- Mells Manor
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Mells Manor 
Mells Manor taken from the tower of the Church of St AndrewLocation: Mells, Somerset, England Coordinates: 51°14′29″N 2°23′20″W / 51.24139°N 2.38889°WCoordinates: 51°14′29″N 2°23′20″W / 51.24139°N 2.38889°W Built: 16th century Listed Building – Grade I Designated: 11 March, 1968[1] Reference #: 266729 
Location of Mells Manor in SomersetMells Manor at Mells, Somerset, England was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century. The house, along with the garden walls, has been designated as a Grade I listed building,[1] and is closely associated with the adjacent Church of St Andrew.[2]
The building was originally much more extensive than its current appearance, including a north wing, with two thirds of the building being demolished around 1780. It was then used as a farmhouse and subsequently as a school for boys undertaking holy orders.[3]
Mells manor was purportedly procured by Jack Horner upon discovering the deed in a pie given to him to carry to London by Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury. This act is supposedly referenced in the popular nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner. An alternative explanation is that Mells Park was bought in 1543.[4]
The house was visited by Charles II and his troops in 1644.[3]
In 1724, Thomas Strangeways Horner moved out of the manor house in the village and commissioned Nathaniel Ireson to build Park House within the park.[5]
The park is bordered by the Mells River.[4] Many sites on the river and its tributaries, owned by the Horners were leased to James Fussell and his family to establish water powered mills for the production of iron tools.[6]
The house is a residence of the Earl of Oxford and Asquith.
See also
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Mendip
References
- ^ a b "Mells Manor". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=266729. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ Wickham, A.K. (1965). Churches of Somerset. Dawlish: David & Charles. p. 37.
- ^ a b Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. pp. 41–42.
- ^ a b "Park, Mells". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=23827. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- ^ Firth, Hannah (2007). Mendip from the air. Taunton: Somerset County Council. ISBN 9780861833900.
- ^ Thornes, Robin (2010). Men of iron. The Fussells of Mells. Frome Society for Local Study. ISBN 9780956586919.
External links
- Mells Park, Frome, England at Parks & Gardens UK
Categories:- 16th-century architecture
- Grade I listed buildings in Somerset
- Buildings and structures in Mendip
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