THE JOURNAL OF. No.27 March 2012

Transcription

1 LEICESTER CITIZEN THE JOURNAL OF LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY No.27 March 2012 Ned Trifle BUDGET CONSULTATION. HERITAGE PARTNERSHIP. MEDIEVAL STREETS. LEICESTER S MUSICAL ARCHITECTURE. AYLESTONE MEADOWS. HERITAGE FAIR SOCIETY AWARDS. THE LEICESTER TIME MACHINE. VICTORIA PARK. AGM. NEW CONSERVATION AREAS. CLARENDON PARK. WESTERN PARK. THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM. PLUS REGULAR FEATURES AND MUCH MORE.

2 LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY Founded 1971 Patron: Olwen Hughes MBE. M.Phil. Dip.Ed. FRSA President: J.B. Josephs MA (Oxon.) Vice-President: The Very Reverend Alan Warren MA Provost Emeritus of Leicester REGISTERED CHARITY No MEMBER OF THE HISTORIC TOWNS FORUM MEMBER OF THE EAST MIDLANDS ASSOCIATION OF CIVIC & HERITAGE SOCIETIES CHAIRMAN: STUART BAILEY: 48 Meadow Avenue, Loughborough LE11 1JT HON. SECRETARY: HOWARD WILKINS: 46 Brookside, Burbage, Hinckley LE10 2TL CAMPAIGNS MANAGER and WEBMASTER: BEN RAVILIOUS. HON. TREASURER and MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: GORDON GOODE: 53 Cort Crescent, Leicester, LE3 1QJ SOCIETY ARCHIVIST: JENNIFER MACGREGOR. SOCIAL SECRETARY: TRUSHA CHAUHAN. And Committee Members: Councillor Dr. SUSAN BARTON, HERBERT EPPEL, SUSAN EPPEL, TIM SAVAGE, Dr. MARGARET SCOTT and STUART SIMMONDS. CONSERVATION TEAM STUART SIMMONDS: Conservation Officer Leicester West & Central. All Conservation Areas except Stoneygate and those below. MARGARET SCOTT: Conservation Officer Leicester South & East. (South Highfields, Evington Footpath, Spinney Hill Park, Knighton Village, Evington Village, Old Humberstone & Upper New Walk Conservation Areas) NICK KNIGHT: Stoneygate Conservation Area Society. Leicester City Council Conservation Advisory Panel: HERBERT and SUSAN EPPEL. RICHARD ALLSOP, ANN ALLSOP and TIM SAVAGE: Conservation Assistants. CAMPAIGNS TEAM BEN RAVILIOUS, SUSAN BARTON and STUART SIMMONDS. PUBLICATIONS and EXHIBITIONS TEAM STUART BAILEY, GORDON GOODE, SIMON HARRIS and JENNIFER MACGREGOR. The deadline for Leicester Citizen No.28 is 16 th June CREDITS: Ned Trifle, Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service, Leicester Mercury, Phil Taylor, Bishop Street Methodist Church, Tim Savage, Nick Knight, The City Rooms. The opinions expressed in LEICESTER CITIZEN are not necessarily those of the editor or Leicester Civic Society. Front Cover: The word icon is much misused and in recent years has been used officially in Leicester to describe almost any rubbish. But Lewis s Tower remains a real icon of our City and has been so since 1936.

3 Friday 30 th March Sunday 1 st April Tuesday 3 rd April Sunday 15 th April Saturday 28 th April: Tuesday 1 st May Saturday 5 th May Wednesday 9 th May Saturday 19 th May Tuesday 5 th June Friday 8 th June Saturday 9 th June Saturday 23 rd & Sunday 24 th June Tuesday 3rd July MARCH to JUNE EVENTS DIARY 7.00 for 7.30pm CIVIC SOCIETY AWARDS. Reception, Presentation Ceremony and Dinner with Guest of Honour City Centre Director, Sarah Harrison at the City Rooms, Hotel Street. See Handbill and the Bookings Page for full details. Bookings are now open. Mothers Day in Roman Times: Jewry Wall Museum from to 3.30pm, with The Friends of Jewry Wall Museum. Admission free. See the advertisement for full details pm. Society General Meeting: Regent Club, Regent Road. Members welcome. 2.00pm. LEICESTER S MUSICAL ARCHITECTURE: An afternoon s entertainment with Neil Crutchley at the Guildhall. See the advertisement for full details. EAST MIDLANDS ASSOCIATION OF CIVIC AND HERITAGE SOCIETIES. 11 th Annual General Meeting at Boston Lincolnshire as the guests of Boston Preservation Trust. Talk and walk on the Boston Big Dig. Members welcome. Contact Stuart Bailey or Howard Wilkins if you want to join us pm. Society General Meeting: Regent Club, Regent Road. Members welcome pm: Guided Walk MEDIEVAL STREETS. See the advertisement and the Bookings Page for full details. Bookings are now open. All members are invited to the Civic Society 41 st ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 7.30pm: THE REGENT CLUB, Regent Road. See the Official Notice. SUMMER COACH TOUR to THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM. Liable to be very popular. Discounts for members. See advertisement and the Bookings Page for full details. Bookings are now open pm. Society General Meeting: Regent Club, Regent Road. Members welcome pm. Leicester Early Music Association. The Longslade Consort at Castle House Advance booking essential as places are limited. LEICESTER HERITAGE FAIR: Bishop Street Methodist Church. MEET THE CIVIC SOCIETY AND OTHER HERITAGE GROUPS. Our committee members and our exhibition stand will both be there. See the advertisement for full details. Leicester Vintage Festival at Abbey Pumping Station. The mighty beam engines will be working. See the advertisement for full details pm. Society General Meeting: Regent Club, Regent Road. Members welcome. MEMBERS MAY WISH TO HELP SAVE THE PLANET - AND SAVE THE SOCIETY SOME MONEY - BY OPTING TO RECEIVE FUTURE COPIES OF LEICESTER CITIZEN, INCLUDING ALL SOCIETY ENCLOSURES, ELECTRONICALLY. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ YOUR JOURNAL WITH THE ADDED PLEASURE OF SEEING THE COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - AND BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. PLEASE JUST OUR CHAIRMAN OR TREASURER IF YOU WISH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER. THERE S A LOT HAPPENING IN LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY IT PAYS TO BE A MEMBER TELL YOUR FRIENDS

4 NIGHTMARE ON CONCRETE STREET The Chairman s Page In 1943 Adolf Hitler instructed his architect Albert Speer to produce designs for a post-apocalyptic Berlin. The result was a nightmare of monolithic concrete buildings and huge motor roads. Exactly twenty-five years later in 1968, Leicester City Council instructed its senior planning officer Konrad Smigielski to produce designs for a postapocalyptic Leicester. The result was a nightmare of monolithic concrete buildings and huge motor roads. The document Leicester Today and Tomorrow is on my bookshelf to this day and it still makes chilling reading. Of course this is all a little unfair. There are differences in these otherwise remarkably similar mid-century visions of urban design. Albert Speer was quite a good architect but Leicester made no concessions to architecture whatsoever. There is revisionist view of history that seeks to rehabilitate Mr. Smigielski. It is argued that although the damage to the historic fabric of Leicester was done during his watch it originated before; this despite the fact that Leicester Today and Tomorrow was published six years into his ten year tenure. Thankfully its designs were largely unfulfilled. There is also the rather condescending argument being made that the lasting anguish is somehow the fault of Leicester folk for being too sentimentally attached to their past surroundings. I reply that they have every right to be. We had many beautiful buildings by distinguished architects that engendered a sense of civic pride and much of this has been destroyed over the last sixty years in the interests of greed or expediency. Many of the worst examples of Concrete Street were perpetrated in the 1970 s, some time after Mr. Smigielski s departure. Now we are finally within sight of ridding Leicester of the two largest and ugliest manifestations of this Civic dark age, The New Walk Centre and The Belgrave Road Flyover - and the sooner they are relegated to the dustbin of history the better. Now let us move on to the dawn of hopefully happier times. THE HERITAGE PARTNERSHIP One of Sir Peter Soulsby s one hundred promises for his first hundred days as City Mayor was the establishment of a Heritage Partnership. This now meets quarterly and consists of the City Mayor, Councillor Clair, (Heritage, Leisure & Sport Portfolio) other interested councillors, (Yes - there are some at long last!) relevant Council officers, the leading heritage bodies including the Civic Society, both universities, the diocese, the local Society of Architects and various other parties to the tune of twelve to fifteen persons per meeting. It would be very easy to pick fault with this body. It does tend to be treated by most as just another talking shop and its meetings so far consist of a good deal of respectful silence whilst the Council s officers read out what it intends to do without actually doing anything. However it does represent a remarkable - nay amazing - breakthrough for the cause of Leicester s heritage, after a long period of the heritage organisations being treated as little better than irritants. Of course Leicester Civic Society is not interested in talking shops. We are interested in action. The City Council has now produced a draft Heritage Action Plan, which is a remarkably positive document in itself, even though it is seemingly resistant to amendments by the other partners, which is not my idea of a partnership. However we have responded to the Action Plan by volunteering to: 1. Work with the City Council Policy Team as necessary to draw up a local planning policy to address Heritage at Risk in the city. 2. Help prepare criteria for a new Local Heritage Asset Register to replace the current local list, and commence action on this register. 3. Help see what can be done to improve the link between the Old Town and St. Nicholas/Jewry Wall by taking action over urban design in the neighbourhood of St. Nicholas Place, whilst at the same time: 4. Assist in preparation of an evidence base for a Townscape Heritage Initiative HLF bid for the Old Town, area. The Society looks forward to some exciting times ahead and naturally Leicester Citizen will keep you all informed of progress.

5 THE BUDGET CONSULTATION Early one morning in late October I was enjoying a cup coffee in front of my computer screen when I happened to glance at the City Council website. This was suddenly full of the budget proposals and naturally I hurriedly turned to the Heritage, Leisure and Sport Portfolio. What I read there caused me to believe that I was still asleep and was fantasising about what I would write in the unlikely event of ever being put in charge. I repeat the relevant sections verbatim: LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL: BUDGET PROPOSALS HERITAGE, LEISURE & SPORT PORTFOLIO What is being protected and why? We are maintaining free access to museums, ensuring they remain easily accessible places of education, fun and interest. Protecting and improving the city s built and natural heritage is a priority, working with our partners on the new Heritage Partnership. Services to handle planning applications efficiently are being protected so we can support business growth and jobs as well as encourage good quality development. Our planning enforcement team, which safeguards the environment of local neighbourhoods, will also be protected. What budgets are being increased and why? Leicester is an ancient city with an important place in history and we want to promote understanding and increase pride in the built and natural environment. So we will increase funding to allow us to recruit two specialists who can help us to protect and enhance the city s built and natural environment. Additional funding will also help to preserve protected trees and we want to invest 20,000 more each year in grounds maintenance, events and activities at Leicester Castle, the Motte and the surrounding area. Our approach to the current budget proposals Planning and heritage services will be protected and enhanced through this budget as outlined above although savings will be made in other aspects of the service. Our museums are important to us and we want to take a detailed look at their future development outside of the challenges we are facing in this budget process. So we are not including any proposals about museums in this budget. Our approach will be focussed on encouraging access to museums, improving efficiency and increasing income, maximising the benefits from key collections and providing better activities, learning and community facilities at the same time retaining free access for all. Quite apart from the obvious influence of the Heritage Partnership in much of this, it is once again a remarkable - nay amazing - statement from a local authority whose previous budget proposals never even mentioned the City s built heritage and only mentioned museums to describe how it intended to go about closing them. Needless to say the Civic Society responded very positively indeed. We look forward to a positive outcome and we look forward to working with Leicester City Council for the future betterment of our City Having considerably exceeded my allotted span, that is more than enough from me for the time being. I personally look forward to seeing you at the AGM, where we can discuss all of this further should you wish. Now read on.

6 EVENTS PAST & FUTURE SKITTLES MATCH & PUB SUPPER. Friday 25 th November: Two teams of nine battled it out in a frantic effort, each to appear more capable than the other. A fun evening with a great pub supper. Yet again our thanks go to Trusha Chauhan for organising this hugely enjoyable event. OLD LONDON ROAD - THE ROMANCE OF LEICESTER. Tuesday 27 th December: One of the largest turnouts for this popular guided walk and the best turnout for a Christmas guided walk since we started them three years ago. A few developed cold feet on route and everyone had cold feet by the end. But that pint of Tiger in the Old Horse tasted good afterwards! ANNUAL DINNER. Friday 27 th January: Last year our chairman was delighted to greet members for the largest gathering for an annual dinner on record. We are happy to report that this evening broke that record. Thank you once more to Trusha for organising this event, and to Dennis & Wendy Allum and Jennifer Macgregor for their generosity. Olwen Hughes and Stuart Bailey both made speeches - not too long. We had a great time and look forward to next year. THE 2011 CIVIC SOCIETY AWARDS. Friday 30 th March at 7.30 pm: Reception, Presentation Ceremony and Dinner at the City Rooms. Prices held at 25 courtesy of Mr. Parmar. Our guest of honour Sarah Harrison, City Centre Director, will be presenting the Awards. The event will once again be open for those members who wish to attend the reception and the ceremony but not the dinner. (Only 3.00) See the handbill for full details. Please use the bookings page for advance bookings to this prestigious annual event, which must be made by Saturday 17 th March. MOTHERS DAY IN ROMAN LEICESTER Sunday 1st April: Jewry Wall Museum to Admission free. Join the Friends of Jewry Wall Museum in the Festival of Matronalia, with a Roman wedding, fashion parade, make-up demonstrations, cooking, spinning and weaving. Guided tour - Treasures of the Museum and a Grand Tour of the Roman Baths. LEICESTER S MUSICAL ARCHITECTURE. Sunday 15 th April: Something extra special. Join Neil Crutchley in the Guildhall for a magical journey in words, pictures and music, through Leicester s musical history. See the advertisement and book early through the Guildhall. Refreshments will be available and the Civic Society Exhibition will be on view. MEDIEVAL STREETS Saturday 5 th May: Circular guided walk from High Street/Highcross Street corner. The sights of the ancient town revealed. Bookings open now.see the advertisement and use the bookings page. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday 9 th May at 7.30 pm: Ground Floor Function Room at the Regent Club, Regent Road, Leicester. See the official notice opposite. Please support your Society by taking this annual opportunity to tell your committee just what you think of them! Buffet afterwards. See you all there. DAY TOUR: BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM. Saturday 19 th May: As the BCM is not too far away we intend to give you a full day there - and you will need it. Return to school in Queen Victoria s time, venture into a 19 th Century coal mine and visit shops, houses, chapels and pubs from See the advertisement on the back cover and use the bookings page. Book now to avoid disappointment. LEICESTER HERITAGE FAIR. Saturday 9 th June: Following last summer s success we are repeating this chance to see the Civic Society and other heritage bodies in action at Bishop Street Methodist Church. See the advertisement. Meet their activists, see their work, ask those searching questions - and join up! (Volunteers are needed to help please) Advance notice is given for the following events, which will be advertised fully in Leicester Citizen No. 28, due to be published on 4 th July 2012, and on the Society s website. THE FESTIVAL OF BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY Sunday 15 th to Saturday 28 th July: Bigger and better than ever. A full range of events at the Jewry Wall Museum during this prestigious national festival. ANCIENT LEICESTER - PART 1 Saturday 21st July: Guided Walk: Survivals from the distant past. Bow Bridge, Castle Gardens, The Newarke, Newarke Houses, Leicester Castle and St. Mary de Castro. THE GAS MUSEUM. Tuesday 14 th August: Proposed evening visit to the National Gas Museum, Aylestone Road, Leicester. DAY TOUR: BERKELEY CASTLE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. Saturday 1st September: A popular choice following last year s successful visit to Powys Castle. Vast Medieval fortress with staterooms and exotic gardens. Guided tours. Visit the dungeons where King Edward II was murdered in 1327!

7 HERITAGE OPEN DAYS. Thursday 6 th to Saturday 8 th September: Once again we hope to be joining in this national celebration of heritage with an extended display of our work at All Saints and Bishop Street Methodist Churches. OUR LEICESTER DAY Sunday 9 th September: Details have yet to be announced but we hope to be in Leicester Market with our exhibition once again. ANCIENT LEICESTER - PART 2. Saturday 22nd September: Guided Walk: More survivals from the distance past. Jewry Wall, Roman Baths, Saxon Church of St. Nicholas, Elizabethan Grammar School, Wygston s House and the Medieval Guildhall. Why not book for both halves of this walk? Prices for our guided walks will be increasing in July but you will be able save money by booking Part 1 and Part 2 of Ancient Leicester at the same time. NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given of the 41st Annual General Meeting of Leicester Civic Society to be held in THE FUNCTION ROOM, THE REGENT CLUB, 102 REGENT ROAD, LEICESTER on WEDNESDAY 9 th MAY 2012 at 7.30pm. In accordance with the Constitution of the Society, the purposes of the meeting will be: 1. To receive the Annual Reports of the Chairman & Public Relations Officer, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer To elect a Chairman & Public Relations Officer, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, together with not more than nine other society members, to comprise the committee of the Society for The existing Chairman & Public Relations Officer Mr. Stuart Bailey, Hon. Secretary Mr. Howard Wilkins, Hon. Treasurer & Membership Secretary Mr. Gordon Goode, Campaigns Manager & Webmaster Mr. Ben Ravilious and committee members Ms. Trusha Chauhan, (Social Secretary) Mrs. Jennifer Macgregor, (Society Archivist) Dr. Margaret Scott, (Conservation Officer for South & East Leicester) Mr. Stuart Simmonds (Conservation Officer for West & Central Leicester) and Councillor Dr. Susan Barton have all indicated their willingness to stand Mr. Herbert Eppel, (Conservation Advisory Panel) Mrs. Susan Eppel (CAP Deputy) and Mr. Tim Savage, all previously co-opted now stand as committee members. Proposers and seconders are invited from the floor The position of Vice-Chairman is vacant. Nominations will be accepted from the floor Any other nominations for officers and other committee members must be received by the Hon. Secretary in writing with the supporting signatures of proposing and seconding members, no later than Tuesday 1 st May Any other business proper to the meeting. Please inform the Hon. Secretary Mr. Howard Wilkins no later than Tuesday 1 st May 2012, if you wish to raise any items under this heading. Howard Wilkins, Hon. Secretary. 7th March 2012 A LIGHT BUFFET WILL BE SERVED FOLLOWING THE MEETING GOOD & BAD NEWS FOR BATH LANE The developer has now withdrawn his application for Merlin Works Phase One and the proposed monstrous 22 and 27 blocks are unlikely ever to be built. The application for Merlin Works Phase Two (49 storeys) lapsed last year but we must remain vigilant, as these people have only to use the word Regeneration to gain planning consent from Leicester City Council. What this leaves us with however is an entire neighbourhood, once our industrial heartland, now a planning blighted urban waste. Our City Councillors never seem to grasp that developers are only in it for the money, not for the benefit of our City and it only takes an economic downturn for them to retreat to the nearest tax haven leaving us with inner urban dereliction. FRIAR S MILL Sitting in the midst of this wasteland is Friar s Mill, Leicester s first factory. English Heritage has taken a staggering 31 months to decide NOT to re-grade the historic mill building from Grade 2 to Grade 2- Star. The Civic Society and Leicestershire Industrial History have made complaint over the excessive time it has taken to produce this negative result.

8 SUNDAY 15 th APRIL. LEICESTER GUILDHALL at 2.00pm. LANCASTER HALL Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service Join journalist and writer Neil Crutchley for Sunday afternoon at the Guildhall and a magical journey in words, pictures and music, through Leicester s musical history. From early music in the Castle Great Hall and 18 th Century concerts, through Victorian theatre and Music Hall, to tea dances in the Corn Exchange including refreshments. Advance booking recommended: LEICESTER GUILDHALL STUDENT HOUSING MORATORIUM The decision to grant planning consent for the 22-storey Megaclose development on Eastern Boulevard was the straw that broke the camels back, and the resulting public outcry has led to the Council placing a moratorium on Student Housing until they hurriedly produce a Supplementary Planning Document. This should have been produced before now, or perhaps - if a correct decision had been made over the Megaclose Building - it may not have been necessary at all. The draft SPD has now appeared and we have until March to comment. Local residents groups are pinning their hopes on it, though if the Tall Buildings SPD is anything to go by the Council set may set it aside when it suits them to do so. Meanwhile: LEAVE MILL LANE ALONE! Mill Lane splits the De Montfort University Campus in two and DMU has published outrageous proposals to gently erase this ancient street from the map of Leicester. Despite extensive spin the planning application, to be submitted in March, will be hotly contested by this Society and by local residents who don t mind sharing but object to the University trying to take over the neighbourhood.

9 # RARE FIND PROVES DECISION WAS RIGHT Following the welcome decision last March by Leicester City Councillors to reject plans to put football pitches on part of Aylestone Meadows Local Nature Reserve we have been working with the Council and local people to protect and enhance the site. The first stage of this work was an extensive survey of the Local Wildlife Site areas of Aylestone Meadows, mainly looking at habitats and plants. Aylestone Meadows supports a number of rare wetland and grassland species particularly in the flood meadows that are grazed by the longhorn cattle. These include slender spike-rush, which has not been found in Leicestershire & Rutland since 1800 and is Leicester Mercury usually a coastal plant of salt marshes; tubular water-dropwort a rapidly declining species; and marsh arrow-grass. We have also found a unique willow at Aylestone Meadows. It is a quadruple hybrid between goat willow, grey willow, purple willow and osier. This is a new record, not just for Leicestershire but for the whole of the British Isles. Numerous signs of otters have been found along much of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal, indicating high activity and a healthy population here. Lepidoptera surveys carried out last year have revealed a number of locally rare and uncommon moth species such as the Blackneck and the beautiful Hook-Tip. These initial visits have recorded 170 different moth species associated with a range of habitats including damp pasture, wetland and woodland. The surveys have confirmed that Aylestone Meadows and the associated River Soar is the best and most extensive area for wildlife in Leicester City and indeed one of the most important wildlife corridors in Leicestershire & Rutland. We hope that our work will help to ensure the long-term future of this special place. Neil Talbot Senior Conservation Officer, Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust SATURDAY 5 th MAY 2012 at 10.30am. A Guided Walk by STUART BAILEY Rear of 14 th Century Merchants House. Silver Street, Leicester. Phil Taylor CIRCULAR WALK FROM HIGH STREET and HIGHCROSS STREET CORNER. The centre of Medieval Leicester was at the crossing of what are now High Street and Highcross Street. The south-west, north-west and north-east quarters still contain fragments of the ancient town such as Leicester Castle. However the south-east quarter is remarkably intact. Join us on an exploration of the streets of Medieval Leicester existing in the area bounded by High Street, The Market Place, Friar Lane and Southgate Street. Discover their old names and see where medieval buildings still lurk. Visit three timbered halls - find out what the ancient town really looked like Advance booking essential. SEE THE BOOKINGS PAGE

10 It was a great pleasure to once again receive nominations for, and to visit examples of restoration that enrich our historic built environment. These beautiful buildings are the heritage of our future. Although the nominations for Restoration rose to five this year there were no nominations in the new build category, a reflection perhaps of the current economic downturn. However the Society has made a Community Award for the first time. In the field of restoration we were impressed by Top Hat Terrace London Road, built in 1864 for Leicester s famous detective Francis Tanky Smith and restored by the current owners Messrs. Crane & Walton (Nos ) and the Michael Hill Partnership (No. 119) COMMENDATION: Top Hat Terrace. Detail of restoration of cornice by sub-contractors Skillstone of Leicester (Photo: Phil Taylor) We were also impressed by No.48 West Street, constructed by C. W. Herbert & Son also in 1864, and the home from 1870 to 1880 of John Biggs. This fine house had been allowed to suffer disastrous mutilation in the 1970 s but has been meticulously restored as six self-contained apartments by the present owner Mr. P. Singh. COMMENDATION: The amazing before and after views of No. 48 West Street are classic examples of what not to do to the historic built environment but how the damage can then be put right. (Photos: Phil Taylor) Both of these entries win commendations for restoration. However there can only be one winner. The 2011 Award for Restoration goes the YMCA Leicester, built for the YMCA by Albert Sawday in The current works are largely on the interior of the building where the panel found a commitment to restore a working building to its original use with the minimum of compromise to its historic internal features, together with the careful restoration of those features to the highest standard by the YMCA and Leicester architect James Badley of rg+p Architects of New Walk. SOCIETY AWARD: YMCA East Street (Photo: Phil Taylor)

11 The Society s Community Award was made without the slightest hesitation to Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society. As a local community group AMAS was established to protect and promote the natural heritage of Aylestone Meadows Nature Reserve and surrounding areas of green space for the benefit of wildlife and appropriate use by the people of Leicester. AMAS conducted a highly professional and successful campaign to oppose obliteration of the nature reserve by the imposition of two all-weather, floodlit football pitches. We found the actions of AMAS in opposing these proposals over a sustained and difficult period of twenty months duration to be immensely commendable. We are delighted to announce that on Friday 30 th March 2012 our guest of honour Sarah Harrison, City Centre Director, will present the 2011 Awards, with a reception and dinner at the City Rooms, Hotel Street, Leicester. Full details are given on the enclosed handbill. Please see the bookings page to reserve your places at this prestigious event. As we have said before, encouraging and celebrating restoration and design excellence in historic Leicester is a noble cause and one in which Leicester Civic Society is proud to be taking the lead Bishop Street Methodist Church

12 BUILDING A LEICESTER TIME MACHINE! Ben Ravilious Most people (and that includes most residents) see Leicester primarily as a red brick and concrete city and their sense of its history is anchored to that. Much of the earlier historic built environment has been lost or is fragmented and it s understandably difficult to visualise how the fabric of the city looked in the past. As well as the fact that Leicester s hidden history is fascinating, we miss out on a huge opportunity to foster civic pride and a better sense of civic identity. DMU academic, Dr Douglas Cawthorne s new Digital Building Heritage Project funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, (AHRC) offers a fantastic chance to visualise the past both through digital modelling such as at Virtual Roman Leicester and also digital locative tools to explore archived media. We know there are terabytes of photos, videos, sketches, audio and texts squirreled away in academic departments, heritage groups archives and in the homes of residents. My dream would be to collate and present this data in exciting, interactive formats that will allow citizens to peel back and browse the layers of the city s history. I m particularly excited about the idea of being able to do this within a real-life building (call it a museum if you like) as well as on devices and web browsers. Technology to harness and reveal this data in exciting ways (Virtual Reality, 3D Modelling, Augmented Reality, Locative Media, etc.) is already mature and straightforward to harness. What is more difficult is opening the silos of data and getting people to share what they have. My colleagues at Leicester Civic Society are fired-up about this project and we would encourage anyone with an interest in Leicester s history (particularly those with data to contribute) to step forward and contact Douglas. Finally, I think Digital Building Heritage Project isn t a very engaging name so any suggestions for a catchy project name would be welcomed. My suggestion is Leicester Time Machine which I think lends itself to a Tardis-like physical venue that could have the feeling of being bigger on the inside than out. (Stoneygate Conservation Area Society has committed itself to the same AHRC Project through Leicester University. See article by Nick Knight - Ed) MUCH APPRECIATED NOW FOR SOME GOOD NEWS Leicester Civic Society would like to be everywhere and do everything - but it can t. So here are thank you-s to: Our former Chairman John Burrows for running a oneman campaign to get the Council to restore the statue of Simon De Montfort on the Clock Tower, damaged by vandals. This is not the first time this has happened but largely though John s efforts Leicester s famous Earl is to gain a new sword and interpretation panels are to be provided for all four statues. Well done John. Society member Paul Southwood, who is himself disabled, investigated provision for the disabled in Leicester and finding it wanting produced a detailed report for the City Council on the subject. The report calls for greater control of pavement A-Boards, which proliferate on certain streets and are a hazard for the mobile and the visually impaired. Also provision of a low level ticket window at Leicester Station, a crackdown on pavement cyclists, making the post office in W. H. Smith on Gallowtree Gate more accessible and the upgrading of bus services. Well done Paul. The Friends of Joseph Carey Merrick Group, who rescued the commemorative plaque to Joseph Merrick - The Elephant Man - from the remains of the Gaiety Music Hall when they were demolished, and have reinstated it at Moat Community College, which occupies the site of a workhouse where Merrick lived in 1879/80. Well done. And finally to the City Council Planning Enforcement and Conservation Teams, who obliged the owner of a house in Springfield Road to replace his new plastic framed windows with timber, served both an Article 4 Direction and a Section 215 Notice on the owner of the former GC Wagon Works on Upperton Road. (See Leicester Citizen No.26) These legally remove permitted development rights and oblige structural repair. They have also served an Article 4 Direction on the owners of the historic Abbey Mills on Abbey Park Road. Well done indeed!

13 VICTORIA PARK & THE LUTYENS WAR MEMORIAL Following discussions at the first Heritage Partnership Meeting in July 2011, the Civic Society conducted an initial survey as to the practicality of re-opening the view from the Victoria Park Lodges to the War Memorial. Contrary to popular belief the gateway and the memorial although both by the same great architect, are not part of the same design concept. The memorial was completed and opened in It takes the form of a huge Quadraphons or tetrapylon arch and in England is the furthest north for such a memorial by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is listed Grade 1. The lodges date from 1935 and the gates were donated by Sir Jonathon North in memory of his wife who died in The lodges and gates are listed Grade 2-star. The park is on the National Register of Historic Parks & Gardens. (Grade 2) As a result of this historical accident the arch and gateway do not exactly align, the memorial is offset by 10 yards to the southeast from the alignment of the gates. However, as the monuments are over 350 yards apart this is not readily discernable and in old photographs the two structures appear aligned. Over a period of years trees have been planted and allowed to Picture: Tim Savage grow, which completely obscure the view of the memorial from the gates and it this that we wish to see corrected. The Society believes that this should be rectified by the creation of a processional way linking the two. Ideally this would be completed and opened in time for Armistice Day on 11 th November 2014, in the centenary year of the Great War. There would be approximately three times as many new trees planted as the few that would require removal. There is unsightly clutter in connexion with car parking at the London Road end that would need to be removed and the existing tennis courts may need moving a very short distance to the southeast to accommodate the tree planting. These proposals were submitted to the City Mayor, investigation of them has been incorporated into the City s Heritage Action Plan and they provide a good example of the growing spirit of co-operation between Leicester City Council and Leicester Civic Society NEW USES FOR OLD BUILDINGS Two developments have done nothing to diminish the Civic Society campaign to get Leicester City Council to reuse historic City Centre properties in its ownership. The announcement at the beginning of January that the New Walk Centre is about to become both late and unlamented was heralded by a rather silly statement from a Council spokesman who claimed, other Council owned buildings are close to their maximum capacity. That without the New Walk Centre, Council office accommodation would be short by 6,600 square metres However the former Constitution Club and Registry Office on Pocklingtons Walk, together with the former Central Post Office on Bishop Street - all close by both the New Walk Centre and the Town Hall - total 3,810 sqm, thereby reducing this shortfall to 2,790 sqm. Former Leicester Permanent Building Society Offices on Pocklingtons Walk (Phil Taylor) Only a week later the Council put the empty former HQ offices of the Leicester Permanent Building society up for rent. These are also located in Pocklingtons Walk and total 2,323 sqm reducing the shortfall to 467 sqm. Anyone with a couple of spare rooms please get in touch!

14 NEW CONSERVATION AREAS. The Civic Society is committed to the promotion of new Conservation Areas in Leicester. Currently twenty-four conservation areas occupy 4.6% of the City, which we believe is inadequate. Surveys were conducted in 2010 and representations submitted to Leicester City Council in Summer 2011 for new conservation areas at South Knighton, The Portland Enclave and four extensions to Stoneygate. In 2011 the team of Howard Wilkins, Jenny Westmoreland, Margaret Scott, Tim Savage, Jennifer Macgregor, Graham Lees, Peter Jones, Su Barton and Stuart Bailey conducted a total of nine surveys of Clarendon Park, Western Park and New Walk, and the streets and addresses to be recommended are given below together with some excellent photographs by Phil Taylor. Detailed submissions will go to Leicester City Council by May this year. There is currently no indication that the Council is taking any notice but this important work will continue in 2012 and if necessary CLARENDON PARK NEW CONSERVATION AREA A splendid terrace of late Victorian houses at 292 to 304 Victoria Park Road cries out for the protection of character given by conservation area status. 1. NEW WALK CONSERVATION AREA EXTENSION Granville Road De Montfort Hall Lancaster Road Central Fire Station & cottages. Regent Road Regent College. Victoria Park Area from Victoria Park Gates to War Memorial. Peace Walk. Although slightly marred by some inappropriate windows Orlando Road remains a little gem of artisan housing typical of 19 th Century Leicester. The Lodges at Victoria Park Gates by Sir Edwin Lutyens Listed Grade 2-Star Fine example of a staggered terrace of Victorian Villas on Queens Road. The elegance of a former age still lingers. Fire Station Cottages, Lancaster Road by Trevor Sawday Listed Grade 2. Adderley Road Edward Road Hartopp Road Howard Road Lytton Road Orlando Road Oxford Road Queens Road 4 to 24 even. 36 to 40 even. 34 to 50 even and 1 to 51 odd. 40 to 152 even and 19 to 119 odd. 2 to 20 even and 1 to 19 odd. All numbers. No to 50 even. (Inc. Friends Meeting House) 43 to 53 odd. St. Leonard s Rd 23 to 43 odd. Victoria Park Rd 128 to 338 even.

15 3. WESTERN PARK NEW CONSERVATION AREA Western Park Area to east of main drive pathway and path to Glenfield Rd; Pavilion, Park Farm, Bandstand and Western Park Open Air School. Also Bowling Greens & pavilions west of main drive. Robert Rowley JP gave the Tram Shelter on Hinckley Road to the City in (Local Interest List) Western Park Pavilion. Circa Grade 2 Listed. Gentle understatement. Soft colours and textured tile hanging at 105 Letchworth Road. Massive Church of St. Anne in a dominant hill top site, yet contriving to look comfortable in its suburban setting. Green Tiles 11 Westhill Road. Flamboyant Art deco. Perhaps the best house of its type in the City. Glenfield Road 172 to 216 even. Hinckley Road Western Park Road to Western Park Entrance. (Inc. Tram Shelter & Park Gates) Letchworth Road 72 to 152 even and 79 to 135 odd. (Inc. Church of St. Anne and Church Hall) Meadway All numbers. Mellor Road 2 to 10 even and 1 to 61 odd. Western Park Rd 23 to 57 odd. Westfield Road 12 to 20 even and 29 to 51 odd. Westhill Road All numbers. Western Park Open Air School. Recently Listed Grade 2. JOIN THE CIVIC SOCIETY HERITAGE STALWARTS From MAY to SEPTEMBER 2012 surveying for NEW CONSERVATION AREAS

16 STONEYGATE CONSERVATION AREA SOCIETY It never ceases to amaze me what you can find on the Internet. Over the last couple of years I have been browsing for snippets of information relating to individuals and families who figured prominently in Victorian and Edwardian Leicester s social, political, religious and business institutions and I m particularly interested in those with a connection to Stoneygate. In my latest session I started off by idly typing into `Google the name of the Victorian owner of `The Stoney Gate, the area s oldest property, which stood on the site of the Dukes Drive flats and was demolished in the 1960s. Originally a farmhouse set in several acres of grounds and grazing land for animals, by the mid-nineteenth century the `Stoney Gate was being developed into a substantial family residence, similar in style and size to the seats of the county gentry. It belonged to the Freer family and its owner was Major William Jesse Freer DL, VD, FSA ( ), chief partner in the family firm of solicitors, now known as Freer Bouskell. I already knew a little about Major Freer through conversations with fellow Society members and traditional written sources, notably Helen Boynton & Derek Seaton s excellent history of London Road From Tollgate to Tramshed. I knew, for instance, that he bequeathed the land on which St John the Baptist School in Clarendon Park Road now stands. What I didn t know, and what I was able to learn by typing his name into the `Google search engine and following up the links to the websites that it generated, was just how far Major Freer was from being a quiet provincial solicitor. Throughout his working life, he occupied himself with an extraordinarily diverse range of activities. He was a clerk to the Justices of the Peace, to the Leicestershire County Council, to the Lord Lieutenant, to the Visiting Committee of HM Prison, Welford Road and to the Leicestershire & Rutland Lunatic Asylum. He was a Lay Canon of Leicester Cathedral and a churchwarden of St John the Baptist. He was President of the British Numismatic Society and Honourable Secretary to the Leicestershire Architectural and Archaeological Society. More intriguingly, and thanks to an online copy of the latter s 1932 Annual Report, I also found out that he was married to the niece of his near neighbour and owner of `Brookfield, Thomas Fielding Johnson Senior, who I wrote about in the July 2011 issue of the `Citizen. This was a surprise worthy of Dickens particularly apt, as we have just celebrated the author s bicentenary and a further reminder of how important family connections were to the nineteenth-century regional economy. Unlike us modern folk, Leicester s Victorian movers-and-shakers weren t content with just networking. On the subject of which (networking, that is), SCAS is delighted to be benefiting already from the friendly co-operation between the dozen or so partner organisations of the `Leicester Heritage Partnership set up by the City Mayor in July last year as one of his `First 100 Days pledges. The Heritage Partnership has now met three times and in November we received from Dr Rebecca Madgin of Leicester University s Centre for Urban History, asking if we would support the Centre in its bid for funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) `Connected Communities Programme. As part of an initiative called `Research for Community Heritage', the Programme is looking to establish a working relationship between historical/heritage research organisations (such as the Centre for Urban History) and heritage-based community groups (such as SCAS and the Civic Society) and so help these groups to develop a variety of projects; the publication of leaflets, books and guides, the creation of new media applications and history trails, the organisation of schools and adult learning activities, lectures, history days, guides and other special events. We thought this was a great idea and happily agreed to help. We were delighted to learn earlier this month that Rebecca s bid has been successful. There were no less than 18 letters of support from across the city and a couple in the county. The next step will be to organise open days to be held in May or June to showcase the work of everyone involved. We look forward to the events with great interest. Think of them as a sort of `Antiques Roadshow. Those of you who have an interest in a particular aspect of local history/heritage can talk it over with other local enthusiasts and the University s professional historians. Those with a more general interest (or who are just curious!) can come along and find out what local groups and the University are up to. Nick Knight

17 THE BOOKINGS PAGE Please photocopy this page if you do not want to cut your Journal. PLEASE RESERVE PLACES FOR THE 2011 AWARDS RECEPTION, PRESENTATION CEREMONY & DINNER AT THE CITY ROOMS ON FRIDAY 30 th MARCH I ENCLOSE IN FULL PAYMENT ( PER PERSON BY SATURDAY 17 th MARCH) NAME ADDRESS POSTCODE PLEASE RESERVE PLACES FOR THE 2011 AWARDS RECEPTION AND PRESENTATION ONLY ON FRIDAY 30 th MARCH I ENCLOSE IN FULL PAYMENT ( 3.00 PER PERSON BY SATURDAY 17 th MARCH) NAME ADDRESS POSTCODE PLEASE RESERVE PLACES ON THE GUIDED WALK MEDIEVAL STREETS ON SATURDAY 5 th MAY I ENCLOSE IN FULL PAYMENT. ( 3.00 PER PERSON) NAME ADDRESS POSTCODE PLEASE RESERVE PLACES ON THE DAY COACH TOUR TO THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM ON SATURDAY 19 th MAY I ENCLOSE IN FULL PAYMENT. (SEE ADVERTISEMENT ON BACK PAGE) I/WE WILL JOIN THE COACH AT NAME ADDRESS POSTCODE ADVANCE BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE EVENTS AND SHOULD BE MADE TO: STUART BAILEY, 48 MEADOW AVENUE, LOUGHBOROUGH, LEICESTERSHIRE LE11 1JT. CHEQUES SHOULD BE MADE PAYABLE TO LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY.

18 The City Rooms is a Historic Grade 1 listed building, conveniently located in the City Centre of Leicester. Offering a delightfully grand setting, available for meetings and celebrations large and small in one of our newly restored function rooms. The City Rooms Hotel Street LEICESTER LE1 5AW

19 MOTHERS DAY IN ROMAN TIMES. SUNDAY 1 st APRIL to 3.30pm. JEWRY WALL MUSEUM. ADMISSION FREE. THE FESTIVAL OF MATRONALIA. ROMAN FASHION PARADE & ROMAN WEDDING. PRESENTATION ON ROMAN MAKE-UP. ROMAN FOOD PREPARATION & COOKING. SPINNING & WEAVING. Ratae Romans. Matrons at the Jewry Wall Museum. ABBEY PUMPING STATION LEICESTER VINTAGE FESTIVAL SAT. 23rd & SUN. 24th JUNE to 5.00pm Join us for a sensational weekend filled with the sights & sounds of steam. We celebrate the vintage spirit of Leicester, with the chance to see steam engines, locos and classic vehicles, along with collectables, live music, craft stalls and the chance to ride on Lenny the Loco. Join in the fun by wearing 20 th Century costume from Edwardian to Hippie and take part in the costume parades. THE MIGHTY BEAM ENGINES WILL BE IN OPERATION, IN THE AFTERNOON WITH THREE IN STEAM AT ONCE. THE ONLY PLACE IN EUROPE WHERE THIS WONDER CAN BE SEEN. Adults Accompanied children free. (Small additional charge for the train rides) Mosaic head of a woman, from Pompeii. Museo Nationale, Naples JOIN US FOR THIS CELEBRATION OF ROMAN WOMANHOOD. FROM THE HOUSEHOLD SLAVE GIRL AND THE SHOPKEEPER S WIFE TO THE DOMINA, MATRON, HEAD OF HER HOUSEHOLD AND SECOND ONLY TO THE PATER FAMILIAS IN AUTHORITY - WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A WOMAN IN LEICESTER DURING THE SECOND CENTURY? PLUS CRAFT ACTIVITIES, FUN & GAMES FOR THE KIDS. TOURS OF THE ROMAN BATHS & TREASURES OF THE MUSEUM FRIENDS OF JEWRY WALL MUSEUM EXHIBITION STAND. BOOKSTALL AND REFRESHMENTS.

20 LEICESTER CIVIC SOCIETY SATURDAY 19 th MAY 2012 THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM Photo: Black Country Living Museum TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO THE VICTORIAN BLACK COUNTRY THE WORKSHOP OF THE WORLD. YOU WILL HAVE ALL DAY TO EXPLORE HOUSES, SHOPS, PUBS, WORKSHOPS & CHAPELS, AND TRAVEL BY TRAMS AND TROLLEY BUSES. YOUR DAY WILL INCLUDE TWO GROUP VISITS: GOING BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE DAYS OF QUEEN VICTORIA (20 mins at 12.15pm) AND VENTURING INTO A COAL MINE (30 mins at 4.00pm) BOTH AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. COACH DEPARTS: HUMBERSTONE GATE (Secular Hall) PREMIER INN (Narborough Road) RETURNING AT 6.20 and 6.30pm 8.45am 8.55am DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS - SEE THE BOOKINGS PAGE FULL FARE: (MEMBERS 23.00) CONCESSION: (MEMBERS 22.50) Senior Citizens, Students, & Unwaged.