Summary

 

London Road and St Peters Conservation Area was designated in 1988. The oldest remaining part of Oadby is the area around St. Peter's Church and along London Road. The area comprises of a mixture of uses and ages; it includes a number of listed buildings and others of local interest as well as a range of commercial interests mixed in with residential property. A Conservation Area Appraisal and Development Control Guidance| has been drawn up and adopted in March 2007.

 

Overview of the area

 

Oadby retains some of its village character with a mixture of uses preserving the appearance of its organic growth. This is centred on the oldest remaining part of Oadby around St Peter's Church and stretches along London Road. The linear character of the Conservation Area reflects the development of the original settlement along the road between Leicester and London with the village green to the southeast of St Peter's Church.

 

Agriculture formed the basis of life in the village which was consequently surrounded by fields There is great variety in scale between buildings and as a result, the roofscape provides interest to views in and out of, and within the Conservation Area.  There are a handful of listed buildings scattered within the Conservation Area. These tend to be 2 storey houses which are grander than the other terraced properties in the area. The exception is the small row of cottages on London Road which is a surviving example of the type of dwelling in which artisans would have lived.  

 

The village green has long since disappeared with the redevelopment of the village as its size and nature has become much more urban. The only clue to its existence is the orientation of two large houses, The Hermitage and The Nook, both of which used to overlook the green. Today the area is merely a car park and the area to the west of it was redeveloped in the twentieth century. The key public green space in today's Oadby is Lawyer's Lane. This is a public footpath which, for much of its length, is lined by vegetation and trees. St Peter's Church is very much the centre point of the 'village' as it is located at the junction of the London and Wigston Roads and would have at one point overlooked the village green. Its steeple is prominent in long views and the building itself forms a local landmark.

 

Statutory listed buildings within the conservation area

 

There is one grade two star (grade II*) listed buildings within the area which is described as a particularly important building of more than special interest. Seven of the listed buildings within the conservation area are grade two (grade II) which are buildings of special interest which warrant every effort being made to preserve them.

 

Listed buildings within the conservation area are:

 

53 London Road: Grade two

67 London Road: Grade two

44, 46 and 48 London Road: Grade two
Church of St Peter, London Road: Grade two star

The War Memorial, London Road: Grade two
The Nook, Wigston Road: Grade two

Telephone kiosk adjoining St Peters Church: Grade two
21 Church Street: Grade two