Former Royal Leicestershire, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind Workshops

Former Royal Leicestershire, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind Workshops

This group of workshops was built between 1920 and 1923 by the architects Searle and Riley for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Incorporated Institution for the Blind, on land given by Arthur Wakerley in 1919 in memory of his daughter Margaret. Additional wings were constructed in 1958 and 1966.

The buildings are constructed in stone ashlar at the centre, with red brick and plain tile roofs elsewhere. The centrepiece adopts an early Tudor style, taking the form of a gatehouse. The rest is executed in a simplified vernacular manner.

The central section features an entrance arch with a balustrade above, behind which sits a tower containing a three-light mullioned window topped by an octagonal battlemented carillon turret. This turret includes a clockface and louvred bell openings. On either side of the arch is a parapeted single bay with a tall two-light mullioned and transomed window, each finished with corner finials. Within the arch itself is a doorway with side windows and double glazed doors, flanked by inscription panels. Extending either side of the central section are long verandahs under the eaves, fitted with single and paired metal framed windows facing the rear. To the right of the verandah is a section flush with the eaves containing similar paired windows, with a projecting gabled section beyond. The left end features a two-storey wing added in 1966, with a flat roof and metal windows. Behind the main range sit the workshop ranges with metal framed windows and a mix of gabled and flat roofs.

The entrance hall contains Doric columns and enriched ceiling mouldings. A double flight staircase rises over an arched recess to the supervisor's office, which features continuous glazing overlooking the workshops. The workshops themselves are spanned by steel trussed roofs. Most internal partitions have been removed, though some baths for soaking cane remain. Some leaded internal glazing is present.

These workshops form part of a significant group of buildings erected for the blind by the Wycliffe Society, beginning with Hunter Lodge, followed by Wycliffe Hall (now the Sam Cooper Day Centre), then 65–75 Gedding Road, and then the Workshops and Lodge. This group embodied the ideals expressed in Edwin Crew's 1912 book "City of the Blind at Leicester" and coincided with the Blind Persons Act of 1920, which imposed a duty on local authorities to promote the welfare of blind people. The Institution became the agent through which the three local authorities continued this work on a voluntary basis. By 1939, the workshops employed 102 people. The Institution itself was among the first of its kind to be founded in the country, opening its first shop and workshop in 1882. It merged with the Wycliffe Society (founded 1893) in 1973 to form the Royal Leicestershire Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind.

Arthur Wakerley, the architect who laid out the North Evington area of Leicester, was instrumental in supporting both organisations, serving as benefactor, architect, and fundraiser.