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
LocationShapwick, Somerset, England
Coordinates51.1422°N 2.8341°W / 51.1422; -2.8341
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameShapwick Manor
Designated29 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
  1. "Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. p. 178. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  3. Bond, James (1998). Somerset Parks and Gardens. Somerset Books. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-86183-465-5.
  4. "Shapwick Manor". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
  5. "History of Shapwick". Shapwick Village. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  6. "Unusual inhabitants of Shapwick House". BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  7. "Shapwick - Boys". Millfield School. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  8. "Stable block with coach house to Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  9. "Dovecote in grounds of Shapwick Manor". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  10. "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
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