Wymeswold Conservation Area

Wymeswold Conservation Area was designated in January 1974 by Leicestershire County Council.

The character appraisal was approved by Cabinet in April 2009. See Related Documents below for the complete Appraisal, Map and Slideshow.

The Conservation Area covers 25 Hectares.

Wymeswold lies about 5 miles north east of Loughborough. The village lies in a bowl beside the shallow valley of the River Mantle, protected from some of the harsh winds that blow across the Wolds. It is one of a ring of settlements whose parishes radiate from the the top of the Wolds at Six Hills which was possibly the Saxon meeting place for all the Wolds settlements. Today the village is more often seen as sitting on the A6006 which carries a great deal of heavy traffic between the motorway network to the west and the Fosse Way in the east.

The village is compact with an elongated oblong shape. It is set in the gently rolling landscape of the Wolds, covered with clay and loam suited to arable farming. The hills and valleys are broad and create vistas of the distant horizons.

While there is evidence of people living in the area from before Roman times, Wymeswold is recognised as an Anglo Saxon nucleated settlement, typical of the East Midlands. The name probably means “Wigmund’s portion of the Wolds”. Changes took place in the mid to late 17th century with the rise of nonconformism. There was a major development during the Georgian period; the village has several fine Georgian houses. The industrial revolution had only a small impact on the village. It must have been too far from the major transport route in the Soar valley to make the economics viable. In the 20th century many of the orchards and gardens were built on.

The village of Wymeswold consists of a grid of two roads running east-west with five interconnecting routes running north-south, one of which is a footpath. The principal road is Far Street and its continuation, East Road, the A6006, along which there are a number of important houses. Brook Street and Hoton Road, are quiet and rural by comparison. The north-south streets are simple village streets. All the streets reflect their medieval origins, with gentle curves and some stronger bends.

There are three principal spaces within the village: the mound on which stands the church; below the mound, the junction of Far Street and The Stockwell which is known locally as The Square; and to the south of The Stockwell, Queens Park is a pleasant green space at the junction with Brook Street. To the east of the mound is Church Street which is rather narrow with tight bends. These spaces are the core of the medieval village. From The Square, Far Street curves to the west and East Road rises up the hill to the east. From Queens Park, Brook Street to the west has few features but to the east the road incorporates the grassy banks of the river Mantle.

The broad character of the streets is enhanced by variability of the enclosure in which the houses do not follow any particular line. Some stand directly at the back of the pavement, some are set slightly back, some forward, some are raised up to follow the topography. A noticeable feature are the long narrow plots that lead away from Far Street and Brook Street. Between the houses there are several gaps, which are now often driveways, through which one can see a string of buildings.

The curving streets offer several views and changes of interest. The approach into the village along Rempstone Road offers a rural feel with scattered red brick buildings amongst the hedges and trees, which is then contrasted by the more urban feel to the villagescape by views along Far Street

The tower of the Church of St Mary on its mound is the landmark of the village, being visible across the housetops and in gaps between the houses from many places. Besides the church and the two remaining chapels, the buildings are generally 2 storey vernacular cottages or 3 storey Georgian houses. The cottages may be small or they may be combinations of more than one cottage. The houses may be single or double pile. There is evidence of commercial use, such as small shops and the remnant of the post office.

The buildings in general have a simple rectangular plan, sometimes parallel to the road, sometimes at right angles to it. Much of the character of the Conservation Area is derived from the harmonious blending of simple rectangular shapes with simple ridged roofs.

Nos. 2 & 4 The Stockwell are a well loved beauty spot in the village, a popular place for artists, particularly with the combination of the lime trees on Queens Park and the church tower. The position of No.2 The Stockwell, raised on its grassy bank Is enhanced by the white picket fence together with the red painted front door under its ridged canopy. Further along the street, the floral bank of No. 4, the brick and tile bus shelter, the seat and telephone box (which is Listed Grade II) complete the tranquil street scene below the mound and the church.

There are a few surviving examples of timber frame, which may be more evident internally, in ceiling beams and joists. Most buildings in the village are now of a mellow brownish-red brick, laid to Flemish bond. The brick may be painted or rendered with a rough plaster. Many houses stand on a granite or mixed river rubble stone plinth, occasionally a brick plinth. There may be some simple brick string courses and occasionally there are dentil cornice details at the eaves or gables, but there is remarkably little decoration of the houses.

The most common roofing material is Welsh slate but there are roofs of thatch, Swithland slate, plain clay tile, red clay pantile, and latterly concrete tile. The red clay pantiles are a particular feature of Wymeswold.

Traditionally, windows are vertical sash windows in the more important houses and Yorkshire horizontal sliding sash windows in the cottages. There are also casement windows in the cottages. Regrettably, there are many uPVC replacements, some of which have paid scant attention to the detail of the windows they have replaced, thus greatly damaging the character of the house and the street.

Whatever the style of window they are generally multi-pane. In the vernacular cottages there is frequently a mix of window styles, with either one style on the ground floor and a different stlye on the first floor, or one style for the façade with another style at the sides or rear.

Traditional granite kerbs are found at the edge of many pavements making a significant contribution to the character of the streets and lanes of the village.

The churchyard is a pleasant area of grass standing above the street with a yew tree, some smaller flowering trees and a row of lime trees lining the path from The Stockwell to Church Street. It contains many Swithland slate gravestones. Queens Park is a triangular area of grass and lime trees at the junction of The Stockwell and Brook Street with a smaller area of grass with a seat on the south side of Brook Street. To the east along Brook Street is a long linear strip of grassy banks, with willow trees and daffodills in the springtime, through which the river Mantle flows. Brook Street is further enhanced by broad grass verges for much of its length.

The River Mantle is a Local Wildlife Site. It supports a population of water voles, a protected species, and a good range of aquatic plants. Together with its tributaries, the river functions as a wildlife corridor to the wider countryside.

Adjacent are Wymeswold Meadows another Local Wildlife Site. They are three fields with cowslip, black knapweed, bird’s-foot trefoil and spiny restharrow. The Meadows are owned and managed as traditional pastures by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust. It is an invaluable asset to the village.