Well it's taken years for me to finally get myself over the threshold of this place, but better late than never eh!? Another part of the once vast empire of the CO-OP, we've seen everything from flour mills to dance halls. This little beauty was worth the wait
The Wheatsheaf works has always been one of Leicester's better looking buildings, with it's handsome clock tower, original railings and ornate glazed brick sign. The inside is very original, and well preserved, a testament to the building's security, who kept it very tight for years.
It seems the building's interior remained unchanged other than a bit of cladding and a suspended ceiling in the offices. Now conversion has started this 80's covering is being removed, revealing colour schemes which could be as old as pre war. This gives you a real idea what the place would have looked like in it's hey-day.
By far the most beautiful architectural feature is the glazing which separates the offices from the shop floor, a real example of craftsmanship which in an age of ghastly UPVC is all but dead. The first floor shop is enormous, there must have been some serious quantities of shoes made here!!
The ladder to the tower was missing, but we had a scout around and one soon turned up. The clock tower has been fitted with a new electric movement, but the original cast iron clock movement is still in place, in it's original pigeon crap covered wooden box. A really sympathetic (or cheap?) conversion!
Apologies to the residents of the surrounding streets for ringing the bell a little shy of 1pm!!
The guts of the clock movement, removed to make way for the new movement
The vast first floor, some real nice wood and iron work in here
The work's second and third towers each house huge water tanks
A small store room under a staircase had the promise of some epic, in the end all I came up with was a fruit sundee label and some shoe measures
The Wheatsheaf works has always been one of Leicester's better looking buildings, with it's handsome clock tower, original railings and ornate glazed brick sign. The inside is very original, and well preserved, a testament to the building's security, who kept it very tight for years.
It seems the building's interior remained unchanged other than a bit of cladding and a suspended ceiling in the offices. Now conversion has started this 80's covering is being removed, revealing colour schemes which could be as old as pre war. This gives you a real idea what the place would have looked like in it's hey-day.
By far the most beautiful architectural feature is the glazing which separates the offices from the shop floor, a real example of craftsmanship which in an age of ghastly UPVC is all but dead. The first floor shop is enormous, there must have been some serious quantities of shoes made here!!
The ladder to the tower was missing, but we had a scout around and one soon turned up. The clock tower has been fitted with a new electric movement, but the original cast iron clock movement is still in place, in it's original pigeon crap covered wooden box. A really sympathetic (or cheap?) conversion!
Apologies to the residents of the surrounding streets for ringing the bell a little shy of 1pm!!
The guts of the clock movement, removed to make way for the new movement
The vast first floor, some real nice wood and iron work in here
The work's second and third towers each house huge water tanks
A small store room under a staircase had the promise of some epic, in the end all I came up with was a fruit sundee label and some shoe measures
