Northwood House Charitable Trust Company Ltd have announced that they have been successful with a recent Heritage Lottery Fund 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 estate, gets underway.
Ultimately, the project will see the John Nash-designed lodge sympathetically turned into luxury short-break accommodation possibly tied to wedding packages offered by Northwood House.
This initial Heritage Lottery funding will allow the House team to undertake a Viability Appraisal for the restoration and return to use of this unique and historically important building. This year the lodge celebrates its 200 year anniversary, built in 1816 alongside and as part of his major works on the adjacent St Mary’s Church and the construction of a family mausoleum and the church tower for the owner of Northwood House, George Ward.
The Lodge was last occupied in 2013 and the hope is that with future Lottery funding the Charity will be able to fully restore the Lodge. 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.
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 Charity with a much-needed income stream and Cowes with a top quality, unique and truly historic holiday accommodation.”
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