Southill House in Cranmore,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, 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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

. It was given a new facade by

John Wood, the Younger John Wood, the Younger (25 February 1728 – 18 June 1782) was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He was the son of the architect John Wood, the Elder. His designs were highly influential during the 18th ...

, 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 is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 Edwin Charles Cox CVO CBE TD (3 January 1868 9 December 1958) was a British soldier and railway manager."Obituary." Times (London) 10 Dec. 1958: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 13 Aug. 2014. He was Traffic Manager, of the Southern Railway f ...

, 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