Summary
Gate piers and lateral piers of the late C18 or early C19 associated with Shapwick Manor.
Description
Gate piers and lateral piers of the late C18 or early C19 associated with Shapwick Manor.
DESCRIPTION
A pair of ashlar gate piers with chamfered angles and moulded apex caps, and also two lateral piers, also of ashlar and in a similar style, with cushioned caps. Concrete gate posts have been added between the original gate piers to narrow the gateway; there is no longer a gate.
History
The village of Shapwick formerly belonged to Glastonbury Abbey, and the rectoral income from the parish church was assigned to the abbey’s almoner. The almoner's estate was one of two estates in Shapwick and following the Dissolution it was leased by John Berkeley. In the early C17 it was conveyed to William Bull, a wealthy linen merchant, who is said to have been responsible for the construction of the present house, although the building does appear to have earlier origins. At the end of that century it came into the possession of the Strangways family who, over the centuries, enlarged and altered the house. They owned the property until 1944 when it was sold to Lord Vestey. By 1923 the house was known as Down House, but was later renamed Shapwick Manor. A school was established there in the 1970s and it closed in 2020.
The gate piers on the opposite side of the road from Shapwick Manor date probably from the late C18 or early C19 and are stylistically similar to those situated at the principal entrance to the house. A map of 1764 depicts the fields to the north-east and south-east of the gate piers as Horse Park and Gracy respectively, though part of this land has been used as a playing field in more recent times.
The metal railings that originally ran between the gateway and the lateral piers do not survive.
Reasons for Listing
The gate piers and lateral piers opposite the entrance drive to Shapwick Manor which date from the late C18 or early C19 are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural quality:
* they are well-made and the accomplished design is well-suited to their setting opposite the entrance to Shapwick Manor.
Group value:
* they form a strong and attractive grouping with the Grade-II listed gate piers and boundary walls opposite, and also group well with Shapwick Manor (Grade II*), its stables (Grade II) and the dovecote (Grade II).
External Links
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
Recommended Books
Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)