Entrance Lodges, Screen and Gates At Trentham Gardens

Summary

Entrance lodges to Trentham Park of 1803-1813, designed by Charles Heathcote Tatham. They were originally located in front of the west facade of Trentham Hall and were moved to their present location in the 1920s.

Reasons for Designation

The Entrance Lodges at Trentham Gardens, of 1803-1813 by CH Tatham, are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for their sophisticated symmetrical design by Charles Heathcote Tatham;
* as examples of a pair of early-C19 lodges which marked the entrance to a grand country house;
* for their good degree of survival.

Historic interest:

* for their association with the Trentham Estate and the Dukes of Sutherland.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-Registered Trentham Gardens, the Grade I-Listed Trentham Mausoleum and other listed buildings on the estate.

History

Trentham Hall and gardens were established on the site of an Augustinian priory in the C16. The property was bought by wool merchant James Leveson in 1540 after the dissolution of the priory. Over the following 360 years under the Leveson-Gower family ownership, the house and grounds were redesigned multiple times. A new mansion was built for Sir Richard Leveson in 1630-1639 and walled gardens created. The park was remodelled in the 1690s for Sir John Leveson-Gower, and a pair of canals cut c1695 to Rev George Plaxton’s plan. In 1707 the hall was redesigned by William Smith of Warwick. The 2nd Baron Gower commissioned Charles Bridgeman to extend and improve the land in 1720 including enclosing Kings Wood, constructing a brick wall around the park and creating a patte d’oie the west of the house, some of which remains. Trentham Hall was remodelled again in 1737-38 by Francis Smith of Warwick. A further overhaul of the landscaping was undertaken in the mid-eighteenth century by removing the walk between the two canals to create a lake. The shape of the lake was naturalised and planting added to the bank by Lancelot Brown between 1759 and 1780. At this time, the hall was redesigned by Henry Holland. Charles Heathcote Tatham designed the mausoleum on Stone Road in 1808 and added east and west wings to the south front of the hall; his orangery survives at the south-west of the remains of the hall.

Another large transformation of both house and grounds took place in the early-nineteenth century under the commission of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland and his wife, Harriet (née Howard). In 1834-1842, Charles Barry redesigned the hall, rebuilding Tatham’s dining room, adding a Belevdere tower over the old kitchen, and building an orangery, sculpture gallery and clock tower. Barry went on to rebuild the stables and service quarters in 1840-49. The design of the Italianate formal gardens is also attributed to Barry, formed of two shallow terraces leading down to the lake with parterres and balustrading, statues, urns, pavilions and fountains as features. Planting would have been led by the head gardeners at Trentham, including George Fleming from 1841 and later Zadok Stevens. The gardens were showcases of innovative Victorian planting and use of colour under Fleming’s management.

Trentham Hall was demolished in about 1911 but remains of its entrance and conservatory, orangery and sculpture gallery and stable block survive. The entrance lodges to Trentham Gardens were relocated from the west entrance of the hall to their present site opposite the mausoleum in the 1920s. This was to be the main entrance for Trentham Gardens in their use as public pleasure grounds. The various structures built for entertainment in the C20, such as the tennis courts, ballroom and open-air swimming pool have since been demolished. In the early C21, the flower garden on the upper terrace was historically recreated and the parterre garden to the south was redesigned as a modern scheme by Tom Stuart-Smith and Piet Oudolf, being completed in 2004.

The entrance lodges to Trentham Park were originally located at the main entrance to Trentham Hall where they marked the entrance to the grand circle in front of the west facade. They were designed by Charles Heathcote Tatham and built between 1803 and 1813. When here, they had deer topping the piers and decorative gates. The lodges were relocated in the 1920s to the site opposite the mausoleum where they became the entrance to Trentham Gardens and ballroom as part of the pleasure grounds era of Trentham through the C20.

Details

Entrance lodges to Trentham Park of 1803-1813, designed by Charles Heathcote Tatham. They were originally located in front of the west facade of Trentham Hall and were moved to their present location in the 1920s.

MATERIALS: the entrance lodges are constructed of heavily rusticated ashlar.

PLAN: the lodges are square in plan with a connecting screen and gates which is recessed between the lodges.

EXTERIOR: the two lodges are identical and comprise of walls with a plinth, surmounted by a base and pier. The plinth is chamfered. The walls are heavily rusticated and have a round-headed window to each of the four sides. Some of these openings have been blocked up. A string course runs around the lodges at the level of the key stones. On top of the lodge room, there is a three stepped base to a square pier. Another three steps top the pier. On the southern pier, there is an iron pole suggestive of previous ornamentation.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the railings between the lodges are post 1930.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

272375

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire, (1974), 283-286
Mowl, Timothy, Barre, Diane, The Historic Gardens of England: Staffordshire, (2009), 36-41, 60-66, 173-175, 230-233, 296-299
Tringham, NJ, The Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Volume XI, (2013), 224-243

End of official list entry

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