Stoneywell Updates
Stoneywell Updates
Stoneywell Cottage is an Arts & Crafts cottage built in 1899 for Sydney Gimson, a Leicester Industrialist in heavy engineering. It was built as a family summer residence and was occupied from Whitsun to early October each year
It was designed by Sydney’s younger brother, Ernest Gimson, an Arts & Crafts architect and furniture designer and friend of William Morris. The cottage is fully furnished and has a kitchen (not open to visitors), a dining room, sitting room, five bedrooms and a bathroom. The cottage is basically as built with one major change being the slate roof which replaced the original thatched roof.
There is also a stable block, also designed by Ernest. This is largely unaltered and now houses the staff office, the reception area and the small shop, tea room and kitchen. The grounds consist of four acres of cultivated garden which contain many interesting trees and shrubs including an outstanding collection of rhododendrons with varieties flowering throughout the year. There are also eleven acres of woodland to explore.
The cottage was acquired by the National Trust at the end of 2012. The planning consent from the local council restricted the number of visitors per day meaning that all visits have to be pre booked. Except for occasional weekends all visits to the cottage itself are by hosted guided tours. Garden tours are also available. Specialist tours of the cottage and of the woodland are available at certain times of the year.
Please check the Stoneywell page on the National Trust web site for further information on the property, special activities and its general operation. CLICK HERE
August 2023
The cottage remains open four days a week, Friday to Monday. The Tea Room is now open with a new full time manager. In accordance with the Planning Consent, Pre booking is still necessary for all visits to the property.