A tiny chapel and a former boathouse – what are all the lodges in Victoria Park?

A former chapel that’s now a coffee shop and laundry hanging on a line at the edge of the park – what are all the little buildings in Victoria Park?

Voted best park of the year ten years running, most people visit Victoria Park for its sporting facilities (if dog walking is a sport), festivals and cafes. But the park is also home to a great deal of Tower Hamlets history as many will be familiar with through the marble sculptures of Molossian Hounds and the history of its eponymous Queen.  

But strolling through the park’s 86 hectares, many may wonder too about the clutch of cute lodges and quaint buildings scattered throughout.

Victoria Park was formally opened in 1845, designed by architect James Pennethorne, as part of an initiative to provide green space to the growing suburbs of London. Dubbed ‘the lungs of the East End’, it was built on land which was formerly farmland, derelict or residential. 

Whilst most buildings were cleared for the park’s development a few remained to be used as lodges. Other buildings were built in later years following the park’s opening.

Though some mark themselves out as cafes or public spaces, others remain elusive – shrouded in mystery, or just bushes and net curtains. 

We had a dig and here’s what we found out.

Llanover Lodge 

Llanover Lodge is a mid-19th-century building located by Crown Gate West where Grove Road meets Old Ford Road. It’s close to Pavillion cafe and The Crown pub just off the roundabout. 

The attractive red brick is inlaid with geometric designs. It has a tiled red roof, decorative ‘finial’ pointed structures and a Tudor-arched porch at the front entrance. The building is two storeys with two bays on the ground floor. 

Initially, the building was used as a Superintendent’s Lodge. It suffered bomb damage during World War Two but has since been restored to its former glory. Laundry hanging outside hints that this is being used as a residential building, though we are not sure by whom.

Morpeth Lodge

Morpeth Lodge looks nearly identical to Llanover Lodge but is located on the right-hand side as you walk through St Mark’s Gate, just off Cadogan Terrace towards the east side of the park. A visit to the local history articles yielded no information on this building. But with its little picket fence, we can imagine it would make a charming village house.

Shore Place Kiosk – now BLAS Coffee

Once upon a time, this lodge was a tiny chapel and if you look up while queuing for your coffee at the newly opened spot, Blas, you will still see the small steeple on the roof.  

The building is owned by Tower Hamlets Council, who have also had sole ownership of Victoria Park since moving away from a joint ownership with Hackney Council in the 1990s. Owners say that their colour scheme is partly in honour of Queen Victoria’s favourite colour – chocolate brown.

Molesworth Lodge and the White Lodge

At the northern end of the park towards Wick Road and just by Molesworth Gate, the White Lodge and Molesworth Lodge can be found as two separate buildings each surrounded by low fencing and shrubbery. 

Molesworth Lodge, similar in style to Morpeth and Llanover, was originally proposed to keep the safety of the park in check because of the rough surroundings of neighbouring streets.  

The White Lodge, a Georgian-style building, was the result of some small houses which were left to be used as lodges during the clearing of residential land.

St Augustine’s Hall – Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets Athletics Clubhouse 

Just off Cadogan Terrace behind tall iron railings is a cluster of buildings home to St Augustine’s Hall and cottage.

The hall has housed iterations of the borough’s athletics groups for decades though the current club formed in 2001 as an amalgamation of the nearly 100 hundred-year-old Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets Athletics Club, founded in 1976.

The club offers track, field, road, and cross-country runs with events like yoga and pilates also offered at the clubhouse. The building complex also houses St Augustine’s cottage which is a private residence.

Lodge at St Agnes’ Gate 

At the west end of this part of the park, you’ll find a picnic area where a lodge sits adjacent to St Agnes’ Gate. 

Pavillion cafe 

On the south-east side of Victoria Park’s iconic boating lake is a similarly recognisable cafe. Pavilion sits on the site of 19th century boathouse, which was demolished in 1990. 

The replacement building is a large blue-painted structure with a domed roof, now a popular spot for coffee and brunch founded by Rob Green, who has since opened Pavilion stores on Broadway Market, Columbia Road, Truman Brewery and across Cornwall.

The lake was dug in 1846 and is still used for public hire row today.

Bonner Lodge 

Whilst this lodge no longer exists it gets an honourable mention for its historic interest. The lodge was built in 1845, the same year as the park’s opening, but was sadly destroyed in a wartime bombing in 1941. Remaining however are the Grade 2 listed Bonner Hall Bridge which spans Regents Canal, and the Bonner Gate Piers. 

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