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Chapter Three Buildings

Sect. I - Houses of Proprietors

The county of Leicester contains a great number of magnificent and elegant seats of nobility and gentry : the following is a list of most of the principal, from Throsby, 1801; he was Town Clerk of Leicester, and well aquatinted with the county : it is possible a name or two may have since been altered by death, or alienation, but I have not any easy means of correction.

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Belvoir Castle
Staunton Harold
Stapleford
Kirby Hall
Castle Donnington
Stanford Hall
Wiston Hall
Carlton Curlew
Bosworth Hall
Skeffington Hall
Swithland Hall
Bardon Park
Beaumanor
Braunston Hall
Danett's Hall
Edmonthorpe Hall
Enderby Hall
Gerdon Hall
Rothley Hall
Goppeshall
Laund Abbey
Gumley Hall
Leesthorp Hall
Lindley Hall
Loddington Hall
Misterton Hall
Normanton Hall
Nousley Hall
Osbaston Hall
Prestwood Hall
Quenby Hall
Quorndon Hall
Scraptoft Hall
Stoughton Hall
Wanlip Hall
Westcotes Hall
Odston Hall

Duke of Rutland
Earl Ferrers
Earl of Harborough
Lord Wentworth
Earl of Moira
Sir Thomas Cave
Sir Charles Halford
Sir John Palmer
Sir Woltan Dixie
Sir William Skeffington
Sir John Danvers
William Hood, Esq.
William Herrick, Esq.
Clement Withstanley, Esq.
William Bentley, Esq.
William Pochin, Esq.
Charles Lorraine Smith, Esq.
----- Phillips, Esq.
Thomas Babington, Esq.
Lord Curzon
John Simpson, Esq.
Joseph Craddock, Esq.
John Sheffield Brown, Esq.
Robert Aubrey, Esq.
Charles Morris, Esq.
J. H. Franks Esq.
Holhed Smith, Esq.
Charles Haslerigg, Esq.
Josias Cockshutt, Esq.
Charles James Pack, Esq.
Shackburgh Ashby, Esq.
Hugo Meynell, Esq. the modern Nimrod
Mr. Wigley
G. A. L. Keck, Esq.
Sir Charles Hudson, Bart.
Walter Ruding, Esq.
Richard Astley, Esq.

These seats, says Thorsby, the dwellings of the rich and opulent, are the pride and ornament of the county. I have seen a great number of them, and they are generally kept up in a style of modern elegance, with pleasure grounds and plantations, hot and green houses :their situation comprehends every variety of extensive prospect, and rural retirement.

Belvoir castle is a most romantic situation upon an abrupt elevation of a kind of natural cliff, forming the termination of a peninsular hill, the basis of which is red gritstone, but now covered with vegetable mould, and well turfed by nature and art, and varied into terraces of different elevation ; the lower parts of the declivity, and some of the upper abundantly covered with forest trees to a great extent, and forming woodland beneath the foundations of this ancient mansion, so extensive as to afford shelter to a most innumerable multitude of rooks. This magnificent mansion is, doubtless, situated upon the scite of a very ancient fortification ; it has lately undergone a very thorough reparation and partial renovation, at the expense of £60,000 and upwards : it is so very ancient, that the steward informed me, the family records go back to its having been twice rebuilt, previous to the present time; a walk round the terrace gives a view of the whole vale of Belvoir, and the adjacent county as far as Lincoln, including 22 of the duke's manors, and £20,000 a year of the family property.

Donnington Park. The residence, is a magnificent and spacious stone mansion, newly erected by the present Earl of Moira, in an extensive park of excellent verdure, well stocked with sheep and deer, as well as with forest timber trees of every description and stage of growth, from the young sapling plants to a state of decay, great variety in the aspect, swelling hills and sheltered vales, and washed on one side by the Trent ; some very large oak and elm verging to decay ; the soil sound, well turfed, and somewhat light, with loose rocky under stratum ; the park contains 450 acres, with a large stock of both red and fallow deer ; these two varieties, never intermix so as to cross the breed.

Staunton Harold, Earl Ferrers's, is a magnificent brick and stone mansion, of two principal stories, with cellars and attics, well wooded and watered, and turfed around : many other of the residences above enumerated, are magnicent and elegant, and generally kept in a style of elegance and neatness as may be expected in a fertile and rich country, where such residences are generally occupied by the owners, and who reside therein for the whole, or the greatest part of the year.

Sect. II - Farm Houses, Offices, and repairs

The farm houses of this county, like that of most others, comprehend every variety of construction, and state of repair : in that part of the county occupied by respectable breeders, or graziers, who are sometimes the owners of the occupation, or connected with the owner by relationship, good substantial hoses of brick and tile or of other permanent and durable materials, are to be found ; but in many of the villages, the farm houses are of inferior construction, timber and plaster walls, covered with thatch ; these as they decay, will be gradually removed to the midst of the occupation, and built with more substantial materials.

In general, the modern enclosed parishes have the worst farm houses, they being almost always cooped up in the villages ; in the more ancient enclosures, farm houses have been erected in the midst of the occupations, and built with better materials.

Dishley farm-house is of ancient construction, and has probably been built at different times, whence it wants regularity and compactness ; it has however taken altogether a style of pastoral simplicity, united with neatness, and exhibits a specimen of that judgement and taste, which joins convenience with economy so far as it can be attained without regular design ; the out buildings too seem to have been put up at separate times as wanted ; the yards, and pavements are remarkable for the neat cleanliness, and the whole farm business, for being conducted with good order and system.

Mr Astley's Farm house, which is distinct from Odston hall, is a substantial brick and tile square building, with two front parlours, kitchen, dairy, brewhouse, and other offices behind ; barns, stables, hog-sties and yards, properly distributed backwards, but not modern built nor contrived together, but probably additions made, as the cultivation became more productive, and the stock increased.

The houses of principal breeders are comfortable and substantial, and of course fitted up in a style suitable to the taste and situation in life of the occupier ; but many farm houses in the old enclosures are of very ancient construction, and though the farms are considerable and respectable, the buildings will afford but little instruction ; to modern inquirers, cow-houses for tying up dairy-cows, are generally of the cheapest and simplest construction ; and stall feeding being but little practised, I have not met with one modern built, well-contrived feeding shed ; the cattle in those cases are generally tied to a range of posts, with a cratch and rack, or range of troughs before them, and a binn or space beyond the rack, for a person to deal them out hay, roots, or other food. I saw some at Mr. Astley's, and elsewhere of this sort, of ancient construction, but not one modern well contrived, new erection for stall feeding ; those at Dishley may be comfortable for cattle, and domesticated as they are, convenient enough to the cow-keeper, or servant, but have no particular contrivance in their construction.

In the modern enclosures, most of the farm houses still remain in the villages, and are many of them covered with thatch ; it is in vain there to look for any particular contrivance respecting either comfort or convenience ; when these shall be worn out, and new ones erected upon the scite of the occupation, no doubt but due attention will be paid to those particulars.
I hereunto annex a plan, and particulars of an entire new farmery, consisting of a farm house and offices, lately erected upon the estate of Lord Moira, on Ashby Wolds ; his lordship having previously granted a lease for 21 years, at a rent accordingly ; the building was done at the expense of the tenant, Johnson and Co., who by contract were tied to lay out £1000 upon a plan approved by themselves and the landlord conjointly.

A cow-shed against an open yard, in which cattle are to be tied, or kept up, must be fenced off ; otherwise loose cattle or swine will break in upon them, and injure each other ; the different methods of fencing off are, some with brick-work fence high, having necessary doorways, and small piers carried up to support the roof ; others with gates between the piers ; and some to save the expense of gates, are fenced with paling, leaving a necessary gate or doorways only ; or if a cow-shed be built in a separate fenced yard, or quadrangle by itself, no fencing to the shed will be necessary.

As Ashby Wolds abound in stone, which is easily got for draining or rough walls, Mr. Johnson has built stone rick stools or saddles, with a projecting coping stone round the top, to keep out vermin, as rats or mice ; these stools are much superior to wood, as they are far more durable, and the corn may be laid as near the ground, upon straw, or faggot wood, as damp will permit, without losing room : to prevent any damage from such damp, he has carried hollow drains under the saddles, to drain off moisture and let in air, a precaution necessary on thin clay soil, but less so on sandy soil or rock ; the round stools are for wheat, the long ones for for loose corn. I think these stools are worthy of imitation, in all cases where the materials are near at hand.

Sect. III - Cottages.

This county is not famous for convenient or comfortable cottages ; they are generally in the villages, and often consist of mud walls and thatch ; many brick houses are also covered with thatch ; this I believe is warmer than tile walls or slate, unless the latter be underceiled with plaster ; but for neatness, cleanliness, and security from fire, the latter is incomparably best.

I give the following sketch of a cottage for a labourer, erected by Mr. Smith, attorney of Ashby upon the Wolds, where he has a considerable allotment of land, in addition to an old enclosed estate, and which he occupies with considerable judgement and spirit ; with the addition of the new enclosed rectorial, or vicariel glebe, making in the whole, a good sized farm.

The walls of Mr. Smith's cottage on Ashby Wolds are brick, but the roof covered with thatch, to give a more rural apperance ; the hog-sty is sunk, so as scarcely to appear in front, as the pig lies, and feeds beneath part of the pantry, dotted off from whence he is fed ; there are two sleeping rooms, as will appear by the plan. To give a picturesque appearance, Mr. Smith has finished the back side and ends with sham Gothic arches in the brick-work ; in this manner it would not cost less than £100, but in plain work, and the roof somewhat lower, the following estimate would erect it:

	£ s.	£ s. d.
15,000 bricks, lime and laying, at 400 foot, chamber floors 6 sqaure of roofing, at 2l. Thatching Front door and frame, and 4 windows Brick floor, stairs, inside doors, plaister, and hog-sty	2 2 10 Total	30 0 0 10 0 0 12 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 0 10 0 0 £70 0 0

Mud walls are not uncommon, as observed above ; particularly in the villages, in the south and east of the county, where they are used not only as fence for yards, courts, gardens, and homesteads, but also for hovels, out-houses, and cottage tenements ; as fence walls, they are coped with clods, or thatch ; and in tempering, the mud is mixed with chopped straw, or stubble, to hold it together ; road scrapings are the best mud for walls ; they are often constructed by labourers, who can both build the walls and thatch the cottages, and when well executed are very durable.

Respecting repairs, there is no particular system. When a new tenant enters, or an alteration is made in the rent, the landlord generally puts the premises in good repair ; in other cases the landlord sometimes finds materials, and the tenant carriage and workmanship ; in occupations at old and easy rents, the tenant must do the repairs, or they must go undone, and this is pretty much the case with the cottages of this county.
Bridges.- This county having no large rivers, is not remarkable for bridges ; the most considerable is Caverndish bridge, over the Trent, between this county and Derbyshire, on the road to Loughborough and Castle Donnington to Derby ; it consists of 5 large and elevated arches, and is well known to travellers ; those over the Soar, and other small rivers have nothing peculiarly deserving notice : besides these, there are a number of canal bridges built in the usual form ; and I passed over one of the Ashby canal rail-ways, by a bridge, in a place where it is pretty much sunk, and not far from the end of the rail-way tunnel.

Price of Building Materials, and Labour
From Mr. Marshall, in 1786		Price in 1807
Bricks at the kiln, per 1000 Laying Bricks, per 1000 Bricklayer, per day Carpenter, per day Building timber, per foot	s. d. s. d. 16 0 4 0 1 10 1 10 to 2 0 1 6		£ s. d. £ s. d. 1 5 0 to 1 7 0 0 6 0 0 7 6 0 3 0 0 3 6 0 3 0 0 3 6 0 2 6

The advance in lime in this period, is about as 2 to 3 ; that in bricks and timber rather more ; and in labour quite as much : the general advance in the expense of building is therefore within the last 20 years, as two to three nearly, or in some places rather more.

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