Southill House in Cranmore,

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, is an early 18th-century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

. It was given a new facade by John Wood, the Younger, of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, in the late 18th century. It has been designated as a Grade I

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 ...

. The house is on a site which may have been used for Roman buildings including a hypocaust. The current 18th-century building includes some remains from a 17th-century building,. standing in a landscaped park. in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the house was used as a base for the Auxiliary Unit Scout Patrol. The house received moderate publicity in 1998 when a "cow grazing near the croquet lawn" fell through the turf into a forgotten tunnel. The writings of a Victorian servant in the house, Edwin Charles Cox, revealed that the passages were said to be haunted but upon his exploration only contained remainder furniture. In 2011 the house was short-listed in a competition run by Country Life magazine to find England's Favourite House and was chosen as the South West regional winner. The house was owned by the Cotterell family for over 10 years who then eventually sold the house to Stephen Ellis, a London banker.

References

{{reflist, 33em Houses completed in the 17th century Houses completed in the 18th century Grade I listed buildings in Mendip District Grade I listed houses

See also

References