Gimson’s cottages in the Charnwood Forest

 

James Billson was a farmer, a member of the Secular Society and a friend of the Gimson family. In the 1890s he bought an estate which included the ruins of the medieval priory of Ulverscroft and sold two plots to Sydney and Mentor Gimson. He also commissioned Ernest Gimson to build a pair of cottages for farm workers on his piece of land.

 

They were built using the local stone under the supervision of Detmar Blow, a friend from Gimson’s time in London and fellow-architect. Blow worked with a team of masons, including Frank Green and J Snook. They travelled from one project to another as medieval craftsmen might have done. Their hands-on approach and the close link between designer and builders were inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and John Sedding and the practical example of Philip Webb.