The Banks

The Banks is a a unique part of Sileby, a place whose character has been forged initially by people on the margins of society in the early 17th century. With an expanding population and little or no house space, the Banks Common became a place where squatter's cottages could be erected. However, the survival of these cottages was at the whim and will of the manorial lord, who took a rent for them. As an open village, this kind of development was allowed, but only with monetary reward.

Slowly, the areas around The Banks became a mass of cottage building, with some freehold terrace and cottage development on the south and west side of the area. During the 18th century home industries developed, in particular framework knitting, and this produced a number of sheds and workshops in the remaining gardens and yards. This was to endure until the early 20th century.

The representatives of the manor wanted to make the most of this rental asset, and in 1789 a proposal for rack rent (to make the occupiers pay a realistic economic rent) was made. A petition of the occupiers appealled for the lord to be lenient. Even though their rents were small, for many cottagers on small incomes they were difficult to pay. By the 1820s there was a large list of defaulters, some having not paid rent for a number of years. For the next couple of decades this was compounded by more and more defaulters. By 1840 the manor was prepared to wipe off rental debts if the occupier paid one years rent.

This is one of the last acts of the manor here, as the small rents became uneconomical to collect. From the 1850s the cottages became freeholds, now belonging to their occupiers. This caused an explosion of development in this area. The half century from 1850 produced much redevelopment and new housing, both in the old cottage areas and elsewhere along The Banks. Although many of the cottages look Victorian in character, many were rebuilt in the footprint of their old cottages, keeping the continuity with the original buildings.

Today, The Banks survives as a relict of Sileby's enduring past and is an example of a local 17th century solution to housing and survival. In 1988 Charnwood Borough Council set a conservation area to the west of the railway line, encompassing mainly High Street and Barrow Road. They missed an opportunity to have a focus on an important part of Sileby's culture and heritage at The Banks. Perhaps now is the time to look at this again and preserve an important historical asset for the future.