Gatcombe House is a manor house

Manor house

A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

 on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

, England. The original building was constructed by the Stur (Estur) family as noted in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

. St. Olave's Church

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe is a parish church in the Church of England located in Gatcombe, Isle of Wight.-History:Building began on the site in the 13th century and the church was dedicated in 1292. It originally served the Estur family as a chapel to Gatcombe House...

, built next to the manor to serve as its chapel, was dedicated in 1292. It also belonged at one time to the Lisles of Wootton.

The present stone building stands in hanging woods. It was erected in 1750 by Sir Edward Meux Worsley (c. July 1716 - August 14, 1762), and is typical of the country houses of the time of George III

George III of the United Kingdom

George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...

. The manor was afterwards purchased by Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...

. It was later owned by Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet

Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet

Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet KGStJ was a British industrialist and politician.Seely was Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Nottingham from 1869 to 1874 and 1880 to 1885, and for Nottingham West from 1885 to 1886, and Liberal Unionist MP for Nottingham West from 1892 to 1895...

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