History
| The Lodge | |
|---|---|
The Lodge house viewed from the formal gardens, with old swimming pool in foreground |
|
| Former names | Sandy Lodge |
| General information | |
| Address | Sandy, Bedfordshire, England |
The site has two Iron Age hill forts, built about 700 BC; the most impressive, on Galley Hill, is a univallate fort, with obvious banks and ditches. 'Sandy Warren' later became a valuable source of rabbits for food.
Around 1851, the 'Swiss Cottage' (which now serves as the reserve's visitor centre and shop) was built for Captain William Peel. When he died, the estate passed to his mother, and then to his younger brother Arthur Wellesley Peel, who built the large house then known as 'Sandy Lodge'. Arthur Wellesley Peel was an MP and Speaker of the House of Commons. In 1934, the house was sold to Sir Malcolm Stewart and the formal gardens were established.
After Princess Margaret decided not to buy The Lodge (having been advised that a public bridleway through the grounds was a security risk), the RSPB acquired it in 1961. The purchase was arranged by Tony Norris, then chairman of its finance and general purposes committee, who used his own money to facilitate the transaction and was, for one day, owner of the Lodge. It has been their headquarters ever since.
On 13 October 2010, an unexploded bomb from World War II was safely removed from the grounds.
Read more about this topic: The Lodge RSPB Reserve
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“Man watches his history on the screen with apathy and an occasional passing flicker of horror or indignation.”
—Conor Cruise O’Brien (b. 1917)