Plans to restore historic tumbledown cottage on edge of Rockingham Speedway

Grade II listed Weldon Lodge Farmhouse, which sits on the edge of a green island between Priors Hall and Rockingham Speedway, has been deteriorating for many years.

It’s believed it was once a Rockingham Forest hunting lodge, but was lived-in by a tenant farming family for six decades until five years ago when a storm brought down a main wall and made it uninhabitable.

The house has changed hands several times as part of the Rockingham Speedway sale, but two years ago it was sold off to Mulberry Commercial Developments who were given permission to build a large logistics warehouse behind it. As part of that permission they were told they must restore the home.

It will now be completely rebuilt. A planning application includes the underpinning of the south-east corner of the house.

The existing stone on the site will be sorted by hand and used to repair fallen-down walls. Modern pointing will be raked-out and filled with lime mortar.

An outbuilding will be taken down and rebuilt to create a modern garage. Roof slates will be removed, repaired and re-laid on a new timber roof structure,

Timber windows will be restored by and new softwood window frames fitted where necessary.

The back door is considered salvageable but a new front door will be fitted. Ironmongery will be restored or replaced like-for-like.

Skirting and architrave will be mended, as will internal cupboards and timber fixings where possible. The interior walls will be finished with reed-lathes and a three-coat lime plaster.

Although the plans include extensive careful conservation and repair befitting such an important building, the house will not be restored to a finished standard. There will be no kitchen or bathrooms installed yet, and no interior decoration will be carried out.

Fixings and finishing will be completed at a later date and will be dealt with through a separate planning application by whoever buys the house.

The landmark dwelling has persevered through Corby’s 20th century development from a small village to a large town and, as such, is considered of historical importance.

A design statement to planners states: “The general condition of the house is fair but with some areas of significant structural issues.

“Despite these issues as well as a long period of vandalism and neglect, the farmhouse has been spared from serious deterioration by virtue of a sound roof. The adjoining outbuilding to the west of the house is in a poor, but repairable, state.

“Conversely, the separate outbuilding the north is in a very poor state and beyond repair without significant demolition and reconstruction works. This building has been significantly altered with modern garages and has suffered a longer period of neglect than the main house due to the poor quality roof cover which has led to the rotting of timbers and the collapse of walls.

"At present, the condition of the house and outbuildings are worsening through collapsing masonry and swathes of vandalism. The proposals seek not only to restore the structural integrity of the house and outbuildings but to make it secure and watertight to prevent further damage. Modern poor-quality alterations are being removed to reinstate the original appearance of the property.”

You can comment on the plans here.