From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

The Priest's House, Muchelney

Grade I listed building in Muchelney, UK

Field	Value
image	Priesthouse.jpg	alt=Thatched stone house surrounded by trees. In the foreground a road junction and sign.
caption	Priest's House, Muchelney
name	Priest's House
location_town	Muchelney
location_country	England
map_type	Somerset
coordinates
client	Muchelney Abbey
construction_start_date	c. 1308

The Priest's House is a National Trust-owned property in Muchelney, in the English county of Somerset. It has been designated as a grade I listed building. The house was built in the early 14th century by the nearby Muchelney Abbey to house the parish priest.

Over the centuries the house deteriorated and was adapted for use as a school. In the late 19th century it rented as storage by a farmer. In the early 20th century the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings campaigned for its restoration and it was then taken over by the National Trust. The thatched stone building is rented to a tenant and has limited public access.

History

The Priest's House was built by the nearby Muchelney Abbey around 1308 for the parish priest. The vicarage was valued at £10 per annum in 1535.

In the late 19th century it was rented by a farmer for storage. Because of its poor condition it was recommended for demolition in both 1896 and 1901. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings organised a public appeal to raise money for repairs to which Jane Morris, Thomas Hardy and George Bernard Shaw contributed. As the funding for the restoration was no longer an issue the building was acquired, in 1911, The work left in place and strengthened earlier structures where possible but added new aspects including a stone buttress and a kitchen range.

In the 1990s and 2000s the building underwent further structural repairs, including the replacement of the timber structure supporting the roof and was rethatched with grant aid from English Heritage. Today the National Trust rent it to a tenant who provides limited access to the public.

Architecture

The two-storey thatched hall house is made of local stone with hamstone dressings. Externally the house measures 51 ft by 22 ft wide. Inside is a 15th-century fireplace.

The original hall went from floor to roof, however in the 16th century a ceiling was added dividing it into two floors. This also involved changes to the original windows.

References

{{NHLE
(2014). "Wessex from Ad1000". Routledge.
(25 August 2007). "Living in history: Priest's House, Muchelney". Somerset Life.
Pantin, William Abel. (1957). "Medieval Priests' Houses in South-West England". Society for Medieval Archaeology.
R. W. Dunning (editor), A. P. Baggs, R. J. E. Bush, Margaret Tomlinson. (1974). "Parishes: Muchelney". Institute of Historical Research.
"Norman Jewson, architect". Owlpen Manor Estate.
Stratton, Michael. (1997). "Structure and Style: Conserving Twentieth Century Buildings". Taylor & Francis.
"Muchelney Somerset Grass roots conservation". English Heritage.
"The Priest's House". Architecton.
Ross, David. "Muchelney Priest's House". Britain Express.
"Priest's House, Muchelney". National Trust.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

houses-completed-in-the-14th-century national-trust-properties-in-somerset grade-i-listed-houses-in-somerset grade-i-listed-buildings-in-south-somerset historic-house-museums-in-somerset thatched-buildings-in-somerset hamstone-buildings

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about The Priest's House, Muchelney — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report