Conservation Areas in Harborough district - Willoughby Waterleys Conservation Area

Willoughby Waterleys is a strongly linear village in flat countryside some 12 km south of Leicester. The Main Street runs north to south as part of an almost straight line between Blaby and Gilmorton. Beyond the broken east-west road which crosses it near The Old Hall, this road degenerates into a track.

The Conservation Area embraces almost the whole of the present settlement from the Old Hall in the south. It includes recent housing developments of 1991 in the former farmyard of Yew Tree Farm, the mid 20th century close of Orchard Road and ribbon development of Church Farm Lane and the south end of Main Street. These are all within the basic linear structure and are part of the village. The Old Hall on the south side of the east west road is included as it is on the north-south line and is historically significant.

The long Main Street drops gently downhill from the Old Hall with, on either side, a variety of buildings and houses, some well spaced. There are a number of silver birches at the top end and many other trees in gardens most notable being those at The Old Rectory with yew trees as at the adjacent Yew Tree Farmhouse. There are a number of larger red brick 18th century and regency houses in the Main Street. Some are close to the road, others as The Limes, and the exceptionally fine Manor Farmhouse are set back on the west with front gardens giving a feel of spaciousness to the streetscene. In the central part of the street on a wide verge is a red K6 telephone kiosk. Further down is the pretty former village school of 1844 with cast iron lattice windows, and opposite the tall red brick gardens walls of The Old Rectory. The Old Rectory itself is an important building, but barely visible from the road because of the garden wall and trees. The small church lies behind the Old Rectory and is approached by a wide path between red brick walls having elaborate Victorian cast iron gates to the street. The church itself is not readily visible from Main Street. Only one working farm, Manor Farm, now remains in the village street. The others have had new housing development in their yards and former agricultural buildings converted to dwellings. In the village centre at Manor Farm the barn with gable end to the road makes a visual stop in the line of the street. Elsewhere the older village houses and buildings are interspersed with later 20th century houses.  

Characteristic of the village are the tall red brick walls to older larger properties: to the side of The Old Hall, to Manor Farmhouse and to The Old Rectory all with stone finials and gateway piers. More humble are the red brick walls to the former school and to Yew Tree Farm, the latter with the granite plinth and cast iron gates.

The Old Hall, in the far south makes an important impact on its corner with the east-west road. It is a large 16th century E plan timberframed buildings, now rendered with slate roof looking north down to the main street. Its rear to the south (now the front) was re-fronted in the 18th century in red brick and its tall red brick boundary walls built. It is these walls and the rendered house behind that make a dominant southern stop to the Conservation Area.  

It is the very long Main Street, with its mature trees and yews, its red brick walls, and stone gateway finials, cast iron gates and variety of older buildings that gives the Conservation Area its character. Red brick and slate predominate, but there still remains much Swithland slate to give texture to the roofs.

Willoughby Waterleys Conservation Area map