Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Rolleston Conservation Area

The hamlet of Rolleston lies to the east of the B6047 Market Harborough to Melton Road, just south of Billesdon. The village itself is secluded and has no cohesive centre, consisting of a scattering of buildings around the wooded central area of the enclosed grounds to Rolleston Hall. Most of the buildings are or were part of the estate.

The Conservation Area is extensive because it includes Rolleston Hall, erected in 1955 to replace an earlier larger building, Rolleston hamlet and the approaches to it. These are unfenced roads and tracks across parkland pastures. The Conservation Area has a strong estate character as the whole area lies within, or once formed part of, the Rolleston Estate. It includes the long horse chestnut avenue from the lodge cottage and gateway on the Melton Road. The little cluster of buildings known as New Inn by the gateway are included for these incorporate some estate cottages of 1895. Within the hamlet’s core the estate buildings are scattered. Buildings of particular merit are the small stone Church hidden in trees at the edge of the grounds to the Hall, Gardeners Cottage which has a distinctive ornate character, and the lodge cottage and stone gate piers on the Melton Road.

The area includes a man made lake secluded within the parkland, as this is a feature of the parkland. Its dam is linked to the Hall across another area of unfenced parkland with horsechestnut avenue.

Rolleston Conservation Area map