Glen Lodge

Glen Lodge was originally built by the local tanner Mr Pearce as his family home. The grounds extended much further than they do today but always commanded views over the village
and across the Bristol Channel. There is still an orchard of cider apple trees that were planted at the time.The property was sold by the Pearce family in 1936 and only a few years later was requisitioned to house evacuees. The owners apparently left the country and spent the war years in Canada. There are still those in Porlock who remember that the evacuees went wild at Glen Lodge destroying many of the borders as well as burning down the Summer House. In fact, when the owners returned after their time in Canada they were so distraught at the state of the house and grounds that they immediately sold.

Glen Lodge Hawcombe near Porlock

Captain Collins took on Glen Lodge who was one of the trainers of the British Equestrian Team for the Olympics and some of the competing horses were stabled hat Glen Lodge. Unfortunately, he died young in the Comet air crash. The next owners were the English sisters who ran the house as a country house hotel for some time through the 1950’s and 1960s. The owner following on from them taught at one of the Midlands public schools and used the house & grounds as a kind of outward bound escape for his students during the school holidays. . It is a beautiful country house with gorgeous groundswith an air of relaxation and calm.

Glen Lodge in 1934

Contributed by: Tim Meean