Maunsel House

Maunsel House in the English county of Somerset was built in the late 14th or early 15th century. The house stands south of the hamlet of North Newton, in the parish of North Petherton. It is the family seat of the Slade baronets and is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Maunsel House
LocationNorth Petherton, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°03′56″N 2°59′38″W
BuiltLate 14th or early 15th century
OwnerSir Benjamin Slade
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: Maunsel House
Designated29 March 1963[1]
Reference no.1177930
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Dairy Mead Lodge
Designated9 January 1987[2]
Reference no.1060174
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Granary in farmyard at rear of Maunsel House
Designated9 January 1987[3]
Reference no.1295307
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Range of stables and coach house, 8/110 about 10 m to rear of Maunsel House
Designated9 January 1987[4]
Reference no.1344641
Location of Maunsel House in Somerset

History

It is believed that Geoffrey Chaucer wrote part of The Canterbury Tales while staying at the house.[5][6]

Between 1648 and 1726 it was owned by the Bacon family who turned some the land, which had been part of Petherton Park, into gardens, orchards and a fish pond.[7]

It has been the family seat of the Slade baronets since 1772,[5][8][9][10][11][12] when it was bought at auction for £3,000.[5] Between 1772 and 1868 wings were added to the north and west of the original building.[13] The county surveyor Richard Carver, a pupil of Sir Jeffrey Wyattville, carried out some work in Gothic taste about 1835.[14]

The house is now used as a wedding venue and for corporate events.[15] To enable catering for large parties a commercial kitchen was built to fit in with the architecture of the rest of the building.[16]

In 2012 the house and the current owner Sir Benjamin Slade appeared in a television programme The Guest Wing.[17] The house also featured in an episode of ITV's Party Wright Around the World presented by Mark Wright.[18] The house featured on BBC 1 "The Sheriffs are coming" whereby Sir Benjamin Slade was issued with a high court warrant for a immediate payment of over £5,000 from an independent wedding planner for unpaid services

Architecture

The original building consisted of an east facing hall to which a three bay addition was made in the 15th century. The left and right hand blocks were added in the 16th and 18th centuries respectively. It is stone built with fishscale tile roofs.[1]

Estate

The house stands in 2000 acre estate and is approached via a tree lined drive.[19] The church of St Michael is within the grounds.[20]

One of the lodges by the driveway entrance, known as Dairy Mead Lodge, was built in the 18th century.[2]

The timber framed granary in the farmyard at the back of the house was built in the 19th century.[3]

The range of stables and a coach house are from the 17th and 18th century.[4]

There are four self-catering holiday cottages.[21]

The Maunsel ponds within the estate are used as a match fishing venue for carp, tench and perch.[22]

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References
  1. Historic England. "Maunsel House (1177930)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  2. Historic England. "Dairy Mead Lodge to Maunsel House (1060174)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  3. Historic England. "Granary in farmyard at rear of Maunsel House (1295307)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  4. Historic England. "Range of stables and coach house, about 10 m to rear of Maunsel House (1344641)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. Rigby, Malcolm (26 January 2010). "Maunsel House: Home of the Heirless Slades. Sir Benjamin Slade and the family behind Maunsel House". Somerset Life. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  6. "Maunsel House". More than good manners. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  7. Bond, James (1998). Somerset Parks and Gardens. Somerset Books. p. 73. ISBN 0861834658.
  8. "Maunsel House". Stately Homes.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  9. "Maunsel House". More than good manners. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  10. "Maunsel House". Johansens. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  11. "Maunsel House". Visit Somerset. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  12. Lyall, Sarah (7 March 2006). "Seeking a Willing Heir, an Aristocrat Turns to America". New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. "More Information". Maunsel House. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. Colvin, Howard, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, 3rd ed. 1995, s.v. "Carver, Richard", noting Victoria County Histories: Somerset, vol. 6:296..
  15. "Welcome to Maunsel House". Maunsel House. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  16. "Maunsel House Somerset". West Country Renovations. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. "Maunsel House in Somerset to appear on TV show". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  18. "Party Wright Around The World". ITV. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. "Maunsel House". Historic Houses Association. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  20. "Maunsel House". Western Gazette. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  21. "Maunsel House". Rural Estates. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  22. "Maunsel Ponds". Taunton Angling Association. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
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