Newbridge Lodge
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| Newbridge Lodge | |
|---|---|
 "brilliant originality" | |
| Type | House |
| Location | Newbridge, Wrexham County Borough |
| Coordinates | 52°58′09″N 3°03′46″W / 52.9691°N 3.0628°W |
| Built | 1827–1828 |
| Architect | Charles Robert Cockerell |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical |
| Owner | Privately owned |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Newbridge Lodge |
| Designated | 23 August 1955 |
| Reference no. | 16872 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Entrance gates and railings at Newbridge Lodge |
| Designated | 23 August 1955 |
| Reference no. | 16873 |
  Location of Newbridge Lodge in Wrexham | |
Newbridge Lodge is a gatehouse to the Wynnstay estate near Ruabon, in Wrexham County Borough, North Wales. Designed by Charles Robert Cockerell in 1827–1828 for Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet, it is a Grade I listed building. Its gates and railings have a separate Grade I listing.
The Williams-Wynn baronets of Wynnstay Hall were, in the 18th and 19th centuries, "the richest, most powerful and most profusely hospitable" family in North Wales.[1] Their Wynnstay estate saw extensive development; firstly by the 3rd baronet, who engaged Francis Smith of Warwick in the mid-18th century, and subsequently by the 4th and 5th baronets.[2] The 5th baronet commissioned Charles Robert Cockerell to undertake work at the hall, and also to construct the Newbridge Lodge, purportedly in anticipation of a Royal visit which did not, in fact, occur.[3][a]
Edward Hubbard, in his Clwyd volume in the Pevsner Buildings of Wales series, applauds the "brilliant originality" of Cockerell's design.[4][b] The lodge is of two storeys, the lower floor with an arcaded and rusticated loggia.[6] The construction material is local ashlar.[3] The lodge is set back from the road and enclosed by a set of elaborate gates with railings. Both the lodge and the gates are Grade I listed buildings, the Cadw listing record describing them as "one of the finest lodge designs of its period in Britain."[3][7]
