The Priest's House, Muchelney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Priest's House |
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Priest's House, Muchelney
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Muchelney |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°01′16″N 2°48′55″W / 51.021075°N 2.815183°W |
| Construction started | c. 1308 |
| Client | Muchelney Abbey |
The Priest's House is a very old building in Muchelney, a village in Somerset, England. It's owned by the National Trust, which looks after special places. This house is so important that it's officially protected as a grade II listed building. It was built a long, long time ago, in the early 1300s, by the nearby Muchelney Abbey. Its first purpose was to be a home for the local parish priest.
Over many years, the house became quite old and worn. It was even used as a school for a while. Later, a farmer rented it to store things. In the early 1900s, a group called the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings worked hard to save it. They raised money to fix it up. The National Trust then took over the house. Today, someone lives in the thatched stone building, but visitors can sometimes look inside.
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History of the Priest's House
The Priest's House was built by Muchelney Abbey around the year 1308. It was meant to be the home for the local priest. In 1535, the house was valued at about £10 a year. By 1608, people said the building was "ruinous," meaning it was falling apart. Priests or curates lived there until about 1840. After that, it was used as a storage cellar and later as a school.
Saving the Old House
In the late 1800s, a farmer rented the house for storage. It was in such bad shape that people suggested tearing it down in 1896 and again in 1901. But the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings wanted to save it. They asked the public for money to help with repairs. Famous people like Jane Morris, Thomas Hardy, and George Bernard Shaw even gave money.
Because enough money was raised, the National Trust bought the building in 1911. They hired Ernest Barnsley, a master builder from the Arts and Crafts movement, to plan the repair work. Norman Jewson and William Weir did the actual building work. They made sure to keep the old parts of the house strong. They also added new things like a stone buttress (a support wall) and a kitchen.
Recent Repairs and Use
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Priest's House needed more repairs. Workers replaced the wooden structure that held up the roof. The roof was also rethatched, meaning new straw was put on it. This work got help from English Heritage, another group that protects historic places. Today, the National Trust rents the house to a person who lives there. This person allows visitors to see parts of the house at certain times.
Architecture of the Priest's House
The Priest's House is a two-story building with a thatched roof. It is a type of house called a hall house. It is made from local stone. Special hamstone (a type of golden-coloured stone) was used for details around the windows and doors. The outside of the house is about 51 feet long and 22 feet wide.
Inside the House
The front of the house has four sections, called bays. It has its original Gothic-style doorway and windows with decorative stone patterns called tracery. Inside, there is a fireplace from the 1400s.
Originally, the main hall of the house was very tall, going from the floor all the way up to the roof. But in the 1500s, a ceiling was added. This divided the hall into two separate floors. This change also meant that the original windows had to be changed. The hall has a special type of roof called a cruck roof. This kind of roof, with its pointed top, was common in the 1300s.
See also
In Spanish: Casa del Sacerdote (Muchelney) para niños
- List of National Trust properties in Somerset
