Photo: Orchard Wyndham by (Lobsterthermidor (talk) 12:20, 26 August 2014 (UTC)), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Parts of Orchard Wyndham were already built by 1287, making it one of the older manor houses in Somerset.
The grade I listed house stands about a mile from Williton and has belonged to the Wyndham family for more than 700 years.
Its long and sometimes troubled ownership has left a range of architectural styles from different centuries.
It opens for guided tours on selected dates each year and is free to Historic Houses members.
History
The most significant changes to the house came from Sir William Wyndham, Lord Chancellor to Queen Anne, who undertook its last major additions. A committed Jacobite, he was arrested and held in the Tower of London, and on his release was ordered by the crown to remain confined to his own estates, where he turned his energies to building. The house passed through repeated cycles of neglect and revival under later generations of the family, each leaving its own mark on the fabric.
Architecture
The building is grade I listed and combines medieval origins with later additions, giving it a patchwork of architectural periods rather than a single unified style.
Worth knowing
Sir William Wyndham has been noted in connection with Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, linking the house to one of the period's best-known satires.
Gardens & grounds
The house is shown alongside its grounds on selected open days, under the name Orchard Wyndham House and Gardens.
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Williton (West Somerset Railway) (1.2 miles)
Nearby properties
Cleeve Abbey
View Cleeve Abbey on heritage mapGallox Bridge
View Gallox Bridge on heritage mapYarn Market, Dunster
View Yarn Market, Dunster on heritage mapDunster Butter Cross
View Dunster Butter Cross on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Orchard Wyndham there are 1 historic properties, including 1 historic building.
Within 10 miles of Orchard Wyndham there are 6 historic properties, including 4 historic buildings, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Orchard Wyndham there are 12 historic properties, including 6 historic buildings and 4 historic houses, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Facts
A Somerset manor held by one family for 700 years, its rooms telling the story of a Jacobite exile from the Tower.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Somerset, England
Get Hidden Britain
A free weekly newsletter on Britain's overlooked historic places.