create a void for bats – as shown on the detailed drawing submitted with the application.

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 4

Screen

Door in Screen

3.6 Stable : The existing Stable contains a series of stalls and a loose box, with feeding troughs, water pump and a concrete floor laid to falls – a remarkable survival. The walls are formed of vertical timber studs with the back of the external weatherboarding visible. The ceiling is formed of visible roof timbers (trusses, purlins, ridge and rafters) but with modern white roofing felt over. It is proposed that this room remains virtually unaltered, and will be used for interpretation materials for visitors to look at. The only change will be to remove the modern white felt between the rafters which is a woven quilt which can harm bats. Black felt will not be installed here, allowing a view of the underside of the roofing slates and battens. There will be no heating in here. Note that previously consent had been granted for lining the inside of the walls and ceiling to create a tea room within the Stable. The revised proposals therefore have a much reduced impact on the interior.

Stable

3.7 Laundry converted to Tea Room : The present Laundry has finishes to walls and ceiling similar to those in the Stable – modern white felt to the underside of the roof, and a mixture of rubble stonework, vertical boarding and the inside of horizontal boarding to the walls. The revised

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 5 proposal is to remove the modern white roofing felt which is harmful to bats and to replace it with standard black felt secured from the underside, to create a void for bats, as shown on the detailed drawing submitted with the application. There will be no alterations to the wall finishes. The floor is of large quarry tiles which will not be altered. The room is to function as the sitting area for the tea room. The water pump and the wall brackets will be retained, but the brick copper will be dismantled and rebuilt as it is in poor condition. The copper will be used as the only form of heating in this space. Note that the scope of alterations now proposed is much reduced in comparison to those for which consent has been granted – the suspended ceiling and new ventilation route have been omitted, so that the whole space can be seen as one and the gablet window is not obscured.

Hooks in Laundry

Laundry Copper

3.8 Opening between Harness Room and Laundry : In order to provide access for staff between the Laundry (tea room sitting area) and Harness Room (tea room kitchen), a new opening will need to be formed in the wall between the Harness Room and Laundry. This wall is of rubble stonework in a gritty lime mortar. The new opening will be formed with a series of rendered pre-cast concrete lintels and red brickwork reveals, making good rubblestone around from salvaged materials. As there is raised floor proposed in the kitchen, a 150mm brick step would be inserted in the threshold of the new opening. There would be a half height door in the opening with a shelf on to allow for serving through the opening, with no public access into the kitchen. This alteration will not be reversible, but is relatively minor and the wall would be fully recorded beforehand. It facilitates the new use for the building. Note that this is a new proposal not previously approved, as the uses of the spaces have been changed. The previously agreed proposal for a new opening between the Stable and Laundry has been omitted from the proposals. This proposal involved cutting through an elm plank and rubble stone wall – a non-reversible operation. The current proposal is therefore less intrusive and more readily reversed.

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 6

View from the Harness Room where opening will be made

3.9 Harness Room : This room will be altered to create a kitchen for the new tea room. The underside of the limeash and joisted ceiling would be insulated and lined in plasterboard and skim. The walls are a mixture of rubble stone, vertical boarding and the inside of external horizontal boarding. In order to create a hygienic environment for food preparation, the walls would all be lined out in studwork (infilled with insulation to external walls) lined in a vinyl washable surface material (such as Whiterock). The studs would be secured at top and bottom but not into the walls so that they could be easily removed in future if necessary. The quarry tiled floor would be retained below a new floating timber and plywood floor with vinyl sheet finish. There will be timber secondary glazing to the 2 windows and a high level connection into the existing flue for ventilation extract. Note that the internal changes here are greater than previously approved but comprise changes to the least significant part of the building. They will be almost completely reversible.

Store

3.10 Carriage House converted to Office : This area would be converted to a small administration area for the property, including some storage. The underside of the joisted limeash ceiling would be insulated and finished in plasterboard. The walls are a mixture of rubble stone with concrete capping, vertical boarding and the inside of external horizontal boarding. In order to

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 7 create a suitable environment, the walls would all be lined out in studwork (infilled with insulation to external walls) lined in plasterboard and skim. The studs would be secured at top and bottom but not into the walls so that they could be easily removed in future if necessary. The red brick floor which is oil stained would be retained below a new timber and plywood floating floor with a carpet finish. There would be timber secondary glazing to the window. The large double doors will generally be kept closed, with only one leaf opening to gain access to the space. Options for creating a wicket in one door have been considered but rejected as this would involve altering the fine Gimson hinges, even though the doors themselves are modern. Note that the scope of changes here is greater than that previously agreed, but reflects the amended room uses and makes best use of a space of secondary significance, in a reversible way.

Carriage House

3.11 Attic : The attic will no longer be used as an office as previously proposed and instead will be given over to use as a bat roost. The modern white felt which is harmful to bats will be removed and replaced with standard black felt secured from the underside, as shown on the detailed drawing. Note that the scope of change here has been reduced significantly compared to the previously approved scheme.

Attic

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 8 3.12 External Access to Laundry : Access for visitors to the new tea room in the Laundry will be along the north-east elevation to the existing door. The ground levels rise slightly here so a new path will be slightly ramped and ground levels adjacent will be graded to suit so as to avoid the need for a low retaining wall which was felt to be too institutional in character. The existing concrete platform and steps (as illustrated in the photograph below) will be removed as part of this work, but it will be photographically recorded beforehand. Note that this is a modest change to the approved proposals which has minimal impact.

External Access to Laundry

3.13 The overall impact of the proposals is very modest and will not affect the special character of the listed building. Whilst there will be some limited new interventions to those approved previously these are more than offset by greatly reduced works in two of the most important parts of the Stables (the stable area itself and the laundry) and the removal of the office use from the attic. The current scheme is significantly less intrusive to the heritage significances of the Grade II Listed Stables than the scheme approved under application P/13/0608/2 (albeit that scheme remains capable of implementation).

Stoneywell/Misc/Heritage Impact Statement February and December 2013 v.iv. 23.12.13 9