Acknowledgement: Mike Guy
Lower Lodge
Acknowledgement: Mike Guy
Lower Lodge is situated on the Eastern approach to Buildwas Park and was built at the same time as the last Hall.
Both lodge houses were of a different design and are exactly a mile apart by road. It is not known which was built first.
In the 1928 sale catalogue the house is listed as an attractive cottage with garden, containing sitting room, living room, scullery, pantry and two bedrooms. Outbuildings, coal store, poultry house, tool house and EC. The house was bought by Colonel Crichton Browne in that sale.
Lower lodge was usually the residence of the butler who worked at the Hall. It was enlarged from a two bedroom to three in the early 1970’s, and the extension included a new kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The work was carried out by RM Douglas, the construction firm that built the beginnings of the NEC at Birmingham. The team of builders were Mr Douglas’s estate maintenance team, good at their jobs but just a little come a day go a day. During the building work we had to live in the house, with no kitchen so a paste table that was used for wallpaper was placed on the bath to act as a work surface. You could sit on the loo and make yourself a sandwich.
To gain access from the top of the stairs, a new doorway was needed the existing window was removed and a door added. This meant building an L shaped wall to divide off the stairs from the front bedroom. Mother was not too pleased when she went up the stairs to find the bricklayer with a concrete block on the end of the bed breaking it in half with a hammer and chisel.
Occupants
1881 - William and Mary Barker. Two sons Alfred and Earnest,one daughter, Nora. In the 1881 Census Williams occupation was down as Gardener Domestic Servant.
Mr and Mrs Tough. Four daughters, Eva, Hilda, Lillian, Margaret. One son, Stanley.
Mr Tough was the butler at the Hall and his wife was the cook. Stanley worked on the estate as a gardener.
Harold and Maisie Guy. One son, Michael.
Harold Guy came to work on the estate for Mr Carder. He worked at the Madeley Wood Colliery as a night carpenter. Mr Carder owned the pits and asked him if he would like to do some jobs on the estate during the day.
When Lower Lodge became vacant, Harold was asked if he would like to have the house and be based on the estate full time. The Colliery had by this time been nationalized, but he did not give up his night job and he worked day and night for over twentry five years, sleeping in the chair two hours in a morning and two hours at night, only going to bed on a Sunday night.
When the Halesfield pit closed, he worked on the estate only during the day. He was Estate foreman till the estate was sold in 1994.
The estate's gatehouse Lower Lodge is now known as Riverview Cottage and is available to rent for holidays from the
Buildwas Park Estate.
Mike Guy
Buildwas Park
