Widcombe Manor is a

grade I listed 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 ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

house in

Widcombe, Bath Widcombe is a district of Bath, England, immediately south-east of the city centre, across the River Avon. The electoral ward was merged with Lyncombe at the boundary changes effected at the elections held on 2 May 2019; the two places have h ...

, England, built in 1656 and then rebuilt in 1727 for Philip Bennet the local MP. The crest of the Bennet family can be seen surmounting the two pedestals at the entrance gates. The manor is located on Church Street adjacent to St Thomas à Becket Church. The house has a south-facing front which is in its original condition. In around 1850, the west front was altered and now includes a bay window and stone balconies at the first floor windows. The fountain in front of the house is Italian and thought to date from the 15th century. It was installed in its present position in the early twentieth century. It is also Grade I listed. The house was home to

Horace Annesley Vachell Horace Annesley Vachell (30 October 1861 – 10 January 1955) was a prolific English writer of novels, plays, short stories, essays and autobiographical works. Biography Born in Sydenham, Kent on 30 October 1861, he was educated at Harrow and ...

who based his novel ''Golden House'' on the property. From 1955, it was the home to the entrepreneur and inventor

Jeremy Fry Jeremy Joseph Fry (19 May 1924 – 18 July 2005) was a British inventor, engineer, entrepreneur, adventurer and arts patron. Early life Born into the Fry family in Bristol, the son of Cecil Roderick Fry, who, as the last chairman of the J. ...

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

and Tony Armstrong-Jones were frequent visitors, and it was the location of the 1972 Widcombe Manor Festival at which

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

were scheduled to play. The façade was closely replicated on a South Australian home by Hennessey Builders in 2000.105 Milan Terrace Aldgate SA 5154
realestateview.com.au. Accessed 11/12/2022.

References

{{Reflist 1656 establishments in England Grade I listed buildings in Bath, Somerset History of Bath, Somerset Houses completed in 1727