Sandycross Lodge Including Boundary Walls And Gates To South

Sandycross Lodge, including boundary walls and gates to the south, is a pair of lodges and gates, originally serving Bicton House. The structure likely dates to around 1800, with enlargements occurring in the late 19th century and early 20th century, followed by further alterations around 1980. It is constructed of limestone ashlar facing brick or concrete blocks, with an unknown roof material and wrought iron gates.

The lodge now comprises two small cottages situated just inside the gates. One cottage faces east, the other west, both overlooking the drive leading to Bicton House. Each cottage’s plan is a mirror of the other and they have followed a similar pattern of development. They began as small, square, one-room cottages with rear stacks. In the 19th century, an additional room was added to the rear of each, and a third room was added behind these around 1980. The style is Neo-Classical. Each cottage is single-storeyed. The front elevation of each cottage features a part-glazed and part-panelled door, flanked by side lights, with a narrow stone lintel and a large fanlight above, featuring a radial pattern of glazing bars. A shallow hoodmould sits above the fanlight. Tuscan pilasters rest on the plinth and carry a lightly-moulded entablature. A plain blocking course is raised at the corners above the projecting eaves cornice. The sides have tripartite sash windows with central 12-pane sashes and rectangular panels below. The extensions are lower and plainer, also with 12-pane sashes. All roofs are flat.

Double gates provide carriageways, flanked by pedestrian gates. Low walls extend from the sides of the lodge cottages to tall piers. From these piers, similar low quadrant walls curve outwards and forwards to further tall terminal piers. The iron gate piers have a tall, narrow oblong frame with a square within a square design, along with diagonal cross motifs at the top and bottom. Upright elements are set in from the stiles, with diagonal crosses and small bosses in the middle. The carriageway piers are topped by open heraldic badges surmounted by coronets. The gate’s top rails ramp down across the middle, and the double lockrail features flat ovals with diagonal crosses. The rails are spear-headed. The stone piers have panelled sides and pedestals on top of the caps. The two inner piers are surmounted by carved limestone Rolle arms.