Ammerdown House, Kilmersdon
Encyclopedia
Ammerdown House in Kilmersdon
, Somerset
, England was built in 1788. It has been designated as Grade I listed building.
It was built as a country house with stables and an adjacent formal garden within landscaped parkland in emparked landscape by James Wyatt
for Thomas Samuel Jolliffe. The house has been handed down through the Jolliffe family to William Jolliffe
, a politician, who was made Baron Hylton
in the mid 19th century; the house was enlarged in 1855 & 1877, with further alteration to the west front being undertaken in 1901, possibly by Sir Edwin Lutyens
.
A pair of lodges, gate piers and gates, associated with Ammerdown House, which were also built in 1788–94 by James Wyatt
, are Grade II* listed buildings and on the English Heritage
register of buildings at risk. Since 1973 the stables have been significantly altered and converted into a study centre.
The orangery and walled garden were built around 1793.
In 1853 John Twyford Jolliffe & Thomas Robert Jolliffe, the children of the builder of the house, Thomas Samuel Jolliffe, built a 150 feet (45.7 m) high column, known as the Ammerdown Park Column, Ammerdown Lighthouse or the Jolliffe Column. It was a near replica of Eddystone Lighthouse
with a glass dome or viewing lantern which could be illuminated. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The gardens include fountains and statues surrounded by mature yew
s nearly 4 metres (13.1 ft) high, hedging, Portugal laurels and honeysuckle
s trained over wired umbrellas. Spring colour is provided by daffodils, cowslips
and magnolia
with rose
s, dahlia
s and wild orchids flowering in the summer.
The current residents of the house are Andrew and DIana Jolliffe, the son and daughter in law of the 5th Baron Hylton
, the current Lord Hylton. The family estate covers many of the villages around including Kilmersdon, although much of the former residential property of the estate is run by a charitable housing association set up by the current Lord Hylton.
Kilmersdon
Kilmersdon is a small village located in the north of Somerset between the towns of Radstock and Frome. The settlement is recorded in William I's Domesday book and dates back at least 1,000 years; though the core of the village dates from the mid nineteenth century.-History:The name Kilmersdon...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England was built in 1788. It has been designated as Grade I listed building.
It was built as a country house with stables and an adjacent formal garden within landscaped parkland in emparked landscape by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
for Thomas Samuel Jolliffe. The house has been handed down through the Jolliffe family to William Jolliffe
William Jolliffe, 1st Baron Hylton
William George Hylton Jolliffe, 1st Baron Hylton PC , known as Sir William Jolliffe, Bt, between 1821 and 1866, was a British soldier and Conservative politician...
, a politician, who was made Baron Hylton
Baron Hylton
Baron Hylton is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England 1295 when Robert Hylton was summoned to the Model Parliament as Lord Hylton by writ. His son, Alexander, was called to...
in the mid 19th century; the house was enlarged in 1855 & 1877, with further alteration to the west front being undertaken in 1901, possibly by Sir Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
.
A pair of lodges, gate piers and gates, associated with Ammerdown House, which were also built in 1788–94 by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
, are Grade II* listed buildings and on the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
register of buildings at risk. Since 1973 the stables have been significantly altered and converted into a study centre.
The orangery and walled garden were built around 1793.
In 1853 John Twyford Jolliffe & Thomas Robert Jolliffe, the children of the builder of the house, Thomas Samuel Jolliffe, built a 150 feet (45.7 m) high column, known as the Ammerdown Park Column, Ammerdown Lighthouse or the Jolliffe Column. It was a near replica of Eddystone Lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse is on the treacherous Eddystone Rocks, south west of Rame Head, United Kingdom. While Rame Head is in Cornwall, the rocks are in Devon and composed of Precambrian Gneiss....
with a glass dome or viewing lantern which could be illuminated. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The gardens include fountains and statues surrounded by mature yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
s nearly 4 metres (13.1 ft) high, hedging, Portugal laurels and honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
s trained over wired umbrellas. Spring colour is provided by daffodils, cowslips
Primula veris
Primula veris is a flowering plant in the genus Primula. The species is found throughout most of temperate Europe and Asia, and although absent from more northerly areas including much of northwest Scotland, it reappears in northernmost Sutherland and Orkney.-Names:The common name cowslip derives...
and magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
with rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
s and wild orchids flowering in the summer.
The current residents of the house are Andrew and DIana Jolliffe, the son and daughter in law of the 5th Baron Hylton
Raymond Jolliffe, 5th Baron Hylton
Raymond Hervey Jolliffe, 5th Baron Hylton ARICS is a British peer and landowner. He was one of 92 hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999....
, the current Lord Hylton. The family estate covers many of the villages around including Kilmersdon, although much of the former residential property of the estate is run by a charitable housing association set up by the current Lord Hylton.