SDO16379 - West Lodge, Iwerne Minster, Dorset. An assessment for Donald Mackenzie

An assessment of West Lodge, a Grade I listed building situated in Cranborne Chase was undertaken in relation to proposed alterations. The original 17th century building may have been built on the site of an earlier lodge and may have functioned as a gamekeepers’ house. It was rebuilt in the 1730s/1740s as a high status hunting lodge and the design attributed to John Pitt of Encombe, Purbeck, a ‘gentleman architect’. Later alterations in the 19th century removed almost all of the original design. A stable block had been dated to the early 19th century but may have been started in the 18th century. The report concluded that the Lodge and to an extent the Stable block were highly significant historically and may have been the last surviving hunting lodge in Cranborne Chase. Its significance also relates to the design of John Pitt although this was compromised by the subsequent alterations.