West Lodge To Thornbury Castle And Adjoining Gateway

This is an entrance lodge with an attached gateway, built in 1855 as part of Thornbury Castle. The lodge is constructed from coursed rubble limestone with ashlar dressings, topped with a clay tile roof and limestone stacks. The interior walls are lined with red brick. Notable features include studded plank doors and a main gate with iron strap hinges. The flooring is flagstone.

The lodge has a square plan, consisting of a north-south range and an east-west cross-wing. The main range contains a single room on the ground floor, opening into the cross-wing, where a staircase leads to attic floor bedrooms and a bathroom. The lodge is single-storey with an attic and exhibits Tudor Gothic detailing, including single and two-light, four-centred arch-headed casement windows with hood moulds. The east-facing main elevation, which faces the carriageway, has three bays. The central bay features a studded plank door under a four-centred head. To the right is a casement window with leaded panes, and to the left is a wide, projecting stack with offsets and an ornate carved corbel with a small opening below, a design similar to that found at East Lodge, Thornbury Castle. The stack displays a stone shield bearing the Howard family arms, and an iron-framed lamp is positioned above it. The stack is topped with battlements. The gable ends of the main range have coped verges, and a projecting stack with offsets is situated at the north end. The west range has a double-pitched roof with a central valley.

Attached to the south-east corner of the lodge is a rubble stone wall with ashlar dressings and coping, forming part of the gateway to Thornbury Castle. This wall has a pedestrian door with a studded plank door under a four-centred head. A date stone inscribed with "1855" and the Howard family initials is set above the doorway. Two embattled piers across the carriageway define the gateway and display armorial bearings. The timber gate has an arcade of round-headed lancet openings above a timber dog rail; the lancets are filled with iron bars and finials. The gate is secured to the right pier with an iron post and strap hinges. Adjoining the gateway wall to the right is a section of wall and a buttress that connects to the wall of St Mary’s Church.

The interior of the ground floor features exposed brick walls laid in Flemish bond, with traces of former plaster in some areas. The main room is accessed directly from the east-facing door and includes a stone chimneypiece within the lateral stack, along with a smaller stone fireplace in the corner of the north end. A timber staircase is located in the west range, with a room on either side. The attic floor above reveals exposed, chamfered roof timbers.