Three

Tresham’s Triangular Lodge, Listed Grade I, Rushton, Northamptonshire

“In 1593, the date he later put on the Lodge, Sir Thomas Tresham took the firm intention to build a monument to the Holy Trinity in the grounds of Rushton Hall, northwest of Kettering. Work started on the Triangular Lodge the following year. It was originally known as the Warryners Lodge, presumably because the rabbit keeper lived there. It is thought to be the oddest building of its period in the country as its overriding premise is “three”. It has three sides measuring 33ft - each with three gables; three storeys; three triangular windows; and three times three gargoyles. The exterior is littered with trefoils, the family symbol displayed, of course, in threes. Biblical quotations – three of them - are carried on as a frieze along the outside walls with each text consisting of, wait for it, 33 letters. Sir Thomas had served 15 years in prison for his Catholicism and the building was a public reflection of his faith. Tresham’s son was executed as one of the Gunpowder Plotters and his head put on a stake.”

These images of Tresham’s Triangular Lodge were sourced from English Heritage and the RIBA.