Architectural Development
The development of the building is complex and for the pre 1689 house is subject to revision in the light of further structural evidence. Early fabric is often masked by later finishes which hide the structural relationship between work of different periods.
The earliest part of the house is the east range, where work of three distinct pre-1689 phases is visible in the east elevation. The oldest part at the north end is the kitchen block; butted against it is a section of three bays, originally without gables, and butted against this at the south end is a single bay unit incorporating a gabled attic storey. These survivals of older fabric represent fragments of a larger building complex and are not complete in themselves.
- Later 15th century – this part of the range has a plinth course and a continuous string above the ground floor windows. Original to the build are the door at the south end, the adjoining window and the window in the west wall which is now internal. Although the large windows in the east wall are modern replacements they are in old positions and are set high in the wall. The ground floor is a single large room with a high ceiling which has been used as a kitchen, probably since the north range was built. These features have led to the suggestion that it was formerly the hall of the late medieval house. Certainly the dimensions are suitable; at 31´6" by 20´ it is closely comparable with Lytes Carey manor (c. 33´ x 21´) and the Treasurer´s house at Martock (32´ x 22´). More unusual is the siting of the fireplace, which projects deeply into the room, and the presence of a full height upper storey. Both of these features suggest alteration during phases 2 or 3; heightening the range (building on either the string course or above the ground floor reliving arches) and inserting a new chimney stack to serve both floors. This is sited in what was probably the screens passage (there is one extant external door) and would explain the anomalous small closet at mezzanine level alongside the stack which may have been formed from what had been part of the gallery over the passage. The internal oriel belongs to phase 2; there is a similar window overlooking the hall at Poundisford Park, Pitminster.
- c.1536 – the range to the south, abutting 1) has one stone and two original wooden ground floor windows in the east wall but the remainder are phase 3 or modern replacements. The former west wall is now internal. No other features are visible; the ground floor appears to have been service rooms since at least the 18th century, and may have been built as such; the southern is unheated. The first floor rooms were modernised in the 18th century and may also have been unheated before this. The roof structure which is substantial but plain and not intended to be visible would be consistent which an early 16th century date and the phase 3 gables are clearly additions to it. The apparent similarity of the roof structure over the hall range to the north suggests that this is the period at which the range was heightened; a small first floor window in the west wall indicates that work took place when this was still external. The exposed fireplace in the adjoining room (Boudoir) is of early 16th century type (cf. the east range of 1535 at Acton Court, South Glos) and the additional carving on the large ground floor fireplace suggests that this room was not yet the kitchen. These alterations could certainly be part of the documented building carried out by Nicholas Halswell in 1536. However the carved oak door with the initials NH is reset in its present position; the lettering style is 16th century but could commemorate his grandson, also Nicholas, whilst the door itself could belong to phase 1.
- c.1600 – at this period the east range was widened by the addition of a storied passageway on the west side. This has a regular triple-gabled elevation to the courtyard, creating an attic storey internally. The east elevation of the phase 2 range was given a near-symmetrical appearance by the addition of gables and new windows to the older work and by adding a single-bay gabled extension at the south end. The visible evidence suggests that the whole of the south range was built at this time, including the two projecting wings which give a symmetrical appearance to the south elevation, although the windows in the central section are all replacements. The west end of the range beyond the 18th century screen wall may be part of this build or, as it appears outwardly a later addition. The regular elevations and use of multiple gables together with ovolo-moulded window mullions and the style of the mock ashlar courtyard door dates this work to the end of the 16th or early years of the 17th century.
There is some reused panelling from this period but the most notable surviving element of the internal decoration is the plaster overmantel remounted over a passage door, which must have come from one of the principal rooms in the house, probably in the pre-1689 north range. This with its central panel of Daniel in the lions´ den flanked by figures of Justice and Mercy in Jacobean costume is a fine example of the school of ornamental plasterwork which flourished in southern Somerset and adjoining counties at this period. Examples can be seen both in large country houses like Montacute and in smaller buildings; there is a very similar overmantel at 18 Fore Street, Taunton. - By 1689 – in the 1680s a new north range was built, in scale dwarfing the older parts of the house and metropolitan in style; the designer is thought to be William Taylor a London surveyor. The interiors were commensurately fashionable in their planning and decoration, which include a fine open-well main staircase and some high quality plaster ceilings. Only the back staircase, with heavy turned balusters is more vernacular in style. Despite its large size there are only three principal rooms on each floor and a bedroom, the Alcove room, at mezzanine level. In the older house the room over the kitchen (Boudoir) which also had direct access at this level retained its importance. However the rooms at the west end of the north wing and on the top floor are only accessible via the back stair and must have served secondary functions. The remainder of the older house was converted (if this had not already taken place) into the considerable range of service rooms indicated by the 18th century inventories. Probably built at this time or a few years later is the dairy projecting from the west end of the south range. It is an addition to this range and the east wall and is brick built, but of a different type to those used for the mid 18th century work. The 1730 inventory suggests that it had been built by then. The featureless rear (west) wall of this range is rubble built and may be older, even medieval.
- Mid-late 18th century – a series of alterations and additions to the house were carried out for Charles Kemeys-Tynte, many of which are documented. The principal building material was brick and the style for service areas functional. The brick is stuccoed on show elevations with limestone ashlar dressings. Alterations to the north range included the remodelling of the west elevation in 1754 to include bay windows and a new front door, the building of a screen wall to mask the courtyard and the building or refacing of the west end of the south range. The east elevation of the 1689 range was also remodelled. In the courtyard a staircase block was added in the south east corner and a single storey servants´ hall built against the north range in 1771, partly blocking some windows. The space between this addition and the screen wall was subsequently infilled by the butler´s pantry and another room, latterly the library; the butler´s pantry had an upper storey, now demolished, and access to a tunnel vault linking cellars on either side of the courtyard. It is not clear whether the cellars under the north range were constructed in 1689 or are wholly mid 18th century. The angled passage through the south range probably also dates from this time and many of the windows in the older ranges were replaced with sashes. Some of the rooms in the north range were modernised, notably the Dining room (now renamed the Morning Room) with its rococo ceiling and elsewhere new fireplaces and panelling were installed.
- 1920s – none of the surviving fabric appears to date to the 19th century. Work of this period, likely to have been minor, may have been swept away in the rebuilding following the fire of 1923. The north range was largely rebuilt in facsimile including high quality replica interiors, but the top floor was completely replanned and bathroom extensions added at this and upper mezzanine level. The roofs and chimney stacks of the older ranges appear to have been overhauled at the same time and the majority of sash windows replaced by stone mullions. Two small extensions were made to the south range; in the courtyard (brushing room on plan) and to the south gable of the east wing (covered porch with bathrooms over).
- After 1950 – the east range, south range and dairy were subdivided to form sixteen flats with the addition of some new external doors and windows.
