Chapel Cleeve Manor

The oldest part of the house was built as an inn for pilgrims attending the chapel of St Mary which was built by the monks of Cleeve Abbey in the mid-15th century. The chapel was built to replace one which had fallen into the sea,[4] however the later version no longer exists.[5]

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the house was leased by Henry VIII to Anthony Busted however this was revoked and the estate given to Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex for his services to the king. In the early 17th century the property was owned by the Stewkley family who used it as a family home until 1723. It was then purchased by Sir James Langham, 7th Baronet.[1] In the early 19th century woods were planted on the estate,[6] when the house was extended following designs by Richard Carver.[7]

In World War I the house was occupied by the Lysaght family who added the current main entrance and a ballroom, which is now used as the dining room.[1] The house used to be surrounded by a landscape park, however most of this had been built on by the 1970s,[8] including the development of a holiday park. In the 1980s it was being used as the Chapel Cleeve Manor Hotel.[7]

In 1998 the house was bought for £360,000 by a couple who intended to restore it with friends. Part-restoration of some areas was completed in 2002. After having parted ways, the remaining owner, Jeannie Wilkins, unable to afford further restoration works and upkeep, placed the 17-bedroom house, with 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land, up for sale with a price of £1,695,000[9][10] however it is estimated it would take at least £500,000 to make it habitable.

In 2012, after having been on the market unsold for over a year, the manor was used in an episode of the Channel 4 television series Country House Rescue.[2][11] Strategies were discussed and tested, with the house used as a location for ghost hunting tours and special excursions were run by the West Somerset Railway to the building [12] to help raise funds to assist the current owner to continue restoration works and to reside in the manor.

In June 2015 the manor remained on the market with approximately £500,000 of renovation work needed, although some restoration has been undertaken by students from Somerset College.[13][14]

As of September 2017, the Manor was still on the market for £1,475,000.[15]