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Red Lodge

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captain oddsocks
captain oddsocks
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4 out of 5
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The Red Lodge

The Red Lodge

The Red Lodge is a merchant’s house dating from the late 1500’s. Having passed through the hands of many owners and twice serving as a school, it’s now open to the public as a museum-quality display of historic furniture and architecture.

The lodge is on Park Row, which is an extension of Queens Road that curves around behind the Wills tower at the top of Park Street. The exterior is unremarkable but steeping through the front door is like stepping into the England that you know from classic romantic novels or historical dramas starring Judy Dench or Cate Blanchett.

We (my brother, sister-in-law and I) were greeted, given printed texts and directed upstairs by the two very pleasant ladies taking care of the Red Lodge. The first room you’ll come to is the Great Oak Hall and is the architectural highlight of the Red Lodge. The walls are entirely lined with oak panelling, some of it quite elaborately carved, especially around the doorways.

The plasterwork ceiling and the stone fireplace surround are just as elaborate, there’s a view out into the manicured garden, and an original 16th century portrait of Queen Elizabeth keeps watch over it all. The official text suggests that the room is considered the finest example of its kind in Western England.

When you tear yourself away from the impressive oak hall, head for the doorway over near the windows. It brings you into a small antechamber which then leads to a bedroom. The panelling here is not as elaborate, but there’s a beautiful old four poster bed with a carved wooden canopy and deep olive green drapery and covers. The bed is another 16th century original and it’s roped off, so anyone who plans to bounce on it to try it out will unfortunately have to rethink their plans.

The next two rooms exhibit historic furniture and artworks. Some of the furniture is connected with Mrs. Mary Carpenter who, in 1854, established the first reform school for girls in England (and possibly the world) here in the Red Lodge. There are also numerous historic portraits and an amazingly intricate grandfather clock, decorated in black and gold lacquer.

Even the staircase is worth lingering on. The chandelier is a concession to modernity and safety that holds about twenty small lightglobes and illuminates the golden-framed baroque mirror and twin portraits of John and Mary Henley, who owned the house in Bristol’s 1730’s slave trade fuelled heyday.

Back on the ground floor there are two more rooms to visit, but their original details have been lost and they’re mostly interesting for the furniture that they contain, including a chest of drawers dated 1658 and inlaid with mother of pearl.

Especially if you’ve been focusing on Bristol’s modern attributes, the Red Lodge is a good place to get your dose of historic England, and with the entrance being by donation, it’s guaranteed to be within your sightseeing budget.

From journal Orright me Babber?

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