West Lodge. (That Part In The Parish Of Iwerne Minster)

West Lodge is a country house, largely dating from the early 19th century, but incorporating elements of a possible 17th or earlier hunting lodge. The building is partially within the parish of Iwerne Minster and partially within the parish of Sutton Waldron. The south-east front is rendered and whitewashed, while other walls are mainly of whitewashed brick in a Flemish bond pattern. The central pavilion and the south-west wing have slate coverings, while the north-east ranges are tiled. Brick stacks are present in various locations. The house is single and two-storey, with basements and attics, and presents a near-symmetrical facade. The main range has eleven bays, arranged as a 3:5:3 pattern. The central, gabled pavilion features an attached, giant, tetrastyle Tuscan portico with green painted and ashlar columns, supporting a wooden entablature and pediment. The slope of the pediment extends down over the outer bays of the pavilion. Pilaster strips define the extremities of the central pavilion. Flanking wings are topped with parapets that partially conceal the roofs. Most windows are 15-pane sashes; those to the central pavilion have been slightly reduced in height to accommodate a first-floor insertion. The central three bays feature three circular windows. The outer bays of the central pavilion have four-pane sashes to the upper floor. A lunette window is positioned within the pediment. Pilastered doorways with part-glazed doors are found in the outer bays of the central pavilion, with a pediment over the doorway on the right-hand side. The rear facade incorporates mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights protected by wrought-iron casements. A central wooden porch with a pedimental hood supported by Ionic columns and pilasters is also present. Internally, most features are from the 19th century, including a staircase with cast-iron balusters and newel posts. The house is notable for its origins as a hunting lodge on Cranborne Chase and for the deliberate neo-classical style of its 19th-century alterations.