Dartington Lodge

DARTINGTON SX7861-SX7961 DARTINGTON HALL 13/132 Dartington Lodge

GV II

Pair of attached lodges at south entrance to Dartington Hall park, converted into one lodge. Circa 1860's. Limestone rubble with rendered and limestone dressings; sham timber framing with plaster infill to front gable. Steeply pitched Welsh slate roof (originally thatched) with gabled lends and overhanging verges which have decorative bargeboards with trailing foliage and pendants; the bargeboards on the front gable are shaped and the eaves pendants are like hanging fishscale slates. Central rendered axial chimney stack with group of 4 polygonal shafts with moulded base and cap. Plan: pair of attached cottages, each with one living room sharing a central axial stack with back-to-back fireplaces; and sharing the central projecting 2-storey porch which originally gave direct entry into each front room; a central wing at the rear contains the service room of each cottage and forms an overall cruciform plan. In the C20 the cottages were converted into one house, the open-fronted porch was partly blocked to accommodate the new stairs and a lean-to outshut was added to the right side of the rear wing. Picturesque Tudor Gothic style. Exterior: storeys. Slightly asymmetrical 3 bay front facing the drive with large projecting 2 storey gabled porch, the first floor jettied on corbelled stone side walls and with hollow-chamfered mullion window with Tudor arch heads and diamond leaded panes with shields and stained glass at the centre; the ground floor of the porch was originally open-fronted but has been blocked to the right and a C20 door inserted to the left; the single light side windows of the porch have Tudor arch hollow-chamfered frames and moulded rendered surround and hoodmould. To the left of the porch a 2-light window with moulded rendered surround and hoodmould; to right of porch a shallow projecting bay window on left hand gable end and 2-light window with hoodmould in gable above. The opposite gable end has similar 2-light window. All the windows except for those in the porch are C20 metal frame casements with leaded panes. Both corners of the left hand (south) gable end are splayed on the ground floor and twice corbelled out to a square corner above. Interior: both main rooms have back-to-back fireplaces, each with projecting hoods on large corbels. The original stairs have been replaced by a staircase in the formerly open-fronted porch which is now a small stair hall. Sean O'Casey, the Irish playwright, is said to have lived at Dartington Lodge. In 1938 he came to totnes from London with his family so that his children could attend Dartington Hall School. He is said to have rented Tingrith, a Victorian house in Ashburton Road. In 1955 he moved to Torquay. source: There is a painting dated 1883 in the possession of the occupier, depicting the lodge with a thatched roof and an open-fronted porch.

Listing NGR: SX7988461499