The neighbours keep themselves to themselves!
HISTORIC former lodge houses, built for the first Earl of Plymouth, could make a unique pad for a homebuyer – if you don’t mind the prison over the back gate.
Beautifully ornate and harking back to grander times, the two Grade II listed properties in Tardebigge once welcomed visitors into the grounds of famed Hewell Grange country house, which was later sold off to become HMP Hewell.
Dating from the 1830s, the buildings, which neighbour the multiple security category prison, were once referred to as the “Chauffeur’s Lodge” and the “Gardener’s Lodge” and are on the market on Rightmove for offers over £350,000.
Midway between Redditch and Bromsgrove, the lodges come with planning permission to refurbish them and build two garages on the plot of nearly one acre.
Permission was granted in 2000 but ongoing work has come to a halt, although electricity and water is fitted and there is a garage and outhouse on the site.
The gatehouses have a long history as they were built for the first Earl of Plymouth, Robert WindsorClive, who was a Conservative politician and former chairman of the National Trust.
The online advert for the property on Rightmove states: “This pair of single storey lodges are thought to be designed by Thomas Cundy Snr, in the classical style with side doors having Doric columns and recessed entrances.
“They represent a unique opportunity for renovation and development. On the right hand side of the ‘Gardener’s Lodge’ is a large area of land incorporating mature oak, lime and sycamore trees.
“On the left hand side of the ‘Chauffeur’s Lodge’ is a further area of land having a small orchard with pear, greengage and damson trees.”
After the Second World War, it was the third Earl of Plymouth who sold the Hewell estate to the Crown and it was redeveloped as a prison.
An adult prison was built in the grounds while the mansion was originally used to house young offenders.