South Lodge And Screen Wall, Paxton House

The South Lodge and Screen Wall at Paxton House represent mid to later 18th-century classical gate lodges, connected by a late 18th-century classical entrance screen. The lodges are single-storey, rectangular in plan, with two bays each. The eastern lodge has substantial additions to its side and rear, while the southern lodge has a lean-to addition to its rear.

The lodges are constructed with coursed and droved cream sandstone to their entrance and southern elevations, cream sandstone ashlar to the northern elevation, and lined render and harled additions elsewhere. They feature base, lintel, and eaves courses, plain margins, and projecting cills.

The eastern lodge’s west (entrance) elevation retains an original block to the left, containing a timber panelled door and a plate glass fanlight to its right, alongside a single window to the left. A recessed three-bay addition to the right includes a timber panelled door, a plate glass fanlight, a single window, and a bipartite window to the outer right. The south (side) elevation has a two-bay wing projecting to the right with a bipartite window and a single window. The original block on the left features a tripartite window at its centre, with a painted, blind imitation of side-lights. The north (side) elevation has a Venetian window at the centre of the original block, with painted, blind imitation glazing. A piended addition is recessed to the left, and a single window is present on the rear (east) elevation.

The southern lodge’s east (entrance) elevation has a timber panelled door to the left, a painted, blind imitation 3-pane fanlight above, and a single window to the right. The south (side) elevation includes a tripartite window in the original block, with a painted, blind imitation of side-lights. A single window is situated in the lean-to addition to the outer left. The north (side) elevation has a Venetian window in the original block, with painted, blind imitation glazing. A lean-to addition is recessed to the right, and the rear (west) elevation features a near full-width lean-to addition, with a two-bay projection to the left.

Both lodges predominantly feature 12-pane glazing within timber sash and case windows, and have grey slate piended roofs with brick-built ridge stacks and circular cans. The interiors were not inspected in 1999.

Connecting the lodges, coped, coursed, and droved cream sandstone quadrant walls adjoin the eastern elevation of the eastern lodge and the western elevation of the southern lodge. Corniced, square-plan sandstone piers flank the ends, topped with urns. The entrance screen is a low, corniced screen featuring rectangular-plan pillars and engaged pilasters that join the eastern elevation of the eastern lodge and the eastern elevation of the southern lodge. Central pillars are surmounted by urns, while the paired, inner gate piers are topped with seated lions, inscribed ‘Coade London 1789’. Spearheaded iron railings sit between piers, above a low, coped wall, and a two-leaf, spearheaded iron gate is positioned at the centre.