The listed Roundhay Park is the jewel in the crown of Leeds public parks; a major leisure attraction for the diverse population of the city. The main entrance is from Prince’s Avenue, west of the Park. But it wasn’t always so.

When Thomas Nicholson laid out his Roundhay Park estate in the early 1800s, the Gate Lodges on Wetherby Road defined the main entrance. But not just an entrance. It was the frontispiece of the estate and the only indication to the passerby of the wonders within. The Lodges were a statement of status and a display of wealth, their Greek Revival style reflecting that of the Mansion beyond. Visitors to the Mansion were intended to experience Nicholson’s carefully landscaped lakes and hills as they passed between them and made their way along the carriage drive to the Mansion itself.

Now listed Grade II, the Lodges have been in public ownership, like the rest of Roundhay Park, since 1872.

The lodges were last in use in the 1960s and in the early 2000s, essential repairs were carried out to stabilise the structures which were left as empty shells.