After a fire in 1835 destroyed the Houses of Parliament the 4^th Duke Of Portland offered stone from his quarries at Mansfield Woodhouse for the replacement building. Whilst 50,000 cubic feet were used for the foundations and lower part of the building, the stone was not thought durable enough for the main part of the building. The Duke disagreed and set about proving his point by building Archway Lodge, as a hunting lodge and accommodation for his estate foresters. Started in 1842 and finished 2 years later, it was intended as the first of a number of archways along a 30mile private drive form Welbeck to Nottingham and cost £16,000. This is the only one built.

Externally the design is based on Worksop Priory Gatehouse. Straddling Broad Drive (the Duke changed the name to Green Drive) through the forest, the building was sited so that the centre tree, a mile and half away, could be seen through the arch. The niches contain statues of the forest’s folklore heroes.

The ground floor were two homes for Estate workers, one either side of the arch. The upper storey contained a long school room , the first school for children on this part of the estate. The photo shows the pupils and staff circa 1905.