National Trust Properties in Somerset
National Trust Houses & Gardens in Somerset
The traditional county of Somerset is one of the most picturesque in England. Centered on the cities of Bath and Bristol and within easy reach of both Cardiff and Exeter and even the capital, London, Somerset has many historic houses, castles, gardens, parks, stately homes and nature reserves to see.
Other attractions in Somerset include Ebbor Gorge, Wells Cathedral, the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury, the Radstock Museum and the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare.
See a listing of National Trust properties in the county of Somerset in the south west of England.
Somerset
Somerset has several National Trust properties including Barrington Court, Coleridge Cottage, Dunster Castle, Fyne Court, Glastonbury Tor, Prior Park, Lytes Cary Manor, Montacute House, Stembridge Tower Mill, Tyntesfield and the Treasurer's House in Martock.
Barrington Court
Barrington Court is a Tudor Manor House completed in the late 1530's. It was purchased by the National Trust in 1907, one of the first properties acquired by the organization.
The house was later leased to and restored by the Lyle family of Tate and Lyle sugar fame. They employed the landscape gardener Gertrude Jekyll to design the formal gardens.
The "Court House" was built in the 1500's by the Clifton's - a family of wealthy London merchants, who bought the property from the Duke of Suffolk. The house is a magnificent Tudor style mansion.
The house is constructed in the typical "E" shape of the times with two wings.
The house and gardens are north of the A303 Exeter to London Road and south east of Taunton.
Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0NQ
Coleridge Cottage
Coleridge Cottage was built in the 17th century. It was the home of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) for nearly three years from 1797. Within a year of moving to the cottage, Coleridge had written some of his most famous works including, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Frost at Midnight, and Kubla Khan. Visitors to the cottage can see illustrations, photographs, engravings, Coleridge’s inkstand, and manuscripts associated with the life of the poet. The small garden includes a period vegetable plot, a well, and wildflowers. Headphones and audio posts enable visitors to listen to the poet’s verse.
35 Lime Street, Nether Stowey, Bridgewater, Somerset TA5 1NQ
Dunster Castle
Dunster Castle was the residence of the Luttrell family for over 600 years. In fact, a castle has stood on the site for over 1,000 years, since Norman times. The Domesday Book records a castle in this location in 1066. Dunster Castle was a royalist stronghold and was besieged from 1645-1646 during the Civil War. Today, the castle is managed by the National Trust.
The oldest remaining portion of Dunster Castle is the Gatehouse which dates to the 13th century.
Dunster, near Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6SL
Coleridge Cottage is nearby in the village of Nether Stowey.
Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury offers visitors a superb view of Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset. Remains of a 5th century fort have been found on the tor, but this was replaced by St. Michael's Church until its destruction by an earthquake in 1275. Now only the tower remains. Glastonbury Tor has also been called the "Isle of Avalon" and is associated with Arthurian legend.
Admission to Glastonbury Tor is free. It is accessible on foot or bicycle from Glastonbury town center. A seasonal park and ride service also operates from the town center.
Prior Park
Prior Park Landscape Garden is a remarkable example of the English Landscape Movement. Prior Park was created by the post office mogul Ralph Allen between 1734 and 1764 as a site for all of Bath to see.
The Palladian bridge is one of only three in the world.
Ralph Allen combined with the architect John Wood to create a mansion at Prior Park. The two men built the mansion in order to promote the use of Bath Stone for building because Allen once owned the quarries which are the source of the stone.
Ralph Allen Drive, Bath. Somerset, BA2 5AH
Prior Park is located just off Ralph Allen Drive in the city of Bath.
Lytes Cary Manor
Lytes Cary Manor includes a chapel of 14th century heritage and a 15th century Great Hall. The well-known medieval herbalist Henry Lyte, author of Lytes Herbal, lived here.
The Great Hall at Lytes Cary is, as you would expect from an herbalist, surrounded by gardens. These gardens also include some spectacular flower gardens.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum and the Haynes International Motor Museum are also both very close by hire car.
Lytes Cary is situated off the A372 near the village of Kingsdon, a mile from the A303, the Exeter to London road.
Montacute House
Montacute House was built between 1588 and 1601 by Sir Edward Phelips (1555/1560 - 1614) who started as a lawyer, became a Member of Parliament (MP) and rose to the level of Speaker of the House of Commons.
He famously led the prosecution of Guy Fawkes in 1605. Montacute House combines Gothic tradition with newer Renaissance ideas borrowed from the continent. It is now administered by the National Trust.
Throughout Montacute House is an extensive collection of portraits and the long gallery on the third floor hosts an important display of Tudor and Jacobean portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The window of the Great Chamber looking on to the garden displays the coats of arms of the families connected to the Phelips through marriage.
The Long Gallery dates from 1598 and is the longest gallery in any English country house.
Montacute, Somerset, TA15 6XP
The house is just off the A3088, south of the A303, close to Yeovil and southeast of Taunton. If travelling on the M5 motorway exit at junction 25 and take the A358 and then the A303.
Stembridge Tower Mill
Stembridge Tower Mill is the only remaining thatched windmill in Great Britain and dates from the 1820's. The windmill was used to grind small amounts of grain for local people. The mill was restored in the 1970's.
The historic mill is located two miles north of Langport and 1/2 mile east of the village of High Ham.
Tyntesfield
The Gothic Revival mansion at Tyntesfield was built by the guano magnate William Gibbs (1790-1875) starting in 1863.
Gibbs had helped build a trading empire between Britain, Portugal and Spain as well as Spain's possessions in South America.
Gibbs became one of the richest men in England at the time through his company's (Antony Gibbs & Sons) trade in guano from the Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru. His legacy is immortalized in the ditty of the age: "William Gibbs made his dibs, selling the turds of foreign birds."
William's grandson George was later named Baron Wraxall in 1928. What was known as Tyntesfield Estate has subsequently been greatly reduced in size and is now owned by the National Trust.
Tyntesfield is only 7 miles southwest of Bristol on the B3128. If travelling on the M5 motorway exit at junction 19 and head south on Mill Lane and Portbury Lane.
By train the nearest stations are Nailsea and Backwell stations which are both 4 miles away. Bristol Temple Meads Station in central Bristol is just over 7 miles distant.
By bus there are weekday services every half an hour from Bristol and Clevedon and every hour on Sunday.
Wraxall, Bristol BS48 1NX
Treasurer's House in Martock
The Treasurer's House in Martock, Somerset is of medieval origin and dates to 1293 AD. A kitchen was later added in the 15th century.
The great hall in the Treasurer's House has a collar-braced timber roof and five windows dating to around 1330. It is a Grade I listed building.
The Treasurer's House is located 1 mile north west of the A303, between Ilminster and Ilchester.
Treasurer's House, Martock, Somerset, TA12 6JL
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