List of Grade I listed buildings in Somerset

Districts of Somerset Areas shown in yellow are the unitary authorities and those in pink are districts administered by Somerset County Council Somerset County Council Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...

1 South Somerset South Somerset South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...
2 Taunton Deane Taunton Deane Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,... (Borough)
3 West Somerset West Somerset West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075 in an area of ....
4 Sedgemoor Sedgemoor Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...
5 Mendip Mendip Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...
6 Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset... (Unitary)
7 North Somerset North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare.... (Unitary)

The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county

Ceremonial counties of England

The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...

of 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...

consists of a non-metropolitan county

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and...

, administered by Somerset County Council

Somerset County Council

Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...

, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities

Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...

. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset

West Somerset

West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075 in an area of ....

, South Somerset

South Somerset

South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...

, Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...

, Mendip

Mendip

Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...

and Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...

. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset

North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....

and Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...

. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947

Town and Country Planning Act 1947

The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed by the post-war Labour government...

. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In England, the authority for listing under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

The Planning Act 1990 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the laws on granting of planning permission for building works, notably including those of the listed building system in England and Wales....

rests with 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...

, a non-departmental public body

Non-departmental public body

In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...

sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....

; local authorities have a responsibility to regulate and enforce the planning regulations.

Each of the districts include Norman

Norman architecture

About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

- or medieval

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

-era churches, many of which are included in the Somerset towers

Somerset towers

The Somerset towers are a collection of distinctive, mostly spireless Gothic church towers in the county of Somerset in south west England.Where beautiful castles and church spires rise above other parts of England, the crowning glory of many Somerset towns and villages is these medieval church...

, a collection of distinctive, mostly spire

Spire

A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....

less Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

church towers. The prolific construction of the towers—some started before 1360—was typically accomplished by a master mason and a small team of itinerant masons, supplemented by local parish labourers, according to Poyntz Wright. But other authors reject this model, suggesting instead that leading architects designed the parish church towers based on early examples of Perpendicular design and ornamentation developed for cathedrals

Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England

The medieval cathedrals of England, dating from between approximately 1040 and 1540, are a group of twenty-six buildings which together constitute a major aspect of the country’s artistic heritage and are among the most significant material symbols of Christianity. Though diversified in style, they...

-- their most important commissions. Contract builders carried out the plans, adding a distinctive mix of innovative details and decorations as new designs emerged over the years. These are included in the List of towers in Somerset.

Apart from the churches, each area has its own characteristics. Most of Bath's Grade I listed buildings are made from the local golden-coloured Bath Stone

Bath Stone

Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...

, and date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Their dominant architectural style is Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

. In the Mendip district, the greatest concentrations of these cluster around the cathedral and abbey in Wells

Wells

Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...

and in Glastonbury

Glastonbury

Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...

. North Somerset features bridges and piers along with a selection of 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...

s. The Sedgemoor district has many buildings related to trade and commerce centered on Bridgwater

Bridgwater

Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...

; while in South Somerset abbeys, priories and farmhouses predominate. Taunton Deane includes the defensive Taunton Castle

Taunton Castle

Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England.It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester...

, similarly Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century,...

and related buildings in Dunster

Dunster

Dunster is a village and civil parish in west Somerset, England, situated on the Bristol Channel coast south-southeast of Minehead and northwest of Taunton. The village has a population of 862 .The village has numerous restaurants and three pubs...

feature in West Somerset.

Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...

(commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a unitary authority

Unitary authorities of England

Unitary authorities of England are areas where a single local authority is responsible for a variety of services for a district that elsewhere are administered separately by two councils...

created on 1 April 1996, following the abolition of the County of Avon

Avon (county)

Avon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England.The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. It was formed from parts of the historic counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, together with the City of Bristol...

. Bath and North East Somerset occupies an area of 220 square miles (570 km²), two-thirds of which is green belt

Green Belt (UK)

In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...

. BANES stretches from the outskirts of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, south into the Mendip Hills

Mendip Hills

The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...

and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

border. The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but BANES also covers Keynsham

Keynsham

Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....

, Midsomer Norton

Midsomer Norton

Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...

, Radstock

Radstock

Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...

and the Chew Valley

Chew Valley

The Chew Valley is an area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham...

. BANES has a population of 170,000, about half of whom live in Bath, making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the district.

Bath and North East Somerset has 663 Grade I listed buildings, one of the highest concentrations in the country, covered by about 100 English Heritage listings. The oldest sites within Bath are the Roman Baths, for which the foundation piles and an irregular stone chamber lined with lead were built during the Roman occupation of Britain

Roman Britain

Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...

, although the current building is from the 18th century. Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey

The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...

was a Norman

Norman architecture

church built on earlier foundations, although the present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a late Perpendicular style with flying buttress

Flying buttress

A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...

es and crocket

Crocket

A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....

ed pinnacle

Pinnacle

A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...

s decorating a crenellated and pierced parapet

Parapet

A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...

. The medieval era is represented by the remains of the city walls in Upper Borough Walls

Upper Borough Walls, Bath

Upper Borough Walls is a historic street in Bath, Somerset, England. Many of the structures are listed buildings.It takes its name from the section of the medieval wall of the city which still remains....

.

Most of Bath's Grade I listed buildings are made from the local golden-coloured Bath Stone

Bath Stone

, and date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Their dominant architectural style is Georgian

Georgian architecture

, which evolved from the Palladian

Palladian architecture

Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...

revival style that became popular during the early 18th century. This led to the entire city's designation as a World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

Much of the development, and many of the buildings, were the vision of John Wood, the Elder

John Wood, the Elder

John Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Twerton England, a village near Bath, now a suburb, he went to school in Bath. He came back to Bath after working in Yorkshire, and it is believed, in London, in his early 20s...

. The Circus

The Circus (Bath)

The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

is seen as the pinnacle of Wood's work. It consists of three long, curved terraces that form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration for which was the Colosseum

Colosseum

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...

in Rome. The best known of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent

The Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses laid out in a crescent in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...

, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by Wood's son, John Wood, the Younger

John Wood, the Younger

John Wood, the Younger was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He began his work as an assistant for his father, the architect John Wood, the Elder...

. Around 1770 the neoclassical

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...

architect Robert Adam

Robert Adam

Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...

designed Pulteney Bridge

Pulteney Bridge

Pulteney Bridge is a bridge that crosses the River Avon, in Bath, England. It was completed in 1773 and is designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....

, a three-arched bridge spanning the Avon. He used as his prototype an original, but unused, design by Palladio for the Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.- History :...

in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. The heart of the Georgian city was the Pump Room

Grand Pump Room, Bath

The Grand Pump Room in the Abbey Church Yard, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic building. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

, which together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms was designed by Thomas Baldwin

Thomas Baldwin (architect)

Thomas Baldwin was an English surveyor and architect in Bath.He did not originally hail from Bath but was first recorded in the city in 1774, where he was initially a clerk to plumber, glazier, and politician Thomas Warr Attwood. By 1775, he was appointed as the Bath City Architect after...

, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street. Great Pulteney Street

Great Pulteney Street

Great Pulteney Street is a grand thoroughfare that connects Bathwick on the east of the River Avon with the City of Bath, England via the Robert Adam designed Pulteney Bridge...

, where Baldwin eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide boulevard

Boulevard

A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...

, constructed and over 1000 feet (305 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.

Outside the city of Bath most of the Grade I listed buildings are Norman

Norman architecture

- or medieval

Middle Ages

-era churches. Manor house

Manor house

s such as Claverton Manor, which now houses the American Museum in Britain, and the 18th-century Newton Park

Newton Park

Newton Park is an 18th-century landscape garden, designed by the landscape gardener Capability Brown, and now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.Newton Park was laid out on land containing the 14th century keep and gateway of St Loe's Castle, a fortified medieval manor house, Elizabethan farm...

, which has a landscape garden

Landscape garden

The term landscape garden is often used to describe the English garden design style characteristic of the eighteenth century, that swept the Continent replacing the formal Renaissance garden and Garden à la française models. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is particularly influential.The...

Capability Brown

Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...

, also appear in the list; Newton Park now forms part of the Bath Spa University

Bath Spa University

Bath Spa University is a university based in, and around, Bath, England. The institution was previously known as Bath College of Higher Education, and later Bath Spa University College...

. The most recent building is the agricultural Eastwood Manor Farm Steading

Eastwood Manor Farm Steading

Eastwood Manor Farm Steading in East Harptree, Somerset, England is a Grade I listed building.It was built in 1860 by Robert Smith for William Taylor with 5 bays to the main facade....

, completed in 1860.

Mendip

is a local government district

Non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

which covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km²) ranging from the Mendip Hills

Mendip Hills

through on to the Somerset Levels

Somerset Levels

The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...

. It has a population of approximately 11,000. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet

Shepton Mallet

Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...

.

There are 90 Grade I listed buildings in the Mendip district. There are churches in the various towns and villages, however the greatest concentrations of Grade I listed buildings are in Wells

Wells

and Glastonbury

Glastonbury

. In Wells these are clustered around the 10th-century Cathedral Church of St Andrew, better known as Wells Cathedral, and the 13th-century Bishop's Palace

Bishop's Palace, Wells

The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England, is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years....

. Glastonbury is the site of the Abbey

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....

, where construction started in the 7th century, and its associated buildings. The ruined St Michael's church, damaged in an earthquake of 1275, stands on Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St. Michael's Tower. The site is managed by the National Trust. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument ....

, where the site shows evidence of occupation from Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

times and the Dark Ages. The Chalice Well

Chalice Well

Chalice Well is a holy well situated at the foot of Glastonbury Tor in the county of Somerset, England. The natural spring and surrounding gardens are owned and managed by the Chalice Well Trust , founded by Wellesley Tudor Pole in 1959.Archaeological evidence suggests that the well has been in...

has been in use since Pre-Christian times. Glastonbury Abbey had a wider influence outside the town: tithe barn

Tithe barn

A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....

s were built at Pilton

Tithe Barn, Pilton

The Tithe Barn at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn to hold produce for Glastonbury Abbey...

and West Bradley

West Pennard Court Barn

West Pennard Court Barn is a 15th century Tithe barn for Glastonbury Abbey between West Pennard and West Bradley, Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building....

to hold tithes, and a Fish House

The Abbot's Fish House, Meare

The Abbot's Fish House in Meare, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.It was built between 1322 and 1335 when Adam of Sodbury was the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey...

was built at Meare

Meare

Meare is a village and civil parish north west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Westhay.-History:...

along with a summer residence for the Abbot (now Manor Farmhouse

Manor Farmhouse, Meare

The Manor Farmhouse in Meare, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century as the summer residence of the Abbots from Glastonbury Abbey and is now a farmhouse...

Medieval structures include Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune working as a...

, fortified around 1370, and The George Inn

The George Inn, Norton St Philip

The George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, England, one of a number of establishments that claims to be Britain’s oldest tavern, is located in the centre of the village...

at Norton St Philip

Norton St Philip

Norton St Philip is a village in Somerset, England, located between the City of Bath and the town of Frome. The village is in the district of Mendip, and the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome....

, used as an army headquarters during the Monmouth Rebellion

Monmouth Rebellion

The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...

in 1685, and then as a courtroom to try the rebels in the Bloody Assizes

Bloody Assizes

The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England....

. Manor house

Manor house

s such as the 15th-century Seymours Court Farmhouse

Seymours Court Farmhouse, Beckington

Seymours Court Farmhouse in Beckington, Somerset, England, dates from the 15th century and is a Grade I listed building.It was the home of Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, who married Queen Catherine Parr....

at Beckington

Beckington

Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome...

and The Old Manor

The Old Manor, Croscombe

The Old Manor in Croscombe, Somerset, England was built around 1460–89 as a rectorial manor house for Hugh Sugar, the Treasurer of Wells Cathedral. It was altered in the 16th and 18th centuries, and in the 20th century by the Landmark Trust. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

at Croscombe

Croscombe

Croscombe is a village and civil parish west of Shepton Mallet and from Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It is situated on the A371 road in the valley of the River Sheppey....

. Mells Manor

Mells Manor

Mells Manor at Mells, Somerset, England was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century...

followed in the 16th century and in the 17th century Southill House

Southill House, Cranmore

Southill House in Cranmore, Somerset, England is an early 18th century manor house. It was given a new facade by John Wood, the Younger, of Bath, in the late 18th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

in Cranmore

Cranmore, Somerset

Cranmore is a village and civil parish east of Shepton Mallet, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Waterlip, East Cranmore and Dean where Dean farmhouse dates from the 17th century, as does The Old Smithy, just off the A361 which was originally two...

was built. Ston Easton Park

Ston Easton Park

Ston Easton Park in Somerset was built in the 18th century for John Hippisley Coxe. The Hippisley family had been Lords of the Manor of Ston Easton since 1544, and in the 17th century had moved from the old manor house by the parish church to a new Jacobean house...

and Ammerdown House

Ammerdown House, Kilmersdon

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...

in Kilmersdon

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...

were both completed in the 18th century. The most recent buildings included in the list are churches: the Church of St Peter

Church of St Peter, Hornblotton

The Church of St Peter at Hornblotton in the parish of West Bradley, Somerset, England was built in 1872–74 by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, for the rector, Godfrey Thring replacing a medieval church on the same site...

at Hornblotton, built in 1872–74 by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson

Thomas Graham Jackson

Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet RA was one of the most distinguished English architects of his generation...

to replace a medieval church on the same site, and Downside Abbey

Downside Abbey

The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...

at Stratton-on-the-Fosse

Stratton-on-the-Fosse

Stratton-on-the-Fosse is a village and civil parish located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, south-west of Westfield, north-east of Shepton Mallet, and from Frome, in Somerset, England. It has a population 1,045, and has a rural agricultural landscape, although it was part of the once-thriving...

, more formally known as "The Basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...

of St Gregory the Great at Downside", a Roman Catholic Benedictine

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation

English Benedictine Congregation

The English Benedictine Congregation comprises autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the 21 congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation....

. The current buildings were started in the 19th century and are still unfinished.

North Somerset

is a unitary authority

Unitary authority

which is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county of Somerset. Its administrative headquarters are located in the town hall of Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...

, and has a resident population of 193,000 living in 85,000 households.
There are 37 Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Brunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. Brunel's colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds...

, which joins North Somerset to Bristol

Bristol

and Clevedon Pier

Clevedon Pier

Clevedon Pier is a seaside pier in the town of Clevedon, on the English side of the Severn Estuary. It is situated next to the Royal Pier Hotel....

which was built between the 1860s and 1890s. It was removed following damage in 1970 and restored, before being rebuilt and reopened to the public in 1998. Of the listed buildings, manor house

Manor house

s are well represented. They include Clevedon Court

Clevedon Court

Clevedon Court is a manor house on Court Hill in Clevedon, North Somerset, England, dating from the early fourteenth century. It is now owned by the National Trust. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...

, built in the 14th century, and from the 15th century, Ashton Court

Ashton Court

Ashton Court is a mansion house and estate to the west of Bristol in England. Although the estate lies mainly in North Somerset, it is owned by the City of Bristol. The estate has been a venue for a variety of leisure activities, including the now-defunct Ashton Court festival, Bristol...

and Nailsea Court

Nailsea Court

Nailsea Court in Nailsea, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and is a Grade I listed building.-History:Richard Perceval, who was born at Nailsea Court deciphered Spanish documents for Queen Elizabeth about the Spanish Armada invasion plans....

. North Somerset has many religious structures; the largest number are from the Norman

Norman architecture

or medieval

Middle Ages

eras. The oldest is the Church of St. Quiricus and St. Julietta

Church of SS Quiricus & Julietta, Tickenham

The parish Church of St. Quiricus and St. Julietta in Tickenham, Somerset, England, has 11th century origins, with the nave and chancel being extended by the addition of aisles and the south chapel in the early 13th century...

in Tickenham

Tickenham

Tickenham is a village and civil parish near Clevedon and Nailsea, North Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 909. It has a primary school and a village hall, but no shops, although it formerly had a post office....

which dates from the 11th century, and there are 8 others from the 12th century.

The most recent Grade I building in North Somerset is Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England, near Nailsea, seven miles from Bristol.The house was acquired by the National Trust in June 2002 after a fund raising campaign to prevent it being sold to private interests and ensure it be opened to the public...

, a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall

Wraxall, Somerset

Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...

. It was acquired by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

in June 2002 after a fund raising campaign to prevent it being sold to private interests and ensure it be opened to the public. The appeal by the National Trust collected £8.2 million from the public in just 100 days and the Trust also received the largest single grant ever by the National Heritage Memorial Fund

National Heritage Memorial Fund

The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....

(at £17.4 million), which caused some controversy. The house is built of Bath stone

Bath Stone

, and is highly picturesque, bristling with turrets and possessing an elaborate roof.

Sedgemoor

district

Non-metropolitan district

is a low-lying area of land close to sea level between the Quantock

Quantock Hills

The Quantock Hills is a range of hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Quantock Hills were England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being designated in 1956 and consists of large amounts of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land.The hills run from...

and Mendip

Mendip Hills

hills, historically largely marsh (or moor). It contains the bulk of the area also known as the Somerset Levels

Somerset Levels

, including Europe's oldest known engineered road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

way, the Sweet Track

Sweet Track

The Sweet Track is an ancient causeway in the Somerset Levels, England. It was built in 3807 or 3806 BC and has been claimed to be the oldest road in the world. It was the oldest timber trackway discovered in Northern Europe until the 2009 discovery of a 6,000 year-old trackway in Belmarsh Prison...

.

There are 53 Grade I listed buildings in Sedgemoor, 14 of which are in Castle Street, Bridgwater

Castle Street, Bridgwater

Castle Street in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was built in the 1720s, on a site previously occupied by Bridgwater Castle, by Benjamin Holloway or Fort and Shepherd, the Duke's London surveyors for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. It was originally called Chandos Street...

. In 1834, Castle Street was built on the site of the demolished Bridgwater Castle

Bridgwater Castle

Bridgwater Castle was a castle in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.-Early history:The castle was built in 1202 by William Brewer, like several other castle-builders of the period, an exceptionally wealthy man. He was granted the lordship of the Manor of Bridgwater by King John in 1201, and...

, as homes for the merchants trading in the town's port. Outside the town of Bridgwater

Bridgwater

, the largest concentration of Grade I listed buildings are in the village of Cannington

Cannington, Somerset

Cannington is a village and civil parish north-west of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It lies on the west bank of the River Parret, and contains the hamlet of Edstock.-History:...

, where the 12th-century Cannington Court

Cannington Court

Cannington Court in the village of Cannington, Somerset, England was built around 1138 as the lay wing of a Benedictine nunnery, founded by Robert de Courcy. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

and 14th-century Church of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Cannington

The Church of St Mary in Cannington, Somerset, England has a tower which dates from the 14th century, the remainder was rebuilt in the early 15th century and restored in 1840 by Richard Carver. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

were both associated with a Benedictine

Benedictine

nunnery. Cannington is also the site of the 13th-century Gurney Manor

Gurney Manor

Gurney Manor in Cannington, Somerset, England is a 13th century manor house with an attached chapel wing, is now supported by the Landmark Trust and is available as holiday accommodation. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building...

and Blackmoor Farmhouse

Blackmoor Farmhouse, Cannington

Blackmoor Farmhouse at Cannington, Somerset, England and the attached chapel, was built around 1480 for Thomas Tremayll. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

, which was built around 1480 with its own chapel. Although 11th century churches such as the Church of St Michael

Church of St Michael, Brent Knoll

The Church of St Michael at Brent Knoll, Somerset, England dates from the 11th century but has undergone several renovations since then. It has been designated as a grade I listed building....

at Brent Knoll and the Church of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Spaxton

The Church of St Mary at Charlynch in the parish of Spaxton, Somerset, England was an Anglican Parish Church, but has now been deconsecrated. It dates from the 11th century with a tower probably of 1867. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

at Charlynch near Spaxton

Spaxton

Spaxton is a small village and civil parish on the Quantocks in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England.-History:Spaxton was part of the hundred of Cannington....

are still standing only blue lias

Lias Group

The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the low countries and the north of Germany...

rubble walling standing on a conical earthwork with a ditch approximately 820 feet (250 m) in circumference are the only remains of Stowey Castle

Stowey Castle

Stowey Castle was a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, built in the 11th century, in the village of Nether Stowey on the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument....

which was destroyed in the 15th century, which may have been as a penalty for the local Lord Audley

James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley

Sir James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley was born in the Heleigh Castle, Staffordshire, England to John Tuchet, 6th Baron Audley and Ann Echingham....

's involvement in the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497

Second Cornish Uprising of 1497

The Second Cornish Uprising is the name given to the Cornish uprising of September 1497 when the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay, near Land's End, on 7 September with just 120 men in two ships...

led by Perkin Warbeck

Perkin Warbeck

Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...

.

Many of the more recent structures in the list are manor house

Manor house

s such as Halswell House

Halswell House

Halswell House is a country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England.The Tudor house was originally purchased by the Tynte family, which was united with the Kemeys family of Cefn Mably when Jane Kemeys married the Rev. John Tynte , 2nd baronet of Halswell, and rector of Goathurst...

, where the south range was built in the 16th-century for Sir Nicholas Halswell and the main north range in 1689 for Sir Halswell Tynte. The most recently constructed building in the list is the Corn Exchange

Corn Exchange, Bridgwater

The Corn Exchange and market house in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was built in 1834 by John Bowen and extended in 1875, by Charles Knowles. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

in Bridgwater, built in 1834.

South Somerset

The South Somerset

South Somerset

district occupies an area of 370 square miles (958 km²), stretching from its borders with Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

and Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

to the edge of the Somerset Levels

Somerset Levels

. The district has a population of about 158,000, and has Yeovil

Yeovil

Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...

as its administrative centre.

There are 94 Grade I listed buildings in South Somerset. Most are Norman

Norman architecture

- or medieval

Middle Ages

-era churches, but there are other religious buildings as well. Muchelney Abbey

Muchelney Abbey

Muchelney Abbey is an English Heritage property in the village of Muchelney in the Somerset Levels, England.It comprises the remains and foundations of a medieval Benedictine abbey, the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon abbey, and an early Tudor house dating from the 16th century, formerly the...

consists of the remains and foundations

Foundation (architecture)

A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...

of a medieval Benedictine

Benedictine

Abbey

An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

and an early Tudor

Tudor style architecture

The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...

house dating from the 16th century, formerly the lodgings of the resident abbot

Abbot

The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

. Stavordale Priory

Stavordale Priory

Stavordale Priory in Charlton Musgrove, Somerset, England was built as a priory church in the 13th century and was converted into a private residence in 1533...

was built as a priory church in the 13th century and was converted into a private residence in 1533. The Hamstone

Hamstone

Hamstone is the colloquial name given to stone from Ham Hill, Somerset, England. Hamstone is a Jurassic limestone from the Toarcian, or Upper Lias, stage. It is a well cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by its honey-gold colour and marked bedding planes. The stone contains...

Stoke sub Hamdon Priory

Stoke sub Hamdon Priory is a 14th century former priests house of the chantry chapel of St Nicholas, in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England. It is designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building, and Scheduled Ancient Monument....

is a 14th-century former priest's house of the chantry chapel of St Nicholas, which after 1518 become a farm known as Parsonage Farmhouse. It remained a farm until about 1960, and has been owned by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

since 1946.

Since the Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

the 13th-century Hanging Chapel

The Hanging Chapel

The Hanging Chapel in Langport, Somerset, England is a 13th century archway, bearing a Perpendicular building known as the hanging chapel...

in Langport

Langport

Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 1,067. The parish includes the hamlets of Bowdens and Combe...

has been a town hall, courthouse

Courthouse

A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

, grammar school

Grammar school

A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...

, museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

, and armoury

Armory (military)

An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...

before becoming a masonic

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

hall in 1891. The house known as The Abbey

The Abbey, Charlton Adam

The Abbey, Charlton Adam in Somerset, England is an irregular two and three-storey late 16th century house probably incorporating pre-Reformation work, which was restored in 1902 for Claude Neville of Butleigh Court, probably by C.E. Ponting, who also restored Lytes Cary in the same parish...

in Charlton Mackrell

Charlton Mackrell

Charlton Mackrell is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated three miles east of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 996....

takes its name from the site on which it was built, the Chantry

Chantry

Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...

Chapel of the Holy Spirit, founded in 1237. Naish Priory

Naish Priory

Naish Priory in East Coker, Somerset, England, contains portions of a substantial house dating from the mid 14th century to around 1400. Emery says the building was not a priory as it had been termed by the late 19th century owner Troyte Chafyn Grove, and there appears no evidence of ownership by a...

, built around 1400 in East Coker

East Coker

East Coker is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its nearest town is Yeovil, which is situated two miles north from the village. The village has a population of 1,781...

, was never a priory

Priory

A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...

, and similarly the Abbey Farm House

Abbey Farm House, Yeovil

The Abbey Farm House in Yeovil, Somerset, England was built around 1420 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The Ham stone farmhouse was built by John Stourton II, who was also known as Jenkyn...

and Abbey Barn

Abbey Barn, Yeovil

The Abbey Barn in Preston Plucknett, Yeovil, Somerset, England was built around 1420 and in conjunction with the Abbey Farm House. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and Scheduled Ancient Monument....

in Yeovil which date from around 1420, have always been in lay-ownership; "abbey" was added to their names in the 19th century. The 140 feet (43 m) Burton Pynsent Monument

Burton Pynsent Monument

The Burton Pynsent Monument on Troy Hill, at Burton Pynsent within the parish of Curry Rivel, Somerset, England was built in 1757 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

was designed in 1757, by Capability Brown

Capability Brown

for William Pitt

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...

, as a monument to Sir William Pynsent. King Alfred's Tower

King Alfred's Tower

King Alfred's Tower or The Folly of King Alfred the Great is in the parish of Brewham, Somerset, and was built as part of the celebrated Stourhead estate and landscape. The tower stands on Kingsettle Hill and nowadays belongs to the National Trust...

, a 161 feet (49 m) high, triangular edifice, stands near Egbert's stone, where it is believed that Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...

, King of Wessex, rallied the Saxons

Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...

in May 878 before the Battle of Ethandun. The towers funder, Henry Hoare

Henry Hoare

Henry Hoare II , known as Henry the Magnificent, was an English banker and garden owner-designer.-Career:Born the son of Henry Hoare I and educated at Westminster School, Henry Hoare dominated the Hoare family through his wealth and personal charisma. Henry was a partner for nearly 60 years in C...

, planned for it to commemorate the end of the Seven Years' War

Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

against France and the accession of King 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 other Grade I listed buildings in South Somerset are manor house

Manor house

s, built over long periods by local Lords of the Manor

Lord of the Manor

The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...

. The Tudor Barrington Court

Barrington Court

Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun c. 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular 17th-century stable court , situated in Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset, England...

was the first country house acquired by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

, in 1907, on the recommendation of the antiquarian Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley

Hardwicke Rawnsley

Canon Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley , was an English clergyman, poet, writer of hymns and conservationist, known as one of the co-founders of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty...

. Newton Surmaville

Newton Surmaville

Newton Surmaville is a small park and house south of Yeovil, Somerset in the district of South Somerset, in England. It lies just outside the town in the parish of Barwick.- House :...

was built between 1608 and 1612 for Robert Harbin, a Yeovil merchant, on the site of an earlier building, but was extensively altered and enhanced in the 1870s. Lytes Cary and its associated chapel and gardens have parts dating to as early as the 14th century. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner

Nikolaus Pevsner

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...

praised it, saying "Yet all parts blend to perfection with one another and with the gentle sunny landscape that surrounds them." The 17th-century house

Tintinhull Garden

Tintinhull Garden, located in Tintinhull, Yeovil, Somerset, England is a small 20th century Arts and Crafts garden surrounding a 17th century house. The property is in the ownership of the National Trust.-House:...

at Tintinhull

Tintinhull

This article is about a village in England. For the Australian village, see Tintinhull, New South Wales.Tintinhull is a village and civil parish close to the A303 near Yeovil, south west of Ilchester, in Somerset, England...

is surrounded by a small 20th-century Arts and Crafts

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

. Ven House

Ven House

Ven House in Milborne Port, Somerset, England is an English manor houseA hamlet of Ven or Fenn existed in the mid-thirteenth century Ven House in Milborne Port, Somerset, England is an English manor houseA hamlet of Ven or Fenn existed in the mid-thirteenth century Ven House in Milborne Port,...

, which stands on an artificially raised terrace, has a rectangular plan of seven bays

Bay (architecture)

A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...

by five bays, and is built of red brick in Flemish bond, with local Hamstone dressings; its north and south fronts are divided by two giant Corinthian

Corinthian order

The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...

pilasters. The small William and Mary

William and Mary

The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...

style house was completed sometime between 1698 and 1700. It was enlarged between 1725 and 1730 by Decimus Burton

Decimus Burton

Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...

, who provided a new drawing-room for Sir W. Medleycott and also an orangery attached to the house. Brympton d'Evercy

Brympton d'Evercy

Brympton d'Evercy is a manor house near Yeovil in the county of Somerset, England. It has been described as the most beautiful house in England, in a country of architecturally pleasing country houses; whatever the truth of that statement, in 1927 the British magazine Country Life published a set...

, built in stages between about 1220 and the 18th century, has been described, by Auberon Waugh

Auberon Waugh

Auberon Alexander Waugh was a British author and journalist, son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was known to his family and friends as Bron Waugh.-Life and career:...

, as "the most beautiful house in England".

Taunton Deane

has borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

status. The district of Taunton Deane covers a population of approximately 100,000 in an area of 462 square kilometres (178.4 sq mi). It is centered on the town of Taunton

Taunton

Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....

, where around 60,000 of the population live and the council are based, and includes surrounding suburbs and villages.

There are 38 Grade I listed buildings in Taunton Deane. The oldest buildings are churches built before the end of the 12th century, and the Castle Bow, which has been incorporated into the Castle Hotel

Castle Hotel, Taunton

The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel and restaurant located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th century reconstruction of the former 12th century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.-Building:...

in Taunton but was originally a gateway into Taunton Castle

Taunton Castle

. The castle was created between 1107 and 1129, when William Giffard

William Giffard

William Giffard was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II and Henry I, from 1093 to 1101.Giffard was the brother of Walter Giffard earl of Buckingham. He also held the office of Dean of Rouen prior to his election as bishop. On 3 August 1100 he became bishop of Winchester by nomination of...

, the Chancellor of King Henry I

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

, fortified the bishop's hall. It was his successor, Henry of Blois

Henry of Blois

Henry of Blois , often known as Henry of Winchester, was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.-Early life and education:...

, who transformed the manor-house into a castle in 1138, during the Civil War

The Anarchy

The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...

that raged during the reign of his brother, King Stephen

Stephen of England

Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...

. Taunton is also the site of Gray's Alsmhouses

Gray's Almshouses, Taunton

Gray's Almshouses on East Street, Taunton, Somerset, England were founded by Robert Gray in 1615 for poor single women. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....

, which dates from 1635, and two buildings in Fore Street from the 16th century. Many of the more recent structures in the list are manor house

Manor house

s such as Cothay Manor

Cothay Manor

Cothay Manor is a grade one listed medieval house and gardens, located in Stawley, near Wellington, Somerset.In early 14th century the local lords of the manor were the Bluett and Cothay families who owned both the nearby Greenham Barton and Cothay Manor....

and Greenham Barton

Greenham Barton

Greenham Barton is a 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Stawley, Somerset, England . It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....

which were built in Stawley

Stawley

Stawley is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 305 and includes the village of Kittisford and the hamlets of Appley, Greenham and Tracebridge.-History:The village was recorded in the Domesday Book...

in the 15th century. Poundisford Park

Poundisford Park

Poundisford Park north of Pitminster, Somerset, England is an English country house that typifies progressive house-building on the part of the West Country gentry in the mid-16th century...

and Cothelstone Manor

Cothelstone Manor

Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone, Somerset, England was built in the mid 16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J...

were both built in the 16th century and Hatch Court

Hatch Court

Hatch Court in Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset, England was built around 1755 and has been designated as a grade I listed building. It was built of Bath Stone by Thomas Prowse for John Collins....

in 1755.

The most recent building included in the list is in the Quantock Hills

Quantock Hills

. The original 16th century Hestercombe House

Hestercombe House

Hestercombe House is a historic country house in the parish of West Monkton in the Quantock Hills, near Taunton in Somerset, England. Its restoration to Gertrude Jekyll's original plans have made it "one of the best Jekyll-Lutyens gardens open to the public on a regular basis", visited by...

, was rebuilt in 1909. In addition to being a listed building the estate is designated Grade I 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...

National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens

In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...

. The house was used as the headquarters of the British 8th Corps in the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and has been owned by Somerset County Council

Somerset County Council

since 1951. It is used as an administrative centre and is the current base for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the counties of Devon and Somerset, including the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay, in South West England...

West Somerset

The West Somerset

West Somerset

West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075 in an area of ....

local government district

Non-metropolitan district

covers a largely rural area, including parts of Exmoor

Exmoor

Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...

, with a population, according to the 2001 census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

, of 35,075 in an area of 740 square kilometres (285.7 sq mi). The largest centres of population are the coastal towns of Minehead

Minehead

Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...

and Watchet

Watchet

Watchet is a harbour town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, with an approximate population of 4,400. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish...

. The council's administrative headquarters are in the village of Williton

Williton

Williton is a medium-sized village and civil parish in West Somerset, England. It has many of the facilities of a small town, being the administrative centre for the district. Williton is situated at the junction of the A39, A358 and B3191 roads...

.

There are 33 Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset. The oldest is either Culbone Church

Culbone Church

Culbone Church located in the village of Culbone in Somerset, England is said to be the smallest church in England.The church seats about 30 people, and the chancel is x , the nave...

, one of the smallest churches in England, and pre-Norman

Norman architecture

in origin, or Tarr Steps

Tarr Steps

The Tarr Steps are a prehistoric clapper bridge across the River Barle in the Exmoor National Park, Somerset, England. They are located in a National Nature Reserve about south east of Withypool and north west of Dulverton....

, which may originate in the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

, although other sources date them from around 1400. Dunster

Dunster

has the greatest concentration of Grade I listed buildings, including Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle

, which was built in 1617 on a site which had supported a castle for the previous 600 years; the Yarn Market

Yarn Market, Dunster

The Yarn Market in Dunster, Somerset, England was built around 1590 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument....

, which was built in 1609; Gallox Bridge

Gallox Bridge, Dunster

The Gallox Bridge in Dunster, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. The bridge is in the guardianship of English Heritage....

, which dates from the 15th century and the Priory Church of St George

Priory Church of St George, Dunster

The Priory Church of St George in Dunster, Somerset, England is predominantly 15th century with evidence of 12th and 13th century work. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.-History:...

which is predominately from the 15th century but includes part of the earlier church on the same site. Other sites include manor house

Manor house

s such as the medieval buildings at Nettlecombe Court

Nettlecombe Court

Nettlecombe Court is a large country mansion in the English county of Somerset. Nettlecombe Court was originally built as a manor house, becoming a girls' boarding school in the early 1960s and since 1967 has been the Leonard Wills Field Centre run by the Field Studies Council...

and Orchard Wyndham

Orchard Wyndham

Orchard Wyndham is a historic house parts of which date from medieval times near Williton, Somerset, England.There is evidence of occupation of the site from Roman and Saxon times....

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