Skelton Lodges To Newby Hall With Attached Gates And Screen Walls

Skelton Lodges to Newby Hall with Attached Gates and Screen Walls

A range of lodge buildings, gates and screen walls designed circa 1777 by William Belwood for William Weddell, with restoration undertaken circa 1870. The buildings are constructed in ashlar and brick with grey slate roofs and feature wrought-iron gates.

The composition is symmetrical and extensive, comprising a central pair of double gates with gate piers and railings, flanked by outer piers and ramped walls. These lead to a pair of square, single-storey, two-storey lodge houses, beyond which are screen walls with central gateways. Further outward are additional single-storey, three-bay lodge houses, with outer screen walls and central gateways ramping up to massive end piers.

The central gates, probably dating from the 19th century, have bars with lock rails and S-scroll ornament rising to high arched tops. The inner gate piers feature banded rustication of an angular vermiculated type, surmounted by cineraria with classical emblems including rams' heads, swags and masks, and topped by a seated lion crest. The original railings display elaborate vase and spearhead finials to the bars, lock rail bands with diamond patterns, and dogbars beneath. The outer piers have rustication matching the main piers, surmounted by a stepped cornice with small seated animals supporting shields.

Short lengths of finely laid ashlar wall, with flat, slightly projecting coping, ramp up to each lodge. The inner pair of lodge houses feature rusticated plinths and quoins. Each has an advanced central 24-pane window set in an architrave flanked by Doric columns with two bands of rustication, with entablature and triangular corniced pediment above. A modillioned eaves cornice with blocking course and corner piers surmounted by ball finials runs along each building. The roofs are shallow and pyramidal with central corniced stacks.

The ramped walls linking the inner and outer lodge houses measure approximately 10 metres long and 2.5 metres high, each containing a central six-panel door in an architrave with pediment surmounted by a large vase urn, flanked by plain piers. Flat coping with ball finials crowns the piers.

The outer lodge houses feature central round-headed six-panel double doors in deeply rusticated archways with keystones and triangular pediments. Flanking tripartite sashes are set in architraves with cornices. The outer half-bays of each building project slightly and contain arched recesses. An eaves band with wooden gutter brackets to the centre, hipped roofs and banded central stacks complete these structures.

The outer lengths of screen wall are similar to those between the lodges. The end piers have recessed corners of rusticated ashlar with central niches and projecting sills. Deep entablatures contain central rusticated panels, deep cornices and flanking S-scroll blocks, topped by small vase and cushion finials.

The rear facades of the inner lodges are similar to the front but lack rustication. The sides away from the drive each contain two circular windows lighting the first floor. The right-hand lodge has a six-panel door facing the drive; the left lodge doorway faces away from the drive.

William Belwood's designs for the inner lodges and gates survive in the records. The outer lodges may not have been part of the original design but contain features similar to the associated stables. The main gates and vase finials probably date from the circa 1870 reordering of the grounds undertaken by Lady Mary Vyner.