T H E   D E R E L I C T   M I S C E L L A N Y

Longhurst Lodge stands at the end of an overgrown drive that once lead to the Elizabethan mansion of Baynards, built c. 1587 by George More of Loseley and substantially rebuilt in 1832 - 1840 by architects Thomas Rickman and Benjamin Ferrey ^[1] for the Reverend Thomas Thurlow.^[2] It was in Thurlow's time that this lodge was built, circa 1850-1860 in an Elizabethan Revival style which complemented the great house itself. The exterior walls are covered in decorative Roman cement render with mouldings of lions, wild boar, geese, thistles, roses, grapes and other flora and fauna. Inside is a two up, two down house with a small extension to accommodate modern necessities such as a kitchen and bathroom (cooking would originally have been done in the dining room).
In 1979, despite the best efforts of local fire brigades, Baynards Mansion was gutted by fire and demolished shortly afterwards.^[3] It was probably not long after this that Longhurst Lodge fell out of use: by 1987 the lodge was empty ^[4] and the gates were welded shut and now surplus to requirements, the house mouldered in the damp, cool shade of the trees which began slowly to close in and choke the driveway.

The people who lived within these walls left no trace of themselves - no furniture, no furnishings, no utensils, no ephemera - not a single personal item has been left in the house. We may never know who these people were; their material posessions have been removed and their identity erased from the house by time and nature. By 2006, the lodge was in a parlous state, having been abandoned for 20-30 years. Discarded polyethene sheet filled the dining room and the range, ripped from the kitchen by overzealous scrapmen sat unwanted in the middle of the floor. To make matters worse, a serious damp problem had stained the walls various unpleasant shades of green and brown and rotted large holes in the floor and roof timbers..

The Baynards Estate was put up for sale late in 2007 with planning permission to build a 12,000sq ft mansion on the site of the old house. The land was divided into thirteen parcels to be sold. The parcel containing Longhurst Lodge was valued at £175,000 and sold accordingly that year.^[4] The new owners have sympathetically restored the lodge, which featured on Channel 4's Restoration Man in 2013 along with photographs from this website.