Ston Easton Park
Encyclopedia
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...
was built in the 18th century for John Hippisley Coxe. The Hippisley family had been Lords of the Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Ston Easton
Ston Easton
Ston Easton is a linear village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It is southwest of Bath and north of Shepton Mallet. It forms part of the Mendip district and lies along the A37 road south of the cities of Bristol and Bath and to the west of the town of Midsomer Norton...
since 1544, and in the 17th century had moved from the old manor house by the parish church
Church of St Mary The Virgin, Ston Easton
The Anglican Church of St Mary The Virgin in Ston Easton, Somerset, England is a Grade II* listed building dating from the 11th century, with a 15th century embattled 3-stage west tower....
to a new Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
house. This Jacobean house was converted into a Palladian mansion by John Hippisley Coxe.
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
modern research tends to suggest Thomas Paty
Thomas Paty
Thomas Paty was a British surveyor, architect and mason working mainly in Bristol. He worked with his sons John Paty and William Paty.-List of works:* Bristol Bridge , with James Bridges...
was the architect. It is also not known exactly when the house was built. John Hippisley Coxe died in 1769 and his sons Richard and Henry further embellished the house and grounds. Henry Hippisley Coxe employed Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
to design a landscape park, although only part of this plan was actually created. Henry's widow Elizabeth further developed the grounds in about 1814.
In 1956 Richard John Bayntun Hippisley died, and his son John Preston Hippisley was obliged to sell Ston Easton in order to pay death duties. The house was neglected and fell into disrepair - it was even proposed that the building should be demolished, though it was thankfully saved by a Preservation Order in 1958. In 1964 Ston Easton was purchased by William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...
who restored the building. In 1978 Rees-Mogg sold the house to the Smedley family, who further restored the house and grounds and subsequently converted it into a luxurious hotel. The house was sold again in 2001 to Von Essen Hotels, the present owners.
Ston Easton has gardens and landscaped grounds of around 3 hectares (7 acre) and the remains of a park of some 60 hectares (148.3 acre).