Boathouse on the east side of the lake in Stanley Park

Summary

Boathouse, 1870 by E R Robson. Coursed sandstone ashlar. Single-storey. Gothic style

Reasons for Designation

The Boathouse on the east side of the lake in Stanley Park, constructed in 1870, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: it has a Gothic Revival design in keeping with the styling of other listed structures in the park;

* Architect: it was designed by the nationally significant late-C19 architect E R Robson who has many listed buildings to his name nationally and whose later work with the School Board for London was hugely influential;

* Level of survival: although the boathouse's pavilion-like timber shelter on the roof is no longer extant, a substantial part of the original structure survives and its origins as a boathouse remain clearly readable;

* Group value: it has strong group value with Edward Kemp's Grade II* registered park in which it sits and with the other Grade II listed structures in the park, most of which were also designed by Robson.

History

Stanley Park was laid out in 1867-70 to designs by Edward Kemp, one of the leading landscape designers of the mid-late C19. The boathouse on the east side of the lake was constructed in 1870 and was designed by E R Robson who also designed the majority of Stanley Park's other structures.

In the late-C19/early-C20 the eastern section of the lake was drained and turned into a sunken garden. Restoration work carried out in 2007-9 reinstated the eastern section of the lake, although the boathouse is no longer used for its original purpose and is now used mainly as a viewing platform.

The boathouse was originally surmounted by a pavilion-like timber shelter that was destroyed by fire in the late-C20.

Details

Boathouse, 1870 by E R Robson. Coursed sandstone ashlar. Single-storey. Gothic style

The boathouse on the east side of the lake in Stanley Park is a small, square single-storey building constructed of coursed sandstone ashlar with a large Gothic-arched boat entry opening to its SW elevation facing the lake with late-C20/early-C21 metal double doors* (the doors are not of special interest); a low-level ramp into the lake below the doorway has been removed. The flat roof of the boathouse originally acted as a plinth and was surmounted by a pavilion-like timber shelter with unglazed Gothic cusped lights and a gableted roof with slate coverings. This timber 'pavilion' was destroyed by fire in the late-C20 and has since been replaced by early-C21 metal railings* (the railings are not of special interest), allowing the roof of the boathouse to form a viewpoint. The NE side of the boathouse incorporates a central stone stair leading down into the boat store, which has a Gothic-arched entrance doorway with a timber door frame and overlight survive; the door has been removed. Access to the stair is now protected by an early-C21 metal grille*, which is not of special interest. Flanking the stair to each side are two further flights of stone steps that lead up on to the roof of the boathouse and the site of the former shelter.

* Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

359582

Legacy System:

LBS

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