Lodge, gardener's cottage and former cart shed to Carrow Abbey

Lodge, Gardener's Cottage and Former Cart Shed to Carrow Abbey

Built in 1880–1881, possibly to the designs of Edward Boardman, this group of three buildings stands to the south-west of Carrow Abbey. The lodge is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond, while the cottage and former cart shed are built of a mixture of flint nodules and knapped flint laid randomly. All three have moulded brick dressings and roofs clad in plain red clay tiles.

The buildings are arranged as three approximately rectangular parallel ranges: the lodge to the west, the adjoining cottage in the middle, and to the east a former cart shed (now garage) that encloses a yard to its west, bounded on the south side by a flint wall.

Architectural Character

The group displays a domestic revival style with Tudoresque character throughout. The one-and-a-half storey lodge features a half-hipped roof with decorative bargeboards pierced by trefoils and a short cross wing at the south end. Two very tall octagonal chimney stacks on broached bases with moulded brick cornices rise through the roof, which is surmounted by ridge cresting and terracotta finials. A small flat-roofed 20th-century dormer window has been inserted at the south end of the roof.

The west-facing three-bay facade is nearly symmetrical with subtle variations. A projecting gabled porch occupies the central entrance bay, featuring a pointed arch with spandrels pierced by quatrefoils and trefoils. The gable itself is embellished with similarly pierced bargeboards and is supported by four chamfered timber posts on broached bases. The double-leaf three-centred arch door has glazed upper panels and sits within a moulded brick surround with a Tudor hoodmould. On either side are canted bay windows with wooden mullions and casement windows: the left bay is set within a gabled projection and the right within a half-hipped gabled bay, both decorated to match the porch gable.

The gable ends are lit by four-light casement windows under Tudor hoodmoulds, with the wall above pierced by terracotta quatrefoils in diamond openings. The cross wing on the south side is similarly lit. A tall red brick wall on the east side of the north gable end encloses a small service yard containing an outside water closet and steps down to the cellar. The rear east wall serves as the party wall between lodge and cottage.

The cottage has one and a half storeys under a steeply pitched hipped roof with exposed rafter feet that slope to ground-floor level. It carries the same ridge cresting and finials as the lodge. The north gable end is dominated by a projecting gable decorated with flint diaper work, from which rise a pair of very tall octagonal chimney stacks on broached bases. The ground floor is lit by two pairs of four-light casement windows in horizontal blocked brick surrounds with moulded brick sills and lintels. Below the right window is a low brick projection with corrugated iron covering, added in the 20th century. The south gable end is lit by a horizontal three-light window in a blocked brick surround.

Between 1907 and 1928, the east wall of the cottage was removed and the roof supported by a girder and two posts. An additional parallel range of brick construction was added at this time, featuring a glazed hipped roof with a raised ventilation ridge. Full-height sliding vertical plank doors with upper glass panes occupy most of the elevation.

The former cart shed is a single-storey range with brick quoins under a half-hipped roof with exposed rafter feet, bargeboards, and ridge cresting matching the cottage. A pair of chimney stacks rises through the ridge. The long east elevation has, on the left, a vertical plank door in a depressed arch surround with blocked brick jambs. To the right are three small recessed horizontal windows directly under the eaves. The gable ends are lit by four-light windows in blocked brick surrounds with Tudor hoodmoulds. The long west elevation has a shallow projection containing three 20th-century garage doors and a three-light wedge dormer inserted in the 20th century. At the south end is a small flat-roofed brick extension with a door and window, added around the mid-20th century. The yard between the garage and cottage is paved in granite setts.

Interior

The lodge retains its original floor plan and numerous fixtures and fittings, including skirting boards, picture rails, and four-panel doors, though no fireplaces survive. The small entrance hall contains the staircase and is flanked by two reception rooms lit by the canted bays and framed by panelled openings. The two rear rooms retain fitted cupboards: in the south-east room these have panelled doors flanking the chimneybreast, and the north-east kitchen has a larder with shelves. The straight flight of stairs has winders at the top, a panelled soffit, closed string with stick balusters, and turned newel posts on square blocks with ball finials. The attic is in a dilapidated condition, with two rooms lined in horizontal timber cladding, some of which is falling away.

The ground floor of the cottage has been opened into a large space for storing machinery and equipment, retaining no historic fixtures or fittings except the steep staircase on the south side. This staircase has closed timber balusters and square newel posts, and leads to the attic which contains tie beams and two side purlins.

The former cart shed floor is laid in stone setts and has a king post roof with diagonal braces. The small room at the south end retains a plank and batten door with a latch handle, a plain wooden fireplace surround, and flanking built-in cupboards with panelled doors, although the lower cupboard on the right has been removed.