East Lodge at Nunhead Cemetery

The East Lodge forms one of the pair of lodges framing the northern entrance to Nunhead Cemetery. The East Lodge (Listed Building Grade II) has been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register since 1988 and is now in a state of serious decay. The lodge has had scaffolding and a temporary roof for over 20 years to provide protection and shore up the structure, while decisions on its future were made.

Our commitment is to remove the East Lodge from the Heritage-at-Risk register. The lodge will be restored as closely as possible to its original design externally. We'll aim to use reclaimed materials from the site, including bricks, stone, timber, panelling etc., and restore them to their original location wherever possible. Elsewhere, we'll source like-for-like replacements.

This project will provide spaces for community use for local groups. Many rooms are designed to be multi-purpose. A café based inside the lodge is proposed as enabling development, to ensure the project's economic sustainability.

We'll also minimise the carbon footprint of the development and its future operation.

Process

In September 2014, the council agreed to work with the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery to assess the future of the East Lodge. In early 2015, Historic England agreed to help in this assessment by granting funding to Southwark Council to have structural and condition surveys undertaken, and an options appraisal for the lodge produced. The surveys and options appraisal were completed in June 2017 and detail the current condition of the building and provide a series of options and costs for the potential future use of the building.

In 2021 The National Lottery Heritage Fund invited us to submit an application for a grant to support the development of the project.

The interim structural works, completed in October 2022, stabilised the building and made it safe until the main restoration project can begin.

Current status

May 2024

After a successful development phase, Southwark Council and Friends of Nunhead Cemetery secured funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the delivery phase.

Please see the press release.

The delivery of the project will include the restoration of the East Lodge as well as the replacement of the FONC cabin, and the implementation of the Interpretation Plan, Digital Strategy, Woodland Management Plan, Activity Plan and Volunteering strategy.

A new role will be created to lead and grow the existing events designed to engage residents across all communities, such as oral history sessions, practical woodland management sessions, exhibitions and art events.

Roger Mears Architects’ design for the restoration has received planning and listed building consent. Details can be found on our online planning register, searching for application numbers: 21/AP/2274 and 21/AP/2275.

More recently planning consent was also granted for the schemes’ landscape proposals and non-material amendments - 23/AP/3589 and 23/AP/3590 (Listed Building Consent) and for a new FONC Cabin - 23/AP/2875.

Please email LeisureProjects@southwark.gov.uk for more information, or if you would like to be added to our distribution list for regular updates on the project.

Online survey

Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey. 

The results of the public consultation, held between January and March 2022, are available below:

• East Lodge Restoration Consultation Report

Page last updated: 30 May 2024