Northwood House Charitable Trust shares this great news. Ed
Northwood House Charitable Trust are pleased to announce that they have been successful with a recent Heritage Lottery award of £10,000 as the start of a project to save and restore the iconic Church Lodge that sits on the edge of the Northwood House Park estate.
This initial project funding will allow the House team to undertake a Viability Appraisal for the restoration and return to use this unique and historically important John Nash designed lodge.
200th anniversary
This year the lodge celebrates its 200th anniversary, built in 1816 alongside, and as part of Nash’s major works on the adjacent St Mary’s Church and the construction of a Ward family mausoleum and the church tower for the owner of Northwood House, George Ward.
Once the Lodge controlled was one of the entrances to the original 237 acre private Northwood Estate, surrounded by a high Bembridge stone wall built by master builder Henry Brading in 1816. Today the 23 acre Estate open to all and is much enjoyed by tourists and dog walkers alike.
Full restoration of the building
Church Lodge was last occupied in 2013 and the hope is that with future Lottery funding the Charity will be able to fully restore the building and its immediate grounds. The Viability Appraisal will provide the evidence base necessary to apply for a full HLF Heritage Enterprise grant for this important work to take place.
The full restoration of the Lodge would significantly improve the local area and reduce the ongoing problems with vandalism and vagrancy that are blighting this otherwise tranquil and beautiful part of the estate where the Church meets the Park.
Through this repair and restoration of the lodge it will no longer be a burden but become a sustainable income-generating addition to the Charity, securing both its future and providing income to support the running and restoration of the main house and parkland.
A unique building in vital need of urgent restoration
Tim Wander, Project Manager at Northwood House said,
“We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund for this initial project to develop the full plan to restore Church Lodge. The Lodge is a unique building that is in vital need of urgent restoration to both protect it and return it to use.
“The exciting goal is to return the outside to its original 1816 appearance – so that even John Nash would recognise it.
“In its 200th year we are also developing the plan, with the Heritage Lottery Fund’s support, to convert the inside to a modern flexible space, while retaining historic details, capable of providing the Northwood House estate with a much needed income stream.”
