Dinder House
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Dinder House, is a Somerset estate with a small country house Grade II
Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
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 ...
in the village of
Dinder Dinder (which means "the house in the valley") is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of St Cuthbert Out, in the Somerset (district), Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset. It is miles west of Shepton ...
, in the civil parish of
St Cuthbert Out St Cuthbert Out, sometimes Wells St Cuthbert Out, is a civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It entirely surrounds (but does not include) the city and parish of Wells as an enclave. According to the 2021 census it had a population ...
in
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 ...
. Dinder House was formerly a manor house dating back to the 12th century, but the existing building was constructed between 1799 and 1801 by the Rev William Somerville on the original site. The estate remained as the seat of the Somerville family until the late twentieth century.


History

The Dinder estate formed part of the early endowment of the Bishopric of Wells. By the 12th Century it has been granted away to William Fitzjohn whose descendants were known as 'Harptree' or 'Fleming' By 1327 the manor was held by Richard de Rodney and his family until sold in the mid 17th Century to Richard Hickes. The Hickes heiress brought it to her husband, George Somerville who died in 1776. His son Rev William Somerville rebuilt the present Dinder House in 1801, on the site of the original manor house, and subsequently died shortly after the completion in 1803. On the death of Rev William Somerville's widow in 1830, the estate passed to his nephew, James Somerville Fownes, who took the surname Somerville to ensure the Somerville name survived. The Dinder Estate encompassed many properties around the village including Dinder House, Dinder Lodge, The Coach House, The Old Rectory, West House, Gardeners Cottage, Pond Cottage in addition to large tracts of agricultural land and farms. The last Somerville resident of the house was
Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...
Sir
James Somerville Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy admiral of the fleet. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing ...
, who was in command of the British force that sank the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir, near
Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
,
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, on 3 July 1940. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Somerville, who was made
Lord Lieutenant of Somerset This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Somerset. Since 1714, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Somerset. Lord Lieutenants of Somerset *John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1555 * Will ...
in August 1946, lived in the house before he died in 1949. He was buried at the Church of St Michael and All Angels Church at Dinder. The house was completely restored and renovated under the guidance of designer
Ilse Crawford Ilse Catherine Crawford (born 1962) is a British interior and furniture designer. Early life and education Crawford was born in London in 1962 to Jill Rendall and Malcom Crawford. Her father, Malcom, was the editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and ...
and Swiss landscape designer Augusto Calonder. The interior, gardens and grounds have subsequently been featured in many publications . Dinder House and Estate was sold in March 2017 to private owners.


Architecture

Dinder House is listed as being of architectural and historical importance Grade II and its bridge over the
River Sheppey The River Sheppey has its source in a group of springs west of the village of Doulting, near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England. It flows through the wetlands to the north of the Polden Hills and ultimately joins the River Brue. Route Fr ...
is also listed 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 ...
. The house is included in Pevsner's Buildings of England as a small country house constructed 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 ...
stone with a hipped slate roof and ashlar chimney stacks. The original house was constructed between 1799 and 1801 and Nichols of Bath (
William Nichols (architect) William Nichols, Sr. (1780 – December 12, 1853) was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his early Neoclassical-style buildings in the American South. He designed statehouses for North Car ...
) are thought to be the architects. The outer bays were added around 1850 by Vulliamy, and a further single-storey addition to the north dates from 1929. The house is of a classic Regency style with mellowed ashlar stone elevations and sash windows under a hipped slate roof. The house has a symmetrical front, a full height bow window, ionic pilasters, moulded dentil cornicing, fanlights and parapet wall. The house is linear in plan with bays arranged symmetrically, with the side bays slightly stepped back. The house has three storeys, and serving quarters located on the lower ground floor. The kitchen on the lower ground floor contains the original range and dresser and the former scullery retains the original ovens and washing copper. Interior features include an oval-shaped vestible with curved panelled doors, a marble fireplace, decorated plaster ceilings and a geometrical stone cantilever staircase, with a mahogany handrail and wrought iron balustrading. The gate piers, quadrant walls and flanking piers include panelled central piers with pagodal caps, and one with iron lamp at its apex. A bridge over the
River Sheppey The River Sheppey has its source in a group of springs west of the village of Doulting, near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England. It flows through the wetlands to the north of the Polden Hills and ultimately joins the River Brue. Route Fr ...
predates the house.


References

{{coord, 51, 11, 58, N, 2, 36, 32, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Mendip District Country houses in Somerset