| 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 ....
is a local government districtNon-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...
in the English county of SomersetThe 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...
. 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 1947The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed by the post-war Labour government...
. Once listed, severe restrictions are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or its fittings. In England, the authority for listing under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990The 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 HeritageEnglish 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 bodyIn 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 SportThe 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.
The district of West Somerset covers a largely rural area, with a population, according to the 2001 censusA 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 MineheadMinehead 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 WatchetWatchet 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 WillitonWilliton 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...
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There are 33 Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset. The oldest is either Culbone ChurchCulbone 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-NormanAbout|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...
in origin, or Tarr StepsThe 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 AgeThe 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. DunsterDunster 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...
has the greatest concentration of Grade I listed buildings, including Dunster CastleDunster 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,...
, which was built in 1617 on a site which had supported a castle for the previous 600 years; the Yarn MarketThe 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 BridgeThe 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 GeorgeThe 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 housesA 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...
such as the medieval buildings at Nettlecombe CourtNettlecombe 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 WyndhamOrchard 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....
. Somerset has many religious structures, most of which are from the NormanAbout|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 medievalThe 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...
eras. Some of the churches are part of the Somerset towersThe 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 mostly spireA 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 GothicGothic 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.
Buildings
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Year completed[Since many of the buildings have been worked upon over long periods the date given in the "Date completed" column is the date used by English Heritage]English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as significant for the initial building or that of an important part in the organization's description. |
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Grid ref[Sometimes known as OSGB36, the grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system]The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
used by the Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
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Church of St GeorgeThe Church of St George in Bicknoller, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The church is dominated by a huge elm tree in its grounds....
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BicknollerBicknoller is a village and civil parish on the western slopes of the Quantock Hills in the English county of Somerset.Administratively, the civil parish falls within the West Somerset local government district within the Somerset shire county, with administrative tasks shared between county,...
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Church of St NicholasThe Anglican parish Church of St Nicholas in Brushford, Somerset, England was built in the 15th century, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
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BrushfordBrushford is a village and civil parish south of Dulverton and north of Tiverton in Devon, in the West Somerset district of Somerset, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 535 in 243 households...
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Church of St John the BaptistThe Church of St John the Baptist in Carhampton, Somerset, England is a Grade I listed Anglican church.The first church in the village stood to the eats of the present church and was dedicated to St Carantoc a Welsh monk of the 6th century....
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CarhamptonCarhampton is a village and civil parish in West Somerset, England, to the east of Minehead.Carhampton civil parish stretches from the Bristol Channel coast inland to Exmoor. The parish has a population of 992 .-History:...
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Church of the Holy GhostThe Church of the Holy Ghost in Crowcombe, Somerset, England has a tower dating from the 14th century with the rest of the building being dated at the 15th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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CrowcombeCrowcombe is a village and civil parish under the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England, south east of Watchet, and from Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
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| Crowcombe Court Crowcombe Court in Crowcombe, Somerset, England is a large country house dating from 1724–39. It is Grade I listed.It was built, in English regional baroque style, by Thomas Parker, for Thomas Carew, and finished by Nathaniel Ireson of Wincanton, after Carew found that Parker had taken old coins,...
[ The entry for Crowcombe Court includes the attached stables.] |
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CrowcombeCrowcombe is a village and civil parish under the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England, south east of Watchet, and from Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
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| 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...
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CulboneCulbone is a hamlet consisting of little more than the parish church and a few houses, in the parish of Oare in the Exmoor National Park, Somerset, England. As there is no road access it is a two-mile walk from Porlock Weir, and some four miles from Porlock itself.The village is situated in a...
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| All Saints Church All Saints Church at Dodington in the parish of Holford, Somerset, England was rebuilt and enlarged in the 15th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
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Tarr StepsThe 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....
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DulvertonDulverton is a town and civil parish in the heart of West Somerset, England, near the border with Devon. The town has a population of 1,630. The parish includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick which is located approximately north west of Dulverton...
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Dunster CastleDunster 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,...
[The entry for Dunster Castle includes the gatehouse.] |
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DunsterDunster 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...
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Priory Church of St GeorgeThe 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:...
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DunsterDunster 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...
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Yarn MarketThe Yarn Market in Dunster, Somerset, England was built around 1590 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument....
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DunsterDunster 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...
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Gallox BridgeThe 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....
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DunsterDunster 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...
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Court HouseThe Court House in East Quantoxhead, Somerset, England has a medieval tower and other parts of the building which date from the 17th century. It has been designated as a grade I listed building.It has been owned by the Luttrell family for many generations...
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East Quantoxhead East Quantoxhead is a village in West Somerset, from West Quantoxhead, east of Williton, and west of Bridgwater, within the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset, England.-History:...
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Church of St PeterThe Church of St Peterin Huish Champflower, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century, with the north aisle being built in 1534. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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Huish ChampflowerHuish Champflower is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, three miles north-west of Wiveliscombe and ten miles north of Wellington...
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Church of St MaryThe parish Church of St Mary in Luccombe, Somerset, England has a chancel dating from about 1300, with the nave and tower being added around 1450...
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LuccombeLuccombe is a village and civil parish in the Exmoor National Park in the English county of Somerset. It at the foot of the moor's highest hill, the Dunkery Beacon, and is about one mile south of the A39 road between Porlock and Minehead. Administratively it forms part of the district of West...
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Bratton CourtBratton Court in the hamlet of Bratton within the parish of Minehead Without, Somerset, England was built as a manor house, with a 14th century open hall and 15th century solar hall. It is within the Exmoor National Park has been designated as a Grade I listed building.It was enlarged in the 17th...
[The entry for Bratton Court includes the gatehouse and barn.] |
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Minehead WithoutMinehead Without is a civil parish in the English county of Somerset, and within the Exmoor National Park. As its name suggests, the parish covers a rural area to the west of, but not including, the small coastal town of Minehead...
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Church of All SaintsThe Church of All Saints in Monksilver, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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MonksilverMonksilver is a village west of the town of Williton in Somerset, England, on the eastern flank of the Brendon Hills and the border of the Exmoor National Park. It is on the Coleridge Way footpath....
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Church of St Mary the VirginThe Church of St Mary the Virgin in Nettlecombe, Somerset, England dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and has been designated as a grade I listed building....
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Nettlecombe Nettlecombe is a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. The parish covers a rural area below the Brendon Hills, comprising the small hamlets of Woodford, Yarde and Torre together with more isolated individual farms and homes...
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Nettlecombe CourtNettlecombe 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...
[Nettlecombe Court is also known as the Leonard Wills Field Centre.] |
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Nettlecombe Nettlecombe is a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. The parish covers a rural area below the Brendon Hills, comprising the small hamlets of Woodford, Yarde and Torre together with more isolated individual farms and homes...
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Church of St AndrewThe Church of St Andrew in Old Cleeve, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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Old CleeveOld Cleeve is a village and civil parish south east of Minehead in the West Somerset district of Somerset, England. The civil parish of Old Cleeve covers an area of and includes the villages of Blue Anchor, Roadwater and Washford as well as hamlets such as Bilbrook, Chapel Cleeve, Golsoncott and...
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Church of St DubriciusThe Church of St Dubricius in Porlock, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
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PorlockPorlock is a coastal village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in a deep hollow below Exmoor, west of Minehead. The parish, which includes Hawkcombe and Doverhay, has a population of 1,377....
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Church of All SaintsThe Church of All Saints which sits on a hillside above Selworthy, Somerset, England is a whitewashed 15th-century Church, with a 14th-century tower. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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Selworthy Selworthy is a small village and civil parish from Minehead in Somerset, England. It is located in the National Trust's Holnicote Estate on the northern fringes of Exmoor. The parish includes the hamlets of Bossington, Tivington, Lynch, Brandish Street and Allerford.At Selworthy Beacon, which is...
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Church of St MaryThe Church of St Mary in Stogumber, Somerset, England dates from the late 13th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The church was founded as a Saxon minster with a chapelry at Bicknoller and other dues payable from property in Monksilver, Clatworthy and Elworthy.The oldest...
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StogumberStogumber is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the eastern flank of the Brendon Hills. Besides Stogumber village itself, the parish includes the hamlets of Ashbeer, Capton, Escott, Higher Vexford, Kingswood, Lower Vellow, Lower Vexford, Preston, and Vellow.-History:The name comes...
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Combe SydenhamCombe Sydenham is a 15th century manor house south of Monksilver in the parish of Stogumber, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
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StogumberStogumber is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the eastern flank of the Brendon Hills. Besides Stogumber village itself, the parish includes the hamlets of Ashbeer, Capton, Escott, Higher Vexford, Kingswood, Lower Vellow, Lower Vexford, Preston, and Vellow.-History:The name comes...
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Church of St AndrewThe Church of St Andrew in Stogursey, Somerset, England which dates from the early 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
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StogurseyStogursey is the name of a small village and civil parish in the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is situated from Nether Stowey, and west of Bridgwater...
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Church of St PetrockThe Church of St Petrock in Timberscombe, Somerset, England has a 15th-century tower, the rest of the building dating from 1708. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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Timberscombe Timberscombe is a village and civil parish on the River Avill south-west of Dunster, and south of Minehead within the Exmoor National Park in Somerset, England...
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Cleeve AbbeyCleeve Abbey is a medieval monastery located near the village of Washford, in Somerset, England. The abbey was founded in the late twelfth century as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Over its 350-year monastic history Cleeve was undistinguished amongst the abbeys of its order,...
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WashfordWashford is a small village on the Washford River in the English county of Somerset. It is within the civil parish of Old Cleeve and is best known as the site of Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in England...
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Church of St DecumanThe Church of St Decuman in Watchet, Somerset, England has a 13th century chancel with the rest of the church being from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
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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...
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| 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....
[The entry for Orchard Wyndham includes the belvedere.] |
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WillitonWilliton 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...
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Church of St Mary MagdaleneThe Church of St Mary Magdalene in Winsford, Somerset, England dating back to the Norman period before the 13th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building....
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WinsfordWinsford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, located about north-west of Dulverton.It is within the borders of the Exmoor National Park and around south-west of the coastal town of Minehead. The village has two hotels, Karslake House Hotel and the Royal Oak, both dating to before...
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Church of St NicholasThe Church of St Nicholas in Withycombe, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
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WithycombeWithycombe is a village and civil parish south east of Dunster, and from Minehead within the Exmoor National Park in the West Somerset district of Somerset, England...
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Church of All SaintsThe Church of All Saints in Wootton Courtenay, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
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Wootton CourtenayWootton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on Exmoor in the West Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Huntscott.-History:Wootton was part of the hundred of Carhampton.-Governance:...
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