History of St Leonards House, Wychnor
Posted by Chris2 on March 19th, 2026
Chris Windley
N.B. A Substack page has been created for St Leonards Church, House and Wychnor DE13 8BY Staffordshire Heritage generally located HERE.
Overlooking the Trent Valley, alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal and part of the beautiful and secluded and private Wychnor Estate in Staffordshire, St Leonards House was built for Sophia Frances Kennedy – daughter of Sophia Eliza Kennedy .. who married John Levett of Wychnor and Packington in the late 1700’s.
Prov 22.6 ” Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it. “
John Levett, was a Tory Member of Parliament, Staffordshire, 1761–62, friend of Erasmus Darwin ( of nearby Lichfield ), Matthew Boulton and others, sometime member of the Lunar Society
Levett comes from the Norman family ” de Levet ” from Livet-en-Ouche in Normandy.
One of Sophia Eliza’s sons was Captain Robert Thomas Kennedy Levett DL – quite obviously named after his Great Grandfather Kennedy.
Sophia Eliza’s mother was sister of General Alexander Macomb – ” The Hero of Plattsburgh ” ( In The War of 1812 against the United Kingdom ) and married the Honorable Robert Kennedy.
She was one of many American ladies that married into British aristocracy at that time.
Sophia Frances was 21 when she married married Reverend the Honorable G.B. Legge, the brother of the Earl of Dartmouth. See below ). The plan was for them to live at St Leonards House but Rev. Legge was then appointed to be Bishop of Oxford.
Hence the family decided to turn the house built for them to a house of value to the estate and the estate workers.
St Leonards House therefore became a school and two cottages. One for the Head Woodcutter and one for the School Teacher who was also the Church Warden.
History Outtake
The Church is mainly 14th Century but was there in the 11/12th Century and it was added to in the 17th Century. It has links to the Black Prince.
In the Civil War the area was a Royalist stronghold and the Parliamentarians had the top of the church blown off with cannon as it was like a fort looking out over the Trent Valley.
” In the Midlands, a Parliamentary force under Sir John Gell besieged and captured the cathedral city of Lichfield, after the death of the original commander, Lord Brooke. ( Who was shot by a sniper located in the spires of Lichfield Cathedral ). “
In Barton under Needwood The Royal Oak pub has a sign that is the King looking down from an Oak Tree thought to be in Wychnor. ( A Green Lane connects Alrewas and Barton under Needwood via Wychnor. The Royal Oak is at Barton end of the Green Lane ).
St Leonards House is just off the old Roman Road .. Rykneld Street ( now the A38 ).
Rykneld Street crosses Watling Street just South of Lichfield and X marks the spot where the London to Wales ( A4 ) road crosses the Cornwall to North East road. ie it is the centre of Roman Britain.
Excavations in St Leonards House gardens revealed remains of old Roman Roads … now incorporated into the gardens.
St Leonards House looks out over the Trent Valley towards Cannock Chase. The Wychnor name originates from Hwiccanore and the Hwicci tribe were the British ( Britain) tribe that lived in the area. Wiccanor dominated the Trent Valley and looked out over it. Look closely in the field opposite and you can see the rings of the old village where stockades were built from wood. ( This is a totally protected view ).
The Cow Bridge, Cow Fields and the Trent and Mersey Canal.
St Leonards House controls access to the Cow Fields ( The Island ) which are reached by crossing the Cow Bridge. Cows went from Church Farm across St Leonards fields and across the bridge and back.
The Island only became an island when the Trent and Mersey Canal was built.
In fact the original Wychnor Hall was on the island but the increasing water levels of the Trent led to it being moved up on top of the hill. You can still see the moats that surrounded the old manor house on the Island. ( Note: Therefore the Hall, Church and St Leonards were the original ” village centre ” alongside the medieval village. Which at some point probably burnt down ).
Sophia Frances Margaret Levett
F, #244690, b. circa 1838, d. 15 October 1895
Last Edited=18 May 2013
Consanguinity Index=0.0%
Sophia Frances MargaretLevett was born circa 1838 at Holly Bank, Staffordshire, England.2 She was the daughter of John Levett and Sophia Eliza Kennedy.1,2 She married Rev. Hon. George Barrington Legge, son of William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth and Hon. Frances Barrington, on 9 October 1860.1 She died on 15 October 1895.1 From 9 October 1860, her married name became Legge.1
Children of Sophia Frances Margaret Levett and Rev. Hon. George Barrington Legge
- Arthur Edward John Legge1 b. 25 May 1863, d. 21 May 1934
- Robert George Legge1 b. 3 Aug 1864, d. 10 Dec 1905
- Reverend Hugh Legge+1 b. 27 Apr 1870, d. 9 Oct 1944
- Margaret Legge1 b. 22 Aug 1872, d. 3 Apr 1957
From Manchester Oxford Road to Scalable Fitness Assets
Posted by Chris2 on March 19th, 2026From Manchester Oxford Road to Scalable Fitness Assets
A Personal View of the Jetts Journey
The first time I walked into a Jetts gym was at Manchester Oxford Road.
I was meeting James Garner, the Managing Director, 17 years building Starbucks from 50 to 850 outlets, one of the founders of Jetts UK.
It was one of those occasions where something quietly clicked……
It was partly the branding.
It was partly the equipment.
It was partly the location.
It was partly understanding that James knew EVERYTHING in that gym.
Mostly it was the model.
Seeing It Before It Was Obvious
Even at that early stage, a few things stood out:
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The simplicity of the operation
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The absence of unnecessary staffing layers
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The clean, repeatable layout
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The focus on members rather than footfall
It felt… efficient.
Not in a cost-cutting way — but in a designed-for-purpose way.
At the time, most gyms still followed a fairly traditional structure:
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front desk teams
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multiple layers of staff
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complex pricing
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heavy operational overhead
Jetts was doing something different.
The Model Beneath the Gym
What becomes clearer over time is this:
Jetts is not really a “gym business” in the traditional sense.
It is a recurring revenue model with operational leverage.
At its core:
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Membership income is predictable and repeatable
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Staffing is deliberately minimal
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Personal trainers operate flexibly (often rent-based or hybrid)
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Sites can be standardised and scaled
This creates something powerful:
👉 a business that is designed to scale without scaling complexity at the same rate
Why That Matters
In many industries, growth brings friction:
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more people
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more management
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more cost
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more inconsistency
But models like Jetts are built differently.
A typical site may operate with:
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one or two staff
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strong member retention
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consistent layout and systems
As additional sites are added, owners often transition from:
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operator → portfolio builder
At that point, the conversation shifts from:
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“running a gym”
to:
👉 building a multi-site, cash-generating asset base
The Bigger Picture
This is where it becomes interesting.
Because the principles behind Jetts are not unique to fitness.
They are the same principles that underpin:
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scalable technology businesses
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well-structured franchise models
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high-quality recurring revenue companies
And ultimately:
👉 assets that attract strong exit multiples
From Business to Assets
Over the years, I’ve been involved in:
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building and exiting technology companies
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investing in growth businesses
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working with different operational models across sectors
What Jetts represents — at its best — is a modern expression of those same fundamentals:
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clarity of model
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repeatability
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scalability
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and optionality
Today
The fitness sector continues to evolve, but the underlying opportunity remains:
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strong demand
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community-driven engagement
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predictable revenue streams
Combined with the right model, that creates:
👉 not just a business — but a platform for long-term value creation
Final Thought
Looking back at that first visit to Manchester Oxford Road, it’s clear that the real story was never just about the location.
It was about recognising a model that:
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simplifies where others complicate
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scales where others struggle
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and quietly builds value over time
And those are exactly the kinds of models worth paying attention to.
Chris Windley
This is how you do a live demo, people!
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