Stanstead Lodge

Stanstead Lodge as viewed from Stanstead Road

---

This shows the rear view of the Lodge from Northwood Road

This shows the Lodge from the road and near the side entrance.

Notices advertising group activities at the Lodge - on a wall of the cafeteria.

Visit of Queen Mary for the formal opening of the Darby and Joan Club at Stanstead Lodge

This is part of the 1863 Ordnance Plan of the Parish of Lewisham. It shows that three buildings including the Lodge existed before Northwood Road was constructed and the acreage of the Lodge was reduced.

Introductory

Stanstead Lodge, 260 Stanstead Road, London, SE23 1DD is a Grade II listed mansion The building currently houses the Stanstead Lodge Senior Club Ltd - a registered charity for people over 50 years of age in Lewisham and South East London.

General Description

Stanstead Lodge occupies a corner plot at the western side of the junction of Stanstead Road and Northwood Road, in Catford SE23. It consists of a ground floor cafeteria, connected to a two storey detached property. There are two additional attic rooms and an additional substantial basement. The main building was constructed circa 1840/1 in the style of late gothic revival. It has undergone many repairs, replacements and changes since then. The Lodge was first built as a bespoke prestigious family residence for a successful city merchant family. Up until 1941 the building continued in use as a domestic residence. However, following a short spell as temporary accommodation for a local primary school that had suffered from bomb damage during the 2nd World War, the building was handed over to Lewisham Darby and Joan Club in 1946. It continued in their ownership up until 1999 when following a major deterioration in the management of the building the local authority took possession. It was used then as an important local community centre known as the 'Lewisham Elders Resource Centre'. In 2017 Stanstead Lodge Senior Club Ltd. was established as a Trust elected by its membership, to take over the ownership of the building and management of this property. It has continued do so up to the present time. The premises are primarily used for the benefit of elderly residents of Lewisham and the surrounding area. The building use has further developed to cater for much more diversity by individuals and local groups. These uses are now concentrated on the ground floor of the building. Since 2015, the first floor has been used as an office, for Care Outlook (Lewisham), a commercial home care provider in South East London.

Current Activities

The Lodge is used by its members to form groups that use its rooms and garden to hold their meetings. These groups include such activities as: Art History, Filming, Intermediate French, Line Dancing, Tai Chi, Chair Yoga, Zumba, Gentle Exercises, Craft, Vista Reminiscence, Catbytes, and Gardening.

Residents of Stanstead Lodge

1840 to 1853:

Joseph Skilbeck (1799-1860) bought Stanstead Lodge, Lewisham in 1840 and subsequently built the Lodge in its present form.

1853-1881:

Charles James Northcote (1817-1878)

1881-1888:

The Lodge appears to be unoccupied during this period.

1888-1890:

Oliver Bryant, (1850-1920?) was born 9th November 1850, the son of William Bryant of Frampton Cotterell, Gloucestershire. He was articled to a solicitor in the [[City of London] and later qualified as a barrister with the Middle Temple. He was unsuccessful 'Gladstone Liberal' candidate at the 1886 General Election. He was the subject of a libel action in 1890 after which he absconded, and his whereabouts were unknown, though it appears he died in Australia. He married Marler Sulyard Overton 1n 1879. Children: Oliver Talbot Bryant (1880-1975), Talbot D. Bryant (1881-?), Lilian M. Bryant, (1882-?)

1891-1899:

Robert Girvin (Born c.1833)

1901-1941:

Henry Gardner (1860-1941) was a metal merchant and was the Chairman of H Gardner & Co, Metal Exchange, Leadenhall Avenue. His wife was Florence Gardner.

1941-1945:

Primary School Use. During WW2 Stanstead Lodge was used by Rathfern School as the roof of the infant school building was destroyed by an incendiary bomb. The infant school remained there for the duration of the war.

1946-1999:

Darby and Joan Club. The Lodge became Lewisham Darby and Joan Club which was a day centre offering daily activities for the local community. The first Annual General Meeting was held on 15th March 1946.
The Club was formally opened by Queen Mary, the mother of King George VI on 30th April 1949, as is shown in the photograph above which was taken at the front entrance of the Lodge.

1999-2017:

Lewisham Elders Resource Centre
Local community centre -17 Nov 1999 - 01 Mar 2017, when the name was changed as below.

2017 to date:

Stanstead Lodge Senior Club Ltd.
Private company limited by guarantee without share capital
Incorporated on 17 November 1999

External links

• www.example.com

This article "Stanstead Lodge" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Stanstead Lodge. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---