LODGE ROAD AND LONGDON ROAD
Until about 1900 Lodge Road was called Knowle Common Road, as it led to the common
land which covered most of the west of Knowle until the enclosures in the early 19th
century. Its modern name comes from Knowle Lodge, which stood where the surgery
is today until 1939. Its origins are unknown, but it probably developed after the
church was built in 1400. However, there may have been a track here since time immemorial.
There was very little building in Lodge Road until the late 19th century. Later
domestic dwellings range from late Victorian to the 1960s. The present surgery was
built as the police station in 1960.
At the Station Road end, both corners were developed in the late 19th century. Today
Lodge Road is a busy short cut from Warwick Road to Station Road, with all the problems
inherent in a road system that has not changed for centuries, whilst both population
and traffic have increased several times over. It remains an attractive road, with
original timbered buildings, 19th century cottages, the park and a softening belt
of trees.
Leading off Lodge Road is Longdon Road, also leading across the common to Longdon.
It was originally called Waste Lane, another ancient name recorded in 1424. It
was renamed after the old Manor of Longdon when it was developed in the 1930s. The
Longdon property was once owned by the Noel family, one of whom was Lady Byron, wife
of the famous poet.
