Country House Gate Lodges / Gate Houses

(Swan Lodge, Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire) 

Have you ever driven through the country and seen a set of large posh gates with a drive snaking away from it? Very often there is a small, bungalow looking house at the side of the gates. You’d be forgiven for thinking ‘is that it? I expected something larger’ and getting confused as to why such an ornate gateway seems to lead to such a small property.

The reality is that in most cases the small house is a ‘gate lodge’ which is placed at the entrance to a large country estate. It’s rare to have gate lodges at the entrance to modern country estates however historically they were a key part of a country estate.

So, what was the purpose of having lodge buildings at the end of your drive? Well, as you might imagine, they were used for security. Any visitors would be stopped by the residents of the gate house (usually a member of the estate staff such as a gardener or game keeper) to ascertain the intentions of the visitor before allowing them through the gates and to the house.

The second purpose to having a lodge at the end of your drive was to use it as a visible status symbol. Lodges were often designed with architectural aspects that are similar to the main house itself so that as people passed, or if they were visiting the house for the very first time, they would be given a glimpse of the status of the person who lived there and the architecture of the house.

In 1850 Lady Emily and Sir Charles Isham of Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire built a lodge house at the end of their driveway (see image at top). This may have been for security reasons, but primarily it was a status symbol and part of a dramatic entrance to their home, Lamport Hall. Visitors would enter the estate via an ornate gateway, past the lodge house, and up a sweeping drive which gave the visitor a panoramic view of the Hall and grounds.

Other great examples of lodge houses include:

Deene Park, Northamptonshire:

Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire:

(all photographs in this blog are credited to: www.gateandlodgehouses.co.uk no copyright intended. All rights to website owner).