The Abbey, Beckington in

Beckington Beckington is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome. According to the 2011 census the parish, which includes the hamlet of Rudge, which has a population of 9 ...

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 a historic building that was founded as a monastic grange and also used as a college for priests; the building was begun in 1502, but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it became a private house. It was altered in the early 17th century with a new front and a sumptuous

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

ed plaster ceiling, and also altered in the 19th century. The house was used as a school, restaurant and dance hall in 19th and 20th centuries but has now been restored as three houses: the most important plaster ceiling is in the house now known as "The Abbey".

History

Although never an abbey, the site may have been in use from about 1156, and by 1347 seems to have been used as a college for priests. It was earlier called Beckington Grange. The estate included 185 acres of farmland and may have been am abbey grange connected with the abbey at Wells. There was also a tithe barn, a malt house, a fish pond, corn and cloth mills. The present building seems to have been founded as an Augustinian hospital in 1502. The monks were attached to

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

. although previously connected to

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...

. This may reflect the changes in the seat of the Bishop between the two sites during the 12th and 13th centuries. Substantial alterations took place around 1620, additions were made in the nineteenth century when a flat roofed extension was added. The house was used as a school, restaurant and

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

in 19th and 20th centuries but has now been restored as individual houses: the plaster ceiling is in that known as The Abbey. It was designated as a Grade II*

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 ...

on 11 March 1968.

Architecture

The two-storey building was laid out as a cross passage house with a

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

wing. The house is constructed of rubble stone with stone tile roofs. The chimney stacks are of

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

masonry with moulded caps. The building has a U-plan with a cross passage hall, and consists of two storeys with attics above. The front has two, four and one bay respectively, with the projecting wings gabled. The large windows have stone mullions and relieving arches. The doorway is to the left of the central section and has double doors with a moulded stone surround. There is a single storey extension with a flat roof to the left, added in the nineteenth century. The parapet has coping between the gables. The interior has important features. In the house now known as "The Abbey", the sumptuous

barrel-vaulted A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

, coved

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

ceiling on the first floor has five

pendants A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ' ...

and elaborate strap work. The central rose decoration radiates with

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

s and

fleur-de-lis The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

decorations. Another upstairs room has a flat ribbed plaster ceiling and the staircase has linenfold wainscoting panelling. In "The Grange", there are more elaborately decorated plaster ceilings, linenfold panelling in the rear passageway and a plastered archway with the heads of

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

s. There are other important features including a wide fireplace with an arched lintel on the ground floor. The large complex of buildings is separated from the road by a high stone boundary wall, running for with gate

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

and gates. Large trees in the grounds include

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

s and

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

es.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbey, Beckington, The Country houses in Somerset Grade II* listed buildings in Mendip District Grade II* listed houses in Somerset