A piece of Swadlincote's history has now been lost forever after Eureka Lodge has been completely bulldozed.

The land, off Newhall Road, has been cleared in preparation for 13 bungalows which will be known as Eureka Lodge Gardens following a Burton Mail competition.

The new photographs show the end of the line for the historic property, which was once the home of famed industrialist John Wragg, who ran both pottery kilns and pipeworks in the town.

But the grounds had been locked away for many years and the imposing 11-bedroom home later became a danger to the public, with incidents of vandalism.

The proposal to knock down the lodge and to build 13 bungalows on the site has been given the go-ahead by South Derbyshire District Council. Following a competition in the Burton Mail the rebuilt site will be renamed Eureka Lodge Gardens.

Demolition teams have moved on site at Eureka Lodge to prep the grounds and erect fences to protect the trees. So that demolition work can begin on the lodge, to make way for the new housing.
The scene as the demolition teams first moved in

Mallard Developments, which is currently on site, has been taking the lodge apart brick by brick for re-use and local history archive the Magic Attic has taken a sign which advertised Eureka Nursery which welcomed children into the building in the 1980s and 1990s.

The home closed its doors for good in 1996 and has been empty ever since.

The home was added to South Derbyshire District Council's list of buildings of historic and architectural interest, safeguarding the 19th century house's future, but, crucially, it did not achieve listed status and was left to rot.

Despite its important part in Swadlincote history, English Heritage claimed the building did not have significant architectural merit and was beyond economic repair.

Eureka Lodge is now bulldozed

The district council previously said of the property: "The significance of the building is acknowledged to be of local importance; however, it could be argued its significance has been greatly diminished by the introduction of a succession of modern residential developments within its setting.

"It is an isolated site with no main road frontage and has been derelict and subject to constant vandalism for years.

"The opportunity to designate it as a heritage asset has passed, being considered not worthy of listing in 2002.

"Its state of repair has precluded any viable use for a long period of time.

"On balance, therefore, the harm attributed to its loss is considered to be outweighed by the economic and social benefits of a provision of 14 homes in a highly sustainable location."