Treasurer's House, Martock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Treasurer's House |
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The great hall and parlour wing.
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Martock |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°58′10″N 2°46′21″W / 50.9695°N 2.7726°W |
| Completed | 13th century |
The Treasurer's House is a very old and important building in Martock, Somerset, England. It is owned by the National Trust, a group that looks after special places. This house is so important that it's called a Grade I listed building. It's one of the oldest houses in Somerset, second only to the Bishop's Palace, Wells.
The house was first built in the 1200s, but people have added to it many times over the years. For example, a large hall was added in the 1400s. This hall has a special wooden roof called an arch-braced-collar truss roof. Inside some of the rooms, there are old wall paintings. These paintings have been found and carefully fixed since the National Trust took over the house in 1970.
The Treasurer's House once belonged to the Bishop of Bath and Wells, an important church leader. At one point, a very important item called the Great Seal of the Realm was kept here. This happened when John Langton was the Lord Chancellor, a top government official in England.
History of the Treasurer's House
The Treasurer's House is a medieval priest's house. It was built from a local stone called Hamstone during the 1200s. The oldest part of the building, called the solar block, was built around 1250. This makes it the second oldest house in Somerset where people still live.
The house is mentioned as the parsonage, or priest's home, for the village's Church of All Saints. In 1227, Hugh of Wells bought the house. He was the treasurer of Wells Cathedral and became the church's rector. A large meeting room, known as the great hall, was added in 1293.
In 1297, John Langton received the Great Seal of the Realm. He was a Lord Chancellor of England and later became the Bishop of Chichester. The Great Seal was stored at the "court at Martock," which was the Treasurer's House. The kitchen was added to the house in the 1400s.
The Bishop of Bath and Wells owned the building, which was known as Martock Priory, until 1849. Then, it was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, a church group. After that, it became privately owned, and a small new part was added. In 1943, Harold St George Gray bought the house to protect it. He was a librarian and curator for the Museum of Somerset. His wife later gave the house to the National Trust in 1970.
In 1987, the Treasurer's House was officially named a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historical building.
Exploring the Architecture of the House
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The Treasurer's House has changed a lot since it was first built. It has been extended and altered many times. The building is shaped like a "T" when you look at it from above. The part that sticks out to the west is a hall that was added in the late 1200s.
The great hall has a special timber roof from the 1400s. This roof has four sections and uses a design called arch-braced collar-truss. The roof was once covered with slate from local quarries. In the mid-1800s, it was changed to a thatched roof. Today, it has clay tiles that were put on in the early 1900s.
The kitchen block was added in the late 1400s or early 1500s. It is interesting because it doesn't connect directly to the rest of the house. The Solar Block is the oldest part of the building, dating back to around 1250. It has a special window with a design called plate tracery and a trefoil shape. This window is surrounded by old wall paintings. The solar room is separated from the main hall by a passage called a screens passage.
On the upper floor, one of the private rooms has walls that were covered with limewash in the 1500s. In 1995, this limewash was removed. This revealed a much older wall painting from the 1200s. It shows a picture of Jesus on the cross with two other figures. This scene, along with decorations of rosettes and vine leaves, was uncovered in the 1990s.
See also
- List of National Trust properties in Somerset
