Lodge, gardener's cottage and former cart shed to Carrow Abbey, Lakenham, Norfolk

Summary

Lodge, gardener’s cottage and former cart shed, now garage, built in 1880-1881 possibly to the designs of Edward Boardman.

Description

Lodge, gardener’s cottage and former cart shed, now garage, built in 1880-1881 possibly to the designs of Edward Boardman.

MATERIALS: the lodge is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond and the cottage and former cart shed are constructed of a mixture of flint nodules and knapped flint laid randomly; all have moulded brick dressings and roofs clad in plain red clay tiles.

PLAN: the group of buildings is situated to the south-west of Carrow Abbey. It consists of three approximately rectangular parallel ranges: the lodge to the west, the adjoining cottage in the middle, and a yard enclosed by a flint wall along the south side with a former cart shed, now garage, to the east.

EXTERIOR: the buildings are in a domestic revival style with a Tudoresque character. The one-and-a-half storey lodge has a half-hipped roof with decorative bargeboards pierced by trefoils and a short cross wing at the south end. The roofs are surmounted by ridge cresting, terracotta finials and two very tall octagonal chimney stacks on broached bases with moulded brick cornices. A small, flat-roofed C20 dormer window has been inserted at the south end of the roof. The west-facing, three-bay façade is almost symmetrical but with subtle differences. The projecting gabled porch in the central entrance bay has a pointed arch with spandrels pierced by quatrefoils and trefoils. The gable is further embellished by similarly pierced bargeboards, and is supported by four chamfered timber posts on broached bases. The double-leaf, three-centred arch door has glazed upper panels, and is set within a moulded brick surround with a Tudor hoodmould. It is flanked by canted bay windows with wooden mullions and casement windows; that on the left is set within a gabled bay and that on the right within a half-hipped gabled bay, both with the same decorative treatment as the other gables.

The gable ends are lit by four-light casement windows under Tudor hoodmoulds, and the wall above is pierced by terracotta quatrefoils in a diamond opening. The cross wing on the south side is lit by a similar casement window. Adjoining the left (east) side of the north gable end is a tall red brick wall enclosing a small service yard containing an outside WC and steps down to the cellar. The rear (east) wall is the party wall between the lodge and cottage.

The cottage has one and a half storeys under a steeply pitched hipped roof, with exposed rafter feet, which slopes down to ground-floor level. It has the same cresting and finials as the lodge and is dominated on the north gable end by a projecting gable decorated with flint diaper work. A pair of very tall octagonal chimney stacks on broached bases rise through the top of the gable. The ground floor is lit by two pairs of four-light casement windows in horizontal blocked brick surrounds with moulded brick sills and lintels. Below the right window is a low brick projection under a corrugated iron covering, added in the C20. The south gable end is lit by a horizontal three-light window in a blocked brick surround.

The east wall of the cottage was removed at some point between 1907 and 1928 and the roof supported by a girder and two posts. The additional parallel range added at this time is constructed of brick and has a glazed hipped roof with a raised ventilation ridge. Full-height, sliding, vertical plank doors with upper glass panes take up most of the width of the elevation.

The former cart shed is a single-storey range with brick quoins under a half-hipped roof with the same exposed rafter feet, bargeboards, cresting and pair of chimney stacks rising through the ridge as already described. The long east elevation has, on the left, a vertical plank door in a depressed arch surround with blocked brick jambs. To the right are three small, recessed, horizontal windows directly under the eaves. The gable ends are lit by four-light windows in blocked brick surrounds with Tudor hoodmoulds. The long west elevation has a shallow projection containing three C20 garage doors, and a three-light wedge dormer, inserted in the C20. At the south end is a small, flat-roofed brick extension with a door and window, added around the mid-C20. The yard between the garage and cottage is paved in granite setts.

INTERIOR: the lodge retains its original floor plan and numerous fixtures and fittings, including the skirting boards, picture rails and four-panel doors, although none of the fireplaces survive. The small entrance hall contains the staircase and is flanked by two reception rooms lit by the canted bays which are framed by panelled openings. The two rooms at the rear retain fitted cupboards: in the south-east room these have panelled doors and flank the chimneybreast; and the kitchen in the north-east corner has a larder with shelf's. The straight flight of stairs has winders at the top, a panelled soffit, closed string with stick balusters, and turned newel posts on square blocks with ball finials. The attic is in a dilapidated condition. It contains two rooms in which the walls and ceiling are lined in horizontal timber cladding, some of it falling away.

The ground floor of the cottage has been opened up into a large space for storing machinery/ equipment and retains no historic fixtures or fittings apart from the steep staircase on the south side. This has closed timber balusters and square newel posts, and leads up to the attic which has tie beams and two side purlins.

The floor of the former cart shed is laid in stone setts and has a king post roof with diagonal braces. The small room at the south end retains a plank and batten door with a latch handle, and a plain wooden fireplace surround flanked by built-in cupboards with panelled doors, although the lower cupboard on the right hand side has been removed.

History

The historical development of the Carrow Works site in Norwich, until 2020 the former home of Colman’s, one of the world’s oldest condiment milling producers, dates back to 1146 when King Stephen granted land in Carhowe (Carrow) to the nuns of the Church of St Mary and St John for the founding of a Benedictine priory (scheduled and listed Grade I). After the Dissolution most of the priory fell into ruin with the exception of the prioress’s house which came to be known as Carrow Abbey. The priory estate passed through various hands, being acquired in 1811 by Philip Martineau, an eminent Norwich surgeon. In 1850, land immediately to the north of the Carrow Abbey estate was purchased by the successful mustard, flour and starch milling business of J and J Colman Ltd from the Norfolk Railway Company. Along with developing the factory complex, J J Colman also extensively rebuilt a mid-C19 villa on the site between 1860 and 1861, turning it into a family home called Carrow House (Grade II). The work is thought to have been carried out by the Norwich architect Edward Boardman (1833-1910).

During the late C19 J and J Colman Ltd systematically acquired adjoining parcels of land on which to expand, including the purchase of the Carrow estate from the Martineau family in 1878. By 1926, the premises had expanded to cover some 50 acres and had a frontage of nearly a mile along the River Wensum. While mustard, flour, starch and laundry blue were still the main products produced at Carrow, Colman’s had started producing "Patent" barley, "Patent" groats and "Waverley" oats in 1925 following the acquisition of rival mustard maker and cereal producer Keen Robinson in 1903. In 1938 Colman’s merged with Reckitt and Sons Ltd, a firm producing household products such as polish and bleach, to form Reckitt and Colman Ltd. In 1995, the mustard and condiment side of Reckitt and Colman Ltd was sold to Unilever, while Robinson’s was acquired by Britvic. In 2017, Britvic announced it would close its Carrow Works factory in 2019, prompting Unilever to review its own future on the site, which led to a decision to cease production in 2020.

On the domestic side, Carrow Abbey was remodelled and extended between 1899 and 1909 by Edward Boardman for James and Laura Stuart (the eldest daughter of J J Colman). It is likely that Boardman also designed a range of ancillary buildings within the immediate vicinity of Carrow Abbey, including a dwelling known as Stable Cottage around 1909 and, earlier in 1880-1881, the lodge, gardener’s cottage and former cart shed. Edward Boardman founded the prominent Norwich-based architectural practice Edward Boardman and Sons; and his son, Edward Thomas Boardman (1861-1950) later joined the practice. Edward Boardman was a prolific architect, designing and restoring country houses, public buildings and churches in the area of Norwich, including the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital (Grade II), the former Primitive Methodist Chapel and Sunday School in Queens Road (both Grade II), and converting Norwich Castle into a museum. His son was principally responsible for the buildings designed by the practice in the Edwardian period and he later became Lord Mayor of Norwich in 1905 and High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1933. Boardman and Sons have over thirty listed buildings to their name.

The lodge, gardener’s cottage and former cart shed is depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1880 as three ranges: the lodge to the west, the adjoining cottage in the middle, and an enclosed yard with the cart shed to the east. By the second edition OS map of 1907, a parallel range had been added to the west side of the cart shed; and by the third edition map of 1928 a parallel range with a glazed roof had been added to the east side of the cottage. It appears that between 1907 and 1928, the ground floor of the cottage was gutted and the east external wall removed to create a large space, probably to house garden vehicles or machinery. At some point between 1928 and the current OS map, the parallel range added to the cart shed was removed and the original openings replaced with garage doors.

Reasons for Listing

The lodge, gardener’s cottage and former cart shed, now garage, built in 1880-1881 possibly to the designs of Edward Boardman is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it is a notable example of a picturesque estate lodge and cottage in the domestic revival style with a harmonious composition of significant aesthetic quality;
* the hand of an accomplished architect is everywhere evident in its design from the considered use of materials to the finely detailed architectural embellishments inspired by those of the adjacent Grade I listed Carrow Abbey;
* it echoes the Tudor style of the Abbey with the diaper work, tall ornate chimney stacks and square moulded brick window surrounds, overall creating a visually arresting composition that aptly heralds the Priory beyond.

Group value:

* it has strong group value with the Grade I listed Carrow Abbey, the scheduled Carrow Priory, the Grade II listed Carrow House and Grade II* listed conservatory which, along with the nearby Grade II listed sunken garden and pet cemetery, contribute significantly to its architectural and historic context.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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