Royal Castle Lodge (formerly The Lodge)

This is an early 19th century former entrance lodge, originally built for William and Mary Sandford as part of Lynton Cottage (now a hotel). It is constructed in a picturesque "Cottage Ornée" style.

The building follows a simple two-room plan. It is built of rubble stone and has a combed-wheat reed thatched roof.

The lodge is a two-storey cottage. The front (south) elevation features an off-centre 20th century stable door. There are three-light timber casement windows with pointed heads to each floor, with a central metal light above each. The windows are topped by rough-hewn wooden lintels and sit on stone sills. The thatched roof significantly overhangs this elevation, creating an external first-floor balcony, which is surrounded by a decorative wooden balustrade that has been partially repaired. Access to the balcony is via a straight flight of stairs supported by two stone posts; one is attached to the house using a straight-butt joint. A two-light casement window, dating from the late 20th century, is located on the roadside (west) elevation. The east elevation has a two-light ground floor window and a small rectangular first-floor window. The rear elevation faces a rock-outcrop bank and has a late-20th century two-light window on the first floor. The thatched roof has decorative ridge detailing and overhanging eaves, and is topped by a stone ridge stack at the northern end.

Internally, renovations were undertaken in 2015, which involved removing the first-floor floorboards and timber staircase. This revealed a spinal timber ceiling beam over the former ground-floor living room and two further timber beams spanning the passage connecting the living room and kitchen. Sections of wall plaster were removed during these works. A stone wall divides the two rooms in the northern half of the building. The ground-floor main room has a late-20th century replacement fireplace with a timber lintel, while the room above contains a 19th century cast-iron fireplace. Fireplaces in the kitchen and the room above have been blocked.

Note: A timber lean-to on the east elevation and all late-20th and 21st century internal finishes, fixtures, and fittings are excluded from the listing as they do not contribute to the building’s special architectural or historic interest.