Shapwick Manor
Shapwick Manor at Shapwick in the English county of Somerset is a medieval manor house which was largely remodelled in the 19th century by Henry Strangways on his return from South Australia in 1871. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
| Shapwick Manor | |
|---|---|
  Location of Shapwick Manor in Somerset | |
| Location | Shapwick, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 51.1422°N 2.8341°W |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Shapwick Manor |
| Designated | 29 March 1963[1] |
| Reference no. | 1190512 |
It is not to be confused with Shapwick House, formerly an hotel, and more recently a rental property, which lies to the north of the village.
History
The manor of Shapwick originally belonged to Glastonbury Abbey, forming part of its Pouholt (Polden) estate in 729.[2] The building that is known as Shapwick House, not the Manor, was built for the Almoner of Glastonbury Abbey in the Middle Ages.[1] A survey in 1327 includes a 5 acres (2.0 ha) garden, moat and fishponds.[3]
Shapwick House, and not the Manor, dates to around 1475; originally Shapwick House was moated, but the moat was filled in during a period of rebuilding in the first quarter of the 17th century.[4][5]
During World War I and II Shapwick House, not the Manor, was used as a convalescent home for injured servicemen.[6]
Between 1956 and 1980, Shapwick Manor was an outlying boarding house for boys at Millfield School,[7] and was later home to Shapwick School, which closed definitively in March 2020.
Architecture
Shapwick Manor is a two-storey stone building that has an asymmetrical frontage, formerly with a glazed veranda supported on iron columns [1] to one side of the building (this has since been replaced with a small, PVC lean-to).
The stable block, which was built in the 17th century, is also a Grade II* listed.[8] The dovecote is medieval but was restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, with a new roof being installed in the 20th century.[9]
The stone screen and flanking walls were built around 1658.[10]
References
- "Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. p. 178. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
- Bond, James (1998). Somerset Parks and Gardens. Somerset Books. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-86183-465-5.
- "Shapwick Manor". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- "History of Shapwick". Shapwick Village. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Unusual inhabitants of Shapwick House". BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Shapwick - Boys". Millfield School. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Stable block with coach house to Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Dovecote in grounds of Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Stone screen and flanking sections of walling enclosing former parterre on frontage of Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
Further reading
- Aston, Mick; Gerrard, Christopher (2013). Interpreting the English Village: Landscape and Community at Shapwick, Somerset. Windgather Press. ISBN 978-1905119455.