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Welford Wharf - scaffolding on the old canal buildings


Joe the plumber

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I notice that the old canal buildings next to the bay at Welford (GU Leicester Line) have got scaffolding all over them. They've been in a pretty poor state for a long time so I hope this is the start of a restoration programme.

 

I have a concern that they're going to be re-pointed, and as a number of the beautiful old houses in the village have been vandalised by ignorant builders who've used cement based mortar for this when they should only use lime mortar, I want to make sure, especially as I believe the wharf buildings are listed, that the same mistake isn't going to be made here.

 

Does anyone know what is actually happening with them please?

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16 minutes ago, Joe the plumber said:

I notice that the old canal buildings next to the bay at Welford (GU Leicester Line) have got scaffolding all over them. They've been in a pretty poor state for a long time so I hope this is the start of a restoration programme.

 

I have a concern that they're going to be re-pointed, and as a number of the beautiful old houses in the village have been vandalised by ignorant builders who've used cement based mortar for this when they should only use lime mortar, I want to make sure, especially as I believe the wharf buildings are listed, that the same mistake isn't going to be made here.

 

Does anyone know what is actually happening with them please?

If you check online with the LA Planning department it will show you whatever planning permission has been granted.

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Thw wharf building is Grade II listed structure. Details

HUSBANDS BOSWORTH SP 68 SW WELFORD ROAD (West Side)

6/63 Wharf Building

II

Small warehouse. Circa 1820. Brick with hipped slate roof with overhanging eaves. 2 storeyed, square in plan, of 3 bays with central double doors on each floor in the western elevation, with flanking 4-light casement windows on the ground floor. The north west gable has a wide chamfered angle to ground floor.

Listing NGR: SP6441080931

If you have doubts as to what is happening contact the Conservation Officer at Market Harborough DC as I think that it falls in their area being just in Leicestershire the county boundary being the river Avon and the canal is north of it.

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11 hours ago, Richard T said:

Thw wharf building is Grade II listed structure. Details

HUSBANDS BOSWORTH SP 68 SW WELFORD ROAD (West Side)

6/63 Wharf Building

II

Small warehouse. Circa 1820. Brick with hipped slate roof with overhanging eaves. 2 storeyed, square in plan, of 3 bays with central double doors on each floor in the western elevation, with flanking 4-light casement windows on the ground floor. The north west gable has a wide chamfered angle to ground floor.

Listing NGR: SP6441080931

If you have doubts as to what is happening contact the Conservation Officer at Market Harborough DC as I think that it falls in their area being just in Leicestershire the county boundary being the river Avon and the canal is north of it.

The old wharf building at Crick also if I remember correctly has a “wide chamfered angle to ground floor “ (cut away corner on the canal side wall). Any ideas of their purpose? 

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16 minutes ago, noddyboater said:

The old wharf building at Crick also if I remember correctly has a “wide chamfered angle to ground floor “ (cut away corner on the canal side wall). Any ideas of their purpose? 

The chamfer was to make it easier to get a cart (not CaRT?) between the building and the canal bank for loading/unloading a boat. Less risk of damaging brickwork if a cart did catch the corner with it chamfered. Common on older buildings where horse drawn traffic was making a turn in a tight space. I am guessing, not having ever driven one, that driving a cart and horses was not as easy to be precise in your placement as with a motor vehicle.

 

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The chamfer was to make it easier to get a cart (not CaRT?) between the building and the canal bank for loading/unloading a boat. Less risk of damaging brickwork if a cart did catch the corner with it chamfered. Common on older buildings where horse drawn traffic was making a turn in a tight space. I am guessing, not having ever driven one, that driving a cart and horses was not as easy to be precise in your placement as with a motor vehicle.

 

Jen

Thanks, I’ve seen them on larger buildings with tight access in villages etc but not on such a small scale. 

It could shed light on a quirky feature of our canalside cottage too. Believed to date from the late 1700’s, it has bullnose bricks “chamfering” all the corners on one side- even the off-shot pantry, but normal sharp edges on the other. Next door on the smooth side was once a coal wharf so perhaps the house was part of the working yard.

Maybe this should be moved to history & heritage! 

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27 minutes ago, noddyboater said:

Thanks, I’ve seen them on larger buildings with tight access in villages etc but not on such a small scale. 

It could shed light on a quirky feature of our canalside cottage too. Believed to date from the late 1700’s, it has bullnose bricks “chamfering” all the corners on one side- even the off-shot pantry, but normal sharp edges on the other. Next door on the smooth side was once a coal wharf so perhaps the house was part of the working yard.

Maybe this should be moved to history & heritage! 

These bullnose bricks would often be blue "engineering" ones. More harder wearing and again help to protect the buildings corners from little accidents when moving stuff about.

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24 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

These bullnose bricks would often be blue "engineering" ones. More harder wearing and again help to protect the buildings corners from little accidents when moving stuff about.

I think the bricks on ours pre-date the hard blue ones. They’re definitely handmade, quite shallow and of varying quality!  

It also has ornate gothic windows facing the canal and former coal wharf but normal Georgian square sliding sashes facing the lane behind. I think this adds to the theory it was a wharf building, maybe the managers house/office. 

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10 hours ago, noddyboater said:

Thanks, I’ve seen them on larger buildings with tight access in villages etc but not on such a small scale. 

It could shed light on a quirky feature of our canalside cottage too. Believed to date from the late 1700’s, it has bullnose bricks “chamfering” all the corners on one side- even the off-shot pantry, but normal sharp edges on the other. Next door on the smooth side was once a coal wharf so perhaps the house was part of the working yard.

Maybe this should be moved to history & heritage! 

Can you post photos of your cottage showing the chamfering of the corners. I'm member of a Facebook page which gets excited about such details!!

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