Castle Lodge

BISHOP AUCKLAND

NZ2130 MARKET PLACE 634-1/8/64 (South side) 21/04/52 No.13 Castle Lodge

GV I

Formerly known as: Castle Lodge CASTLE SQUARE. Lodge to bishop's park. Now 2 flats including house for Park Warden, and conference room. C17, possibly incorporating earlier fabric. Coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings; returns and rear rubble; roof not visible, said to be blue slates. Basement and 3 storeys, 3 windows. Stone steps up to central door with 2 shaped panels in stone architrave with enriched scroll brackets on acanthus leaves, and pulvinated frieze to pediment. 2-light windows over door. Full height canted bays either side, with 3 lights in front, have pulvinated frieze and cornice. Stone mullions to all windows, and transoms to ground and first floor, with leaded casements. Battlemented roof parapet. Roof said to have 3 ridges. Rear elevation at lower level has central boarded basement door, large C18 wheel window to stair at each floor, and blocked square central window. INTERIOR shows close-string dogleg stair through 2 floors, with fat turned balusters and ramped handrail with altered top. Top flight removed and balusters used to form first-floor gallery by making up canted tops to new height. Basement shows cobbled and brick floors, old plank partitions to front with blocked cellar shutes; beams of large scantling, with run-off chamfer. Studded rear door has strap hinges with curled splayed ends. Rear right room has C17 boarded door with glazed rough-hewn light and strap hinges with curled splayed ends; cupboard door in opposite wall has C17 L hinges. Ground floor has inserted partitions forming 2 entrances to separate flats and 3rd to conference room. Left room has imposing stone fire surround with architrave, pulvinated frieze and scroll-bracketed cornice with enrichment in style of external door surround. Moulded stucco cornice to this room, interrupted by C20 partition. Other rooms inspected have C20 doors and finishing, including right ground-floor rooms being converted to conference room at time of survey (1991) with late C20 cornice in style of late C17. Top floor disused at time of survey. An important feature in the setting of Auckland Castle (qv), this lodge can be seen in an earlier form, without wheel windows, in an undated painting in the castle.

Listing NGR: NZ2131030111