Building record 1763/2/3 - Clutton Lodges and Gates, Carden Park

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 405108 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Clutton Lodge (West Lodge): Lodge (one of a pair) circa 1830. Ashlar sandstone on rusticated base, with heavy cornice carrying domed stuccoed brick roof crowned by terracotta urn. Square in plan with concave sides and canted corners. Round arched niche in front and outer rear corners; round-arched doorway in inner rear corner (door replaced) with looped radial-bar fan. Triple round-arched window openings to front and rear contain small-pane iron casements. Interior: Formerly the lodge-keeper's day-room. Arched embrasures to windows. Fireplace on outer side; the urn-finial to dome also served as chimney. A Baroque design, perhaps inspired by the early eighteenth century wrought iron screens (q.v.) and former gates.

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 404769 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Clutton Lodge (East Lodge): Lodge (one of a pair) circa 1830. Ashlar sandstone on rusticated base, with heavy cornice carrying domed stuccoed brick roof crowned by terracotta urn. Square in plan with concave sides and canted corners. Round-arched niche in front and outer rear corners; round-arched doorway in inner rear corner (door replaced). Triple round-arched window openings to front and rear contain small-pane iron casements. Interior: Formerly the lodge-keeper's night room. Arched embrasures to windows. Fireplace on outer side; the urn-finial to the dome also serves as chimney. A Baroque design, perhaps inspired by the early eighteenth century wrought iron screens (q.v.) and former gates.

<3> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 404768 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Pair of Gatepiers with screen railing to each side; the railings early eighteenth century by the Davies Brothers of Croes Foel, the piers probably circa 1830. Wrought iron and artificial stone. The screens are each of three panels divided by principal rails with scrolly brackets and ornate circular caps. Ornate dog-bars, ornamented top rail and leafed spikes of alternating design to common rails. Moulded stone plinths. The square gate piers have recessed corners, long panels to front and back, moulded bases and projecting cornices which carry tapering finials formerly capped with balls or urns. The gates (by the Davies Brothers) have gone. The gates, screens and lodges were at the north entrance to Carden Hall, [which] burned down in 1924.

<4> Chester Archaeology, 1995, A Desk Based Archaeological Assessment of Carden Park, p.8 (Client Report). SCH4793.

Clutton Lodge is less imposing but an odd structure. It is formed by two lodges of square concave-sided -pl an, with canted corners holding niches and low domes topped with a terracotta urn . Pevsner (see 5) dates the lodge by the windows, which he assigns to c 1815-45 and considers a puzzling date for the design; the Listing record gives a date of c.1830 and suggests that the Baroque design may have been inspired by the adjacent early eighteenth-century wrought iron rail in gs (see 1). However, Clutton Lodge is clearly shown on Swire & Hutchings map of 1829 (see 6) and the windows may be evidence of a later refenestration. The railings were by the Davies brothers of Croes Foe!, but their gates have been removed.However, none of these elements can have been in place until after 1819, as they do nor appear on Greenwood's map (see 7) which also shows that the Turnpike road onto which they front had not yet been built.

<5> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, p.180 (Book). SCH3078.

Two square lodges with concave sides. The domed roofs are topped by a terracotta urn. Baroque in style, but the windows are c.1835-45. For such a date, the style of the building is puzzling.

<6> Swire, W. & Hutchings, W. F., 1830, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2116.

<7> Greenwood, C. & Greenwood J., 1819, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2115.