North Lodge

North Lodge is an entrance lodge dating to approximately 1822-28, designed by Sir John Soane. A later addition was made in the late 20th century. The lodge is constructed of grey sandstone ashlar, with painted brick at the rear. It has a distinctive hexagonal plan with alternating square projections and a curved wall to the rear.

It is a single storey building over a basement. The exterior features a stone plinth band, a recessed frieze with incised triglyph blocks, and a moulded cornice. There is a blocking course with small, multi-gabled blocks. The projecting wings have tall, pierced parapets with panelled dies. A central hexagonal wooden lantern has closely-spaced glazing bars, wide eaves with thin brackets, and a pyramidal copper cap with a lead and copper finial. The windows are stone mullioned, three-light, with stepped, deep reveals and closely-spaced glazing bars with incised borders that return as a fret pattern. Basement windows are also three-light. The rear projections have recessed, straight-sided arched panels with incised borders, again returning as a fret. Tall, rectangular windows with closely-spaced glazing bars and incised borders are located in the end panels, and blind windows in the side panels.

A porch to the east has chamfered, straight-sided arched openings with incised borders and a fret pattern; four steps lead up to it. The doorway is chamfered, straight-sided arched and framed by three half-glazed doors with flush lower panels and closely-spaced glazing bars. Boarded basement doors are located at the rear. Lead downpipes are fitted with moulded rainwater heads.

The interior features a pendentive dome and a segmental arch to the rear with flush-panelled reveals and soffit. A stone staircase with a plain wrought-iron balustrade is housed within the northwest projection. The southwest projection was reportedly used as the lodge-keeper’s sleeping accommodation.

North Lodge is notable for its original and non-historicist blending of Gothic and Classical architectural forms. Drawings of the lodge are held at the Soane Museum. A tithe map from 1838 shows a drive running from the lodge up to Pell Wall, parallel with the Newport Road.