The Lodge overview:
Woodside Lodge is located in the heart of a private 12-acre estate with seven bedrooms in the main lodge and multiple cottages occupying a prime position on the shore of a sea loch. The venue has been an escape and retreat destination for over 150 years, with a wealth of history everywhere you look.
Surrounded by nature on all sides, the estate offers contemplation as you could not imagine – whether in, on or on the edge of the water or among the mature forests, you can well and truly switch off from all the stress of your busy lives back home.
With a view of the Arrochar Alps, the setting for the estate offers an ever-changing backdrop that changes throughout the seasons and gives you a different abstract every time you wake up in the morning, open the curtains and look out at the tranquility as you start your day.
Rich in history:
The original form of The Lodge was originally built as a holiday cottage for a Glasgow plumber in 1863. Alexander Fergusson, a merchant and lead manufacturer, bought the lodge in 1874 when its owner had financial difficulties and employed William Leiper to expand it.
Leiper remodelled the lodge, added the second storey and veranda and created a service wing at the back (further extensions were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century). Leiper built his villas in pairs, and Castlepark in Lanark is undoubtedly the sister of Woodside Lodge, not only externally, but also internally, with a Burgesian billiard room that is identical in all but its position (on the first floor rather than the ground floor).
According to Michael Donnelly, Daniel Cottier’s stained glass represents the earliest surviving example of what became a house style for Cottier’s domestic glass. Consisting of panels made up of decorated square quarries of antique glass, which vary in colour from pale green to light amber, as a setting for elaborate jewels such as monograms of the client’s initials or coats of arms. Both craftsmen are renowned figures of the art and crafts era, a design movement of the late 19th century.
New Ownership:
The venue was taken over by the current owner, Iain Hopkins, in 1997 and opened its doors as The Lodge on Loch Goil in 2000 after an extensive renovation.
Keeping a big focus on the original features that Leiper had remodelled, while ensuring that the surrounding woodland was well managed, allowing the main building to shine through in all its glory, was the key to the initial phase.
Due to its location and high quality of service, the Lodge quickly developed a positive reputation in the hospitality industry, winning several awards and creating hundreds of special days for its guests.
Pastures New:
In 2004, the spectacular treehouse was built, offering guests a new area to make their day even more special, and also becoming one of the first treehouses in a hospitality venue in the UK.
Overlooking the Loch and available for wedding ceremonies and private dining, The Treehouse provided itself to be extremely popular with visitors to The Lodge.
Sadly though, in November 2021, Storm Arwen caused widespread devastation across the UK and The Lodge did not escape unscathed. The mature Scots Pine Tree on the shore of the Loch took the full brunt of the winds and toppled, taking with it the much-loved treehouse.
Whilst this was devastating for everyone at The Lodge, we have constantly had to adapt over the years, and saw this as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Welcome Woodside Lodge:
With this misfortune coming only a year after the pain of COVID-19, it felt like it was the right time to re-align and take a step back, allowing us to build the blueprints for our new future. We felt that the decision to return to the original purpose of the venue as a well-being escape and retreat was really important for us, and with a new business name to reflect this, we are super excited to say that the Woodside Lodge is reborn.
From the major work that we managed to achieve in 2020 the new entrance opened in the summer of 2021, featuring cobbles reclaimed from Glasgow’s Candleriggs. The restored bridge and lochside entrance route now means that visitors to Woodside Lodge now can arrive in the same way as the original visitors did, over 150 years ago.
Map
In the site map you will see the full scale of the estate and the various places you can stay and visit on your memorable escape here.
With the ongoing work to bring the whole environment together this chapter has only just begun.
Come and see us:
While Woodside Lodge will still be available for weddings, our new developments mean that we can now offer a wide range of accommodation options to suit any guest looking for a digital detox, peaceful contemplation or just an opportunity to lose yourself in nature.
Visit our escapes page to learn more about our accommodation options or contact us to make an enquiry.
