Eaton Lodge (Cheltenham And Gloucester College Of Higher Education)

Eaton Lodge, now a building within Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education, is a villa dating from approximately 1833 to 1850. It is constructed with stucco over brick, featuring a hipped slate roof and a Cotswold stone basement. The building is arranged in a double depth plan with a central hallway.

The exterior has two storeys plus a basement, with three first-floor windows. Architectural detailing includes rusticated pilasters at the ends, moulded architraves to the windows – those on the ground floor have cornices supported by modillions – a moulded first-floor sill band, a moulded band above the first floor, and a crowning cornice. Wide eaves are present. The first floor has 6/6 sash windows, while the ground floor has tripartite windows consisting of a 2/2 horizontal-pane window between two 2/2 sash windows. Gabled attic dormers interrupt the eaves, and replacement casement windows are found in the attic and basement. The central entrance is accessed by a flight of steps with a balustrade leading to a three-panel door. The upper panels of the door are fielded, the lower panels are flush, and it is flanked by sidelights and an overlight with margin lights. A doorcase features Doric pilasters, a frieze and cornice with a flattened pediment. The rear of the building retains a tall staircase sash window with margin lights.

The interior retains original plasterwork, including a frieze to the hall with an egg-and-dart cornice. One room on the left has a cornice and a vine ceiling frieze. Joinery details include six-panel doors and an open-well staircase with rod and bobbin balusters and a run-out handrail terminating in a lion's paw foot.

The house has a historical connection to the development of The Park, which was laid out in 1833 by Thomas Billings. The Park included a central area that briefly served as a zoological garden. In 1839, architect Samuel Daukes purchased the development and continued its building, influenced by schemes for Regent's Park in London. Originally known as Eton Villa, it became Eton Lodge Hotel in 1942 and was later taken over by St Mary's College in 1956. The building holds an important position on the edge of The Park, a significant development of mid-19th century villas.