Chapel Cleeve Manor in

Chapel Cleeve Old Cleeve (https://www.oldcleeveparishcouncil.org/) is a village south east of Minehead in the Somerset West and Taunton district of Somerset, England, and also a civil parish. The civil parish of Old Cleeve covers an area of and includes t ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England started life in the 1450s as a pilgrims' hostel. It was enlarged in the 19th and 20th centuries when it was a private house and then a hotel. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The oldest part of the house was built as an inn for pilgrims attending the chapel of St Mary which was built by the monks of

Cleeve Abbey Cleeve Abbey is a medieval monastery located near the village of Washford, in Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building and has been scheduled as an ancient monument. The abbey was founded in the late twelfth century as a house for m ...

in the mid-15th century. The chapel was built to replace one which had fallen into the sea, however the later version no longer exists. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the house was leased by Henry VIII to Anthony Busted (Bustard?) however this was revoked and the estate given to

Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex Robert Radcliffe, 10th Baron Fitzwalter, 1st Earl of Sussex, KG, KB, PC (c. 148327 November 1542), also spelt Radclyffe, Ratcliffe, Ratcliff, etc., was a prominent courtier and soldier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII who serve ...

for his services to the king. In the early 17th century the property was owned by the Stewkley family who used it as a family home until 1723. It was then purchased by Sir James Langham, 7th Baronet. In the early 19th century woods were planted on the estate, when the house was extended following designs by Richard Carver. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the house was occupied by the Lysaght family who added the current main entrance and a ballroom, which is now used as the dining room. The house used to be surrounded by a landscape park, however most of this had been built on by the 1970s, In 1969, Donald Rose and his wife Rita and sons Nigel & Kevin purchased the house and turned it into a successful country public house and bar restaurant putting on massive balls dances and weddings. They stayed until 1972 when it was sold as a going concern and the family emigrated to New Zealand. In the 1980s it was being used as the Chapel Cleeve Manor Hotel.

Present day

In 1998, the house was bought for £360,000 by a couple who intended to restore it with friends. Part-restoration of some areas was completed in 2002. After having parted ways, the remaining owner, Jeannie Wilkins, unable to afford further restoration works and upkeep, placed the 17-bedroom house, with of land, up for sale with a price of £1,695,000 however it was estimated by Jeannie Wilkins it would take at least £500,000 to make it habitable. In 2012, after having been on the market unsold for over a year, the manor was used in an episode of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

television series ''

Country House Rescue ''Country House Rescue'' is an observational documentary series which airs on British terrestrial television channel, Channel 4. The series has also aired on BBC Canada, ABC1 in Australia and Living in New Zealand and in South Africa. In each e ...

''. Strategies were discussed and tested, with the house used as a location for

ghost hunting Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters use a variety of ...

tours and special excursions were run by the

West Somerset Railway The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset County Council; the railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc); which i ...

to the building to help raise funds to assist the current owner to continue restoration works and to reside in the manor. In June 2015, the manor remained on the market with approximately £500,000 of renovation work needed, although some restoration has been undertaken by students from Somerset College. , the Manor was still on the market for £1,475,000. After owner Jean Wilkins died in September 2020, the house was purchased by the London-based interior designer Marten Street in January 2021.

References

{{reflist, 33em16. follow the new owners restoration journey https://www.instagram.com/manor_house_restoration/ Houses completed in the 15th century Grade II* listed buildings in West Somerset Grade II* listed houses in Somerset