Lion Gates With Railings Lion Lodge North Lion Lodge South

Lion Lodge North, Lion Lodge South and Lion Gates with Railings, Thorndon Park, Brentwood

These are ornamental gates and lodges forming the entrance to Thorndon Hall. They were probably designed by James Paine, who also designed the hall, in 1764.

The Gateway

The central iron gates have been removed, but a side pedestrian gate and railings remain. The cast-iron gate stanchions are decorated with guilloche motifs and surmounted by urn finials. The upper rails feature pendant flowers. The gate piers are rectangular with rusticated stone, decorated with rams' head swagged friezes and cornices. Each pier is topped by a reclining lion.

The Pavilions

Two later 18th-century stuccoed brick pavilions flank the gateway. Each is two storeys high with a pyramidal slated roof and central stack. A second stack rises from the outer face of each pavilion.

The east and west fronts of both pavilions contain a single window range set in semicircular arched recesses. On the west front, the tympana of these arches are decorated with ornamental roundels: a male head with a hoe and a female head with a snake. A plain string course runs between the floors. Below this is a sash window with glazing bars. The northern pavilion has a 4x4 paned window with flat head and two upper panes now coalesced; the southern pavilion has a segment-headed window.

The rear east-facing elevations of both pavilions are similar but have a first-floor segment-headed sash window with 3x2 panes replacing the roundels. The inner north and south elevations, abutting the gate piers, each have a ground-floor doorway. The southern doorway dates to the 19th century and has six flush beaded panels; the northern doorway is 20th century with six panels and an included fanlight. First-floor windows on these elevations are casements with glazing bars; the northern window is flat-headed and the southern is segment-headed.

The outer north and south faces of both pavilions are partly obscured by 19th-century brick ground-floor additions, though the original pavilion plinth continues into the junction. These additions have stuccoed walls and slated roofs.

Northern Pavilion: Additional Features

The northern pavilion's ground-floor addition has a two-window range to the north with a central stack. Both windows are segment-headed sashes with glazing bars. A plain extension extends further north. The rear elevation includes a 20th-century flat-roofed extension with a 20th-century door and a triple window with glazing bars and side casements totalling 4x3 panes. A minor addition to the north has a 20th-century contiguous extension with a window with glazing bars of 1x3 panes. The north end elevation has three 20th-century single-light casements and a plain 20th-century door with a glazed panel.

The first floor of the northern pavilion has two windows: one 3x2 paned casement and one 3x2 paned sash, both with glazing bars.

Southern Pavilion: Additional Features

The southern pavilion's ground-floor addition to the south is similar to the northern addition but features a single sash window on the front elevation. A minor addition has a hipped roof. The rear elevation contains two segment-headed sash windows, and the minor addition has a 20th-century door with upper glazing and lower recessed panel. The south end elevation features a 20th-century single-light window and a hipped porch to the original block with a 20th-century door with upper glazing and lower boarded panel.

The first floor of the southern pavilion has two segment-headed windows: one 3x2 paned sash and one 2x2 paned casement, both with glazing bars.

Historical Context

The park was used as an army camp prior to D-Day. The central iron gates were removed during the Second World War to allow passage of wide vehicles and were subsequently lost.

The central stack of the northern pavilion is false, sitting on a high brick arch. Historically, when hunting was still in progress, deer were hung beneath this arch, and the southern pavilion was used for refreshments.