More information : ST 58437310. Red Lodge stands on land formerly belonging to the Carmelites. It dates from 1585-1595, though the exterior is much altered, and is now part of Bristol Art Gallery. Scheduled 146. Grade 1 (1-2)
Building still listed but descheduled (3)
Red Lodge was built c1577 to 1585 and is a remarkable late Elizabethan lodge with exceptional interiors. In 1568 the site was acquired by John Young and a mansion was built where Elizabeth I was entertained in 1574. The Red Lodge was the garden lodge for the mansion, and the mansion has since been demolished to make way for Colston Hall.
It is constructed from Brandon Hill sandstone, and was originally rendered and painted a deep red. It is of 2.5-storeys with an arched loggia to the garden. It was made independent from the mansion as a dwelling in its own right by 1595, extended in the 17th century and altered further c1720-1730 with the addition of hipped roofs and eaches, and cornice replacing gables.
The interior include a fully panelled Great Oak Room which is of the most elaborate interiors of its date in the country. The ceiling, fireplace and many of the panels are intricately decorated. There is also a New Oak Room - actually fitted in 1965 but with a fireplace of c1600 which came from the demolished Ashley Manor. The elaborate cornice of this fireplace is almost identical to the existing one in the Great Oak Room, suggesting that they had the same maker at the time of original installation.
In 1854 Mary Carpenter acquired the building and set up the first girls' reform school in the country. The Red Lodge passed to Bristol City Council in 1948 and has been open to the public as a museum ever since. (4) |