Front Lodge

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 1.3km S of Leighton church, on the E side of the B4388 immediately inside the main NW entrance to Leighton Hall.

History

Built in the early 1850s, probably earlier than the gateway to Leighton Hall which partly obscures it, and probably designed by the Liverpool architect W.H. Gee for John Naylor. Naylor, a Liverpool banker, had acquired the Leighton Estate in 1846-47 and embarked on an ambitious programme of building, notably Leighton Hall, church and Leighton Farm, all designed by Gee and completed by the mid 1850s. Leighton Hall was constructed 1850-56. Naylor continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889, during which time a number of lodges were built, all of which use similar materials but have subtle differences in their design. Front Lodge is the most ornate of the lodges, displaying its position in the hierarchy of estate buildings. Naylor’s grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold Leighton Hall and the Estate in 1931.

Exterior

Single-storey lodge (with added attic storey) consisting of a main gabled range with wings to L and to rear. Picturesque Tudor Gothic style, of coursed, rock-faced Cefn stone with ashlar dressings and slate roof (with C20 skylights behind). The main range has a single axial stack with patterned shaft, the L wing and cross-gable to rear wing have external stacks. The main elevations have polygonal angle turrets, moulded parapet and coped gables. The gables and turrets have spiked finials. To the front in the main range is a shallow porch to R of ashlar with lancet openings in the side walls and a moulded parapet with pointed quatrefoils. The door is 4-panelled. To L is a canted bay window, also of ashlar and with a similar parapet to porch, with a cross window in the centre. In the gable is a blank shield. In the L wing is a cross window under a hood mould. The R front is similar, with canted bay window in the gable of the rear range (and a blind arrow loop above) and cross window to L. (Behind the L wing is wall of a former courtyard, now occupied by a flat-roofed extension, with an added C20 lean-to.)

Interior

Not inspected (November 1996).

Reason for designation

The Leighton Estate is an exceptional example of high-Victorian estate development. It is remarkable for the scale and ambition of its conception and planning, the consistency of its design, the extent of its survival, and is the most complete example of its type in Wales. Front Lodge is an important element of this whole ensemble at Leighton. It is a fine example.of a picturesque lodge which retains good original detail and is one of a series of lodges, all subtly different, which make an important contribution to the architectural character of the Estate.