Sileby History
Its people and places. A community through time.
Fairview, 222-224 Barrow Road
A house with a surprising tale to relate.
'Double click' on the photograph for larger pictures and more notes.
This is rather a special and unique house in Sileby. All the external evidence points to a normal Victorian large house. However, not all is as it seems.
This is an experimental house built c.1880 by William Johnson a builder from Leicester. The structure is largely of concrete. Johnson would eventually patent his specialist building technique, and later took it to Canada. In 1881 the census simply lists this property as 'Concrete House'.
By 1891 the property is called Fairview, a name that was to change again under the ownership of James Hincks, a solicitor from Leicester. He called the house 'The Charn'. After Hincks, the house became divided into two, one side known as 224, 'the Charn' and the other side 222, 'Charn View'.
This state of affairs occurred from 1933 until quite recently when the current owners brought both sides back together and have done a wonderful job renovating this property.