The South (Woking) Lodge(s)

Then
Now
Image not available Image not available
The first South Lodges in 1824
The later South Lodge in 2003

[ PICTURE GALLERY]

The earliest evidence of the South Lodges appears on the Enclosure Award map dated 1802. The 1806/7 Ordnance Surveyors Drawings also show two lodges here. The 1819 sale catalog describes a "pair of brick lodges, called the "Durnford Lodges" which at that time were occupied by John Howe senior, the gamekeeper. Although the plan accompanying the catalog is rather too small to make them visible, a drawing on which the catalog plan is believed to be based clearly shows these lodges either side of an estate road at what is now the entrance to Wey Farm on the Woking Road. John Hassell's painting of the South Lodges dated 1824 shows a pair of two storey buildings with gate posts and iron railings. These lodges are also recorded by Prosser's account of 1828, Jago's map of 1829, the 1844 tithe map and the 1859 sale catalog map. They were eventually demolished and in 1865 replaced by a single lodge on the South side of the estate track. This is clearly shown on OS maps since 1871 and survives to the present day. The sale catalog of 1907 describes this as "The Picturesque South Lodge".

According to the census returns for 1891 the South Lodge was occupied at this time by Herbert Alfred Sawyer and his family.

The sale catalogs of 1930 and 1931 show that the South Lodge was occupied by Mr J Carter. Maybe Mr Carter moved to the Inner Lodge at a later date as this became known as Carter's Lodge.

During the 1930's the builder of the houses along the Woking Road, Mr Pickrill lived here.

Kenneth Baker and his wife lived here from 1938 until the 1950's. He was a retired naval man and was an "honorary" bailiff for Ottershaw Park for OPIC and assisted in selling parts of the estate and acquiring much land along the Woking Road for himself.

Later, Mrs Butler ran a dog breeding kennels at the Lodge which was then called Wey Lodge until she moved to a new bungalow at Wey Farm in the 1950's.

There is an illustration in Grant (c.1910) of the South Lodge showing that the entrance had with a pair of magnificent gates. The 1915 OS map (revised in 1912) shows the entrance pillars and a boundary fence either side. These gates were also illustrated by Mais (c.1931) and again in the 1930 and 1931 sale catalogs where they are described as "tall finely-wrought iron gates hung on stone pillars surmounted by carved winged lions". Sadly the gates and the pillars with their gryphons have now gone, possibly removed during World War II.

Occupiers of South Lodge(s):

Date
Name
Reference
Comments
1819 John Howe Sale catalog occupied both lodges?
1851 Sarah Barber + family Census  
1865 - Old lodges demolished - New lodge built
1891 Herbert Sawyer + family  1891 Census "Mr Bakers Lodge" Durnford Road
1909 John Roberts? Electoral register "The Lodge"
1911 Hubert Atkins Electoral register "Woking Lodge"
1912-15 Alfred Cheeseman Electoral registers "Woking Lodge"
1924 Arthur Lawrence Electoral registers  
1928 - 31  Henry Carter 

Sale catalogs 1930, 31
Electoral registers 1928-31
Surrey Herald 1929

 
1932-34 Frederick Mercer Electoral registers 1932-34 "Fishpond Cottage" in 1933-34
1930's Mr Pickrill  Hannah Lane Survey  
1938-1950+ Frederick K Butler Electoral registers "Woking Lodge"
1950's Kenneth Baker + wife    "Wey Lodge"
1975 David & Jennifer Harris    "Woking Lodge"
1996  Mark Wyman