Swains Lane Lodge is a Grade II listed building, constructed around 1840 in rendered brickwork with neo-Tudor details typical of the Picturesque style of the late 18th and early 19th century. The building stands on the edge of Waterlow Park and is owned by Camden Council. Its original purpose is unknown; it may have been a gatehouse for one of the large houses on Highgate Hill or associated with Highgate Cemetery on the opposite side of the road. The exterior was been altered some time ago: the original chimney stacks were replaced with terracotta pots (as shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition) and the crenellations to the ground floor bay were replaced with a solid parapet.
AAB architects were appointed to carry out necessary repair and alteration works to enable the lodge to be used as a family dwelling. Works included repair of the external render and redecoration to improve the vapour permeability of the external walls, as well as other building fabric works to address problems of damp, water ingress and other maintenance issues. This involved stripping off modern external paint finishes and repairing the original Roman cement render where it remained and also removing modern cement render where this could be done without damage to the brickwork. Paint analysis was carried out to determine details of earlier decorative schemes, which were mainly a pale Bath stone colour.
Internally, modern gypsum plasters were replaced where this was causing problems, and MVHR heat- recovery mechanical ventilation system was installed to deal with persistent dampness and condensation. An internal wall was removed to create a larger kitchen and dining room.
The works were carried out in two phases. On completion the Friends of Waterlow Park recreated the garden.
Client: London Borough of Camden
External works: completed 2014 C&D Restoration Ltd
Internal works: completed 2016 Theobalds (Refurbishment) Ltd
