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- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
The village of Ashby Folville is located six miles south west of Melton Mowbray in the county of Leicestershire. The Lodge was originally built as the gatehouse for the nearby late 19th-century Neo-Tudor style, Ashby Folville Manor, and is situated in 5.7 acres of grounds.
The estate was been in the ownership of the Smith-Carrington family for over a hundred years after it was purchased by Herbert Smith-Carington, a mechanical engineer and son of a successful Worcester nurseryman, in 1890. On his death in 1917, the estate passed to his son, Neville Woodford Smith-Carington (1888-1933) who was born at the manor. He stood for the Conservative Party in Loughborough at the General Election of January 1910 but was not elected. He then stood again in the 1923 Rutland and Stamford by-election, winning the seat, which he held until his death in 1933. The estate, in turn, passed to his son, John Hanbury Smith-Carington.
The estate was requisitioned by the MOD to set up two camps during World War Two and John Hanbury Smith-Carington moved from the manor house into The Lodge. He was forced to put his plans to go to medical college on hold as he joined the RAF. He rose to the rank of Wing Commander serving with Bomber Command as Squadron Leader and Mosquito pilot, flying 28 sorties with 98 Squadron. In 1948 the camps were handed over by the MOD to National Assistance board (NAB) who then used them to house displaced Polish refugees, who built a strong relationship with the Smith-Carington’s and local community, until the camps’ dissolution in 1965. He continued in the RAF until his retirement in 1971, when he and his wife Noreen, retired to the lodge.
Smith-Carington with his wife, Noreen, in his early RAF days:
John Smith Carrington by HughieDW, on Flickr
Over the years the lodge was substantially extended by the family, on at least two occasions, to create an impressive six-bedroom family home with heated swimming pool and double garage. Latterly, it was also adapted for disabled access with two lifts providing access to the first floor and also had an annexe built for a live-in carer. The Wing Commander remained resident in the lodge until he died there in June 2009, survived by his wife Noreen. Noreen then died five years later, again at the lodge, in November 2014, leaving the property to their sole daughter, Shiona.
With the estate now managed by his Grandson, the lodge was put on the market in 2016 with a guide price of £600,000, with the particulars stating that it “required upgrading and modernisation” (See the particulars HERE https://media.onthemarket.com/properties/1290394/doc_0_0.pdf). After it sold, the new owner left the property empty and subsequently the metal thieves broken in, followed by the yobs, who have trashed it. In October 2019, a planning application for construction of two homes on the land along with the demolition of the 20th century extension and garage parts of the lodge
(deemed to be on no architectural merit) were tabled. These were reject at the beginning of July 2020 leaving the future of the lodge in limbo.
A picture from the house’s sale particulars:
img_1_1_hd by HughieDW, on Flickr
2. The Explore
This place came to my attention a couple of years ago but never got round to checking it out. A handful of reports have come up on here (one last year and a couple this) so post-lockdown decided to check it out. It is a bit of a strange (and sad) one really. Things could have turned out so differently back in 2016 if it had been bought by someone who wanted to spend a bit of cash on it and live in it. It is a very nice house but has been left to the metal thieves and vandals. Pretty tragic given it served as a very happy home to the Wing Commander and his wife for many decades.
On the whole the place was pretty bare and is now going down hill pretty fast, given the water ingress and the mindless vandalism. With the new owner’s planning permission only just recently turned down, will be very interesting to see what happens to this place.
3. The Photographs
The front elevation is pretty grand:
Ashton 06 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6880 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6879 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6876 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6877 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6874 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6869 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And in we go.
img6846 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The main fireplace has gone walkies:
img6858 by HughieDW, on Flickr
But this fireplace that is still intact:
Ashton 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Even the graff artists have been to this rural location:
Ashton 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6868 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The village of Ashby Folville is located six miles south west of Melton Mowbray in the county of Leicestershire. The Lodge was originally built as the gatehouse for the nearby late 19th-century Neo-Tudor style, Ashby Folville Manor, and is situated in 5.7 acres of grounds.
The estate was been in the ownership of the Smith-Carrington family for over a hundred years after it was purchased by Herbert Smith-Carington, a mechanical engineer and son of a successful Worcester nurseryman, in 1890. On his death in 1917, the estate passed to his son, Neville Woodford Smith-Carington (1888-1933) who was born at the manor. He stood for the Conservative Party in Loughborough at the General Election of January 1910 but was not elected. He then stood again in the 1923 Rutland and Stamford by-election, winning the seat, which he held until his death in 1933. The estate, in turn, passed to his son, John Hanbury Smith-Carington.
The estate was requisitioned by the MOD to set up two camps during World War Two and John Hanbury Smith-Carington moved from the manor house into The Lodge. He was forced to put his plans to go to medical college on hold as he joined the RAF. He rose to the rank of Wing Commander serving with Bomber Command as Squadron Leader and Mosquito pilot, flying 28 sorties with 98 Squadron. In 1948 the camps were handed over by the MOD to National Assistance board (NAB) who then used them to house displaced Polish refugees, who built a strong relationship with the Smith-Carington’s and local community, until the camps’ dissolution in 1965. He continued in the RAF until his retirement in 1971, when he and his wife Noreen, retired to the lodge.
Smith-Carington with his wife, Noreen, in his early RAF days:
John Smith Carrington by HughieDW, on FlickrOver the years the lodge was substantially extended by the family, on at least two occasions, to create an impressive six-bedroom family home with heated swimming pool and double garage. Latterly, it was also adapted for disabled access with two lifts providing access to the first floor and also had an annexe built for a live-in carer. The Wing Commander remained resident in the lodge until he died there in June 2009, survived by his wife Noreen. Noreen then died five years later, again at the lodge, in November 2014, leaving the property to their sole daughter, Shiona.
With the estate now managed by his Grandson, the lodge was put on the market in 2016 with a guide price of £600,000, with the particulars stating that it “required upgrading and modernisation” (See the particulars HERE https://media.onthemarket.com/properties/1290394/doc_0_0.pdf). After it sold, the new owner left the property empty and subsequently the metal thieves broken in, followed by the yobs, who have trashed it. In October 2019, a planning application for construction of two homes on the land along with the demolition of the 20th century extension and garage parts of the lodge
(deemed to be on no architectural merit) were tabled. These were reject at the beginning of July 2020 leaving the future of the lodge in limbo.
A picture from the house’s sale particulars:
img_1_1_hd by HughieDW, on Flickr2. The Explore
This place came to my attention a couple of years ago but never got round to checking it out. A handful of reports have come up on here (one last year and a couple this) so post-lockdown decided to check it out. It is a bit of a strange (and sad) one really. Things could have turned out so differently back in 2016 if it had been bought by someone who wanted to spend a bit of cash on it and live in it. It is a very nice house but has been left to the metal thieves and vandals. Pretty tragic given it served as a very happy home to the Wing Commander and his wife for many decades.
On the whole the place was pretty bare and is now going down hill pretty fast, given the water ingress and the mindless vandalism. With the new owner’s planning permission only just recently turned down, will be very interesting to see what happens to this place.
3. The Photographs
The front elevation is pretty grand:
Ashton 06 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6880 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6879 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6876 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6877 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6874 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6869 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd in we go.
img6846 by HughieDW, on FlickrThe main fireplace has gone walkies:
img6858 by HughieDW, on FlickrBut this fireplace that is still intact:
Ashton 05 by HughieDW, on FlickrEven the graff artists have been to this rural location:
Ashton 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6868 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Ashton 04
img6851
img6850
Ashton 02
img6866
img6856
img6855
Ashton 03
img6853
img6857
img6867
img6865
img6862
img6863
img6860
