Fredville Park gate keepers lodges

The 18th century Fredville mansion was surrounded by parkland and could only be reached by a coach road with entrances in lower Holt Street and at Frogham. Each entrance had a gate lodge for a gate-keeper to live in and these gate-keepers were often the widows of estate workers and their employment as gate-keepers was a form of pension.
During the 1930’s shop premises were added to the Holt Street lodge, initially to sell produce grown in the Fredville walled garden by the Woodruffe family. Over the years the shop expanded but finally closed in the early 1990’s and the shop front was removed.

The Holt Street gate lodge in1905
Fredville Park gate keeper’s lodge
The Lodge Stores, just before the shop was demolished in the late 1990’s
The Holt Street gate lodge viewed from the coach road in Fredville Park in1905
The Holt Street gate lodge viewed from the coach road in Fredville Park in 1905
The Frogham lodge viewed from Frogham Street
The Frogham lodge as seen from Frogham Street, the gate to Fredville Park can be seen in mid-picture
The Frogham lodge from the park entrance circa 1905. Park Farm is on the right of the picture.
Frogham lodge from the park entrance circa 1905. Vine Cottage is the house behind the gate lodge. The entrance to Park Farm is on the right of the picture.

Both lodges are now private houses and look almost as they did a century ago whilst the coach road is now a public foot-path (with no vehicular right of way) from lower Holt Street to Frogham which takes you past the “Step Tree” and several other of the remaining chestnut  which once part of Fredvilles renowned avenues of trees.

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