Steps Taken To Preserve District’s Important Heritage Sites

More of the Harborough District’s most historically significant buildings and places are to be preserved for future generations.

16 have been identified as being worthy of inclusion on a new list of ‘‘non-designated heritage assets,’ which are deemed worthy of protection due to their historic, architectural or archaeological interest.

The District Council has taken the decision after evaluating suggestions from members of the public, who were asked to put forward nominations.

The sites join over 1,000 buildings, parks, conservation areas and monuments across the District which are already protected, many through national legislation.

Cllr Phil King, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “Whilst not an exhaustive list, the assets identified so far play an essential role in building and reinforcing the sense of historic character and distinctiveness of the district.

“By identifying and protecting these assets, we are in a stronger position to preserve them for future generations through, for example, the Local Plan or planning applications. Thank you to everyone who helped us compile this list.”

The following are the first entries to have been included in the Local List, which will be reviewed annually:

Former Temperance Hotel, St Mary’s Road, Market Harborough – grand two-storey building has likely links to Thomas Cook, who lived in Market Harborough, and the former Temperance movement, a major societal movement in the 19th Century

Northampton Road Cemetery, Nothampton Road, Market Harborough – municipal town cemetery opened in 1878

Home Farm, Bakehouse Lane, Saddington – historic bakehouse which would have had an important role providing food for the local community

Keyham Bridge, Hungarton Lane, Keyham – an unusually-decorative road bridge over the Barkby Brook, built in 1832 for a cost, at the time, of £140

WWII Pillbox, Oakham Road, north east of Fox Lodge, Withcote  – rare surviving WWII hexagonal pillbox put in place to secure key infrastructure routes in the event of an enemy invasion in WWII – the only one in Harborough district and one of 14 within Leicestershire

Claybrooke Magna Village Hall, Main Road, Claybrooke Magna – a purpose-built village hall likely dating from the later Victorian or Edwardian era

The Yews, London Road, Great Glen – located at an important junction of the London turnpike and the road to the former station

Highfield Farm, Main Street, Cold Newton – 18th Century farmhouse which displays traditional construction techniques and forms part of the shrunken Cold Newton settlement

Carmel Baptist Chapel, Wolsey Lane, Fleckney – non-conformist chapel in a village setting; the datestone from the 1813 building it replaced is incorporated in the chapel

Castle Inn, Main Street, Caldecott – railway inn dating from the opening of the Rugby and Stamford Line in 1850 and located on the former Nottingham to Kettering turnpike

Three Gates Farm, Melton Road, Illston on the Hill – traditional red-brick farmhouse from late 18th or early 19th Century

Waller Bedingfield’s House, Bitteswell Road, Lutterworth  – house built, and lived in, by Waller Bedingfield, a prominent local and nationally recognised architect. His notable works include helping to design Lutterworth Memorial Gardens, and the former Goddard Plate Powder factory (1932) in Leicester, which is grade II listed for its Art Deco design

The Red Arrow Pub, Coventry Road, Lutterworth – pub was built as the ‘Flying Saucer’ and the original advertisement shows a model of a flying saucer as part of the sign. The name was later changed to the Red Arrow.

The Old Rectory, Chapel Lane, Misterton – 1840s rectory associated with the adjacent Church of St Leonard and the settlement of Misterton

Former Toll House – Chestnut Cottage, Uppingham Road, Tugby – rare surviving example of a tollhouse where tolls for the Leicester to Peterborough turnpike were collected

The White House, Scraptoft Lane, Scraptoft – ambitious, grand and curious residence, built by a successful businessman TH Crumbie in the interwar period, which was characterised by local prosperity and urban expansion. Tom (TH) Crumbie was an influential figure in the early development of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club