Cossington Road

Cossington Road is the latest incarnation of the road name. In the medieval period the portion nearest to the village was called Newbold End, and later called Cossington End. Eighteenth century maps suggest that there was a planned element to the older sites of the houses here. Little development occurred outside of these few plots until after the mid 19th century when ribbon development began to appear.

In the late 18th century a small hamlet grew near the Cossington parish boundary, but all the buildings there have now gone.

From the late 1860s housing development started apace. Small groups of properties appeared here and there along the road. Towards the end of the century large residences of Sileby's gentry, shoe and hosiery factory owners and professional classes became a feature of this part of the village.

As with most other areas of Sileby, industrial development managed to establish itself in this area. In the 1890s the shoe factory of Walker, Kempson and Stevens was established. Its building was later used by the Leicester Paper Staining company until a disasterous fire in 1940. The site was later utilised by Melody Mills (and later Harlequin), the successful wallpaper design and production facility.

Subsequent development and housing estates have added to the semi urban nature of the road. Architectural highlights include Ebenezer House near Dudleys Bridge, the Free Trade Inn, Sileby Conservative Club, Chine House and a number of other large residences.