The Lodge

CROSTON

1837/0/10014 HIGHFIELD ROAD 23-DEC-04 The Lodge

II

Lodge and attached entrance walls. Mid C19. Attributed to E.W. Pugin (1834-1875), architect of Croston Hall (demolished). Smooth red brick with ashlar stone dressings, tall ridge and side wall chimneys with elaborate corbelled caps, and a blue tile roof covering with decorative banding and intricately crested ridge tiles.

Plan: T-shaped range, made up of a two storey part facing onto the approach drive to the east, and a single storeyed service range to the rear.

Exterior: East elevation of two storeys and two bays rising from a shallow plinth with advanced monopitch porch, incorporating a four centre arch-headed doorway set beneath elaborate decorative gablet. Planked and studded door. Single lancet windows to porch cheeks, and two light window to right-hand bay, the lights with arched heads. South gable with bay window below sloping roof, with two lights to front and single side lights. Upper floor window opening with shouldered ashlar lintel with arch-shaped head, and a 2 over 2 pane sash window. Above, plain barge boards and decorative iron finial. Single storeyed rear range with doorway close to junction with main range. This is set within a steeply-pitched porch canopy, and has an arched head with decorative brick and stone patterning above. Half glazed door, with single light window to right. All door and window surrounds have recessed and corbelled brick detailing to jambs. Coursed rubble entrance walls with shallow buttresses and angle buttresses with set-off and steeply-pitched ashlar copings splay outwards from driveway, and extend along the road frontage east and west. Interior: Not inspected.

History: The Lodge was built as the gatehouse to Croston Hall, home of the de Trafford family, and built to the designs of E.W.Pugin. The Hall was demolished in the 1960s and the Lodge, which shares some of the detailing of the Hall, is believed also to be the work of E.W. Pugin.