Maintaining Woodcote House: part of the historical landscape of Leek Wootton

We’ve been managing a significant project over the last year or so to repair and maintain the longevity of our HQ, Woodcote House, at Leek Wootton.

The works commenced in June 2024 and have seen scaffolding erected around the entire building, over 450 stones replaced, sympathetic repairs undertaken to roof elevations, skylights and windows and a partial rebuild of the prominent chimneys.

The main part of Woodcote House was built in 1861 and extended in 1869. The house was designed by John Gibson in the Elizabethan style for Henry Christopher Wise and built using locally quarried stone. In World War Two the house was used as a convalescent home for injured US servicemen, and became our HQ in 1949. It’s now a Grade II listed building sitting in a 61-acre estate, housing both our force and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and you can read more about the role its played in the history of the force on the Historic England site. It sits proudly among a number of other buildings that make up our Leek Wootton site, and will continue to stand for hundreds more years thanks to this conservation work.

We’d like to thank our partners Cliveden Conservation, DSA Consultants, Rapley’s and Ark Health and Safety Consultants, as well as Warwick District Council who provided Listed Building Consent for the works. A big thank you also goes to our Business Operations Services team who have helped to make it all happen.

Learn more about the history of the force on the British Police History website or at Our Warwickshire: The Wise and Waller Families at Woodcote.