19 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Somerset

Checkout places to visit in Somerset

Somerset covers a vast area of land in the south-west of England, from the rolling Blackdown Hills on the Somerset-Devon border, to the Mendips and Quantocks south of Bristol, and finishing in the west with the Exmoor National Park. To the north is Bath and North-East Somerset, which although administered separately, nonetheless feel like part and parcel of this English county.

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Iconic Buildings to Explore in Somerset

Barrington Court

Barrington Court is a charming Tudor manor house complimented beautifully with Gertrude Jekyll-inspired gardens, apple orchards and a working kitchen garden. The house was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park and in the 17th century a formal garden was constructed. This had largely disappeared until a new garden was laid out by garden designer Gertrude Jekyll in an Arts and Crafts-style.

Cadbury Castle is Somerset's largest hill fort, from which the Barony of North Cadbury takes its name. Cadbury Castle also known as Camelot Castle, is a bronze and iron age hillfort in the civil parish of South Cadbury. The hillfort is formed by a 7.28 hectares plateau surrounded by ramparts on the surrounding slopes of the limestone Cadbury Hill. The site has been excavated in the late 19th and early 20th century by James Bennett and Harold St George Gray.

Cleeve Abbey was founded in 1198, and the first Circestircian monks arrived here from Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire. Over its 350-year monastic history Cleeve was undistinguished amongst the abbeys of its order, frequently ill-governed and often financially troubled. The abbey remains include a gatehouse, cloister range, refectory with a superb angel roof, and a 'painted chamber' featuring medieval wall paintings.

Cothay Manor & Gardens (Medieval Manor House & Gardens)

A beautiful medeival house surrounded by 12 acres of gardens. Different garden rooms are arranged along a yew walk. There is also a bog garden, cottage garden and a river walk. The manor is Grade I listed on the National Heritage List for England, and its gate piers and wall to the north entrance of the house are listed Grade II.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens

East Lambrook Manor Gardens is the iconic and quintessentially English cottage garden created by the celebrated 20th-century plantswoman and gardening writer Margery Fish. The Grade 1 listed garden has been restored by new owners and is full of rare and unusual plants. Very strong on herbaceous it also contains one of the best collection of hardy geraniums in the country.

Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Farleigh Hungerford Castle was built to serve as a luxurious home for the Hungerford family. The castle was built to a quadrangular design, already slightly old-fashioned, on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome. A deer park was attached to the castle. One of the iconic attraction in this area and also you can spend some beautiful time here.

Hestercombe House

Hestercombe House is a historic country house in the parish of West Monkton in the Quantock Hills, near Taunton in Somerset, England. The house is a Grade II* listed building and the estate is Grade I listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It served as the Emergency Call Centre for the Somerset Area of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service until March 2012.

Hestercombe House & Gardens

Hestercombe House is a historic country house in the parish of West Monkton in the Quantock Hills, near Taunton in Somerset, England. The house is a Grade II* listed building and the estate is Grade I listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is surrounded by gardens which have been restored to Gertrude Jekyll's original plans and have made it "one of the best Jekyll-Lutyens gardens open to the public on a regular basis", visited by

A beautiful 19th- century watermill set in 5 acres of peaceful, landscaped water gardens, deep in the heart of Somerset. This watermill combines beautiful original features and traditional character with modern comforts. Today it has been beautifully converted into a 4-star hotel, with the historic mill’s stunning original features carefully preserved and sensitively integrated. All of the hotel’s cosy en suite rooms are individually designed and decorated in a traditional country style.

King Alfred's Tower

King Alfred’s Tower is a 160ft high folly, designed by Henry Flitcroft for Henry Hoare II in 1772. It is believed to mark the site where King Alfred the Great rallied his troops in 878. The tower commemorates the accession of George III to the throne in 1760 and the end of the Seven Years War. The 49-metre-high triangular tower has a hollow centre and is climbed by means of a spiral staircase in one of the corner projections. It includes a statue of King Alfred and dedication inscription.

National Trust - Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, William de Mohun constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset.

National Trust - Fyne Court

Fyne Court is a National Trust-owned nature reserve and visitor centre in Broomfield, Somerset, England. It was a large English country house belonging to the Crosse family since its construction, although the date when it was built is not known. It is surrounded by a large country estate of woodland, ponds and meadows. Within the grounds are a folly and boathouse.

National Trust - Lytes Cary Manor

Lytes Cary Manor is an intimate medieval manor house with a beautiful Arts and Crafts garden where you can imagine living. Originally the family home of Henry Lyte, where he translated the unique Niewe Herbal book on herbal remedies, Lytes Cary was then lovingly restored in the 20th century by Sir Walter Jenner.

National Trust - Montacute House

The National Trust's Montacute House, Somerset, is a beautiful Elizabethan mansion with surrounding gardens. The house was built in about 1598 and inhabited by the Phelips family until 1911. This Grade I listed building is one of the few houses to have remained virtually unchanged since Elizabethan times. The stunning east front with its large mullioned windows gives the impression that the whole façade is made of glass.

National Trust - Tintinhull Garden

Tintinhull Garden, located in Tintinhull, near Yeovil in the English county of Somerset, is a small 20th century Arts and Crafts garden surrounding a 17th-century Grade I listed house. The Arts and Crafts style garden is modeled on that at Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire. It was originally laid out by Phyllis Reiss and developed by Penelope Hobhouse. The house started as a small farmhouse in 1630 but was enlarged into its current form in the 18th century.

Nunney Castle in Somerset dates from the 1370s. Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was besieged and damaged by the Parliamentarians in 1645, during the English Civil War. . Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century. English Heritage maintains the site as a tourist attraction.

Shepton Mallet Prison

Shepton Mallet prison, was built in 1610 and for the past 400 years has be home to 1000's of criminals. it was the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, and had been since the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are grade II.

The Bower Inn is a charming 18th-century pub, restaurant and hotel situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater. It offers stylish rooms with luxury bathrooms and delicious homemade food.

Map of Iconic Buildings to Explore in Somerset