Hilton Lodge, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

This early Victorian, Grade II-listed detached house in the uphill area of Lincoln has recently undergone a thorough renovation. Built as a lodge for its neighbour, Hilton House, the home has two bedrooms and a wraparound garden backdropped by the city’s historic castle walls. Its highly decorated stuccoed façade gives way to a set of welcoming yet decidedly contemporary interiors, reimagined with a sympathetic touch. The lodge’s central location brings Lincoln’s brilliance into easy reach, along with its train station, which runs services to Leeds, Peterborough and London King’s Cross.

Setting the Scene

Lincoln was a significant Roman town – Lindum – lying on the line of the Fosse Way and Ermine Street. Due to its strategic location, it served historically as a major market centre for the surrounding agricultural district. The town is also known for its imposing landmark buildings, including its 11th-century Norman castle and the gothic Lincoln Cathedral – the world’s tallest building for over 200 years. The cathedral bears a grotesque known as the Lincoln Imp which has become the symbol of both the city and its namesake football club.

Italianate in style and single storey in nature, Hilton Lodge was commissioned in 1840 by the renowned Victorian landscape artist, Peter de Wint, as a lodge to his much grander Lincoln home, Hilton House. Comprising two bays set out in a T-shaped layout, the stuccoed exterior is elaborately detailed with a moulded plinth and impost band, moulded round heads and keystones above the sash windows. There are also ornate eaves and cornicing details and three prominent modillion ridge stacks.

The Grand Tour

The approach to Hilton Lodge is a sight to behold. Its pedimented western gable, complete with a double arched window and above it, an adorning roundel, affords a striking introduction to what unfolds beyond. To the right, a grand six-panelled doorway opens to a set-back colonnaded porch that skirts the south-facing part of the garden and leads to the home’s front door and welcoming interior.

Entry is to the elegant sitting room, where an embellished fireplace and warming wood-burner provide a visual centre. Bespoke shelving is set within the recesses either side. Golden-hued pine boards unfurl underfoot and a good quality of southerly light is drawn though the tripartite bay window.

A perfectly formed kitchen sits at the other end of the plan and makes the most of the exceptionally high ceilings found throughout. Beech block worktops sit atop the lower-level grey-hued cabinetry while further generous storage and open shelving rise to the soffit. Appliances and fittings, such as the two oven Smeg range and Belfast sink, are integrated for seamless finish.

Windows look over the adjacent dining terrace and a glazed door connects to the garden room/conservatory. Here, crisp light grey-painted windows and rooflights are befittingly fresh. Beautifully light during the day, the room transforms into an atmospheric dining space come evening time. A pair of glazed doors meld the inside and outside terrace, where an electrically-controlled awning provides shade and a magnificent climbing fuchsia adds glorious colour.

Running laterally from the sitting room to the kitchen is a spine-like hallway leading to the home’s two bedrooms. Each is a peaceful retreat with polished pine floorboards; the larger also has built-in storage.

The bathroom is centrally positioned and displays an immaculate eye for detail and finish. Brick walls are painted a moody dark grey, while the oversized sink aligns with the slightly industrial appeal of the room’s fixtures and fittings. The room has a large window washing the walls with a warm natural light. Conveniently, a shower has been fitted over the bath.

There is a handy cloakroom/utility space carved out of an old store room. It has been brilliantly appointed and has plenty of space for white goods. Adjacent lies a half-glazed reeded glass door that leads to a short passage with access to Union Road.

The Great Outdoors

A private garden wraps three sides of Hilton Lodge. Inherently sociable, it is directly accessible from much of the house and strikes a perfect balance of sheltered and sunny places to sit.

The dining terrace, with an electric awning overhead and cushioned-bench seating lining the edging fencing, has been designed as an extension of the garden room and provides a beautiful spot for long, lazy Sunday lunches. The shadow cast by a mature copper beech tree in the corner of the garden would make for a wonderful spot to place a bench or a couple of deckchairs.

There is space aplenty for the green-fingered to potter, plant and tinker with bulbs and shrubs, backdropped by verdant grassy banks rising up to the adjacent castle walls.

Out and About

Hilton Lodge is brilliantly positioned in postcard-like Lincoln’s historic Cathedral Quarter. This, the ‘Uphill’ area of the city, has plenty of excellent restaurants, bars, and pubs, including Hobbsons, Olivares Tapas Bar, Dough Loco (the local go-to for sourdough pizza) and The Victoria, a popular real ale pub a minute’s walk from the house. For fine dining The Jews House offers a particularly enticing menu,

Nearby Bailgate and Steep Hill are lined with independent shops and cafés. Steep Hill is also one of the steepest streets in the UK and, as a result, captures panoramic views over the city.

Early settlements in the region date from the Iron Age, and Lincoln has a wealth of historical landmarks, such as the medieval Lincoln Castle and its gardens. Built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, it is considered one of the best-preserved castles in the country and is open to the public most days of the week.

Lincoln Cathedral, also known as Lincoln Minster, was completed in 1092 and later damaged by an earthquake. Rebuilt over the centuries, it is one of the finest examples of gothic architecture and houses one of the few remaining copies of the Magna Carta.

Spanning 100 hectares, the green expanse of West Common is a five-minute drive from the house, with grassy areas, tennis courts and football pitches. Lincoln Arboretum is a historically significant garden nestled in the city’s Cultural Quarter. Designed in the 19th century by Edward Milner, it is an ideal spot for a summer picnic. Doddington Hall and Gardens is another lovely spot for a day out, and perfect destination to sock up at its farm shop or enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner at the award-winning Grain Store cafe and restaurant.

Less than an hour away by car to the south is the National Trust-managed Belton Estate, home to Grade I-listed Belton House, with formal Italian and Dutch gardens and a deer park. The wildlife-rich Belton Park spans over 1,300 acres. Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, can be reached in around 30 minutes by car.

Lincoln has excellent schooling options, including St Faith’s Church of England Infant and Nursery School for primary education, Lincoln Minster School for pupils aged 4-18 years, and The Priory Academy LSST for secondary education.

Thanks to its central position, Lincoln is well connected to many major cities across the country. London can be reached in around three hours by car and there is a direct train to London Kings Cross in around two hours. Sheffield is approximately 75 minutes away by car, and Leeds 90. There is easy access to the national motorway system via the A1.

Council Tax Band: C