Cardiff Road Lodge at Belle Vue Park, including attached Gates & Wall

Cadw's description

Location

At South (Cardiff Road) entrance to Bele Vue Park.

History

1893-94, by T H Mawson (1861-1933), landscape architect, of Windermere. This lodge was for the use of the Park Superintendant; porch altered 1914. Gates from Messrs T Brawn & Co of Birmingham.
The land for the park was given by Lord Tredegar in 1891. Mawson won the competition (despite submitting designs for the wrong site) and the park opened in 1894. Mawson designed the layout for the park, and virtually all the buildings including terraces and tea pavilion, lodges, bridges, walls and gatepiers. Mawson became a landscape architect and town planner of international importance with commissions throughout Britain, and also in Canada and Greece.

Exterior

Two storey lodge. Ground floor in rock-faced stone, upper floor half-timbered; modern tiled roof. Main block has gable facing S, tile-hanging at apex, 4-light casement window to first floor which overhangs (R) 6-light window wrapped round corner. To R, cross wing with 3-light window at eaves; on ground floor, semi circular archway to glazed-in porch with panelled door. Right return has tile-hung gable, and large stone chimney. To R, attached wall with gates and gatepiers. Large central entrance flanked by gatepiers with cap stones and ball finials; elaborate iron gates with Newport Borough Arms. To each side of piers, smaller arched gateway, each with iron gate. Wall continues to R, and curves forward to meet park wall.

Reason for designation

Integral part of important public park by this important designer and architect.