Holbrook Lodge

Holbrook Lodge was built as part of the Grand Transformation of the Woolverstone Park Estate by John Berners (1800 -1886); one of two new gate lodges. It provided accommodation for the Gatekeeper who controlled access to the Woolverstone entrance and short carriageway to the Hall. It has a carved, decorative date stone on a west wall showing 1860 and John Berners initials. IB. Ionnes (Latin for John) Berners.

Holbrook Lodge was the first of two new Gate lodges. The one on Freston Hill, known as Monkey Lodge because of the stone monkeys on the gate posts, was built with a date stone of 1861. It is thought both were designed by William Eden Nesfield (1835 – 1888). Nesfield’s father, William Andrews Nesfield (1793 – 1881) was working at the time with John Berners to transform the landscape of the estate.

Although a carriageway clearly existed here, as shown on the 1805 OS map, there is no indication of a lodge, neither is there in 1845. We can safely assume that this was a “new build”! Further towards Ipswich, somewhere near where “Hamilton House” stands today, there was an earlier carriageway that looped north towards the river and back through the park and round in front of the church. There was a gate lodge recorded at this now invisible entrance.

The lodge is constructed of yellow and red brick with stone banding and dressings under a slate roof. The projecting roof is supported by timber brackets placed on corbels. The porch with overhanging roof supported on wooden brackets gives a rustic quality to the appearance, a quality that can be found throughout this period of the estate’s development. This design is echoed in the porches of the “double dweller” cottages along the Main Road, almost a whimsical, delightful quality.

There is a sitting room, living room, kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor and three bedrooms on the first floor. Across the other side of driveway is a wrought iron palisaded area which at one time was kept as a rose garden, making a visually attractive entrance. The original gateway consisted of pillars joined either side from the low walls, latterly surmounted by lights to hold the gates. The foundations for these pillars were revealed recently when a new water main was brought down the drive.

Opposite Holbrook Lodge is Glebe Lane that leads across the Peninsula to Holbrook Gardens which was bought by the Berners in 1794 and to which family and friends headed for relaxation and recreation. Holbrook Gardens and its three ornamental lakes once included a Summer House cum Shooting Lodge. Sadly, it no longer exists being demolished in the 1950s.

More information can be found here: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1204052?section=official-list-entry