Reginald Rix, a 67-year-old car dealer and father of fashion designer Henrietta Rix, purchased the former home of Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, last year. The property, located in an exclusive Cheshire enclave, features a blue plaque on its gate pillar stating: ‘F. Henry Royce co-founder of Rolls-Royce motor cars lived here 1898-1908.’
Despite Rix's ownership of a vintage Rolls-Royce, he and his wife applied for listed building consent to remove the plaque. Their application was rejected by Knutsford town council, which described the plaque as a “landmark” piece of local heritage.
The house, built in 1898, was commissioned by Sir Henry Royce. While residing there, the engineer reportedly worked on inventions in the cellar, a prelude to his 1904 partnership with Charles Rolls. The blue plaque, one of five marking significant historical points in Knutsford, was installed in 2016 after being granted listed building consent.
The Rixs, who purchased the house in a conservation area, did not state their reasons for wanting the plaque removed. However, the plaque has previously attracted Rolls-Royce enthusiasts to the property, with a procession of the luxury cars drawing international media attention around the brand's centenary in 2004.
An architectural representative for the Rixs argued that removing the plaque would cause no harm to the building or the conservation area, proposing to repair the mortar and return the plaque to the council. The town council, however, maintained that the house and its plaque are significant heritage assets for Knutsford.
Cheshire East council denied the application, stating that the removal would cause harm to the property's significance and undo a positive enhancement. The council found no convincing justification for the removal that would outweigh the identified harm.
The Rixs have six months to appeal the decision. Both Mr and Mrs Rix were approached for comment.