Camerton Court

House

The country house was built in 1835, designed by George Repton. It is constructed from ashlar, with a slate and concrete tiled roof. The building is two storeys with a porte-cochère with Tuscan columns at the front. From the garden the building has an octastyle colonnade with Ionic order columns, with a conservatory to the left. The remains of the previous house was turned into a stable block, but has since been converted into a separate home.

The 8.1 hectares (20 acres) gardens were laid out in 1835 but was extensively remodelled in the 1980s. the majority of the estate is parkland but there is a kitchen garden on the approach to the house, as well a small orchard. There are also a number of greenhouses on the site. The formal gardens include ornamental structures, a canal, gazebos and a pond with fountain.

History

There has been a manor at Camerton since the reign of Alfred the Great, who granted the manor to the monks of Glastonbury. After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror granted the manor to the Earl of Morton, who traded back to the monks of Glastonbury. The monks largely held the manor until 14th century, when it was passed between the Dinham and Paulton families. The Carew family held the manor between the 15th century and 18th century.

The present house was built by John Jarrett, who purchased the property in the early 19th century. and remained with the Jarrett family, to a design by George Repton (son of Humphry Repton), in 1838-40 replacing an earlier Manor House. Violin maker Henry Lye worked as a carpenter at the estate for fifty six years.